School Reunion. Part Four.

I was thirteen again, and back at Lennarb School. It was the beginning of dinner break, and I was on my way to the library, where I usually hid from everyone. The library was somewhere that Maria and her ilk never went.
“Hey, Irvell!!!”
The catcall was coming from Maria Watson. I turned. She and her friends, Katie Halloway, Shirley Yessab and Amy-Sue Wheck were all marching towards me. I walked even faster, so I could get to the library even quicker.
“Hey Irvell, I’m talking to you!!!”
My heart started pounding against my chest. If I didn’t turn around and look at them, they may get bored of me, and go away. And then suddenly, I was pounced on. I screamed. Katie and Shirley had run up right behind me, and had pushed me to the ground, and they each sat on me. Katie on my left leg, Shirley on my right leg, so I couldn’t get away.
Maria and Amy-Sue had caught up by this time. While Amy-Sue carried on standing a fair bit away, Maria’s face leered over me.
“Listen, bitch, when I talk to you, you answer me. Do you understand?”
I was determined not to answer her, but Katie and Shirley both grabbed my head and moved it in the ‘yes’ motion for me, both smaning.
Maria grinned at me. “Good. Now, because you were naughty, I’m afraid we’re going to have to punish you.” She looked at Katie and Shirley. “Keep her still, ladies.”
Then Maria went round picking up as much grass and mud as she could. Still smaning, Katie and Shirley yanked my mouth open, and Maria shoved the grass and mud in. Then Katie and Shirley held my nose, so I was forced to eat the grass and mud. Oh, the taste. It was disgusting! Then Katie and Shirley both stood up, and, along with Maria, they all laughed at me, lying on the ground, shocked and breathless. Only Amy-Sue wasn’t laughing. She was stood well back from the others, with a look of disgust on her face, and tears welled up in her eyes.
I never understood why Amy-Sue looked disgusted, and why she had tears welled up in her eyes. Maybe she wasn’t as nasty as her friends, and she went along with it because of peer pressure? But I did know then, that if Amy-Sue Wheck was ever horrible to me, then I could forgive er, whereas I could never forgive Maria Watson, Katie Halloway or Shirley Yessab…
“Morning Char.”
I jumped at the sound of Chris’s voice. I hadn’t realised he’d got out of bed.
“Morning Chris.”
“You looked very deep in thought there.”
I smiled. “Oh, you know, just thinking about the school reunion,” I lied.
Chris nodded. “Ah, I see. Still want to go?”
“Yes, of course I do.” Although, did I really want to now? After what I’d been thinking about?

***

It was one dinner time after maths had finished. My friends, Maria, Katie, Shirley and I were on our way to the very bottom field to have a sneaky smoke. And that was when we all saw Char Irvell. She was probably on her way to hide somewhere, where she could get away from everyone. Suddenly, I felt as though I wanted to join her.
“Hey, Irvell!!!” Maria suddenly shouted out.
If Char gave any sign that she’d heard Maria, she didn’t show it. Maria licked her lips and shouted even louder: “Hey, Irvell, I’m talking to you!!!”
Still Char carried on walking without turning around. Secretly, I admired her bravery. Maria looked at Katie and Shirley, and smaning silently, they both went running off and pushed poor Char to the ground, where they each sat on one of her legs. By the time they’d sat on her, Maria and I had caught up. I knew what was going to happen, though I didn’t feel brave enough to stand up to Maria. But I wanted no part in it, so I hung back, way away.
“Listen, bitch, when I talk to you, you answer me.” I could hear Maria saying. “Do you understand?”
I couldn’t hear what Char was saying, but then I heard Maria saying: “Good. Now, because you were naughty, I’m afraid we’re going to have to punish you.” And then: “Keep her still, ladies,” presumably to Katie and Shirley.
Then, while Katie and Shirley still had poor Char pinned to the ground, Maria went round, tugging up a lot of grass and mud. Then she went back over to where Char was lying, and force fed her the mud and grass. I was really disgusted with what was going on, and a part of me wanted to scream at Maria and tell her to leave Char alone. I wished we weren’t in one of the corners, so Maria would be caught by one of the teachers. But I was controlled by peer pressure. I couldn’t stand up to Maria. I just watched her torture the poor girl, and I felt as though I wanted to cry.
Eventually, my friends let Char go, and we all carried on, on our way to the bottom field.
“Do we need to torture Char Irvell every time we see her?” I asked.
Maria stopped and stared at me, shocked. Then she slapped me hard, across the face. “Don’t ever talk like that again,” she told me angrily. “I don’t want to hear it.” Then she carried on with Katie and Shirley…
“Ames?”
I jumped at the sound of Billy’s voice. I hadn’t realised he was home from work already.
“What have you been up to?”
“Oh, nothing much. Had the TV on just now, but there wasn’t anything good on. Just been thinking about the school reunion.”
Billy smiled. “You still going? You still going to stop the prank from going ahead?”
“Yes,” I said, with renewed conviction, after remembering the way that Maria used to torture poor Char Irvell. “I’m going to stop the prank from going ahead.”

***

That night, while Tommy was getting excited about his wrestling, I sat next to him, thinking about the prank we were going to play on Char Irvell if she turned up at the school reunion. I really wanted to, but I was in two minds about it. I had a little prickle up my spine. I always got a prickle up my spine whenever I got a bad feeling about something. I had a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong with the prank…