A Boy Named Marcus C3

Chapter Three



  You spent the whole of half term cooped up in your room revising, and the one time you did go out was when you went round to Fiona Harte’s place but that was only to do more revision. It was more fun when there were two of you together. Secretly you wanted to go into town or watch a film or something but you didn’t say.

  When you did go into town, on the Saturday before school started again, to get stationary and uniform, you saw some of the girls from your year. Sadie Clemens was there with Elouise Smith, Poppy Tanners, Amy White and oddly Betty Davies was there with Natalie Baxford. Betty and Natalie were best friends. You knew Natalie quite well. There was a time when you all hung around as a threesome but that was in year six. Betty and Natalie were the most popular girls but in a different way to Sadie and Poppy were. Sadie and Elouise and Poppy and a few others were more into shopping and makeup and extremely short skirts and public displays of affection than Betty and Natalie were. Not to say that they weren’t into that sort of thing, but the sort of respected popularity and cool factor that Natalie and Betty had was a lot more to aspire to than the plastic version that Poppy and Sadie had.

  As you walked by, your hands growing sweaty, Amy White, a tall skinny girl with sparkling eyes, caught your eye and whispered something in Poppy’s ear. They both giggled. You ran a hand through your knotty hair in embarrassment. Natalie however, turned to you and smiled. You smiled back and continued on walking, thinking about how weird that was.

  “Are they friends of yours?” Your mother asked, smiling slightly. You looked awkwardly back at them, talking and laughing and drinking relentless,

  “Not really, they’re kinda popular...” Your mother smiled wider,

  “Well, what’s popularity if you’re not the coolest kid in school...?” You didn’t really understand what she meant and spent the whole day mulling it over.

  When you arrived in your classroom on Monday morning, bright and early, the whole room was buzzing and you suddenly remembered. Marcus, that boy from the school photo day, was starting school officially today. You craned your neck in the corner of the classroom where a gaggle of students were standing but he wasn’t there.

  It wasn’t until your form tutor came in, Mr Fredrick, that you saw him. Your eyes were fixed outside, staring out of the window at the car park, when a posh black car pulled up. He stepped out of it. He looked very different, in his school blazer and charcoal trousers. His hair was a little longer than what you’d remembered and a small braid dangled from the side. You dragged your eyes away from him and answered your name in the register.

  “Now,” Mr Fredrick was saying, “We are supposed to be having a new student with us today, I’m sure some of you have already met him but punctuality is obviously not his strong point-” At that exact moment the double doors at the entrance to the classroom burst open and He strode in. Mr Fredrick’s eyebrows disappeared into his messy fringe.

  “Sorry I’m a tad late, got caught up...” His eyes met yours for a second before you looked away; very embarrassed.

  “Very dramatic entrance there. Anyway, this is Marcus Haj he’s been to a few schools in England before but he’s originally from California.” Some of the girls looked excited by this.  “I’m sure you’ll make him feel as welcome as you have to other new students.” Marcus sat down next to Kelly Almond on the first row; he rocked back on his chair, passively surveying his surroundings.