I used to talk to Shane about it, but I didn’t want her to get sick of me and I really couldn’t afford losing her. She was the only friend I had. Knowing Alice, she’d probably have sided with Shane as she always did and I didn’t actually want to spend time with the bouncy blonde anyway, not when she was the only company. She was so happy and positive that it made me sick, mostly because she didn’t seem to have a clue what life can be like. She didn’t understand unhappy people because she had never been unhappy herself – or she was very good at hiding it.

“Bette? You there?” I heard the familiar voice of Nicole, the only girl in my class I sometimes talked to outside of the classroom. Even with her, it wasn’t just small talk, chit chat. But I held onto it for dear life, because Shane wasn’t always the most pleasant person to be around either. She could be very moody, especially after a night when the sex hadn’t been as she expected to.

“Yes, I’m sorry,” I mumbled, a blush creeping to my cheeks. I always found it so devastatingly bashful to be caught dreaming away. I quickly glanced in the direction where I had seen ms Kennard and I felt my stomach drop when I noticed she was gone. She had probably just come out to take a break from the loads of work. I knew she had so many work for school she resided in an office the size of a cupboard when she had a free hour. I shook my head and tried to concentrate on the game again, but I couldn’t. She wasn’t there anymore, so what was I doing it for? For Ashton, Phil, Tracy, Melissa, Rachel, Amy and the others on my team? It was evident for me to score. It was evident to win the match if I was on your team.

#

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Tina exclaimed. She was about to enter the school buidling when she felt a hand on her arm – a well-manicured one at that.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Helena asked. She looked concerned, but Tina shrugged it off.

“Nothing – well, you know, work and stuff. Sometimes it’s too much.”