After one of the most embarrassing experiences of her life, Viola Hawkins is left feeling hopeless and demoralised. So when she's told that she's able to work as an undercover agent in a boarding school, she's given a new chance to change her life...
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WHEN KATE and I were fifteen, we had our first school disco.
I remember how giddy we were, reading the leaflets spread around the hallways; hearing the gossip that flooded into every class. Girls boasted about the dresses they were buying and boys bragged about their suits.
But we weren't excited in the same way that the other students were. We saw the disco as a chance to have fun, so we dressed up as Mario and Luigi. Even though we looked like we were going out for Halloween, and were practically the biggest laughingstocks of the century, we loved it. We stood out; we'd created an unforgettable experience, as opposed to everyone else, who thought of that day as just another ordinary school dance.
That memory feels different now. Bitter almost, like an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I don't want to remember how happy we used to be, or how glad I thought I was to have found a friend who knew me better than I knew myself.
I look down to my phone, where a list of texts Kate has sent me are left un-replied, weighing my fingers down with each notification that flashes in my face.
A stray tear falls down my cheek and I wipe it away angrily, turning my phone off. Outside, the sun is beginning to set the clouds alight with a crimson blaze, the sky darkening into dusk. The distant sounds of London coalesce together; cars and trains and voices on the streets. It's a world I know well, having grown up in the middle of such a busy city. Part of me can't imagine leaving it all behind, but the other part also wonders what life could be like outside of this bubble.
Maybe a new start would be a good idea.
A new identity, a different life. Even if I'm just pretending.
After all, the timing couldn't have been better.
There's a knock at my door, and Mum enters. Her eyes are sympathetic – I told her that Kate and I had a falling out. "I didn't think I'd be saying this, Vi," she says softly, sitting down on my bed, "but what dad's suggesting is a really good opportunity for you. It'd probably boost your confidence."
Sighing, I fall back onto my pillows, staring at the ceiling still plastered with glow in the dark stickers from when I was five. "Yeah, I know. But... I guess this is just a big thing. Way bigger than anything I've done for him before. It's not something that I can take lightly."
"I know, hun." Mum splays her fingers on my forehead, brushing hairs out of my face in a loving gesture. "But you'll do great. It won't be easy, sure, but change can be good." She pauses. "Are you still thinking about Kate?"
I nod. About Kate, about Josh, about every clue I missed that could have warned me.
"There are better people out there, Viola. I know that running away from your problems isn't a good way to handle a situation like this but honestly, leaving her behind will show you how much more you deserve. Think about it."
