Thyla - Kate Gordon [23]
I enjoyed talking to Claudia. She wasn’t as fun and silly as Rhiannah and her friends, but she was amiable and kind. She made me feel welcome.
The next morning, I walked into the cafeteria alone; Rhiannah was already gone when I woke up. A note pinned to the back of our bedroom door read: ‘Off for an early morning walk with H & S. See you in class later. Enjoy brekkie. Bacon and eggs. Mmmmmmm. R.’
As I walked towards the cafeteria I was intoxicated by a heady smell of frying food. By the time I entered, my mouth had begun to water and I found myself smiling giddily. I did love breakfast.
I walked over to the cafeteria matron, Mrs Butcher, and asked for a plate.
‘How would you like your eggs, dear?’ she asked.
‘Just there, please,’ I said, pointing at the small space on my plate that wasn’t taken by bacon or toast.
Mrs Butcher laughed. ‘You’re funny, sweetie. I meant do you want them fried, poached or scrambled?’
‘Oh,’ I said, feeling my face redden. I hadn’t been trying to be funny. ‘Fried, please,’ I mumbled.
I took my tray and scanned the cafeteria for somewhere to sit. My eyes caught Charlotte’s table and I began moving towards it. The girls all looked up and stared at me. Claudia smiled and I smiled back. Then I saw Inga jab Claudia in the ribs.
By the time I reached their table, I knew I had made a mistake. There was just something about their eyes, Connolly. And there was a smell in the air. A smell of aggression.
Still, I couldn’t simply turn and walk away, so I said, ‘May I sit here? Charlotte?’
Charlotte’s eyes seemed paler than yesterday. Icier. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘You made your decision. You chose those other girls. The ferals. You can’t have it both ways.’
‘Oh,’ I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I felt humiliated.
‘You had every opportunity to do the right thing,’ Inga said. ‘You were lucky. Not every girl who starts here gets a free pass into our group. You had an advantage and you stuffed up. Big time.’
‘We can’t be seen associating with someone who also associates with them. It would ruin our reputations,’ Amy added, a hint of a smug smile tugging her glossy lips upwards.
I looked from one girl to the next. A voice inside my head said, Walk away. Save your energy for when the fight is worth it.
And, I reasoned, when I have a chance of winning.
‘Okay, well, enjoy your breakfast,’ I said and made to walk away. A moment later I found myself hurtling forwards, eggs and juice cascading into the air and all over my uniform. Something … or someone had tripped me.
‘Oops,’ said Kelly, giggling. ‘That really was an accident.’
Later, after mathematics class, I was leaving the room when I heard Laurel’s voice call out, ‘Tessa!’
‘Yes?’ I said, turning around to face her, expecting to see her smiling her usual daffy smile at me. Instead, her face was serious.
‘Turn around,’ she said. I did so, curiously. I felt a scraping sensation on my back and immediately grew fearful.
My scars.
She touched my scars.
‘What are you doing?’ I exclaimed, wheeling around. My scars felt as though red hot pokers were pressed against them.
Laurel held out a small square of yellow paper. On it was the word ‘Freak’.
‘What … is it for? What does it mean?’
‘Amy put it on your back,’ Laurel sighed. ‘She does that sometimes. It’s stupid. She thinks it’s funny. Don’t worry about her. She’s a stupid, giant troll, and she has pimples on her back. I saw them at swimming carnival. Come on. Let’s get out of here.’
I looked behind me to Charlotte and her friends. They were all cackling as though someone had told them the funniest joke ever. Except