SweetFreak

by Sophie McKenzie

  I trudge towards my form room. I don’t expect Amelia to be there today, but surely she will be back soon and when she is, what’s to stop her carrying on lying about everything?

  I hang back for ten minutes or so, watching everyone chattering and laughing as they head into the form room. There’s Rose and her Clones, huddled in a tight knot. Heath hurries past, clearly heading for his own room. Rose looks up hopefully as he walks by but he doesn’t notice her. I can’t stop the small smile that curls around my mouth as I catch the sullen look this brings to Rose’s face.

  Everyone is inside and the bell has just rung. I wait another minute until I see Mrs Marchington striding along the corridor. Then I scurry inside and over to my desk, keeping my head down to avoid catching anyone’s eye. I sense Rose looking at me, nudging one of her friends. And then the teacher is here, taking the register. She doesn’t call out Amelia’s name, presumably because I’m right and Amelia isn’t coming in today. I’m dreading seeing her when she does turn up. Our friendship is over. Not because I’m still angry with her – though I am – but because she’s still denying she did anything wrong. She isn’t who I thought she was.

  And maybe I’m not the same person any more either.

  ‘I have two important announcements,’ Mrs Marchington says in her crisp, no-nonsense voice. ‘Firstly to tell you that Amelia Wilson will not be returning to school.’

  My head jerks up.

  ‘As many of you know she has not been well for some time so she, er, is moving on.’

  A low whispering begins across the room.

  ‘Silence,’ Mrs Marchington snaps.

  I sit back, realising I’m not that shocked. Of course Amelia wouldn’t want to come back to school and face everyone. That would be too hard, too upsetting for her.

  For a moment I feel a terrible desolation that I probably won’t see her again and that – one way or another – Amelia is still trying to run away. And then the piercing misery ebbs away, leaving just a dull ache. I’m sad, yes, and angry that Poppy’s SweetFreak death threat sparked off this whole business.

  But more than anything, I just want to get on with my life,

  ‘Secondly,’ Mrs Marchington carries on, ‘I realise that rumours have circulated that a member of this class has been involved in a cyber bullying campaign. I can confirm that these rumours are completely unfounded, that the guilty parties have now been identified and are not, repeat not, members of this class or indeed year group.’

  More whispering. I sense faces turned to look at me and keep my head down, not wanting anyone to see how I’m burning with embarrassment. Mrs Marchington hushes us again, gives a few more minor notices which I don’t take in at all, then sweeps out, urging us not to be late for our first class.

  I’m due in Science just along the corridor. I get up and gather my books. A small crowd huddles around my desk.

  ‘Carey?’ It’s Rose.

  I force myself to look up. She’s standing there with the Rose Clones and half the class watching.

  ‘How’re you doing?’ Rose asks with a smile.

  I gaze at her suspiciously. Is she trying to trick me by pretending to be friends again? ‘I’m fine,’ I mumble.

  ‘I was wondering if we could have a chat later, about The Sound of Music?’ Rose carries on, clearly unperturbed. ‘Maria’s such a massive part and the show is coming up in just a few weeks. I’d like to get your opinion on a couple of the scenes. If you’re free?’

  It’s an olive branch. More, it’s a public offer to rehabilitate me in the eyes of my classmates. If Rose is friends with me, then all the girls will be. And if the girls say I’m OK, the boys will follow.

  I hesitate. I don’t want to be friends with Rose. She’s manipulative and mean. And yet it would be stupid to push her away too publicly.

  ‘Sure, I’d be happy to talk about the part.’

  ‘Great.’ Rose nods and I can see that she’s relieved.

  The rest of the class turn away. The sound of their chatter rises up around us. I lean forward. What I have to say next is for Rose’s ears only.

  ‘I’m sorry you were bullied at primary school,’ I whisper. ‘But if you ever try taking it out on people again, I swear I will show you up for the nasty piece of work that you are.’

  I draw back. Rose’s jaw drops. She stares at me for a second. ‘Fine.’ She forces a smile on to her face. ‘Laters.’ She strides away, followed by her little group.

  A couple of the boys start joshing by the desk, teasing me.

  ‘So you’re not the Cyber Bully?’

  ‘Oooh, Scary Carey!’

  I tell them to get lost, but I grin as I do it. They’re taunting me because it’s safe. If they really thought I was the kind of person who would send my best friend a serious death threat they’d be keeping their distance. And, anyway, after everything I’ve been through, I don’t care what they think.

  The boys clearly sense that they’re not going to get a rise out of me. Their teasing soon stops and the rest of the day passes without anyone else mentioning SweetFreak at all. Poppy comes to find me at lunch break to make sure I’m OK. She seems lighter than she did yesterday or this morning. I feel the same way. It’s like a load has lifted, the past is behind us and something today has turned us in a new direction. The only thing I’m sad about is that Blue has gone. I get Mum to call the police and ask if they can track him down so I can pass on a message – just to say hello and that I’m fine – but the police have no idea where he is.

  35

  Another month passes. I have a final session with Sonia – she insists this is good practice, even though the basis on which I was sent to her has dissolved away to nothing. I am grumpy about going, but in the end it’s the best session we’ve had – a chance for me to rant and rage about Poppy betraying me and Mum not completely supporting me and Dad letting all of us down. I end up shouting, in floods of tears, with Sonia simply sitting and listening for once – and afterwards it does feel that something has shifted, that I have properly started to let go of the whole horrible business.

  A few days later The Sound of Music is performed to great acclaim. I watch the dress rehearsal with the rest of the school and have to concede that Rose makes an excellent Maria: she’s sassy but vulnerable and sings and dances really well. It’s hard not to feel resentful, though it helps when several people in my class come up and whisper in my ear that Rose is good, but I’d have been better. News trickles through about Amelia. Apparently she’s just started at Bamford House for Girls, the sister to Taylor’s private boys’ school. I can just imagine how delighted she would have been to get her parents to cough up for that and wonder if it means she’s seeing Taylor again. It soon turns out, however, that Taylor is dating yet another girl. It’s Poppy who tells me this, as she returns from picking up Jamie from a playdate with Blake.

  ‘So Taylor’s totally moved on from that whiny Abi and silly Estelle from the hut. His latest victim is some posh girl with long dark hair down to her bum. I heard him telling her how he “hadn’t expected to feel this way about her”.’ Poppy rolls her eyes. ‘What a jerk!’ Then her face falls. ‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you by telling you that, I just—’

  ‘It’s fine,’ I reassure her. And it is.

  I don’t miss Taylor. Or Amelia. I’m not even angry with her any more.

  I’m still wary of Rose and those girls in my class who took against me so easily, but I’m on a friendly basis with everyone again, back working hard for my end-of-term tests and spending lots of time playing with Jamie.

  One Saturday Mum takes me and Jamie and Poppy to visit Sandy and Teddy. It’s a bit awkward at first, but soon everyone’s chatting and laughing, and Mum and Sandy really get on. Sandy invites us all to Teddy’s first birthday party which is coming up soon. It’s a great day, with all of us together, and the very best part of it is seeing how much Jamie adores both Teddy and his new role as a big brother.

  Feeling more positive than
I have for ages, as soon as we get home I go online and join a drama group that meets near the town hall on Saturday mornings. A couple of sessions in and I love it. It’s so much fun: we do acting exercises and improvisation and the people are nice. It’s like I’m starting to move on, to feel more like myself again.

  It’s almost the end of term and there’s a warmth in the air as I leave school. I’m thinking about the Guys and Dolls auditions coming up for the summer show in my drama group and wondering what song to sing when a familiar voice calls my name.

  ‘Carey?’

  I spin around. Blue is hurrying over the road towards me. He’s dressed in different clothes – dark blue jeans and matching trainers with a cool grey jacket. His hair is shorter and cleaner than before but it’s the same warmth sparkling from his bright eyes, making my pulse race.

  ‘Hi,’ I say, the swarms of students pouring past us forgotten as I stand on the pavement.

  We look at each other. ‘It’s good to see you,’ Blue says.

  My heart sinks a little. Whatever Blue is here for, it can’t mean much for him to see me if he’s waited a whole six weeks to do it.

  ‘I wanted to wait until I was placed before I came . . . before I saw you . . .’ He stutters to a halt.

  ‘Placed?’ I ask, wrinkling my nose.

  ‘With a foster family, in Lower Cornmouth,’ Blue explains. ‘I was dying to see you again that night, at the shack, but there were so many police and your sister . . .’ He tails off again.

  ‘You’re with a foster family?’

  ‘Yeah, like, I didn’t want to see you until I was sorted, until I knew it was going to work out with the family. But it has . . . it is . . . I mean, they’re great. Anyway, I waited because I couldn’t do what I want to do . . . if I’m . . . if I’m living on the streets.’

  I frown. ‘What do you want to do?’ I ask, feeling confused.

  A big grin flashes across Blue’s face.

  ‘Ask you out,’ he says. ‘Obviously.’

  ‘Oh,’ I say, a delicious glow creeping through my entire body.

  ‘So?’ Blue asks, arching an eyebrow. ‘What do you say? Are you going to make me wait any longer? Or should I just take the hint and leave?’

  ‘No.’ I laugh. ‘That is, yes.’

  And with the traffic fumes swirling around us and the sunshine beating down on our heads and the pavement firm beneath our feet, we kiss.

  Carey’s story might be fictional, but some of the issues that she and Amelia deal with could be familiar to you or your friends. There are lots of places you can go for advice or help if you’re worried about cyber bullying, a few of which are listed below along with tips to stay safe online and advice on how to cope with online bullying.

  Staying Safe Online

  1. Don’t post personal information online – like your address, email or phone number.

  2. Think carefully before posting any pictures or videos of yourself. Once they are online, they are no longer private and you can’t be sure who might see them.

  3. Never share your passwords, and choose strong passwords that are hard to guess. Update your privacy settings regularly.

  4. Not everyone is who they say they are online. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know and don’t meet up with people you’ve met online. Speak to your parent or carer about people suggesting you do.

  5. If you see something online that makes you feel upset or uncomfortable, leave the website, turn off your computer and tell an adult straightaway.

  Dealing with Bullying Online

  1. Tell an adult you trust if you are being bullied on the internet or by phone.

  2. Don’t respond to bullying messages – it could make things worse.

  3. Block users who send you horrible messages.

  4. Save any horrible messages, emails or texts you receive, and make a note of the times and dates you receive them, as well as the user’s ID.

  5. Don’t pass on any cyberbullying videos or messages.

  For more advice

  https://www.childline.org.uk/­info-advice/­bullying-abuse-safety/

  http://www.bullying.co.uk/­cyberbullying/

  https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

  http://www.safetynetkids.org.uk/

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  SOPHIE MCKENZIE was born and brought up in London, where she still lives with her teenage son. She has worked as a journalist and a magazine editor, and now writes full time. Her debut was the multi-award winning Girl, Missing (2006), which won the Red House Book Award and the Richard and Judy Best Children’s Book for 12+, amongst others. She is also the author of Blood Ties and its sequel, Blood Ransom, The Medusa Project series, and the Luke and Eve trilogy. She has tallied up numerous award wins and has twice been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

  @ sophiemckenzie_

  www.facebook.com/sophiemckenzieauthor

  www.sophiemckenziebooks.com

  OTHER BOOKS BY SOPHIE MCKENZIE

  Teen Novels

  Girl, Missing

  Sister, Missing

  Missing Me

  Blood Ties

  Blood Ransom

  Split Second

  Every Second Counts

  THE MEDUSA PROJECT

  The Set-up

  The Hostage

  The Rescue

  Hunted

  Double-Cross

  Hit Squad

  LUKE AND EVE SERIES

  Six Steps to a Girl

  Three’s a Crowd

  The One and Only

  FLYNN SERIES

  Falling Fast

  Burning Bright

  Casting Shadows

  Defy the Stars

  Adult Novels

  Close My Eyes

  Trust in Me

  Here We Lie

  The Black Sheep

  First published in Great Britain in 2017 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd

  A CBS COMPANY

  Copyright © 2017 Rosefire Ltd

  This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.

  No reproduction without permission.

  All rights reserved.

  The right of Sophie McKenzie to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  PB ISBN 978-1-4711-2223-1

  eBook ISBN 978-1-4711-2224-8

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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