Light travels in straight lines but feelings go round corners.
Bryony could ‘feel’ that Jez was waiting for her round the corner.
She thought of yesterday at school. When the invitations to the school disco were given out, and how Mr. Brookes had allowed the class to get all excited and kids had been shouting… Oh they’d all thought it was so funny because Mr. Brookes said they had to go with partners, one girl with one boy. Gazzer got down on his knee in front of Eva Evans and kissed her hand and said…” Eva, will you do me the honour…” Every one had laughed and kind of paired off till someone, Billy Parsons, said, “but who’ll go with Bryony?” like she was a leper or something…
The question just wavered there, unsatisfactory, without solution… Into the void, Mr. Brookes said, “Well settle down now, page thirty five please ladies and gentlemen.”
Then, to the amazement of all, Mr. ‘Cool and Popular’, Jez Mulvey, said quite loudly, “I will. I will go with Bryony.” You might have thought he was responding to a dare.
Feelings go round corners. One more step… one glance.
Bryony ran. She could have run like an antelope with a leopard on her heels, she could have run like a rabbit from a fox. But she ran like a girlie who wanted to be captured, and he caught her easily.
aggiegoatmother 