Everything We Keep Di Walker (free ebook novel .txt) 📖

‘Come on. I’ll show you where your locker is,’ Tully said as she turned and headed out of the room. Slowly, Agatha got up and followed, aware that every pair of eyes were watching her.

Out in the corridor, Agatha braced herself. It hadn’t crossed her mind that this might be Tully’s school.

A few steps away from the classroom Tully stopped at a locker and looked at the paper, made a few turns of the lock and it was open. ‘There you go. Now you can unpack your stuff and put your bag in.’

Agatha waited and didn’t moved.

‘Agatha, you can put your things in here,’ Tully repeated. When Agatha didn’t move Tully held out her hand. ‘Give me your bag and I’ll do it for you.’ Tully took the bag and unzipped it, taking out the folders Katherine had packed the evening before. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked.

‘Don’t you want to know why I’m here, why I left your place?’

‘I really, really want to know, but I’m not going to make you tell me. You will when you’re ready.’

Tully took out all the textbooks that Agatha and Katherine had bought from the booklist Mrs Sloane had given them. She arranged them on the shelf of the locker and placed the bag underneath. When she closed the door, she showed Agatha how the lock worked and made Agatha lock and unlock it several times, until she seemed satisfied that Agatha had mastered it.

‘We have the same classes so you’re going to need the same books I have,’ Tully said, pulling out a folder and checking the labels Katherine had made for them. ‘I think I might rearrange a few things, but it looks pretty much set up. Did your aunty do it?’

Agatha nodded. The bell rang, and the corridors were soon filled with students, moving so quickly that Agatha stepped back into her locker to get out of the way. ‘Come on,’ said Tully, grabbing Agatha’s arm, ‘Follow me. Science.’

Agatha stayed right behind Tully, watching her blonde ponytail swing back and forth as she bounced along. They left the Home Group building and walked across a courtyard towards another grey building. Outside, they had more space and Tully hung back, waiting for Agatha to step up beside her. ‘You haven’t missed anything fun in Science. It’s mainly been about safety rules and stuff. A bit boring but the teacher said once we get it done and pass the safety test, we can do something cool with the Bunsen Burners. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Much better that watching plants grow or ice melt like at primary school.’

Most of the same faces that had been in Home Group appeared at Science. With Tully by her side Agatha felt that the others had already shown less curiosity about her. She was more overwhelmed by Tully’s sudden appearance that by her surroundings.

Showing confidence that Agatha only dreamt of having, Tully went straight up to the Science teacher, explained Agatha’s arrival and politely asked for the seating to be reassigned so that they could sit together. The Science teacher obliged, and they soon settled at a bench in the middle of the class.

‘Hey Tully? So, Ag – ahhh – tharr, and you are best friends, huh?’

Agatha didn’t know the voice, but she recognised the tone. She had heard her name said like that a thousand times. ‘You smell, Ag – ahhh – tharr’, ‘You live in a tip, Ag – ahhh – tharr’.

She felt her chest tighten and her shoulders hunch. She wanted to run from the room, from the school and home to Katherine. She knew she could do it; it wasn’t far. She could be home in no time.

It was Tully’s gentle hand on her arm that stopped her. Agatha turned her head slightly to look at Tully. Her look was met by a wink and a slight smile. Then Tully turn to the voice behind her.

‘Yes, we are, Jax, and before you speak to me like that you should remember what happened the last time you did that, in Grade 5. Huh?’

‘That was Grade 5,’ the defiant voice retorted.

‘Grade 5, Year 8, no difference to me. I’ll deal with you in exactly the same way. How do you think that would look to all your new mates, huh?’ Tully didn’t wait for a response. She turned back to Agatha and gave her another wink. ‘Don’t pay any attention to him, he’s all bluff,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve known him a long time, he’s got stuff going on, I think that’s why he’s like that.’

Agatha looked at Tully. If only she could do that – speak to kids like Jax the way Tully did.

The rest of the class passed quickly, and they were soon walking across the courtyard again, this time to Maths. By recess time, Agatha was starving, and couldn’t wait to eat. Walking back to her locker with Tully, they now had two other girls with them, all talking as if Agatha had been part of their group forever.

They found a bench under the shade of a large tree, just outside the door from the lockers. There were students everywhere. The older ones paid no attention to the Year8s, as they walked by. Agatha hadn’t been prepared for how tall and mature the senior students looked. She felt small.

She sat between Tully and another girl, Cora, Tully’s best friend from primary school. Katherine had packed a blueberry muffin for a snack and Agatha ate it slowly, carefully picking the paper wrapping away before each bite, being careful not to tear it and then wiping away stray crumbs after.

‘So, Tully told me how you met on the train and that you were staying with your aunt,’ Cora said so matter-of-factly that Agatha didn’t feel like she needed to answer. ‘But Tully, didn’t you say Agatha was only staying for the weekend?’

‘I can’t remember what I said,’ Tully replied and giving Agatha a wink..

‘My parents are away, longer than they thought,’