Olivia had to leap out of his way, bumping hard into her new locker. The teacher was so intent on his prey, though, he didn’t even notice.
Finn, Olivia thought. Wasn’t that the name of the skater-boy Sophia had been crushing on? It had to be the tall blond boy in the centre of the group. The teacher was heading straight for him.
‘This time you’ll have detention for . . . for . . . uh . . .’ The teacher stuttered to a halt as he finally reached Finn – whose feet were planted solidly on the ground. There wasn’t a single skateboard in sight. ‘Where did it go?’
‘No worries, Mr Russell,’ Finn said. Shrugging, he stepped back and pointed to the wall of lockers, where a bright blue-and-red skateboard stood safely propped. ‘See?’ he said calmly. ‘Everything’s just like it’s supposed to be. I wouldn’t break the rules.’
‘Well . . .’ Mr Russell’s face reddened. He pulled at his necktie, nearly choking himself. ‘See that you don’t!’ He glowered around the group of boys, patting his collar back into place. ‘I’ll be watching you. All of you!’
With a huff, he spun on one heel and marched off.
Whew, Olivia thought. She let out the breath she’d been holding as she’d hidden by the locker. I’ve never had a teacher go after me like that!
Finn’s friends were obviously fuming. ‘What a jerk,’ the closest boy muttered, glaring after the teacher. ‘He needs a life of his own. Or someone to teach him a lesson.’
Finn was laughing, though, and shaking his head. ‘Poor old Mr Fussell,’ he said. ‘Come on, guys. I feel bad for him. He’s always so disappointed when he can’t get us in trouble.’
‘But what is wrong with him, man?’ Another of Finn’s friends shook his head. ‘Do you think he’s some kind of secret agent for the goth crowd?’
As Olivia rolled her eyes and turned back to her locker, she heard the other skaters chiming in enthusiastically.
‘I bet he is!’
‘Those goths are always out to get us.’
‘I hate them!’
‘Oh . . .’ Finn’s voice was a low mumble. ‘Y’know, not all goths are bad . . .’
Really? Halfway through unloading her bag, Olivia looked up in surprise. This school seemed so divided, it was a pleasure to hear someone talking nicely about another group.
Then she glanced at Finn and realised he wasn’t even looking at his friends. Instead, he was gazing over their heads at . . .
Amelia. The grim Goth-Queen stood surrounded by a group of other goth-girls who might as well have called themselves an Amelia tribute band. Every one of them was dressed like an Amelia-clone in identical black leather jackets and matching earrings, and they clustered around her with adoring expressions.
Amelia wasn’t looking at any of them, though. She was looking straight at Finn . . . and for just a moment, Olivia glimpsed a slight smile playing at Amelia’s black-painted lips.
I wonder if it hurts her face? Olivia thought. It has to be rare that anything cracks that grim expression!
A moment later, Amelia had converted the smile into a scowl . . . but it wasn’t entirely convincing. She might have been trying to look hostile towards Finn, but instead she just looked uncomfortable . . . like there was a stone in her shoe. Or a boy she can’t make herself dislike!
Whoa. Olivia felt as if her own eyeballs were bouncing back and forth like tennis balls over a net as she looked from one to the other and back again. Even now that Amelia had managed to force a scowl, she and Finn were still staring at each other. It was as if they couldn’t look away.
There is some serious crushing going on, Olivia thought. Between the leaders of the two groups who seem to hate each other the most!
Finally, Finn’s glance dropped to the floor, and his shoulders sagged. He laughed, obviously trying to fit back in to his friends’ conversation. ‘Funny,’ he said.
But Olivia was pretty sure none of his friends had actually made a joke.
As the crowd of skater-boys filed down the hall on their way to class, the goth-girls all pointedly looked away . . . except for Amelia. She’d angled her head so that her fringe fell over her eyes, but she was surreptitiously watching Finn through the veil of hair.
And when he didn’t return her gaze, the look of disappointment on Amelia’s face made Olivia’s heart hurt.
Brrrrring!
The school bell sounded, and Olivia jumped. She’d spent so much time watching the action around her, she’d barely even started preparing for class! Hastily, she tipped her notebooks for that afternoon’s classes into her locker, scooped up her bag and her school map, and slammed her locker door shut. I’ll have to wait until later to add some pictures and colour to the inside of the door!
As she hurried towards her homeroom, though, she felt a fizz of excitement in her stomach, replacing all the nerves that she’d felt earlier.