The bell startles me enough that I spill my coffee on the floor. I don’t have time to remember my nerves because the next couple of minutes are spent rushingaround, wiping it up with paper towels, and double-checking that all the desks are straight. On each one, I leave a packet of newly sharpened pencils and a colored eraser.
Finally, before I can think about it any further and talk myself into doing another runner, I open the door and brace myself for the arrival of the boy I once loved with my whole heart.
CHAPTER 2
Hendricks
Age 6
“Mummy. Mummy. Mummy.”
From the back seat, I see her eyes appear in the mirror. “Yes, Miles?”
“Are you sure Hendricks and I aren’t in the same class this year?”
His shaky voice means he’s trying hard not to cry. Reaching out, I grab his hand and hold it tight. I’m secretly nervous about us being split up too, but I don’t want to show him because he gets upset.
“No, sweetheart, you’re not. But you’re right across the hall from each other. You’re the distance that my bedroom is from your bedroom. It’s so close. You’re still in the same year, and you’ll still be together, but this will give you the chance to make more friends.”
“But we’re not sitting next to each other?”
“No, but you know who you can sit next to? Lucas. Or Emily. Or Jack.”
Miles relaxes next to me, like when we stroke the dogs’ bellies, and they roll over. Jack is our friend fromkindergarten. The three of us always play together during school break, and this summer holiday, he was allowed to have a sleepover, and we made a tent in our bedroom. Alex brought us hot chocolates, and we stayed up too late.
I’m happy for a second because Miles is happy, but then I realize if Jack’s in Miles’s class, he’s not in mine.
“Mummy, I thought Jack was in my class.”
“No, darling, he’s in Miles’s class.”
The little bubbles in my tummy start fizzing again. Miles squeezes my hand because he knows that I’m getting more nervous now. When one of us is sad, we can tell, even if we don’t say it.
I’m not as upset as Miles about us not being together, but this is our first year in the big school, and not all our friends will be there.
Mummy parks her car, and we undo the buckle on our car seats so we can jump out when she opens the back door. After we take our school bags from her, we each take one of her hands and walk toward our classroom.
“Look, there’s Jack,” shouts Miles, dragging us forward quicker.
“Go and say hello to him,” Mummy says, letting go of his hand so he can run off.
I’m glad he’s happy again, but when Mummy kneels and puts her arms around me, I feel like I’m going to cry. I want to hug her and breathe in the flowers she always smells like, but I don’t. We’re in the big school now, and Lando said you’re not supposed to cry in big school.
“You know who I think is in your class? Samuel.”
I smile even though I don’t really like Samuel. I sawhim chase a cat once. “Okay.”
“And when I come to collect you after school, you can tell me all about your first day. You’ll see Miles at break and lunch, and you’ll do all your sports together. And when you come home, you’ll be able to tell each other about your days.”
The bubbles in my tummy go away a little bit, and I smile at her.
“Come on, let’s go meet your new teacher.”
“Hen, Hen. Mummy,” shouts Miles, this time pulling Jack over toward us. I see his mum standing by the main entrance. Her hand is raised in the air, and Mummy waves back at her. “Mummy, Jack invited Hendricks and me over for supper.”
I forget about being nervous. I love going to Jack’s house. He’s got a cool tree house in his garden that we made into a den this summer. I look up at Mummy. “Please, can we go?”
“Yes, maybe, let’s all get inside first. We don’t want to be late on our first day.”
