Love Lessons Read online

  'I couldn't get them in anywhere else, Bernard. I tried, I really did. I went to see the head at Kingtown but there's a very long waiting list. Wentworth was t h e only school with vacancies. It's not as bad as you'd think. There's a new headmistress, she's making all sorts of improvements.'

  'Wentworth!' said Dad in disgust. He struggled to get up from the toilet.

  'Careful, dear,' said Mum, trying to help.

  'No! No, traitor!' Dad said. 'Girls! No school!

  No no no school.'

  I looked at Grace. She started sobbing.

  'Please, Dad,' she said. 'I love school. I have these two friends Iggy and Figgy'

  'Stupid,' said Dad.

  'No, they're not stupid, they're very special,'

  Grace said bravely.

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  'You're stupid! Useless, useless, useless,' said Dad.

  Then he turned to me. Tour fault! Liar! Thief!

  Tart! Useless. Rubbish daughters!'

  'They're not rubbish d a u g h t e r s ! Don't say such terrible things! They're dear good girls. I won't have you h u r t them like this!' Mum cried.

  She turned to us. 'Take no notice of your father.

  Go to school, girls. Quick, off you go!'

  We stared at Mum. We couldn't have been more shocked if the t a p s or t h e toilet h a d spoken. But there wasn't time to wonder. I grabbed Grace and we r a n for it. We went on running right out of the house, down the road, all the way to Wentworth.

  Grace saw Iggy and Figgy in the playground and shot across to them. I saw her talking to them, waving her a r m s wildly. Then they hugged her, first Figgy, t h e n Iggy. I felt ashamed. They were sweet girls in spite of their silly nicknames. They obviously really liked my sister. I wished some of the girls in my class liked me.

  I had to see Rax urgently. We didn't have art on Mondays. I couldn't possibly wait till Tuesday. I didn't even know if we'd be able to get away from Dad again. And what was going to happen about Friday nights?

  I hurtled across the playground, making for the art block. I knew Rax generally didn't arrive at school until later, but I was so desperate to tell him t h a t I went looking for him just in case.

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  I heard Toby call out to me as I r a n but I took no notice.

  'Toby w a n t s you,' said S a r a h , who was bouncing a red ball on a string. She had no idea what she was doing. The ball bounced wildly backwards and forwards. Sarah cackled with laughter, making no attempt to catch it or jump it or control it in any way. It was enough for her just to watch it.

  'Yes, but I don't want Toby,' I said.

  Sarah blinked at me, trying to work out my meaning. I hurried past her.

  'Toby wants you,' she called after me.

  'Well, tell Toby I'll catch up with him later,' I said, and rushed on.

  I chanted inside my head. Let Rax be there, please please let Rax be there. I'll do anything, but let Rax be in his art room, all alone, so I can talk to him.

  I got to the art room, I opened the door – and wonder of wonders, Rax was sitting on his desk, shoulders slumped, staring into space.

  'Rax, Rax, Rax!' I called.

  He stared at me and then jumped down from his desk. 'What's the matter, Prue?'

  'Oh, Rax,' I said, starting to cry.

  'What is it? What's happened? Tell me!' said Rax.

  'It's Dad! He knows!' I sobbed.

  'What?' said Rax. He looked horrified. 'What do you mean, he knows? You didn't tell him, did you, Prue? What did you say?'

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  'I didn't say anything! He came home this weekend, he's getting better, he can talk now, and he saw us in our Wentworth uniform, and he says we can't come to school any more!' I wailed.

  'What about you and me? Did you tell him about us?'

  'Of course I didn't!'

  'Oh, t h a n k Christ.'

  'But don't you see, Rax, he hates the whole idea of Wentworth. He positively forbade Grace and me to come today. We just rushed out, but he's so fierce, he won't let us get away tomorrow, and he won't let me babysit, I know he won't.'

  I looked at Rax, tears streaming down my cheeks. He breathed out, leaning against his desk. I saw the look of relief on his face. I saw it and I couldn't bear it. I sobbed harder.

  'Prue! Prue, stop it. Come on, calm down. It'll be all right. Don't worry. Don't cry so. You're getting in such a state over nothing.'

  'Nothing! Is t h a t all our love means to you?

  Nothing?'

  'Ssh now! Of course not. But there's no point getting hysterical. We'll get everything sorted out. I'm sure you'll be able to stay at school.

  Prue, please don't cry like that.' He took two steps forward, hands outstretched, and I fell into his arms.

  I wept against his chest. He patted my back like a father. 'There there,' he murmured, as if I was Harry's age. I wept harder, hating him 241

  for not caring more, but loving him because he was still my true love and soul-mate.

  'I love you, Rax,' I said – as the art-room door swung open behind us.

  We wheeled round, Rax pushing me away from him. We looked at the door. It was only Sarah, smiling at us, her red ball dangling on the end of its elastic.

  Rax rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. Then he forced a smile on his face. 'Hello, Sarah,' he said.

  'Hello, Rax,' she said cheerfully. 'Look at my red ball!'

  'Great,' he said.

  'Prue, Toby wants you,' Sarah insisted.

  'Never mind, ' I said, scrubbing at my eyes with the back of my hand.

  'You're crying,' said Sarah.

  'No, no, she's just got something in her eye,'

  said Rax. 'Prue, you'd better go and find out what Toby wants.'

  'But I have to talk to you!'

  'I like talking to Rax,' said Sarah.

  'And I like talking to you, Sarah,' said Rax.

  Sarah smiled at me triumphantly. 'You go and find Toby,' she said.

  'But I must talk to you, Rax!' I said desperately.

  'Later,' said Rax. 'Off you go now.'

  I was summarily dismissed. I floundered across the playground, still crying.

  'Prue, there you are! What's the m a t t e r ?

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  What's happened? Is it Rita? What's she done now?' Toby said, rushing up to me.

  'Nothing,' I said. 'Just leave me be, Toby.'

  'But I've got the most amazing thing to tell you!' said Toby. 'Didn't you hear me shouting at you? You know t h a t book you lent me? You'll never guess what!'

  I could guess, all right. He'd read a whole page himself, or maybe a whole chapter. I didn't care if he'd read the whole book.

  'I'm sorry, Toby, not now. For God's sake, can't you leave me alone!'

  I r a n away from him into school. I hid in the girls' cloakrooms until the bell went for lessons.

  It was English first. Mrs Godfrey was irritably teaching the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. The class read out line after line, talking like metronomes, ruining the romance and the poetry.

  I ached to read Juliet but I knew Mrs Godfrey would never pick me. She was talking about the concept of love now, getting impatient when some of the class started whistling and making crass remarks.

  'For heaven's sake, stop all this nonsense!' she said. 'Romeo and Juliet are one of the most famous pairs of lovers in literature. Can anyone think of a modern equivalent?'

  'Posh and Becks, miss?'

  'Brad and Jennifer.'

  'Richard and Judy.'

  'Prue and Toby,' said Rita furiously.

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  'No,' said Sarah. 'Prue and Rax.'

  I sat very still, praying t h a t people would keep on shouting out stupid suggestions. But Sarah had a loud voice and silenced everyone else.

  'Prue and Rax? said Eita.

  'Yes, they're dead romantic,' said Sarah.

  'Don't be silly, Sarah,' said Mrs Godfrey, sighing.

  'I'm not silly,' said Sarah, getting