I'm On My Way

Chapter 16

Shan and Tom met them at the gate, and, amongst the small flow of teenagers filing onto the playground, Maddy and Rhydian could walk hand in hand towards them without her being recognised. As she walked towards them, Maddy looked round, and realised that two years had passed. Two new year groups had joined, two had left, and as she studied each face, she found it unsettling that she recognised nearly none of her schoolmates.

"Hey!" Shan exclaimed, throwing her arms out and hugging Maddy as they approached. Maddy managed to put on a small smile, and she let go of Rhydian's hand to hug her best friend. As soon as they let go, she took hold of it again. The smile also flew away quickly. Rhydian noticed this, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. Her brown eyes glanced at him, and he gave a slight nod. Her lip curled slightly, and she turned back to her friends. As the flow of children grew, she found it hard to bury the nerves scurrying within her.

"You ready?" Tom asked as they trundled towards the main school. Maddy paused, considering what to say, then decided to tell the truth.

"No." Tom smiled, his teeth white against his dark skin, and slung his arm over her shoulder.

Rhydian's face flashed with jealousy as Tom replied, "Maddy, Maddy, Maddy. What's their to be scared of? I mean, I know Liam is on a murder spree, but-"

Shannon shoved him. "Leave her alone, you!" Tom held his hands up in surrender. "Oh come on, you know I only did it to wind up Rhydian!" He fired back at her, a laugh interrupting his speech. Maddy glanced at Rhydian, and saw the glare deepen.

"Yeah, and it worked." Rhydian mumbled, desperately trying to loosen his glare.

"Aww, leave him alone you too!" Maddy cooed, looping her arm around Rhydian's waist, and leant her head on her shoulder. She realised how much he had grown.

Rhydian's face became a mix of content and embarrassment. Eventually he settled on pulling a childish face at Tom; he raised his eyebrows in a "told you so" tone, and hooked his arm around Maddy's waist also, and pulled her tight to him. Maddy felt her heart warm. She mirrored expression.

"Children, please!" Shannon taunted in a condescending manner. Tom quickly wiped the grin off his face. Shannon shook her head, laughing.

"Right, well we better get going to class."

They all nodded, and Tom and Shannon lead the way into school.

Maddy and Rhydian followed behind. Maddy was most comfortable when she was cuddled next to Rhydian, and as she felt his arms firmly around her, she knew he would hold her up, just as walls remained standing when one leant on them. The morning was cold, but his heat warmed her up. But she still shivered.

"Is it really that bad?" Rhydian asked.

Maddy nodded.

Her northern accent was thick as she replied, whispering gently as they entered the yard.

"I just wanna know what's gonna happen. Ever since Dr Whitewood discovered Mam, Dad and me, and after the whole thing with Liam, I can't bring myself to trust anyone anymore." Now that she was surrounded by the school, she tried to press closer to Rhydian. He smiled at the amount of affection, and hugged her, providing even more protection. She felt the nerves calm slightly as she felt his strong arms around her. She breathed in his warm scent. Her nerves settled again as his embrace made her feel more secure.

"Thanks." She smiled as she pulled away.

Rhydian's forehead creased.

"But I didn't say anything." His shoulders lifted as he performed the gestures he normally did when he was confused. "I didn't comfort you or anything." Maddy smiled at hiw seriously he was taking it. She reached up and kissed his cheek.

The bell rang as she whispered in his ear.

"You didn't have to. I needed you to be there, I needed you to hold me more and more, and you realised. And you did something about it." Rhydian's cheeks flushed, and his mouth opened and shut as he thought about what to say. In the end, he settled on hugging her again. Maddy didn't want to pull away, but she did, and together they headed towards the classrooms.