Lowewood Academy

The text was quite brief.

Lyds, need to see u. Meet me at 9.30pm tonight in our usual place. Nat xx

I texted him back.

That’s just before curfew at 10pm. Can’t it wait?

My phone pinged.

No.

Oh hell. How was I going to get out of school at that time?

(more…)

Ned took two fags out of the packet, lit them both neatly with one breath and handed one to me. I took a grateful drag. All I needed now was a bottle of Magners Cider and a glass full of ice. Sadly, he wasn’t that good.

We were sitting tucked behind the back of the bike sheds at Lowewood. Quite a few of the kids had bikes that they used to cycle round the huge grounds but it was normally deserted at this time, 9.30pm, half an hour before the Lower Sixth curfew. The shrubbery was the main smokers corner at Lowewood but bloody Herbert Berkley the Head Boy was having a smoking crackdown and had Wilkes prefects patrolling the shrubbery every night. Hence us being behind the bike sheds and so far, we appeared to be the only two that had thought of it.

“Why are we the only ones here?” Ned mused.

“Because we’re the only two at Lowewood from comprehensives? At my old comp, the bike shed was the natural place for smoking, the nearest we had to a shrubbery was the Headmaster’s window-box!” I giggled. Ned snorted with laughter.

“Yeah – it’s our common genes coming out!” he said.

“Hey – you’re hardly common, posh boy. My Dad’s not the Earl of Ashberry!” I joked. Ned’s face darkened.

“Illegitimate son” he said woodenly.

“Hey – that kind of thing doesn’t matter any more. Only to stupid snobs like the de Lacey boys.” I said, patting his arm. He smiled at me and blew a smoke ring.

(more…)