The New Girl. Ariana Chambers

someone goes into the cubicle next to mine. I take a deep breath and put my phone back in my pocket., Although it’s been unnerving hanging out with Izzy, Vivien and Stephen, I guess it’s better than having to drift around all day on my own. I pick up my bag and head off for lunch.

      Even though the canteen’s really crowded, it’s easy to spot Izzy’s white-blonde hair. They’re sitting at a table at the back with a girl who’s from our form. She has very short hair and huge glasses. She looks really sweet and shy and this instantly makes me feel better. I think I’ll feel way more relaxed if I can chat to her. But as I get closer to the table I get hit by a sudden and completely random feeling of fear. Izzy’s leaning in close to the girl, looking like she’s whispering a secret in her ear. But whatever she’s saying can’t be nice – the girl looks really upset.

      ‘It looks like your mum just put a bowl on your head and started cutting,’ I hear Vivien say to her just as I reach the table.

      ‘Couldn’t you afford to get a proper haircut?’ Izzy says.

      ‘Maybe I should shave it all off with my dad’s clippers,’ Stephen adds, sneering. ‘It couldn’t look any worse.’

      I’m frozen to the spot. There’s no way I want to sit with them now if this is how they treat people, but I don’t want to leave the girl on her own with them either. But before I can decide what to do, Izzy spots me.

      ‘Nessa! Come and join us. Eve was just going, weren’t you, Eve?’ She turns and gives the girl a cold stare.

      Eve has a full plate of spaghetti Bolognese in front of her, but she nods and picks up her tray.

      ‘Are you OK?’ I ask as Eve shuffles past me.

      ‘Yes, fine,’ she mutters without looking at me at all.

      ‘Come on, sit down,’ Izzy says, smiling up at me.

      Reluctantly, I sit down next to her, still staring at Eve. I think about going after her but I don’t know what I’d say. I watch as she scrapes her lunch into a bin before heading out of the canteen. I feel really sick.

      ‘Did you bring lunch, or are you getting something here?’ Vivien asks.

      My heart sinks as I think of the Tupperware box Aunt Clara gave me this morning. I didn’t dare ask her what was in it.

      ‘I brought it,’ I mutter, taking the box from my bag. It’s full of brown rice and vegetables and weird white cubes. I think they might be cheese, but when I try one it’s tasteless and as chewy as rubber. I look up to see Izzy, Stephen and Vivien all staring at me. My face flushes.

      ‘What’s that white stuff ?’ Stephen asks, nodding at my lunch. I wonder if he’s going to start teasing me the way he was teasing Eve and I feel a hot burst of anger. If he does, I decide, I’ll shove whatever this stupid lunch is right into his smug face.

      ‘I’m not sure,’ I reply, my face burning even hotter.

      ‘You don’t know what you’ve got for lunch?’ Vivien asks.

      ‘No.’ I stare back at her.

      ‘I think it’s tofu,’ Izzy says with another smile. ‘It looks delicious.’

      I look at her, feeling a weird mixture of gratitude and disbelief.

      ‘Thank you,’ I mutter. ‘My aunt made it. She’s vegan.’

      Izzy nods. ‘Your aunt runs the vegan café in town, doesn’t she?’

      ‘Yes. Paper Soul.’

      Izzy just keeps on smiling, like she’s on some kind of sponsored grinathon. ‘I haven’t been into Paper Soul for ages. We’ll have to have lunch there one weekend, won’t we guys?’

      Stephen and Vivien nod but they don’t seem quite so keen.

      I glance at the table in front of ours. The girl from our class with the dark curly hair is staring at me over the book she’s reading. When we make eye contact she gives a quick smile before looking back down at her book. I look around and see loads of other students glancing over too. I take a deep breath and force myself to eat another cube of white rubber.

      By the time the bell rings for the end of the day my mouth is aching from making myself smile and my entire body is stiff with tension. I have to get out of here. As I shove my books into my bag I look up and see the girl with the dark curly hair staring at me again. It’s definitely different to the stares I’ve been getting from the other students; she’s looking at me like she knows me, or knows something about me. I hoist my bag over my shoulder and head over to the door of our form room. Izzy calls out after me but I pretend not to hear her. I need fresh air and I need to be on my own. I’m all new-peopled-out. As I rush along the corridor, I hear the other classroom doors opening behind me and students spilling out. I race down the stairs and through reception. It’s only when I get out on to the driveway that I start feeling calmer again.

      ‘Nessa! Wait!’

      My throat tightens at the sound of Izzy’s voice.

      I turn and see all three of them running to catch up with me. What is wrong with them? Why are they so desperate to hang out with me? It’s obvious I’m not in their league – this is going against all the natural laws of the school feeding chain.

      ‘Why did you race off like that?’ Izzy says, catching me up. Her pale cheeks have flushed pink, making her look even more like a porcelain doll.

      ‘I don’t know,’ I mutter.

      ‘Do you want to come and hang out at mine?’ she asks. ‘We were going to go in the pool.’

      ‘The pool?’

      Izzy nods. ‘Yes. Don’t worry. It’s indoors and it’s heated.’

      ‘Oh, well,’ I rack my brains for an excuse. ‘I – I don’t have a swimming costume.’

      Izzy grins. ‘That’s OK. You can borrow one of mine.’

      My insides start crawling with embarrassment. It’s been bad enough having to hang out with new people all day without them seeing me semi-naked. And something tells me Izzy’s the kind of girl who would own only the skimpiest bikinis.

      ‘Come on, it’ll be fun.’ Izzy links arms with me.

      I automatically pull away. ‘I’m really sorry. I can’t. I have to – I have to help my aunt, in the café.’

      Izzy sighs. For a moment I think I’ve managed to wriggle out of it, but then she starts smiling again. ‘We could come with you – hang out there for a while.’

      I look at the others hoping they’ll disagree, but even Stephen’s nodding.

      ‘You can’t!’ I say, way too forcefully.

      ‘What do you mean, we can’t?’ Vivien asks, icily.

      ‘It’s not open today,’ I stammer. ‘I’m helping my aunt do a stock check.’

      Izzy stares at me for a moment, like she’s not sure whether to believe me. ‘Wow, your eyes,’ she says at last.

      ‘What about them?’

      ‘I swear they were pale blue this morning. Now they look really dark.’

      ‘It’s just the light,’ I say. People have said this about my eyes before. I guess they’re just a weird shade of blue that looks different in different settings. ‘Anyway, I’d better get going.’

      Izzy looks at me for a moment, then she nods. ‘OK. See you tomorrow.’

      ‘Yes. See you tomorrow.’ I pull up the hood on my coat and start walking, my heart pounding in time with my feet.

      As soon as I’ve got away from the populars, I start feeling better. The icy air feels lovely and fresh after the stuffy, overheated classrooms. I don’t feel ready to go back to Paper Soul just