I would have to do it myself.
I stepped between the rows and held my breath. They didn’t shout. They didn’t scream at me. What were they going to do? Harry Ball was the first. He produced a whole bagful of rotten tomatoes and threw them at me. They splashed straight on to my face, into my hair. I let out a yelp as they exploded against my lips. I gagged and tried to spit them out but they were on my tongue, in my mouth, down my throat.
That’s when I started to run. Then they all took their turn, pelting me with every rotting thing they had, rancid pears and squashy bananas and more tomatoes. I tried to duck and dive and avoid them, but it was impossible. I tasted mould and tried hard to keep my mouth shut, but with every direct hit I let out a yelp and my mouth was filled with rotten fruit. I immediately imagined maggots crawling down my face, wriggling round my tongue. I was crying out and I began to run faster through that angry crowd, dying to be past them. The smell was all over me, in my hair, in my clothes. I’d turn from one side and only get hit from the other. And all the time not a word, not a murmur escaped their lips.
At the end of the line, there was Nancy and Asra, theirfaces grim. They pelted me harder than the rest. Nancy spoke the only words. ‘I never thought you could be this bad.’ And she let go with another handful of tomatoes straight into my face.
I ran, crying, heading for the toilets. Ralph Aird hadn’t been in that crowd, and I was soon to understand why. He was standing at the revolving doors that led into the main school. I hesitated when I saw him, sure he was waiting to throw something even more disgusting at me. I would have to pass him, and I’ve never been so afraid in my life. He had a look of such venomous hatred. He spat in front of me. ‘I’ll show you, Blythe. You’re goin’ to be sorry.’ It was all he said, but it made me even more afraid.
And then, suddenly from behind me, all of my year came sprinting forward. I was so sure they were after me again and I almost tripped through the doors and into the main school. They wouldn’t dare touch me there.
But they weren’t interested in me any more. They drew Ralph into their circle, Nancy and Asra and the rest and pulled him away, laughing.
And that’s when I understood.
Ralph had not been one of the ones who had pelted me. They had made sure of that. If I told on them, and I suppose they expected that I would, no blame would beattached to Ralph Aird. Now, it was being made very clear to me that Ralph Aird was one of them. I wasn’t.
I cleaned myself up as best I could in the toilets, all the time knowing I could get rid of the smell, but I would never rid myself of the humiliation. No matter how hard I scrubbed.
The door of the toilets squeaked open and I held my breath. Was this someone else to torment me? I dried my eyes quickly with a paper towel and swung round to face whoever it was.
It was Diane.
She stood at the door, one foot casually crossed over the other, her arms folded, just staring at me.
Diane hadn’t been one of those at the school gates, but was she going to throw something at me now? I couldn’t have borne that.
‘You’re in a mess,’ she said. She kept staring at me. The suspense was awful. What was she going to do? Finally she let out a long sigh. ‘You didn’t tell on me, did you?’
‘Of course I didn’t,’ I said at once.
And then she smiled. Or did the sun come out? At that moment they seemed like one and the same thing.
‘I knew you wouldn’t.’ She came toward me and started brushing down my blazer. ‘Well, that should prove to youthe kind of people who are in this school. Not our kind of people at all.’
She linked her arms in mine. ‘Come on. We’ll show them. We don’t need people like that.’ She laughed loudly and wrinkled her nose in disgust. ‘Scum of the earth.’
Everything was all right again. Diane was still my friend.
And did I need her!
I stepped between the rows and held my breath. They didn’t shout. They didn’t scream at me. What were they going to do? Harry Ball was the first. He produced a whole bagful of rotten tomatoes and threw them at me. They splashed straight on to my face, into my hair. I let out a yelp as they exploded against my lips. I gagged and tried to spit them out but they were on my tongue, in my mouth, down my throat.
That’s when I started to run. Then they all took their turn, pelting me with every rotting thing they had, rancid pears and squashy bananas and more tomatoes. I tried to duck and dive and avoid them, but it was impossible. I tasted mould and tried hard to keep my mouth shut, but with every direct hit I let out a yelp and my mouth was filled with rotten fruit. I immediately imagined maggots crawling down my face, wriggling round my tongue. I was crying out and I began to run faster through that angry crowd, dying to be past them. The smell was all over me, in my hair, in my clothes. I’d turn from one side and only get hit from the other. And all the time not a word, not a murmur escaped their lips.
At the end of the line, there was Nancy and Asra, theirfaces grim. They pelted me harder than the rest. Nancy spoke the only words. ‘I never thought you could be this bad.’ And she let go with another handful of tomatoes straight into my face.
I ran, crying, heading for the toilets. Ralph Aird hadn’t been in that crowd, and I was soon to understand why. He was standing at the revolving doors that led into the main school. I hesitated when I saw him, sure he was waiting to throw something even more disgusting at me. I would have to pass him, and I’ve never been so afraid in my life. He had a look of such venomous hatred. He spat in front of me. ‘I’ll show you, Blythe. You’re goin’ to be sorry.’ It was all he said, but it made me even more afraid.
And then, suddenly from behind me, all of my year came sprinting forward. I was so sure they were after me again and I almost tripped through the doors and into the main school. They wouldn’t dare touch me there.
But they weren’t interested in me any more. They drew Ralph into their circle, Nancy and Asra and the rest and pulled him away, laughing.
And that’s when I understood.
Ralph had not been one of the ones who had pelted me. They had made sure of that. If I told on them, and I suppose they expected that I would, no blame would beattached to Ralph Aird. Now, it was being made very clear to me that Ralph Aird was one of them. I wasn’t.
I cleaned myself up as best I could in the toilets, all the time knowing I could get rid of the smell, but I would never rid myself of the humiliation. No matter how hard I scrubbed.
The door of the toilets squeaked open and I held my breath. Was this someone else to torment me? I dried my eyes quickly with a paper towel and swung round to face whoever it was.
It was Diane.
She stood at the door, one foot casually crossed over the other, her arms folded, just staring at me.
Diane hadn’t been one of those at the school gates, but was she going to throw something at me now? I couldn’t have borne that.
‘You’re in a mess,’ she said. She kept staring at me. The suspense was awful. What was she going to do? Finally she let out a long sigh. ‘You didn’t tell on me, did you?’
‘Of course I didn’t,’ I said at once.
And then she smiled. Or did the sun come out? At that moment they seemed like one and the same thing.
‘I knew you wouldn’t.’ She came toward me and started brushing down my blazer. ‘Well, that should prove to youthe kind of people who are in this school. Not our kind of people at all.’
She linked her arms in mine. ‘Come on. We’ll show them. We don’t need people like that.’ She laughed loudly and wrinkled her nose in disgust. ‘Scum of the earth.’
Everything was all right again. Diane was still my friend.
And did I need her!
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