Here we go again. Another country, another school, and I am once again the New Girl. The Odd One Out.
Everyone always has their friendship groups sussed out and pecking order sorted. They glance over me without comment, their eyes cold and unfeeling. As for my parents, they simply ship me around like a little parcel. Apparently it is 'an amazing opportunity' and 'should be grateful for these experiences'. Wow. Big deal.
Staring out into the drizzling grey morning, I had to resist the urge to call out: 'Are we nearly there yet?!'
No one would bother to answer me anyway.
'Zoe!' My dads voice boomed in my ears causing me to bang my head on the window. Wincing, I reply
'Yeah?'
'New school tomorrow.'
Silence.
'Looking forward to it? But you must remember to study hard, you have to keep your grades up you know.'
Still silence.
'Well?'
'Mmmm'
My father evidently gave up as he kept a grim silence for the rest of the journey, stony faced.
Once we actually arrived at my new home, I instantly hated it. An ugly squat grey building with peeling paint and rusted door handles. Rust everywhere, actually. The garden was fairly big yet still only a patchy scrub of lawn. I noticed that there was a cat poop smack bang in the middle. Nice.
At least Pip can do something about that. Pip is my 11-month-old liver and white springer spaniel, a loyal friend. Well, my only friend. He follows me everywhere.
I attempted to pull open the rusted patio door yet it seemed to be either rusted shut or locked extremely securely. 'Oh great, yet another perfect feature.' I hissed under my breath.
Once I did go to bed I couldn't sleep at all. I tossed and turned half the night. This obviously, knowing me, promptly ended in me falling out of bed. This day just gets better and better.
BLEEP!!! BLEEP!!! BLEEEEEP!!!
My face felt like it was being rubbed by a flannel.
Quite a damp flannel.
And rather rough, come to think of it.
I awoke with Pip sitting on my lap and licking me. My immediate reaction was to grab my hockey stick, swipe my alarm clock off the table, and pound it. And not gently.
Damn! You! Just! Stop! Beeping!
Victory.
Yes I have a hockey stick, but don't get me wrong. This is a novice hockey stick that will never see the AstroTurf.
School. Yay. Fun fun fun. (Sarcasm practically dripping from my lips.)
School is always awful. There's people yelling at you, teachers demanding answers when they know them already, people groaning when you miss an 'easy' shot in tennis. And all I want to do is sit in the corner and read a book, alone. Is that too much to ask?
The house is empty. My parents leave in the early hours of the morning and come back late at night. This suits me just fine, honestly. Pip is the only one that understands me anyway. Seeing as I have to organise all things school, I decided to write a letter to this school telling them that I basically can have major behavioural problems so I need my dog with me to keep me calm. Hah. I couldn't cheek a teacher to save my life. Although.... I do permanently hear a slight buzzing noise. I don't tell anyone. They'd ship me off to a mental asylum in a heartbeat.
Walking to school is a marginally better than usual, with Pip trotting faithfully by my side. I've never put a lead on him. I've always preferred the idea that he stays with me because he wants to, rather than has to.
When I arrive at school, it is yet another both grey and bleak building. I swear that there must be only one architect in this country. Inside is much the same. One long corridor, stairs, a mirror image of the ground floor on the first floor, classrooms dotted around. The whole place seemed slippery, like I couldn't get a grip on it. I stumbled into my classroom, Pip bounding through. The teacher is small and twitchy, as if she is a nervous rabbit and the class is a pack of wolverines. I am regarded with suspicion. These people are so easy to categorise. The dumb ones, slumped in the back corner. The cool ones in the middle row, looking like they're not concentrating but they somehow are. The geeks, twitching in anticipation for the next extension work. They were so excited it made me want to cry.
Then Twitchy-Nose noticed me.
'Oh, you're the new girl aren't you? Go and sit next to Opal in the middle row, that's the only spare seat.' Then she spotted Pip. Her nose twitched so hard I thought it would fall off.
'You are not allowed dogs, dear.'
She tried to sound brave, but her voice was high and wavering. She was clearly terrified. Inside, I smiled. I tried to imagine the playful puppy attacking anyone, and failed. I handed her my forged note explaining about Pip and turned to find this Opal, whoever she was. I looked to where Twitchy-Nose had pointed and stared. Opal had jet black hair and intense blue eyes, pale skin and short stature. But the most intriguing thing about her was that she had sparks going off in a soft glow all around her, giving a gentle crackling sound. No one else seems to have noticed. I blink stupidly. I realise that everyone expects me to sit down and do so. I keep thinking about the beautiful girl sitting next to me as calmly as must be humanly possible.
She is exactly like the sister I always wished I could have.
