Page 21 of Clara's Secret Garden
I admired from afar the way he got on with people. Itcouldn’t have been easy, arriving at the start of the spring term, witheveryone in long established friendship groups, but Rory seemed to fit infairly seamlessly. His laid-back, cheerful nature meant he made friends easily,and I found myself looking forward to the classes we took together.
Not that I ever spoke to him.
At thirteen, I was awkward and shy, and the butt of slyjokes and sneers from a girl in the year above me called Hannah Akers. I wasoverweight and Hannah knew just how to make me squirm. I tried to keep out ofher way but the more I tried, the more she seemed determined to plague me withher nasty taunts. I used to dread hearing her jeering, nasally voice behind me.‘Hey, Clara Chubface? Stop eating all the pies, will you?’ She and her twomates would start chanting, ‘Chubface eats all the pies! Chubface eats all thepies!’ and they’d howl with laughter as I scurried away. It never descendedinto physical abuse, although I was permanently scared that it would, but thosewere the darkest days of my life. I couldn’t tell Dad how unhappy I was feelingand how I felt sick every school morning at the thought of what fresh miserylay in wait for me, because he would only march down to the school and end up,with the best of intentions, making things far worse.
Rory’s arrival at the school made things better. Thebullying continued, but my dread of school was tempered a little by myeagerness to see Rory, on whom I’d developed quite a crush.
My best friend, Siobhan, who wasn’t as shy as me, used totease me about him and dare me to ask him out. But of course I never would. Notin a million years. Rory barely knew I existed!
Then one day, while we were sitting in class, waiting forthe geography teacher to arrive, I was chatting to Siobhan and half-listeningin to Rory’s group of mates bantering away nearby. They seemed to be laughingabout someone’s sister still believing that babies were delivered by a stork, andI heard Rory quip, ‘The smaller babies, maybe, but the heavier ones need acrane.’
I smiled to myself, liking the pun, although Rory was havingto explain it. ‘A crane’s for lifting but it’s also a bird? A crane? You know,like a stork, you numbskulls!’
‘What are you grinning at?’ asked Siobhan.
‘Rory,’ I hissed. ‘I love his sense of humour.’
She made a swoony face, pressing her hands over her heart.‘Oh, but you loveeverythingabout Rory Angel.’
‘Shush!’ I nudged her hard. And at that moment, I heard Rorysay, ‘I don’t trust stairs. They’re always up to something.’
Now, that really tickled me. My snort of amusement came outmuch louder than I meant it to, and Rory actually turned around. No one elsewas laughing except me and I could feel myself turning redder than a ripetomato baking in the sun. My shoulders were shaking with the effort of tryingto stop giggling. It was the way he’d delivered the pun, totally deadpan.
I was aware everyone was staring, but all I could see atthat moment was Rory’s smile as he looked over at me. ‘There’s more where theycame from,’ he said with a shrug. ‘So what if I don’t know what apocalypsemeans? It’s not the end of the world.’
I smiled back at him, feeling awkwardly self-conscious, butI couldn’t think of a single thing to say in reply. And eventually he turnedback to his mates.
But my foolish young heart treasured that moment – when I’dseemed to connect with Rory Angel – and I went over it in my mind so many timesthat those puns of his are probably burned on my brain forever!
It was about a month after that when he came to my rescue.
I was walking home on my own that day because Siobhan – whoalso lived on the Clifton Park housing estate, a half-mile walk from thevillage – was off school with a tummy bug. I’d reached the end of the highstreet when I heard footsteps running to catch me up. I quickened my pace, butHannah and her mates clustered around me, slowing me right down.
My heart was thudding against my ribs. I felt the familiarwave of nausea rush through me as they started prodding my belly and laughing,and asking me why I was such a pig. I walked on with my head down, knowing thatthey lived in the village and I’d soon be leaving them behind. But to myhorror, when we got to Hannah’s street, they carried on walking with me,taunting me all the way.
I knew if I started running, I’d only aggravate them andthey’d chase after me, and I dreaded to think what they’d do when they caughtme...
I heard more footsteps running behind us and my heart sank.
Was it more of Hannah’s mates coming to join in the fun?
‘Hey, Clara Bear!’ said a voice.
Rory?
I turned in surprise. And before I knew what was happening,he was looping his arm casually around me and smiling down at me. ‘How’s itgoing?’
‘Oh. Yes. I’m fine, thanks, Rory. Clara Bear?’
He shrugged. ‘My sister had a teddy called Clara Bear.’
Aware that Hannah and her mates were no longer crowdingaround me, I smiled at Rory. ‘I like it. The name, I mean. It’s a bit betterthan Clara Chubface.’
He nodded, letting his arm fall from my shoulders but stillwalking along beside me.
‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
