The Hurting Girl

Chapter 3

The next lesson went by in a blur. I was getting a lot of stares from my other classmates, and I couldn’t quite work out what they meant. But the thing that was preying on my mind most was; Was Amy Stone actually more vicious than she looked? Had I completely thrown myself in at the deep end? I had no idea. But I had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too long before I found out.

After lunch I saw that we had Swordmanship. Great. Another thing that I was sure I was going to be rubbish at. I dumped the rest of my foul-smelling school lunch in the bin and made my way right across the school to the Swordsmanship hall.

As soon as I entered, I could tell something was different. The looks I was being given were admiring, and, well, I was actually being noticed. I saw the girl named Isobelle standing in the corner alone again, and was about to make my way over to her, when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. I turned round, and to my surprise, found myself looking at Cato Jet. “Hey, Clove.” He drawled. I gave him a quick smile. “You wanna, partner up this lesson?” he asked in a don’t-carey way, his blue eyes staring straight into mine. I glanced back at Isobelle. I had been really hoping to make friends with her this lesson, and I could tell that Cato was offering me more than a lesson partner. Say yes, and you will join this big group of feared people, where you would be considered the “top of the heap.” Say no, and nobody is there to help protect you from Amy, and the only friend you will ever get is Isobelle. Isobelle! My insides clenched. Why must it be like this? I couldn’t choose between lots of friends or just Isobelle! Its just wasn’t fair! But, as I was beginning to learn, nothing was fair in this place. “Fine.” I said to Cato. “But you’d better be good at this.”