by Judi Curtin
I could feel my face go redder with each stupid word that came out of my mouth. Kellie was going to think that I was a total loser, and I couldn’t really blame her.
I took one step backwards, and then Kellie smiled again.
‘Why don’t you sit here, Megan?’ she said, moving her books to make room for me.
‘Thanks, Kellie,’ I said.
‘How’s Domino?’ she asked as soon as I was settled in my seat.
‘Great,’ I replied. ‘Last night she did this really funny thing.’
And when I told Kellie about what Domino had done, she laughed like she really thought it was funny. And we chatted until the teacher came in and we had to do loads of totally boring work.
* * *
Next day I got to class early. When Kellie arrived she sat next to me, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
We chatted while we were waiting for the teacher to arrive. I told her about Domino’s latest tricks, and she told me about the basketball club she hoped to join after Christmas. I said she could come over after school some day and see Domino, and she said she’d like that.
Then there was a silence.
‘I need to say something to you,’ Kellie said after a while.
So this was it.
Did she want to tell me she didn’t want to sit next to me anymore?
Had she just sat there out of kindness?
At last she spoke.
‘I often wanted to sit next to you before,’ she said.
‘And why didn’t you?’ I asked. ‘I’d have loved that.’
Kellie looked a bit embarrassed.
‘I didn’t like to because of Marcus. He was always there. I didn’t want to get in the way. It looked like … it looked like there was something going on between you.’
She was right. There was something going on between Marcus and me. But it wasn’t the way Kellie thought.
Before I could speak, she continued.
‘Where is Marcus anyway? He hasn’t been here for ages.’
‘He’s going to a new school. He’s not coming back here any more.’
‘And do you mind?’
How could I answer that?
Marcus is nice?
Marcus is funny?
Marcus is scary?
‘It’s kind of complicated,’ I said in the end.
‘That’s OK,’ she said. ‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.’
I smiled.
‘Thanks. Maybe I’ll tell you some other time, OK?’
And when Kellie smiled back at me, I thought maybe everything was going to turn out fine after all.
Chapter thirty-one
After school that day, Mum asked me to go to the shop to buy some vegetables for the tea.
‘And take my basket,’ she said. ‘I don’t want any child of mine to be seen carrying shopping in a plastic bag.’
‘But, Mum!’ I protested. ‘I’ll look stupid. I’ll look like Little Red Riding Hood.’
Mum shook her head impatiently.
‘Well, isn’t that better than looking like someone who doesn’t care for the environment?’
I wasn’t sure about that, but I knew there was no point in arguing. I grumpily took the basket she was handing me, and went out the door.
‘You’ll be sorry if I meet the big bad wolf,’ I said, but Mum only laughed.
Domino was playing in the garden outside, and she tried to follow me.
‘No, Domino,’ I said. ‘Go home. You can’t walk all the way to the shop.’
Domino ignored me and kept following me. Then I had an idea. I picked her up and put her into the basket. She looked totally cute, with her little black face peeping over the top, as we set off for the shop.
When I got to the corner of our road, I jumped when a figure stepped out from behind a tree.
I jumped even more when I saw that it was Marcus.
‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ he said.
I gulped and stepped backwards. It had been easy to be brave when Alice was with me, but now I realised that I was terrified.
Was he going to say that it was my fault he was being sent away to boarding school?
Domino gave a small miaow.
Why couldn’t she be a tiger, who would scare Marcus away?
What use was a tiny, furry kitten?
What could she do?
Lick him to death?
Marcus reached towards the basket, but I pulled it away from him. He could pick on me if he liked, but there was no way I was going to let him harm my kitten.
Marcus gave me a hurt look.
‘I just wanted to stroke her,’ he said.
I went red.
‘She’s very shy,’ I said. ‘She’s afraid of strangers.’
I went to walk past him, but he caught my arm to stop me.
‘Wait,’ he said. ‘I need to talk to you.’
I looked around. Besides us, the street was empty. There was no one to save me. I tried to look brave, as I said, ‘So talk.’
‘I … I … I wanted to say sorry,’ he began. ‘I shouldn’t have told you all those lies about my dad. I shouldn’t have made you steal those papers. I shouldn’t have bullied you.’
‘That’s OK,’ I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
‘It’s not OK,’ said Marcus so fiercely that I stepped back again. ‘It’s not one bit OK. You’re the only one who was nice to me. You helped me with my work, you gave me your lunches, and all I did was bully you. It is so not OK.’
I smiled at him.
‘Really, it’s OK. It’s all over now. It’s—’
Marcus interrupted me.
‘I’ve been really mixed up lately. It’s almost like I couldn’t help myself. Since my mum died … I don’t know … nothing seemed right any more.’
He put his head down and his hair fell over his forehead. I stood there, wondering what I should do.
Suddenly he put his head up and tried to smile.
‘Anyway, I think things are better now. Dad and I had a long talk. A proper talk – the first one we’ve had in ages. I think we’re going to be able to work things out.’
I smiled back at him.
‘I’m glad, Marcus,’ I said. ‘I really am.’
‘And I’m off to boarding school after Christmas,’ he said.
‘And are you OK with that?’
He shrugged.
‘I think it’s for the best. I made a bad start here. I’d like an opportunity to start again.’
I had a sudden thought.
‘A girl I know, Melissa, she’s in boarding school in Dublin. Maybe you’ll be in her school.’
He shook his head.
‘I’m going to an all-boys school, so I don’t think so.’
Maybe it was for the best. His life was hard enough already. He so didn’t need Melissa in it making things even worse.
‘I need to go,’ he said. ‘Dad’s taking me to buy my new school uniform.’
I giggled.
‘And are you going to wear it this time?’
He shrugged.
‘Maybe.’
I put on a cross face, and he sighed.
‘OK, I’ll wear it, but only because you asked me to.’
Then he gave me a hug. I was really surprised, but before I could say anything, he walked away. Just as he was turning the corner, he looked back.
‘Megan,’ he called.
‘What?’
‘Will you text me at boarding school?’
I nodded.
‘Sure I will. I promise.’
Then Domino and I continued our journey to the shop.
* * *
When I got back home, Mum met me in the hall.
‘Well then,’ she said. ‘Did you meet the big bad wolf?’
I just laughed.
‘You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.’
Mum shook her head.
‘Teenagers,’ she sighed. ‘I’ll
never understand you.’
Chapter thirty-two
Friday was the day we got our Christmas holidays. Last class was Home Ec as usual. We were baking Christmas logs. It was Alice’s turn to cook, so Grace and I were looking forward to an entertaining afternoon.
Miss Leonard had asked every person who was cooking to bring in a piece of plastic holly to decorate their finished log.
She arrived at our table just as Alice was putting out her ingredients.
‘I don’t suppose you remembered your holly?’ she said to Alice.
Alice beamed at her.
‘Oh, I did, Miss,’ she said. ‘But I didn’t stop at holly. I brought loads of great stuff. My log is going to be sooooo cool. I bet it’ll be the best log you’ve ever seen.’
As she spoke she reached into her school-bag and pulled out a huge bag filled with plastic santas and elves and angels. She was so busy lining them up on her table in a crazy Christmas procession, that she didn’t notice the look of horror on Miss Leonard’s face.
‘This is the best one,’ Alice said, pulling out a huge, ugly reindeer and placing it on the table. She pressed one of its antlers, and it began to play ‘Grandma got run over by a reindeer’ really loudly. Everyone stopped talking and began to laugh. Miss Leonard made a funny shape with her mouth, like she’d sucked a lemon or something.
‘My dear Alice,’ she said. ‘You seem to forget that this is Home Economics, not a class in modern sculpture.’
Alice shrugged.
‘I just thought I’d try to brighten up my log. That’s all.’
Miss Leonard did her sucky-lemon face again.
‘Concentrate on not making your log poisonous, and you’ll be doing very well,’ she said.
Then she moved on to the next group.
* * *
At the end of the class, Alice stepped back to admire her log. All the other logs were pretty, log-shaped cakes. Alice’s looked like something that had been trampled by a herd of very big and very angry elephants.
She didn’t seem to mind too much.
‘Lucky I brought these extra decorations,’ she said.
Grace and I helped her until the cake was completely hidden under a pile of ugly plastic creatures.
Just then Miss Leonard came along.
‘Hmm, Alice,’ she said. ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to join the art class? It’s not to late to change, you know.’
Alice smiled.
‘No thanks, Miss. I love Home Ec. In fact it’s my very favourite subject. I’m going to do it all the way to Leaving Cert.’
Miss Leonard looked like she was going to faint at the thought of having to teach Alice for all those years.
Grace and I laughed. The future was starting to look very bright.
* * *
As soon as the class was over, Alice and I set off for home. When we got to the school gate, Alice stopped suddenly.
‘Why am I bringing all these books home?’ she said. ‘It’s not like I’m going to study over the holidays or anything stupid like that. Here, hold this, while I go back to my locker.’
She handed me the Christmas log, which looked more like a project in modern art.
‘Thanks a million,’ I said.
Alice seemed to be gone for ages, and everyone who went past me stared at me and laughed, so I was very happy when she came back.
I handed the Christmas log to Alice. There was no way I was walking all the way home with that in my hands.
‘What will I do about this?’ she asked. ‘Will I give it to Dad or to Mum?’
Who do you love the least? I thought.
Once again Alice managed to read my mind. She looked closely at the log.
‘It’s not very nice is it?’
I didn’t answer.
Suddenly Alice gave a huge smile.
‘Back in a sec,’ she said, and she raced back into school, leaving a trail of plastic elves behind her.
When she came back, the log was gone.
‘What did you do with it?’
Alice smiled.
‘I gave it to Miss Leonard,’ she said. ‘I told her it was her Christmas present.’
I giggled.
‘What did she say?’
Alice giggled too.
‘She said I’m the most interesting student she’s ever taught.’
Just then Grace and Louise came along. Grace was all excited, because the next day was going to be her thirteenth birthday. She is totally spoiled, so she was bringing loads of us ice-skating and then on to a real fancy restaurant for dinner.
‘Guess what? My two cousins can’t come tomorrow after all,’ said Grace as she joined us.
‘So you’ve got two spare tickets for the skating?’ said Alice.
Grace wrinkled her nose.
‘Not exactly. My mum met Melissa’s mum in the shopping centre yesterday, and Mum invited Melissa to my party.’
The rest of us groaned, until Alice waved her hand to stop us.
‘Let’s just be nice to Melissa, and we can call it our good deed for Christmas.’
Louise giggled.
‘So what are you going to do with the other ticket?’ she asked Grace.
Grace shrugged.
‘I don’t know. I’ve already invited all of my friends. Any of you want to ask someone?’
Louise and Alice shook their heads, but I suddenly had an idea.
‘There’s this girl in my class, Kellie. She’s really nice. I think you’d all like her. I could ask her, if you like.’
‘Sure,’ said Grace.
I grinned.
‘Thanks. I’ll text her as soon as I get home.’
By then we were at the turn for Grace and Louise’s houses, so we all hugged and they went off.
When we got to my house, Alice and I stopped.
‘You know what Miss Leonard said, about me being interesting?’ she asked.
I nodded.
‘Do you think that means she likes me?’ she asked.
I was fairly sure it meant the opposite, but couldn’t think of a nice way of saying so.
Alice looked at me closely, and I felt like she was reading my mind again.
Then she laughed.
‘It’s the Christmas holidays, so who cares what Miss Leonard thinks?’
‘I’ve been thinking too,’ I said suddenly. ‘I never thanked you properly for helping me to stand up to Marcus that time. So thank you.’
As I spoke I gave her a quick hug.
Alice shrugged.
‘It’s nothing,’ she said. ‘That’s what friends do for each other.’
But her face had gone slightly red, and I knew she was pleased.
‘I’m going to change out of my uniform,’ she said. ‘Call for you later?’
I nodded.
‘Sure.’
I went in my gate and up the path.
Domino was waiting for me, all curled up on one of Mum’s plant pots. I picked her up and cuddled her.
‘I am so, so happy,’ I said suddenly.
Domino didn’t reply, but I think she understood.
About the Author
JUDI CURTIN grew up in Cork and now lives in Limerick where she is married with three children. All seven of her books in the ‘Alice&Megan’ series are published by The O’Brien Press. With Roisin Meaney, she is the author of See If I Care, and she has also written three novels, Sorry, Walter, From Claire to Here and Almost Perfect. Her books have been translated into Serbian, Portuguese and German.
The ‘Alice & Megan’ series
Alice Next Door
Alice Again
Don’t Ask Alice
Alice in the Middle
Bonjour Alice
Alice & Megan Forever
Alice to the Rescue
Copyright
This eBook edition first published 2012 by The O’Brien Press Ltd,
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First published 2008
EBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–377–5
Text © copyright Judi Curtin 2008
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