Lowewood Academy

It was silent in the changing rooms of the gym. Cassie, Violet and I were all in our games kit, as instructed. The clock ticked round to 7pm. None of us really wanted it to get there, but the second hand ticked round inexorably.

I tried to control the butterflies in my stomach. Was it worse going second? I’d tried to talk to Felix and Charlie today about what had happened to them yesterday, but they would say nothing. But Felix’s white, closed face made me fear the worst.

I’d been caned before. How hard could it be?

Looking at Violet and Cassie’s scared faces; somehow I knew that this wasn’t going to be your usual type of punishment. They’d been here longer than me, had heard the rumours about previous councils. I cursed myself again for letting things go so far. Because I knew, that without my encouragement, these two would never have gone as far as they did. Why did I have to take so many risks?

The minute hand arrived at 7pm, and like a cuckoo out of a clock, Rosemary Woodward opened the door of the gym.

“You’d better come in.” she said sternly.

Fuck.

(more…)

“Let’s go everyone, last circuit, up up up!”  I shouted, going for upbeat enthusiasm despite my own shaking legs.

“We normally only do two circuits, I’m going to die!”  Abigail moaned.  I’d kept her on the squad as a peace gesture but if she thought that meant I was going to cut her any slack she had another thing coming.

“Better die fighting than live on your knees!  Besides, do you want to keep losing to Cheltenham bloody Ladies?  Let’s go!”  I retorted; breathing a sigh of relief as she sulkily started doing the most half-arsed squat jumps I’d ever seen.

“Thighs parallel to the ground…with a proper jump!” I gasped between my own crunches.  I’d been over the moon when Claudia had told me that she was appointing me Rowing Captain but it was hard work.  It was unheard of for a lower-sixth girl to be put in charge of a team, so a pretty big deal and I was determined to make the most of the opportunity.  Daddy was pleased as well, which went some way to making up for Clare’s irritating habit of turning up mid session and tutting at me!

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“Come on Lowewood!”  I screamed, jumping up and pumping the air as Sera slammed the ball into the goal bringing us to a 2-1 lead over Cheltenham Ladies College.  With Clara in disgrace she’d been moved forward to Centre Forward, playing between Juliet and Claudia.  Remembering too late I lunged for my crutch, almost fell over and ended up hopping about on my good leg.

“Sit down Abbotts,” Ms Lesbos ordered, and then taking a more gentle tone of voice added “You’re already on crutches, you don’t want to end up in a wheelchair, now do you?”

No I bloody well didn’t.  Being carried down off the mountain on a stretcher had been embarrassing enough, a wheelchair would be the icing on the cake.  Never mind that I’d missed my shot at Nationals, royally screwed my ankle and almost died.  Or that I was missing this match, an inter-school cross-country meet and a big head race against Headington this weekend.  Or that the stupid cow had actually done this to me on purpose.

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