Maddox Academy: Grievous Beginnings - Wattys 2022 Shortlister

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Coconuts Aren't Good Food

That night, excitement took over and I barely slept.

I found myself waking up more often than I slept, rolling over to look out the window in hopes the sun had started to rise and I could get out of bed and go for my run. By the time the first slither of sunlight appeared over the horizon, I had been awake for about half an hour. Just seeing the sky start to change colour, the slight tint of purple and pink through the trees, left me restless. Although that day was supposed to be about Jo and her concert, all I could think about was Katie.

With the sun just starting to peek through the trees, I kicked the blankets off my legs and left them in a pile at the end of the bed to sort out later. All our bedclothes were supposed to be changed later on, so I didn't see the point in making the bed just yet. I gathered up my running clothes and had to resist the temptation to skip to the bathroom to change. Somehow, I doubted a run would be able to contain my energy. I would be spending the whole day away from the school with just Katie and I couldn't be more excited.

My run went on for longer than usual. I zigzagged through the trees that lined the grounds and across the gravel. Even without the teachers around to supervise, I knew that running between two trees wasn't going to be enough to contain my restless energy. Whether I got into trouble or not didn't matter as long as I could fight to keep a normal energy level whilst out in the village. The last thing I wanted was for Katie to think I was weird.

By the time I had finished the run, I had sweat dripping from my forehead and running down my back, but my energy felt balanced. I still had that small bubble of excitement in the pit of my stomach, but I swallowed to stop it rising to the surface. The run had done its job, even if it meant my skin was the same colour as a tomato and I could have wrung the sweat out of my blouse given the opportunity.

After returning to my dormitory, I jumped in the shower to clean the sweat off my body. I changed into the purple and white dress I had bought with my birthday money and ran a comb through my hair. The other girls were still sound asleep with soft snores filling the room and the occasional mutter from Victoria. Without knowing her plans for the day, I stuffed my project notes under my mattress so she wouldn't be able to find them. I didn't want to come from a nice day in the village to find that my project notes had been destroyed by Victoria as part of her vendetta against me.

I swung my bag onto my shoulder and left the room, jumping down the steps and turning into the dining hall. There were very few people around except the teachers. Those in the choir and Katie who sat beside Jo at the table at the far side of the room. I dropped down on the seat beside Katie, pouring a bowl of cereal and diving into it before either of them spoke.

"Good morning," Katie said. She smiled at me and took a bite of her toast.

"You ready for today?" I asked Jo.

"A little." Her face was pale, and I noticed a slight shake in her hands when she took a sip from her juice. She didn't seem to be eating much and only took small sips from her juice.

"You've got this, it'll be fine."

"Do you think so?"

"Of course. You've been practising for weeks now. You know those songs backwards and forwards. It'll be fine."

"We need to keep you around, you're a great a little motivator," Katie said. My stomach did several backflips.

"Those of you in the choir, come with me!" Mrs Lemmon said, her voice echoing across the room. "We'll be riding the mini-bus into the village and need to get there early."

"Good luck, Jo," I said.

"We'll be there for moral support," Katie added.

Jo smiled slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up a little but not going beyond that. She stood up, leaving a slightly nibbled piece of toast and abandoned half-glass of juice. I knew how she felt, I got the same feeling right before having to do a presentation and I had a sneaking feeling I would be behaving the same way right before the projects.