Page 37 of Everything That Kills Me
“Everyone needs to keep an eye on the person in front of you,” said Mr Burton. “If you have problems, call out. Zeph will no doubt be at the front. He knows the route. I don’t want to be sending out search and rescue. Ready? Off you go.”
Jack and Zeph were soon well ahead of the rest. Once they’d left school property, it was a short run over the railway bridge and onto the footpath that ran across a field.
“Everything okay at home?” Jack asked.
“Not really. I got into trouble for not letting Alice partner you in computer studies.”
“But you were sitting next to me!”
“I know. I get the feeling my dad is going to use anything to attack me. She’s only doing cross country to be near you. If she knew where you lived, she’d probably find a way to throw herself in front of Thomas’s car.”
Jack groaned. “I don’t know what more I can do. Is it worth speaking to a teacher?”
“I think it’d make things worse—for me, probably. Having said that, maybe talking to Mr Parsons, who’s in charge of pastoral care for the sixth form, might be a good idea because if anything bad happened, at least you’d have made your position clear beforehand.”
“What sort of bad?”
“Apart from my scenario with Thomas’s car? If she was trying to punish you for not liking her, then maybe hitting herself and claiming you’d done it. I think you ought to avoid being alone with her. She had to have psychiatric help a year orso ago because of an eating disorder. She’s supposed to be over it but I don’t think she is. She didn’t eat last night. She’s really sensitive about her weight. It doesn’t help that Georgia seems to be able to eat anything and look great.”
They climbed over a stile into the next field.
“I’ve got you a phone. It’s in my locker. I’ll give it to you before we leave school.”
“Wow. Thank you. I’m staying to do my homework after school so you could come to the study area. Umm…you do realise you’re the only one I’ll call on the phone.”
“You can phone your uncle. I heard Alice say he was at school first thing.”
Zeph forgot to look where he was going and almost fell headlong. “Shit. I’m going to be in trouble. My dad will be furious.”
“He came to see you, though. You didn’t go and see him.”
“That won’t make any difference. Maybe you better keep the phone until tomorrow.”
“I think you should have it today. If you’re in trouble, I want you to call me.”
That was kind but what could Jack do, especially if he didn’t want Thomas to know about them?
“The password is Trouble with a capital T, but set your own.”
“I am trouble. You’re right.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
Zeph shot him a glance. “You think?”
“I know.”
Zeph wasn’t sure whether to gulp or laugh. “We need to turn round when we reach that sycamore tree. The route’s not circular.”
“Okay.”
“Want to run again at the weekend?”
“I can’t this weekend. Sorry. Got something on.”
“Right. Race back to the road?”
“What does the winner get?”
