by Judi Curtin
‘I asked about that too. Colin just laughed. He said that Marcus’s dad bought him all his school books in September, but before school even started Marcus threw them all into the river one day when he was in a temper over something.’
‘But he never has any lunch,’ I said. ‘Or even money to buy lunch.’
Alice sighed.
‘Not true either. Colin says Marcus gets money from his dad every morning, but he spends it all on cigarettes.’
I put my head in my hands.
Could this all be true?
I looked up again
‘Why would Marcus do that?’ I asked. ‘Why would he make up all that stuff?’
‘Because he’s crazy?’
I shook my head.
‘He’s not crazy.’
Alice tried again.
‘So people would feel sorry for him? So you’d feel sorry for him? I suppose it’s a kind of bullying. He told you loads of lies just so you’d help him to get what he wanted.’
Suddenly it all seemed to make terrible sense.
‘He was using me all the time,’ I said. ‘I felt so sorry for him I gave him my sandwiches.’
Alice gave a sudden giggle.
‘Maybe that was punishment enough for him.’
I giggled too, and then stopped.
‘I lent him my school books. I let him copy my homework. I …’
Suddenly I felt like I’d been really, really stupid. I started to cry.
‘He was probably laughing behind my back all the time.’
Alice hugged me.
‘You were just trying to be kind. And if he was laughing at you for being kind, then that just shows what a mean person he is. And who cares what mean people think?’
She was probably right. But I still had one problem.
‘What am I supposed to do with the exam papers? I’m not afraid of what Marcus’s dad will do to him, but I’m still afraid of what Marcus will do to me if I don’t hand them over.’
‘I’ve thought of that,’ said Alice, and as she spoke, she pulled a box of matches out of her pocket.
I gulped.
‘Don’t you think burning the house down is a bit extreme?’
Alice laughed.
‘I’m not that crazy. Get up. Get dressed. Tell your mum you feel better and that we’re going outside for a while.’
I did what she said, and five minutes later we were at the end of our garden, sitting in the long grass behind Rosie’s old playhouse. Alice was carrying the matches, and I was carrying the bundle of exam papers. Domino had followed us, and was hiding under a bush. Even she seemed to know that something big was about to happen.
Alice lit the first match. Domino gave a little squeak, and vanished into the middle of the bush. Alice held the match in the air, and then quickly blew it out. I watched as a wisp of black smoke spiralled into the cold air.
‘Have you looked at the questions?’ she asked.
I shook my head.
‘No. I’d love to do really well in my exams, but not this way. Now light another match.’
For a minute Alice didn’t move, and suddenly I understood why.
‘What about you? Do you want a look before we burn these?’ I asked.
Alice paused, and then shook her head.
‘I was kind of tempted,’ she said. ‘I haven’t worked very hard this year. And imagine what Miss Leonard would say if she had to give me an ‘A’ in Home Ec!’
‘That would be so funny,’ I said.
Alice shook her head sadly.
‘But that would be cheating, and I hate cheats. Anyway, if I did really well at Christmas, Mum and Dad would expect me always to do well, and I don’t suppose you plan to steal any more papers any time soon?’
‘No way,’ I said quickly. ‘I am never, ever doing anything like this again.’
Alice took out another match, and lit it. Once again she blew it out.
‘I’ve just had the coolest idea,’ she said.
‘What?’ I said. ‘Have you figured out a way to turn the clock back, so I would never have stolen these stupid papers? Can we all go back to November, and then we’ll all live happily ever after?’
‘No. But it’s still a cool idea. How about we find some other old exam papers, and give them to Marcus telling him they’re the right ones? He’ll study for ages, but he’ll be studying all the wrong stuff, and he’ll fail everything. Wouldn’t that be so cool?’
I had to smile. Only Alice could come up with a crazy idea like that. She was right though, it would be cool. And it would serve Marcus right for all the lies he’d told me. But sadly I shook my head.
‘It’s a good idea, but I don’t want to do it. Marcus is going to be mad enough when we don’t give him these. I totally don’t want to make him any madder than necessary.’
Alice sighed.
‘I suppose you’re right. Now here goes!’
She lit a third match. I scrunched up the exam papers and put them on the grass. Alice lit one corner of the first paper, and we watched as the whole pile blackened and burned until there was nothing left except a handful of smoking ashes.
‘That’s that,’ said Alice. ‘Now let’s go back inside to figure out what we’re going to say to Marcus.’
Chapter twenty-eight
Next morning Alice called for me to walk me to school. She’s really not big and tall enough to be a bodyguard, but I felt safe with her beside me.
Marcus was waiting outside the school gate. From a distance he didn’t look scary. He just looked like an ordinary boy who was trying to look tough.
He came over as soon as he saw me.
‘Hey, Megan,’ he said. ‘We need to talk.’
‘So talk.’ I was trying to sound tough and brave, but I had a feeling that my voice was shaky.
‘But it’s a secret,’ Marcus said looking at Alice. ‘We need to talk about the …’
He stopped, so I finished his sentence for him.
‘… exam papers?’
Marcus didn’t answer.
‘It’s OK,’ I said, trying not to look terrified. ‘You can talk in front of Alice. She’s my friend. I tell her everything.’
Suddenly Marcus looked tough again.
‘Whatever. I don’t care if she knows or not. The exams start tomorrow. So I need to get studying. Now hand over the papers.’
‘No,’ I said.
Suddenly Marcus clutched his side where the bruises were.
‘Megan, stop fooling around. I have to have those papers,’ he said. ‘If I don’t do well in my exams, my dad will—’
‘Your dad will what?’ asked Alice, joining in the conversation for the first time.
Marcus looked at her coldly.
‘If I don’t do well in my exams, my dad will beat me.’
He pulled up his shirt to show the bruises on his side, which were now a totally gross shade of greeny-yellow.
I gasped. I didn’t care how he got those bruises – they still looked scary. Alice didn’t look impressed though.
‘We know all about you,’ she said. ‘We know you got those bruises in a fight. We know your dad’s really nice. We know there’s only one bully in your family, and that’s you.’
Marcus went pale. He looked like Alice had punched him in the face. Then, after a few seconds, he recovered.
‘So I told a few lies,’ he said. ‘Get over it. Now, I still want those papers. And I’m getting impatient. So hand them over.’
‘I can’t,’ I said.
Now Marcus looked really tough.
‘Quit messing around, Megan,’ he said. ‘Hand over the papers.’
‘I can’t.’
Marcus folded his arms and stepped towards me.
‘Why?’
Alice answered for me, which was just as well, as I was starting to shake. This whole scene was much too scary for me.
‘Megan can’t hand over the papers, because they had a bit of an accident over the weekend.’
Marcus narrowed his eyes.
‘What kind of an accident?’
Alice smiled.
‘The burning kind of an accident. They accidentally got burned into tiny black ashes.’
Marcus looked at me.
‘Is she telling the truth?’ he asked.
I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I just nodded.
‘I bet it wasn’t an accident,’ said Marcus.
Alice shrugged.
‘So what? Accident or not. They’re gone now, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.’
For a very long time, no one said anything. I put my hands into my pockets because they were shaking so much.
Then Marcus spoke again. He stared at me like he really hated me.
‘I can tell on you, Megan,’ he said. ‘I never went into the office. I never touched the exam papers. You’re the only one who did something wrong.’
I gulped. Even though Alice had warned me to expect this, I was still terrified.
Marcus looked like he was enjoying himself now.
‘No one will ever know I had anything to do with it.’
‘But what about the fight?’ I protested. ‘You started a fight in the corridor.’
Marcus shrugged.
‘So what? A fight’s no big deal. I’m in a fight almost every day, so it’s nothing special. When Mrs Kingston hears what you did, she’ll forget all about my little fight. You’re the one who did the really bad thing. You’re the one who’ll be in big, big trouble.’
Alice stepped forward. At first I was really impressed at how brave she was being, but then I realised that she was enjoying herself too.
‘Megan took the papers, she admits that,’ she said. ‘But what if she can prove that you bullied her into doing it?’
Marcus smiled an evil smile.
‘But she can’t, can she? She can’t prove anything.’
Alice didn’t answer. Instead she reached into her school-bag and pulled out a sheet of paper. She handed the paper to Marcus.
‘Here,’ she said. ‘Read this.’
I didn’t have to see the paper. I knew what was on it. All the words were written in Alice’s best hand-writing, carefully copied from the screen of my mobile phone.
B at skool on Monday. Or else….
Don’t forget.
If you don’t bring what I want to skool on Monday I am in a lot of trouble ……
…… but not as much trouble as you.
If u don’t bring the papers U R so dead
Alice was smiling. ‘Look familiar?’ she asked.
Marcus made an ugly face, and then tore the page into tiny little pieces.
Alice kept smiling.
‘Oops,’ she said. ‘You seem to have accidentally torn up the evidence. But don’t worry. We’ve made lots of copies. Megan has one. I have two more. I even gave one to my dad. He thinks I’m writing a play about bullying. And of course, Megan’s phone is safe at home. Just in case anyone wants to see the original messages.’
Now Marcus didn’t look tough any more. He just looked kind of defeated. For one second, I almost felt sorry for him. Then I remembered all the lies he’d told me, and I didn’t feel sorry any more. I just felt glad that I had Alice beside me to sort him out.
Marcus was starting to walk away from the school. Alice followed him, and because I couldn’t think of anything else to do, I followed them both.
‘If you threaten Megan – if you even think of threatening Megan,’ she said. ‘I’m going to Mrs Kingston. I’m going to tell her everything.’
Marcus didn’t answer. He just walked away. As he walked a gust of wind blew his hair, and I could see the purple patch, faded now, half-hidden by the rest of his hair. It looked kind of pathetic. Just like him.
Chapter twenty-nine
Marcus didn’t show up in class that day. Or for the rest of the week.
All the rest of us first years did our Christmas exams. Some of them were really hard. I’m not sure how well I did, but at least I didn’t cheat, and that made me feel sort of good. (But maybe I’ll change my mind in January, when my report arrives.)
When the exams were over, we still had a week of school left before the Christmas holidays. On the Monday, I went in to my first class. I was glad to see that Marcus wasn’t there. None of the teachers mentioned him – it was almost like he’d vanished without trace – like he’d never been there at all.
After Geography, Mr Spillane asked me to help him to carry some books to the staff room. On the way, I nearly asked him about Marcus, but I stopped myself. It wasn’t like I missed him or anything.
I was glad he wasn’t there.
Life was easier when Marcus wasn’t around.
I just kind of wondered what had happened to him.
* * *
At lunchtime, Alice was all excited when she got to the lunch-room. She was practically dragging Louise behind her.
‘Tell Megan what you told me,’ she prompted.
Louise fixed her school jumper where Alice had been pulling it.
‘OK, OK,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell her, but I don’t see what the big deal is.’
Alice shook her head impatiently.
‘It’s not a big deal,’ she said. ‘But tell her anyway.’
Louise sighed.
‘You’re very bossy sometimes, you know, Alice.’
Alice grinned.
‘I know. It’s one of the things I’m most proud about. Now stop changing the subject, and tell Megan what you told me this morning.’
Louise sighed again.
‘It’s about Marcus,’ she began.
‘What about Marcus?’ I asked weakly.
‘His dad discovered about all the fights he’s been involved in, and all the trouble that he’s been in at school. So he’s decided to send him away to boarding school in Dublin.’
‘Boarding school?’ I repeated.
Louise nodded.
‘Yes. He’s going to start his new school in January, and he’s not coming back here any more. The lucky thing didn’t even have to do his exams. That’s not fair, is it?’
I didn’t answer. I found myself repeating Marcus’s words to myself.
Lots of things aren’t fair.
Even though I knew he’d been telling lies about his father being a bully, I still couldn’t help feeling sorry for Marcus.
How would he get on at boarding school?
Would he make any friends?
Or would he be sad and lonely?
And why did that make me feel so sad?
I noticed that Louise was staring at me.
‘Hey, Megan, you and Marcus were friends, weren’t you?’ she said. ‘Is that what this is all about?’
I looked at Alice.
She shrugged, and I knew that what happened between Marcus and me was going to remain a secret.
I shrugged too.
‘Marcus and I just sat together in class sometimes. We weren’t really friends.’
Louise nodded, then she turned to Alice, ‘Can I go now? I’ve got to practice for tomorrow’s carol service.’
Alice nodded, and Louise ran off.
I sat down and opened my lunch-box.
‘Yum,’ I said, holding the box towards Alice. ‘Would you like one of my vegetable sandwiches?’
Alice shook her head.
‘I’ll pass this time, but thanks anyway.
Marcus would have eaten them. Pity he’s not here.’
I didn’t answer. Even though I was afraid of Marcus, and even though he’d bullied me into doing the worst thing I’d ever done, part of me agreed with Alice.
It was a pity Marcus wasn’t here.
Chapter thirty
On the way back to class after lunch, I found myself walking along beside Kellie. She smiled at me, and I smiled back. Then we both got embarrassed, and didn’t say anything else.
Suddenly I noticed Kellie’s folder. It was really cool – bright blue with a picture of a cat on it.
&n
bsp; ‘Do you like cats?’ I asked. It wasn’t a very smart question, because any fool could see she liked cats – she had pictures of them on all her books and folders. Kellie didn’t seem to mind though. She stopped walking and looked at the picture on her folder.
‘I totally love them,’ she said. ‘The thing I want most in the world is a cat of my own, but I can’t get one. My dad’s allergic, and starts sneezing if there’s a cat anywhere within a hundred metres.’
‘You poor thing,’ I said. ‘I have a cat, though. Well, she’s only a kitten. She’s really sweet.’
Kellie gave a big, long sigh.
‘You are so, so lucky,’ she said. ‘What’s she like?’
‘Well, she’s all black, except for the tip of her tail – that’s white. Her name is Domino, and … hang on a sec.’
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, switched it on and held it out for Kellie to see.
‘That’s her. My friend Alice took this picture and sent it to me. Isn’t she lovely?’
Kellie sighed again.
‘I think she’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.’
Just then our teacher came along the corridor.
‘Hurry up into class, girls,’ she said. ‘And Megan switch that phone off at once.’
Kellie went into the classroom and sat down in her usual place, and I went and sat in mine.
* * *
When I got to school the next morning, Kellie was sitting at a desk at the back of the classroom. She was chatting to two of her friends who were sitting in front of her. For a minute or two I stared at the empty seat beside Kellie.
What if she was saving it for someone?
What if she didn’t want me anywhere near her?
What if …?
There were so many ‘what ifs’, but I knew it was time for me to brave.
I took a deep breath.
I walked across the classroom, trying not to think that everyone was staring at me.
I stood next to Kellie. She looked up and smiled.
‘Hi, Megan,’ she said.
‘Hi,’ I said.
A few seconds passed.
Then I took another deep breath.
‘Could I … I mean is that seat …… can I ……’
