*Prefect- a senior who is able to give out detentions, only a few chosen **Head of House- the person in charge of your home group
Joan looked over at August who was busy picking at the sausage roll in front of her. All day she’d been miserable, even depressed, which worried Joan. She was normally happy, despite her disability.
“You’d better eat that, Jon over here is looking hungry,” Joan finally spoke up.
“Sorry, Jon have it, I’m not all that hungry,” August said passing him the cold sausage roll.
“Thanks,” he said taking it and starting eating.
“We’ve been in the *prefect room for thirty minutes and you haven’t said anything, what’s on your mind sweety? You’re normally bubbly, or outside giving detentions to the cheerleaders at every chance you get. Is it something your parents said?”
“It’s something they’ve done,” she sighed, “they’re sending me to Laurel, Mississippi, to my very perfect cousin.”
“Oh, that one. Well, phone me every night and maybe I can kidnap you and whisk you away into the sunset, most probably New York,” Joan smiled rolling her water bottle up and down the table.
“Thanks, you know I love you,” she said wheeling herself over to her friend and hugged her.
“Soppy girls, I’ll be leaving, don’t forget lessons,” Jon said getting up and left the small room with his bag and sausage roll.
“Come on, let’s get to class. English, right?” Joan asked wheeling her friend out with their books.
“Yeah, room forty-two,” she said.
“Too easy, just around the corner,” her friend laughed wheeling her around to room forty-two. “So, is he cute?”
“I don’t know, my parents don’t have pictures from my mother’s side of the family, thank god,” August said.
“Aggie!” they heard a voice from behind them as they stopped.
“Cheerleader alert,” Joan whispered and the two giggled.
“What’s this I hear about you winning that science competition?” the cheerleader asked moving around the chair to face her.
“Got a problem with that?” August asked.
“Yeah I got a problem with that, you knew I was in the competition. You know I was supposed to win,” she snapped.
“Sorry to step on your ego, but you’re not the only one who can enter and win things,” her opponent said moving forward in her wheelchair. “You know what, I’m glad I beat you.”
“You be thankful you’re in a wheelchair, otherwise I’d beat you up.”
“That’s a detention for Miss Janice Harper,” August said pulling out her detention book and wrote on it, “for threatening a prefect. Take this up to your **Head of House now. Tell Mr Thrall I have a witness and there’s no need to fight this out. Go, before I write you another one for beating me up.”
The cheerleader stormed off and August smiled triumphantly.
“You’re my hero,” Joan said hugging her from behind, “I love you so much. My best friend’s a women.”
“Thank you,” her friend blushed and wheeled herself around to face Joan. “I’m just happy that was a cheerleader.”
Joan and August laughed as their teacher came over to the growing crowd in front of the classroom and unlocked the door.
Her mother glanced over at her and then at her husband. She finally broke the ten minute long silence by saying, “So sweety, how was your day?”
“Pretty boring,” she sighed poking her fork into her food. “The last week is always boring. I won the science competition.”
“Congratulations,” her Uncle Boris said.
“Yes, you’ve worked really hard to get a place in that,” her mother said, but that conversation ended there.
About two minutes of silence her father announced, “You fly to your aunt’s on Saturday night.”
“Why are you sending me away? Why can’t I spend the holidays with me best friend? We’re supposed to be having fun because we’ve left school. I don’t want to be spending my holidays with my perfect cousin and his perfect friends.”
“Don’t speak about your cousin like that. He’s going to help you build your confidence.”
“I don’t need to have my confidence built,” she said. “I’m always set back on step because of this damn wheelchair.”
“Don’t speak like that in this house, young lady,” her father snapped. “Leave this table, go to your room and think about your actions. I’ll be there in an hour and we can talk over it.”
She wheeled herself out of her room, and locked herself in. At times like these, being alone wasn’t the way she could get over her temper and emotions. Nothing could keep her stubbornness from biting. Not even the love of her friends and family.
(Friday, the last day of school)
Joan wrote on the piece of paper, her focus concentrated. “There you go,” she finally said handing the piece of paper back to the girl and she went back over to August who was talking to a jock. They seemed to be laughing. “You ready to go?” she asked her best friend. “The limo’s here.”
“Okay, I’ll see you Charlie,” she said hugging him and was pushed away by Joan. “So, are you ready to have our last day together?”
“Am I ever.” Joan smiled. “I just want you to remember, I love you and no matter happens I’ll always be here for you. If something critical comes up, call my parents and they’ll give you my number, depending where I am.”
“I know, and I’m always here for you,” she said as they made their way over to the white stretch limo.
“That’s the beauty of friendships.”
After spending the day at Augusts house, talking and listening to Paul Simon, the two bid farewell for the last time.
The next day, August spent the day packing her bags and trying to avoid the outside world, including her family.
Six o’clock that day, August sat on the plane wondering what her other family would be like. Was James as bad as she made him out to be?
Email: keldra_86@yahoo.com.au
