Laura clearly remembered the day she first spoke to Molly Payne. It stuck in her mind especially because it was the same day that Miss Alonso went into labour during end-of-day tutor period.

They'd all heard the rumours. About how her lover had left her and her parents disowned her. She wore an engagement ring around her neck that she liked to touch a lot. She looked positively harassed a lot of the time. The children expected for her to break down any day now. Laura thought that Miss Alonso should be sacked for setting a bad example. Laura's mother said her sort weren't to be teaching children, and quite frankly, Laura agreed. Her mother had been married before she had had both Laura and Rhianna. Neither of them could ever be called illegitimate, Laura thought proudly.

But the children knew Miss Alonso wasn't yet nine months pregnant; she wasn't due for at least another two months. Which was why, when Miss Alonso gripped her desk so hard that her knuckles turned white and she began to cry out, the Year 9 class was startled, and a hush fell over them. They thought she must have injured herself.

Someone hesitantly called out, 'Er'�what's wrong, Miss?'�

They later found out that her waters had broken earlier that day. She had told no one, desperately not wanting to have this baby on her own. She had simply gone on with her day as if it was not happening.

Laura thought this was crazy.

Sophie Radcliffe ran to fetch the headmaster, Mr Arquette. He spoke momentarily to the class, ordering them to stay seated until the substitute teacher arrived, and he took Miss Alonso from the classroom.

Her cries of pain continued down the corridor. When they became barely audible, a great hum seemed to rise up from the floor, as everyone spoke animatedly about what had just happened. The children took the opportunity to ditch class, as no other teacher had yet come. So, united and inspired, they took the chance to be disobedient, and all filed out through the fire escape.

All but one of them.

As Laura was hurrying from the room with everyone else, she turned to see Molly Payne sat at her desk, staring ahead.

'Aren't you coming?'� Laura said, wondering if Molly's plan was to tell on them as soon as they had all gone.

Molly shook her head side to side, her dark hair swinging around her face. She didn't look at Laura. From what Laura could tell, Molly didn't speak much to anyone. Laura had always thought she was stuck-up.

'Well, I think you're being silly,'� Laura said impatiently. She thought about leaving Molly alone, but something made her want to hold back awhile.

Molly shrugged. 'I don't care. Go, if you want to. I'm not supposed to leave until the bell goes. That's when my father comes to get me.'�

'Miss goody-two-shoes.'�

Molly met her eyes. Something about her stare was piercing, and it daunted Laura a little. It was like she could see into Laura's thoughts. Laura looked away. She seated herself on a desk and drew up a chair to rest her feet on.

'I was only teasing.'�

Molly didn't respond, so Laura asked, 'What does your father do?'�

'He's unemployed.'�

Laura snorted. 'You mean he hasn't got a job?'�

'That's what 'unemployed' meant the last time I looked,'� Molly replied coolly.

Laura raised her eyebrows. This girl was tougher than she had thought. She had always been One Of The Quiet Ones. Now Laura saw that she was more aloof than timid. 'Don't you care that people will make fun of him?'�

'I don't care what people think.'�

Laura frowned. 'But you must.'�

Molly met her eyes. 'Why?'�

Laura chose not to answer this. She busied herself adjusting her bag straps.

The bell rang shrilly.

Molly piled her books into a fraying shoulder bag ' which, Laura noticed, had been poorly stitched together where the strap had come away ' and she hurried from the room.

Molly was disappointed that another teacher had not come to take over the class. She would have loved to see the girl being told off for sitting on a desk. It might have wiped the haughty look from the child's face.

***

'I'm home!'� Molly shouted into the quiet of the flat. She didn't know why she bothered to ' she knew nobody was going to be in.

The bus journey from school had been delayed this evening, due to traffic on the roads. Molly had heard sirens from far off, drawing closer until they were so loud that the whole bus quietened. Then there was an eruption of murmuring. People started sharing stories ' there had been a robbery in the local bank and police were surrounding the building. No, there had been an accident; someone had been badly hurt.

'Well, this is what Robbie told me before I got on the bus ' it was a boy who'd been hurt, a kid from our school. He'd been playing football with his mates and the ball was kicked out onto the road, so ' what an idiot, he didn't look for cars coming, or anything ' he just leapt right out to get the ball, and wham!' Car hit him.'� The boy who was telling the story to avid listeners took a drag on his cigarette, though the bus driver had just shouted for him to put it out.

'Nah, mate. That's not what I heard anyway. It was some chick, wasn't it, Ellie?'�

The second boy nudged a pretty blonde girl, who had been in conversation with her friend. She frowned and lit up a cigarette, blowing smoke over the heads of people in front.

Molly, who was sat before and to the left of her, tried not to choke. She turned her head a little to the side to hear better.

Ellie spoke. 'Yeah, that's right. It was a girl. That's what I heard.'�

The first boy craned his neck to look out the window, wiping his sleeve on the glass, which was steamed up with condensation. 'Damn'�I wish we could see.'� But there was nothing but piled up traffic, crawling along slowly, like ants in a colony.

At that point, the bus driver, seeing that they weren't moving anywhere anytime soon, vacated his seat and strode over to the crowd of Year 11s, reproaching them again for smoking. They all stubbed out their cigarettes, sniggering, and gave them to him.

Molly wondered if it was making the bus driver crave one. She could tell that he smoked from his yellowing fingers.

Finally, the bus began to move. The police had made a clear road for the traffic; the scene was being cleared up. Children peered out the window, but saw nothing of interest to them.

Conversation soon returned to the usual.

***

The flat was dark. It must be way past seven already, Molly thought.

She switched on a light in the hallway. There was no note anywhere from her father, or dinner waiting for her. She supposed he might be stuck in traffic somewhere. He had probably travelled out of town again, looking for a job.

Molly flung down her school bag, making a mental note to take out all the books she needed for homework later. Her stomach rumbled in the silence and at once she became aware of her hunger. She walked to the kitchen and opened the freezer, taking out a few ready meals. She used to think they were revolting, but they actually weren't that bad once you got used to them.

She put one in the microwave to thaw.

A shiver ran through her. The frozen boxes had left her fingers feeling numb. The air in the flat was chill, cutting through her in icy waves. She did her routine check of making sure all the windows were shut. Winter was fast approaching and there was no heating in the flat ' it was one of the things her father promised they would get once he found a permanent job and started earning a wage.

Throwing on a jumper, Molly sat down to eat at the window seat, covering herself with a blanket. The window overlooked a dark, littered road, lined with a few shops. Most of them had been closed down and their windows graffiti-ed on. A boy on a skateboard was rolling fast down the sloping road, almost colliding with a girl who was crossing with her dog'�

Molly's thoughts were dragged back to the accident near the school. Who had the person been? Was it a student from her school? If so, it must have been someone young, maybe even someone her age. It was a disturbing thought'�

And if the person had died'� What a waste of a life, she thought. Whenever she heard about things like that on the radio, or saw it in newspapers, she would think of the family ' the parents. No parents should ever have to see their child die.

***

Laura heard about it as soon as she got home. Her mother, first of all asking where Rhianna was ('At a friend's,'� Laura replied. She was tired of covering for Rhianna while she messed about with her boyfriend), told her she had a call from Sophie.

'All I know is that it was a girl, around our age, from our school. I don't know who it was or what happened, nor whether she's alright,'� Sophie told her.

Laura couldn't quite believe it. It was something you only really heard about second-hand, it only ever happened in other places. But now it had happened at her school, a girl almost her age might have died ' she might know her.

Her mother told her not to dwell on such morbid thoughts ' it wasn't good for her. The school would inform the students on Monday.

Still, Laura couldn't shake a cold feeling.

***

Monday dawned. Thick, miserable clouds trapped sunlight so that the morning was much darker than usual. It had rained in the night and the scent of damp still lingered in the air. The streets were iced over. Trees stood naked. People wrapped themselves in coats and scarves, in a futile attempt to fight off the ever-present chill. Hands in their pockets, they bent their heads against the bitter wind, breaths of white mists spiralling out in in front of them.

***

The bus stopped outside school, as usual. As she stepped off, Molly stumbled across The Haughty Girl ' quite literally. She had not thought of her since Friday, and didn't particularly desire another encounter with her, either. People like her weren't worth talking to; she knew they never thought outside their own standards.

Molly and Laura collided. Laura dropped something that she had been holding in both hands. She sported bright pink gloves and a matching hat with bobbles.

Molly tried very hard to suppress laughter.

Laura glanced at her before bending down to retrieve the thing she had dropped. It was a necklace. Holding back her fair hair, Laura fastened the chain around her neck. A ring was attached to it.

Laura let her hair fall back around her shoulders. 'I thought your father took you to school. Didn't you just got off the bus?'� she said, hitching her bag up on her shoulders.

Molly was caught off guard. She didn't know why she had lied about that. Her father didn't even own a car.

He had come home Friday night a lot later than Molly had ' she guessed he had travelled far searching for work ' and had collapsed on his bed without dinner. In her room, Molly had put down her pen and switched off the lamp. She would finish her homework tomorrow. Now that he was home, she could sleep easier.

Molly straightened up. 'Some days I get the bus. My dad has an interview this morning.'� What am I saying? Molly thought incredulously. I don't care what people think of me ' remember? Why should it be different with this girl?

'Oh. That's good,'� Laura said, rubbing her eyes.

Molly tilted her head. The girl seemed different this morning: more reserved.

Laura gave her a half smile and joined a flock of people who were walking up the steps to school.

Molly hung back a while until following the crowds up to the double doors.

***

Mr Arquette, whom a lot of the girls had a crush on, was replacing Molly's form teacher, Miss Alonso. Today, though, none of the girls were giggling girlishly and stealing glances at him.

In fact, a queer blanket of quiet seemed to have settled over the school.

None of the students had been making fun of Percy Pearson, a lanky boy who liked school so much that he carried a briefcase around with him, just to fit all his books inside. No one had been hanging around the water fountain, ready to spray some innocent first years. The teachers were sombre, muttering quietly as they walked together to their classes. The usual smell of toast and coffee drifting from the Staff Room was noticeably absent from the hallways. The laughter and animated chatter of students was reduced to subdued undertones.

Mr Arquette informed the class that they had assembly first thing. Year 9 filed into the assembly hall messily, which today, they were not reprimanded for. There was no conversation as everyone sat. This was an unusual occurrence in assembly. Everyone normally took it as a chance to be rowdy and cause chaos, but today was quite an exception.

People were waiting. Every ear was trained upon Mr Arquette's voice.

The girl's name was Rhianna; she was in the first year. She had been cycling across the road just as a car rounded the bend. The car had hit her from the side. She was taken to hospital where she lay now in a coma.

The students were asked to pray for her.

Molly looked around to see who would pray. She saw the girl, Laura, who was sitting a few seats to the side of her, bowing her head in prayer along with everybody else, even teachers.

She was crying. Molly was surprised at this.

She did not pray. She was not religious, so praying went against her beliefs. She could just as easily pay respect to the girl through thought and word. She waited while the prayer ended, trying not to attract attention. She could take this time to think of the girl Rhianna ' it was not that she didn't care'�

Molly heard somebody next to her hissing: 'Laura'�where are you going? Laura ' please sit down -'�

Molly looked up to see The Haughty Girl marching down the aisle, coming to a stop in front of her. Her eyes were blazing. It was funny...they had looked so light and sparkling when they spoke last.

In front, a few heads turned in their direction. Many, though, were still bowed in prayer.

Laura was shaking with anger, her fists clenching by her side. She spoke quietly and shakily, evidently trying to control her voice. But she was noticed, owing to being stood in a room full of seated people.

She may as well have shouted.

'Look at you, sitting there, looking so smug'�while everyone is praying for someone ' someone like you who is in a coma ' and there you are, sitting unaffected by it! Don't you care? How heartless can you be not to care about such a thing?'�

More heads were turning. Mr Arquette was walking towards their aisle, which was near the back.

'Come on. Tell me! Do you even care a little? A tiny bit?'� Laura's eyes were filling up with hot tears of rage. Her pale complexion was growing pinker. 'I knew the moment I met you that you were this ' this know-it-all, a stuck-up little prissy princess! Can't see past herself to notice anybody else''�

People were trying to shush Laura, pulling her back to her seat, but she shrugged them off, scorching them with a stare; and they pulled back, scalded. Mr Arquette was making his way over to them, but they were in the middle of the aisle, making it difficult to be reached...

Molly stayed seated, looking up at Laura. She could almost see every speck of fury in those marble-like blue eyes. Molly wouldn't have been surprised if they began to spark'�

Laura's voice raised an octave. She was almost shouting now.

'She's my sister! My sister is in a coma! I don't want you sitting there without ' without respect!'� Her voice broke. A tear dropped to the floor, splashing Molly's shoe. The next words came out in a whisper. 'You make me sick.'�

Then she was striding down the aisle, banging open the fire exit door and running from the assembly hall, before anyone had a chance to catch up with her.

***

Molly was aware of the total silence around her. Mr Arquette was beckoning for her to vacate her seat. She could see two other teachers muttering to each other, glancing over at Molly. She felt people jostling around her, felt their looks. She knew people were talking about her, shaking their heads in incredulity, because she was the one who didn't care about the comatose girl.

She also knew how much Laura was hurting, and how disrespectful she must have appeared.

Molly rose from her seat and followed the way out Laura had gone, away from the headteacher. She ran out of school premises as fast as her legs would go, knowing she would get a detention, but she didn't care. She had to sort this out now before anybody else got involved. To her relief, she found Laura on the swings in the park next to the school.

Molly sat down on the swing next to her.

Laura glanced round at her. Her gaze was no longer angry, but glazed, indifferent. Absent of emotion. She looked away.

Molly had been dismissed.

'I'm not religious. I don't pray. I wasn't being disrespectful. I really am sorry.'�

'No you're not.'�

'Yes, I am.'� She paused, began to sway back and forth on the swing. 'I just'�I don't want to go against my beliefs and pray to a god I don't believe in. But I do care. I didn't realise she was your sister.'�

'What does it matter? It doesn't change the fact that she's lying comatose in a hospital bed.'�

'No. It doesn't.'�

Laura looked at her disbelievingly.

Molly explained. 'Well, it doesn't change it, does it? Nothing can change it. I mean, when my mum was in hospital, I thought she was faking, or something. Mind, I was pretty young ' naïve, you know. But she wasn't, and it couldn't be changed. There's still a chance for your sister. She could pull through. Mr Arquette said that the hospital says there's a good chance, didn't he?'�

Molly was swinging higher now. Soon she would touch the trees'�

Laura started to swing too. Gently, just small rocking movements.

'I thought you were stuck-up,'� Laura said.

Molly nodded solemnly. 'I thought you were a child.'�

They carried on swinging in silence for a while. Molly stopped guiding the swing and let it move on its own, slowly coming to a stop. Something glinted in the corner of her eye, as the sun fought out from the clouds.

'What's on that necklace you've got?'� Molly asked.

'It's a ring of Rhianna's. It's too small for my fingers.'�

Molly suddenly found herself thinking of Miss Alonso, who wore her ring on a necklace. They'd heard it was an engagement ring that she couldn't bear to wear on her finger anymore, now that her lover had left her. Molly wondered how Miss Alonso was, and whether her baby was alright. Molly thought she would visit Miss Alonso. She hadn't been in a hospital since her mother had died there last year'�but she thought she might like to go.

Life and death'�

'Should we go back now?'� Molly suggested.

'Afraid of missing class?'�

'No. But it's freezing out here. And you should really be talking to a teacher, not me.'�

'Everyone's treating me weirdly already,'� Laura said disappointedly. 'At least you're not, I suppose.'�

Molly shrugged.

Laura stood and began walking back up to school. Watching her go, Molly sat a moment before running to catch up.

It was amazing how you could get somebody all wrong.


© Lindsay Boyle

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