Read Online Starting Over by Cathy Hopkins - Free Book Online

laughing. One of the students even began to clap. I felt totally bewildered and felt my cheeks burn red.
    The teacher stepped forward. ‘It’s OK,’ she said then she turned to the class. ‘Hush.
Hush
.’ Then she turned back to me. ‘What’s your name?’
    â€˜India Jane.’
    â€˜India Jane,’ she said then added with a slight smile, ‘I’m Mrs Maris. Welcome to the lunchtime
drama
group . . .’
    Ohwohwoh Gododdoddddddd,
I thought as the penny dropped.
    â€˜We’re rehearsing a scene where indeed Leela’s character does get bullied by Zahrah’s,’ continued Mrs Maris, ‘so well done, girls. Well played. Very convincing. You managed to fool a fellow pupil. In today’s lesson, India Jane, we are practising techniques for stage fighting. Would you like demonstrate again, girls?’
    Zahrah didn’t look too happy and threw me a filthy look as she scrambled to her feet, then she and Leela went into an impressive fake fight routine. Zahrah positioned herself so that she had her back to us, so that when she raised her arm and slapped down, we couldn’t see her actually touch Leela. The moment her arm came down, Leela shrieked and fell back as if she’d been struck.
    â€˜It’s all about positioning, timing and the reaction of the person being hit,’ said the teacher. ‘Next time you see a fight onTV, everyone, you’ll notice how it’s done. No one ever touches anyone else, it just looks as though they do, and you’ll often find that the person doing the punching or slapping has their back to the camera so that you only see the reaction of the so-called victim. Once more, girls.’
    I stepped to the side so that I had a better view of the oncoming slap. It was clear. When Zahrah went to slap Leela, she stopped about five centimetres short of her face, but Leela yelped as if she’d really been hit and fell back as if she had been struck hard. And then they went into a realistic hair-pulling sequence with Leela’s hand on top of Zahrah’s hand on Leela’s head and much squealing from Leela.
    â€˜See, it looks authentic,’ said Mrs Maris, ‘but actually Zahrah isn’t pulling at all. See. It is actually Leela who is in control there, but to the audience, it looks like it is Zahrah.’
    Dylan will love this,
I thought as in my mind’s eye I saw us fake fighting and freaking Mum out, but my fantasy didn’t last long. Zahrah was looking at me disdainfully.
    â€˜I’m so sorry,’ I said and began to back out of the room. ‘I thought that Lee . . . well, you know what I thought . . .’
    â€˜I think it’s commendable that you came to her rescue,’ said Mrs Maris. ‘Some people would pretend that they hadn’t heard or would not have wanted to get involved, so good for you, India Jane.’
    One of the pupils put up her hand to ask a question and Mrs Maris went over to her.
    Zahrah came over to me. ‘And other people would haveknown immediately that I am
not
a bully,’ she said. ‘I find it insulting that you actually thought me capable of hurting anyone - especially Leela. She’s my mate.’
    â€˜I’m really, really sorry,’ I said. I felt foolish and upset that I might have offended Zahrah. I wanted to get away. It must have shown on my face because when I turned to leave, Leela looked at me kindly, smiled and mock-strangled herself. It was exactly the sort of mad thing that Erin would have done and made me realise just how much I was missing her.
    I made a swift exit and was heading for the cloakroom when someone behind tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see an earnest-looking girl with shoulder-length wavy ginger hair. She looked at me coldly. ‘India Jane?’
    I nodded.
    â€˜I saw you talking to Mr Bailey before.’
    I nodded again.
    â€˜I’m Andrea —’
    â€˜Ward,’ I finished for