Lowewood Academy

I’m taking it on as my own personal mission to end the credit crunch.

By spending.

This week, therefore, I have spent:

£224 on some lovely undies – everyday, red with white spots, cute as you like.

£353 on a pair of Jimmy Choos (the Tinsel, as it happens – as it says on the website, ‘perfect for the working woman’, and who am I to argue?).

£175 on a new ipod – my old one went on the fritz whilst I was driving the girls back from the hospital last weekend, and I’m lost without it.

£200 on a donation to ActionAid – I sponsor a little girl in India and like to top up my sponsorship every now and again.

And finally…

£1900.70 on an Upper Class flight to San Francisco over Easter! Because Jon has invited me to spend a week with him over there… and I jumped at the chance. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?

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The last week has been very hard.

There’s still no news about Dad. Major Rawlins has been in touch a couple of times but there when there haven’t been any developments there’s not much he can say. It’s been all over the newspapers of course and on the TV and radio, but I’ve tried not to read or watch or listen – I find it easier that way, I can just sort of blank it out.

Juliet and Alex did their best. They invited me back to Juliet’s room for a drink that I didn’t really want. They were trying to be kind but I think they were as embarrassed as I was when I couldn’t hold back the tears. I hate crying in front of anyone so I’ve tended to avoid being around people as much as possible. 

I’ve tried to get on with my work and my prefect duties, but my heart’s not in either of them at the moment.  In class I don’t seem to be able to concentrate. Anyone else would be getting house points docked, or worse, but the teachers know what’s happened and have cut me some slack.  When I’m on duty I see girls doing stuff that really I should pick them up on, really I should punish them for, but I just can’t bear the thought of anyone else hating me, so I turn a blind eye.

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It had been a weird old week.  Full of unsettled whisperings and gossip, intense speculation over the repercussions from the cross-country Regionals, and a general feeling of issues still to be resolved.  Now, at last, they would be.

I didn’t much like being in the spotlight but, by dint of my presence at Cassie’s rescue, I was in it almost as much as she was.  That was magnified by the fact that she’d been missing from school until a couple of days ago, recovering in hospital.  She had only been allowed family visitors at first, but combined Dashwood pestering eventually drew a weekend trip for Juliet and I, plus her friends Sera and Fliss, to see her.  Miss Golding took us and we were allowed on the ward one at a time, for a few minutes each.  For someone who’d danced with death so recently, Cassie was in remarkable spirits already, and much-given to ranting about her lost race, lost housepoints, lost opportunity to reach the Nationals… Most of which, in the grand scheme of things, I took as a good sign: if she was well enough to focus on all that, then there couldn’t be too much damage done!  Even her ankle injury wasn’t as serious as first feared, so hopefully she’d be able to get back into the hockey team, in her rightful place, after half term.  We could sure use her and Sera back on form after getting trounced by Roedean…

Anyway, that was last weekend, and now Cassie was back at Lowewood and in good form, hobbling determinedly around school and soaking up the attention.  Unlike her old enemy: we had not seen Clara since the rest of us returned from Regionals and she was marched to Shafters’ study by Ms Lesbos.  We knew she’d been through headmaster’s report that very evening, via Susannah Meadows’ impeccable news network!  The 200-point deduction was recorded in the housepoints book for all to see; the 12 slices of Mr S’ senior cane across her bare buttocks we took on trust.  Susannah had further reported that the Grantley-Knightons’ car had arrived later that night to remove Clara from school, her fag having retrieved a few personal items for her from Wilkes.  Rumours were rife that she’d been expelled, and Lydia and Gabby had to spank a whole dormitory of second years Dashwood girls for celebrating this idea rather too noisily after lights-out!  As it turned out, their jubilation also proved to be premature.  Assembly the next morning brought the announcement that Clara had merely been suspended for one week, until a hearing and final decision could be made regarding her status.

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