A Boy Named Marcus C6

Chapter Six



  You started to notice it the next day and you noticed it more throughout the week as you walked around the school grounds, your nose in a pile of text books. The exams were impossibly hard and very long. You felt like they got longer every time you turned a page. But in break times and before and after school, in the little oasis’s between learning for and actually doing, the exams, a change in the way that people looked at you.

  In the chemistry exam, last thing on Wednesday afternoon, you were sitting next to a girl you’d never even seen before, she said ‘bye Dalia’ when she left. People you did know but weren’t friends with, smiled at you as the crossed you in corridors. One time, someone even picked up your pen when you dropped it on the floor when you were sitting the biology paper. You didn’t know what was going on, you only hoped it would last and last and last.

  You got the bus home every day from then on. You wanted to get on your parents good side again. You’d been grounded for two weeks. This didn’t make much difference to your life as you never went out before anyway, but you reacted to it how you thought maybe Poppy Tanners would, you stamped your feet and slammed your bedroom door. You vowed to yourself never to let what had happened that afternoon, ever happen again. You didn’t talk to Marcus. You presumed it was all a joke he’d played on you and that you probably got drunk then humiliated yourself in front of loads of people. When you passed people at school none of them sniggered so maybe the joke he’d played on you wasn’t very funny. But a lot of people smiled or waved as you went about your business. They were probably milking the joke for all it was worth. So you’d never really truly know what happened then. Your own memory was poor in that area.

  In PE, Thursday morning, something incredible happened. The whole class had to separate into pairs to do some exercise or something. Betty Davies had a cold so wasn’t in that day. So everyone divided off into pairs. You, of course were on your own. There was one three, Poppy Tanners, Elouise Smith and Natalie Baxford.

  “Come on girls, you can’t have a three when there’s some one left over.” Mrs Thax, she was big for a games teacher but still persisted on wearing tiny little skirts like the students she taught. “Someone’s gonna have to go with Dalia,”

  “But she likes going on her own!” You heard Elouise say,

  “I’ll give you one minute to decide or I’m choosing.” They talked for a minute, Poppy said something and they all fell about laughing. You felt your ears flame red. Then Natalie said something into Poppy’s ear. You expected them all to dissolve into giggles again but then, to your surprise, Natalie was walking over to you. She smiled widely, showing perfectly white teeth.

  “Sorry about that, I didn’t see that you were all alone.” She said. You smiled at her,

  “It's okay, I’m fine.” And you had a laugh together, you chatted about stuff like how hard the exams were and how you hated all the teachers and stuff. She asked you about Marcus and if you talked to him much. You thought back over the last few weeks. Apart from that one time, there was nothing. But it was a good one time, which must mean he liked you.

  As you were leaving the sports hall you spotted someone’s phone, left on a bench. You picked it up and turned it over in your hands. It was Natalie’s. You didn’t want to be nosey but you just had a peek at some of her texts, they were mostly from her girlfriends and the popular boys. The ones from Marcus caught you eye. They were very flirty; Natalie had a boyfriend, so why was he being so flirty with her? As you read on they became really quite naughty so you stopped. If you’d thought he’d singled you out, that he liked you, you were sorely mistaken. You walked up the stairs to the changing rooms, your feet heavy, then walked over to where Natalie and Poppy and Sadie were getting changed. They were all hugging each other.

  “Aw we’re so sorry, it wasn’t our fault though, it was that bitch Mrs Thax,” Amy White was saying,

  “Yeah, it must have been so horrible for you with that nerd!” Elouise added,

  “No really guys she’s not that-” She saw you, “Oh, hi Dalia, um...” You didn’t want to argue with them, it wouldn’t prove any points.

  “I’ve got your phone.” You said shortly,

  “Oh thanks, I would have forgotten it otherwise.” You turned away and started walking back to where your stuff was. You heard laughter over your shoulder then something wet collided with the back of your neck. It was a dirty games sock. You just kept on walking.

  Just when you were leaving the changing rooms someone came up to you. It was Natalie. You smiled, but your eyes were empty.

  “Hey, sorry about that-”

  “About what?” You pretended you hadn’t noticed,

  “You know when we were talking about you and stuff,” She was keeping it casual, trying not to look in your eye,

  “Oh that’s fine!” You smiled brightly.

  “Yeah? Well I’m sorry anyway,”

  “No it’s cool.” There was a pause in the conversation while Natalie redid her mascara in the mirror.

  “Hey, do you wanna come into town with me this lunch-time?” You couldn’t believe what she’d just said.

  “What?” Your mouth was permanently open these-days.

  “Well, it’s just I was gonna go in with Betty...and a couple of guys are coming too. But she’s not here...and I don’t much fancy hanging around with that lot,” She nodded her head in the direction of Poppy, Sadie and the others.

  “Um...yeah...okay then...Cool.” You hardly ever went into town at break or lunch, and if you did it was to buy things. You were so excited. “So which guys are coming?”

  “Um...Sam Bird I think, And Marcus Haj...” You knew Sam Bird, he took art with you. He was amazing at all things arty, and he could play the piano, and he could do theatre as well. He was really funny. And of course you knew Marcus, the motor bike ride... But you’d never thought that he would spend any more time with you, ever. You’d thought; if it wasn’t a joke at first that instead it had just been a one off, spur or the moment type thing.

  “So...I’ll see you later then,” You guessed, trying to be as casual as possible and attempting to hide your excitement.

  “But lunch is now!”

  “Oh! Right! Yeah!” You almost kicked yourself.