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Authors: Lisa Williamson
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turn back time, I wouldn’t have. But you didn’t hear what he was saying to that kid, he was destroying him and it just wasn’t right!’
‘I don’t care, Leo,’ Mr Toolan interrupts. ‘The bottom line is, Eden Park pupils do not physically attack their peers, end of story. Do you understand me?’
‘But, sir—’
‘Do you understand me, Leo?’ Mr Toolan repeats.
My nails dig into the arms of the chair, anger still hot and bubbling in my belly.
‘Yes, sir.’
The room is suddenly very quiet apart from the ticking of an unseen clock.
‘So are you going to expel me?’
Mr Toolan sighs. ‘No, I am not going to expel you, Leo. You will be in detention for the next month, starting tomorrow, and on probation for the remainder of your time here. If you take even a step out of line, I will have no choice but to take more permanent action. Does that sound fair?’
All I can do is nod my head.
He begins to scribble in my file.
‘That’s all, Leo. You’re dismissed.’
I nod and stand up. My left leg is still trembling.
Outside Mr Toolan’s office, Harry is sitting with his head resting against the wall and a massive wad of tissue held to his nose. Some blonde girl is practically straddling him as she coos in his ear and strokes his hair.
‘Maniac,’ she spits over her shoulder as I pass.
I give her the finger. Her eyes bulge but she doesn’t say anything else.
On the other side of the glass, in the secretary’s office, the notebook kid, whose name I can’t remember, is writing his statement. When he notices me, he breaks into a smile and waves.
‘Thank you!’ he mouths.
I ignore him, pushing open the door to the empty playground.Afternoon classes have already started. The fresh air hits my face – cold and sharp.
I haven’t been expelled. But I’ve got to be extra careful now. Any more slip-ups and I’m out. Mr Toolan is right; if I got expelled from Eden Park, no other school would touch me with a bargepole. I’d end up in one of those pupil referral units with all the other maniacs and dropouts. I’d never get into sixth form college after that, never mind university. I’d be stuck in Cloverdale for ever. Good grades from Eden Park are my ticket out. I need to keep my head down, need to keep in control. But at the same time the unfairness of it all burns in my chest.
Miss Jennings must know about my visit to Mr Toolan’s office because when I slip into English over half an hour late she just looks up from her marking and nods. I can feel my classmates watching me as I make my way up the aisle to my seat. I try my best to appear cool and live up to the reputation they’ve built for me. I sit down and take out my creative writing folder. After a few moments, Alicia twists halfway round in her seat. She is wearing different earrings today, tiny silver ladybirds in place of her usual gold hearts.
‘I heard about you,’ she whispers.
I try to read her face. I get the feeling Alicia Baker might not be the sort of girl who gets turned on by violence.
‘Oh yeah?’ I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
‘Yeah, defending that Year 10 kid.’
‘Oh that. Stupid of me. Dunno what I was thinking.’
‘It wasn’t stupid at all. I think it was sweet of you.’
I swallow.
‘Yeah?’
She nods.
‘Mr Toolan didn’t think so,’ I say. ‘Detention for a month, starting tomorrow.’
‘Harsh.’
‘Tell me about it.’
I don’t mention the probation.
Miss Jennings looks up. We both look down at our books. She frowns, but returns to her marking.
‘For what’s it’s worth though, I mean it,’ Alicia continues to whisper over her shoulder. ‘It was well sweet of you to do what you did. Not enough people stand up for the underdog round here. That Harry Beaumont kid is a right dickhead too. It was about time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine.’
She checks the front of the room before twisting all the way round again.
‘Leo, can I ask you something?’ she says,
‘I don’t care, Leo,’ Mr Toolan interrupts. ‘The bottom line is, Eden Park pupils do not physically attack their peers, end of story. Do you understand me?’
‘But, sir—’
‘Do you understand me, Leo?’ Mr Toolan repeats.
My nails dig into the arms of the chair, anger still hot and bubbling in my belly.
‘Yes, sir.’
The room is suddenly very quiet apart from the ticking of an unseen clock.
‘So are you going to expel me?’
Mr Toolan sighs. ‘No, I am not going to expel you, Leo. You will be in detention for the next month, starting tomorrow, and on probation for the remainder of your time here. If you take even a step out of line, I will have no choice but to take more permanent action. Does that sound fair?’
All I can do is nod my head.
He begins to scribble in my file.
‘That’s all, Leo. You’re dismissed.’
I nod and stand up. My left leg is still trembling.
Outside Mr Toolan’s office, Harry is sitting with his head resting against the wall and a massive wad of tissue held to his nose. Some blonde girl is practically straddling him as she coos in his ear and strokes his hair.
‘Maniac,’ she spits over her shoulder as I pass.
I give her the finger. Her eyes bulge but she doesn’t say anything else.
On the other side of the glass, in the secretary’s office, the notebook kid, whose name I can’t remember, is writing his statement. When he notices me, he breaks into a smile and waves.
‘Thank you!’ he mouths.
I ignore him, pushing open the door to the empty playground.Afternoon classes have already started. The fresh air hits my face – cold and sharp.
I haven’t been expelled. But I’ve got to be extra careful now. Any more slip-ups and I’m out. Mr Toolan is right; if I got expelled from Eden Park, no other school would touch me with a bargepole. I’d end up in one of those pupil referral units with all the other maniacs and dropouts. I’d never get into sixth form college after that, never mind university. I’d be stuck in Cloverdale for ever. Good grades from Eden Park are my ticket out. I need to keep my head down, need to keep in control. But at the same time the unfairness of it all burns in my chest.
Miss Jennings must know about my visit to Mr Toolan’s office because when I slip into English over half an hour late she just looks up from her marking and nods. I can feel my classmates watching me as I make my way up the aisle to my seat. I try my best to appear cool and live up to the reputation they’ve built for me. I sit down and take out my creative writing folder. After a few moments, Alicia twists halfway round in her seat. She is wearing different earrings today, tiny silver ladybirds in place of her usual gold hearts.
‘I heard about you,’ she whispers.
I try to read her face. I get the feeling Alicia Baker might not be the sort of girl who gets turned on by violence.
‘Oh yeah?’ I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
‘Yeah, defending that Year 10 kid.’
‘Oh that. Stupid of me. Dunno what I was thinking.’
‘It wasn’t stupid at all. I think it was sweet of you.’
I swallow.
‘Yeah?’
She nods.
‘Mr Toolan didn’t think so,’ I say. ‘Detention for a month, starting tomorrow.’
‘Harsh.’
‘Tell me about it.’
I don’t mention the probation.
Miss Jennings looks up. We both look down at our books. She frowns, but returns to her marking.
‘For what’s it’s worth though, I mean it,’ Alicia continues to whisper over her shoulder. ‘It was well sweet of you to do what you did. Not enough people stand up for the underdog round here. That Harry Beaumont kid is a right dickhead too. It was about time someone gave him a taste of his own medicine.’
She checks the front of the room before twisting all the way round again.
‘Leo, can I ask you something?’ she says,
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