Ivy slouched even lower in her chair.
Mr Russell let out an impatient sigh. ‘Fine! I’ll choose randomly, then.’ He snatched the roll call list off his desk and glanced down at it. ‘Penny Taylor. You’ll go first.’
Penny gasped, clutching the anthology close to her chest. She was still wearing her long black trench coat, and her bone-white face looked almost sickly beside the black cloth now.
‘Don’t be shy, Miss Taylor.’ Mr Russell rolled his eyes. ‘It’s just reading a few lines, remember? You might as well take your place in front of the class and get it over with.’
Penny nodded weakly. But she looked glued to her chair.
This is all my fault, Ivy realised.
‘Shadows in Sunshine’ was a poem loaded with personal meaning for Penny – meaning that everyone would pick up on and gossip about at lunch, if things went wrong! And if they did . . .
Ivy’s mouth suddenly felt dry. All she’d tried to do was help Penny to be herself. Now, she feared that she had pushed too hard. If Penny became an object of ridicule because of her poem – the poem Ivy had encouraged her to choose – Ivy would never forgive herself. But what could she do?
Before she’d even made any conscious decision, she felt her hand shooting up in the air.
‘Yes, Miss Vega?’ Mr Russell sighed. ‘Do you have something you wish to contribute?’
‘Yes, I do,’ Ivy said firmly. ‘Penny was only hesitating, sir, because we were planning to read a poem together.’ She saw Penny’s eyes widen. She gave the other girl an encouraging smile. ‘Would that be OK?’
Mr Russell raised his eyebrows. ‘That sounds not only “OK”, but excellent! Why don’t you both step up to the front of the class?’
Ivy jumped up, and Penny followed, still looking nervous. As they reached the front of the class, Penny opened the textbook with trembling fingers.
‘Every other verse?’ Ivy whispered.
Penny nodded silently. As she looked down at the textbook, though, her expression smoothed. Her voice was strong as she read the first line, and real feeling sounded in her words.
‘I sit surrounded by a crowd of people,
But none of them are looking at me . . .’
She really does love this poem, Ivy realised.
Every eye in class was on them as they passed the verses back and forth. They worked surprisingly well as a team but Ivy was thrilled to notice by the end of the poem that far more eyes were on Penny than on her! She really is an amazing reader.
‘. . . and shadows in sunshine are my home.’
Penny’s voice throbbed with emotion as she finished.
Everyone in class burst into applause. Penny’s face lit up as she looked around, taking it all in. Thank you, she mouthed to Ivy.
Ivy shook her head, smiling. ‘It was all you,’ she whispered back.
‘That was absolutely captivating!’ Mr Russell leaped from his chair. All of his earlier irritation with Finn seemed to have been swept away by his excitement. ‘I’ve learnt so much about both of you from that reading!’
Uh-oh. Ivy traded a look with Penny. What is that supposed to mean? ‘You know . . .’ she began, hoping for a distraction.
But there was no stopping their English teacher now. ‘What bravery!’ he declared, as he began to pace the room. ‘The two of you chose to celebrate your differences – not something that happens often in high school! There’s far too much value given to “fitting in” here. Bravo for a pair of friends who can admire each other for exactly what makes them each unique!’
Um . . . Raising her eyebrows, Ivy glanced at Penny’s long trench coat and dyed black hair. I don’t think many people would see the differences between us right now. Maybe Mr Russell is just super-perceptive?
Luckily, the class seemed to take their cue from Mr Russell’s enthusiasm. They all applauded again as the girls walked to their desks, Penny leading the way – and Ivy beamed as she saw other students offering Penny high-fives.
Just as Ivy slipped into her seat, she saw Penny come to a halt in front of her own. The other girl paused, taking a deep breath. Then she unbuttoned her coat, and took it off.
Ivy’s jaw almost hit her desk.
Beneath the coat, Penny wore a sky-blue dress that Olivia would die for! And as the black trench coat slipped away, Ivy saw the tension drain from Penny’s expression.
As Penny sat down she looked pretty, confident and more relaxed than ever before. No wonder, Ivy thought. For the first time ever, she isn’t pretending to be someone she’s not! As everyone watched, Penny clasped her hands together and smiled.
Admiring whispers broke out all around them.
‘She looks fabulous!’ a bunny girl whispered to her friend, near the windows. ‘Where do you think she found that dress?’
At the same time, on the other side of the classroom, a goth-girl murmured, ‘I didn’t know Penny was so cool!’
‘Well,’ the girl’s friend said authoritatively, ‘it’s always cool when someone is real. Don’t you think?’
Absolutely, Ivy thought. Beaming, she sat back in her seat. Mission accomplished . . . in every way!
Not only had she learned how to handle her own popularity, but she had successfully offloaded some of it on to Penny – without forcing Penny to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.
Ivy looked at Olivia sitting beside her – exactly where she belonged – and smiled.
Maybe I can cope with high school after all!
Ivy was still beaming hours later, as she wandered towards the school bus with Olivia, Brendan and Sophia.
‘Ohhh!’ Bouncing with excitement, Olivia tugged on Ivy’s arm. ‘Just look at that!’ She pointed across the field to where Amelia and Finn sat with their heads close together, studying a timetable. ‘Isn’t that sweet? They’re planning their classes together!’
Ivy grinned and rolled her eyes. ‘I’m just glad they’re in a higher grade than us, so I won’t have to avert my eyes five times a day!’
‘Oh, hush,’ Olivia said, giving Ivy a nudge. ‘You know you’re a romantic at heart!’
Ivy was still laughing as she stepped on to the bus . . . then stopped. Wait a minute.
No one was making space for her! Every seat in front of her was full – and no one was leaping up to give up their seat, the way they had every day so far. What’s going on? she wondered.