Sisters [book one]

Chapter Nine

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Chapter Nine

Esmee and Jake pick me up on Monday morning already with their morning coffees from Starbucks.

Before I buckle up my seatbelt, Jake says, "Hey, party animal, did you get your first hangover?"

I blush and stare out the window.

Jake chuckles and Esmee hits him on the arm. "Idiot," she says.

"Whatever, babe," he says, and I pinch my cheeks. My breath fogs up the window and I draw a smiley face with my finger. Then I rub it out.

We arrive at school and only seconds pass before the bell rings for homeroom. Bridgit, Esmee and I take our seats in the middle row. Page busies around her desks as the last students amble through the door. The morning announcements are read out.

Mrs Page finds the register under a stack of papers. She calls out people's names.

It doesn't take her long to reach mine. "Haley?"

"Present," I say.

"Haley?" Mrs Page repeats. Everyone turns to look at me and I duck my head.

"Present," I say, louder. And Mrs Page calls out the next name.

It's only when Mrs Page has finished the register does my breathing return to normal. "As you all know, next week you're going to be entering your work placement environments," she says, and I lift my head. "I'm coming round with the final details concerning your placements and the tasks you'll be expected to carry out on the job. For those who have two work placements, you'll receive information from both organisations. Clyde, can you help me hand these out?"

The boy on my left stands up.

Work placements? Tasks? Final details? An outbreak of chatter has me swamped in my own thoughts. "What work placements?" I say to Esmee.

"We're going on work experience next week," Esmee says. "It's this new program the school wanna try out, it was all organised before Christmas. I'm going to a sports' centre and Bridgit's going to her mom's hairdressers for two weeks, don't you have one?"

I shake my head.

"I heard my name." Bridgit turns around from talking to the people behind us.

"Haley doesn't have a work placement."

Bridgit smiles. "Well I guess you'll be the only one in the grade still at school next week."

"How do I get one?" I say.

"We can go to the main office at lunchtime or something, maybe they'll be able to find something at the last minute."

Bridgit snorts. "Yeah, shovelling crap on a farm somewhere."

* *

I haven't been to the mall in months.

The same bearded man plays his harmonica at the entrance, his depressed dog lying on the ground, trying to gain sympathy from passers-by. Most of the shops are the same and those who buy from them are the same. There's only one shop I've never seen before that used to be a comic book store and I'm standing in front of it, frozen on the spot.

"I've changed my mind," I say as I stare up at the white, swirled lettering outlined in baby pink, the words All Things Sweet. "I want to go home."