LINA sat in the shade of the jacaranda tree, surrounded by a sea of purple flowers. In the distance she heard the bell for assembly. Her heart felt so heavy it was as if her whole body was sinking slowly into the gravel beneath her feet. I can’t go to assembly this morning, she thought. I can’t bring myself to sit with all those girls and sing hymns, pretending that nothing is wrong when I feel so broken inside.

Fortunately Lina knew of a place, a sanctuary, where she could hide out for an hour or so, just until she felt a little better.

Once all the girls in their crisp summer gingham and long white socks had finally disappeared into the assembly hall, Lina scooted across the courtyard, like a mouse, towards the welcoming burrow that was the library.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be in assembly?’ Sister Rosemary said, raising an eyebrow at Lina as she came through the heavy wooden door.

Lina winced. She thought about inventing a story, but before she could come up with something convincing, the truth gushed out of her. ‘I just can’t face those girls this morning,’ she said, hanging her head and gulping back her tears.

Sister Rosemary took one look at Lina’s sorrowful face and nodded. ‘I’d better put the kettle on,’ she said. ‘But if anyone asks, we’re having a meeting about the school magazine, all right?

‘Thank you,’ Lina said gratefully, sinking into her favourite armchair.

The library fireplace was unlit, swept clean now that it was summer and the school year nearly over. Instead of a roaring fire, Sister Rosemary had placed a large ceramic vase exploding with branches of pink cherry blossom, and their sweet fragrance mingled with the musty papery smell of books and the polished leather of the armchairs. Lina couldn’t imagine a more welcoming place to hide out and lick her wounds.

‘All right,’ said Sister Rosemary. She passed Lina a steaming mug of sweet milky tea and pulled up another armchair. ‘I am listening.’

Lina didn’t know where to begin. Should she start with the sadness she felt about her broken friendship with Mary? Or the shock and disbelief she felt overhearing Sarah betray her so ruthlessly? Or perhaps the loneliness she felt when she thought about another five years at St Brigid’s without a true friend? All of these thoughts jumbled up in Lina’s mind, competing for attention, but all that came out were the words: ‘I just feel so alone.’

It sounded too small and simple for all the weight Lina was carrying in her heart, but Sister Rosemary didn’t laugh, or even tell her not to be silly. She just nodded her head and said with feeling, ‘That must be hard.’

Sister Rosemary’s words were so powerful and yet so full of understanding that Lina realised this was all that she had needed to hear.

Yes, it was hard. Very hard sometimes. And to hear someone say it was like a gift of water in a sandy desert. It was enough just to sit there in silence across from Sister Rosemary, sipping at her tea, to feel her mind clear and her heart unclench.

When the bell went to mark the end of assembly and the beginning of the first class for the day, Lina stood up and handed Sister Rosemary her empty mug. ‘Thank you,’ she said calmly. ‘I feel much better now.’ And she walked out of the library, ready to face the day.

First class was French. Lina hesitated in the doorway when she saw that there was an empty seat next to Sarah. Over the last few weeks they had occasionally sat together in class as the time they spent in the library had spilled over into the rest of the day. They had almost become friends – or so Lina had thought. Sarah looked up as Lina shuffled between the rows of desks towards her but then, at the last moment, Lina saw a spare seat beside Julia Goldbloom, and plonked herself down there instead. Sarah seemed surprised but quickly looked ahead as Madame rapped on the blackboard with her long wooden ruler to get their attention. ‘Bonjour, mes élèves!’ she said shrilly.

‘Bonjour,’ Lina whispered to Julia, who smiled welcomingly.

For Lina, who spoke fluent Italian, French was ridiculously easy as the two languages were so similar. She was happy to see that Julia seemed to find it easy too, and when Madame put the girls into pairs for a surprise quiz, Lina and Julia blitzed the class.

‘You’re not bad,’ Julia grinned, as they packed up their books at the end of the lesson.

‘You too,’ said Lina, returning her smile. She had a sudden thought. She wondered if it was okay to ask. ‘Do you speak another language at home?’

Julia rolled her eyes. ‘Three, actually. My father is Polish but my grandmother is Russian. She speaks French, too. According to her, all educated people do. So, I speak Polish to my dad, Russian to my grandmother and we all speak French around the dinner table. It’s a bit tedious actually. Oh, and I go to Hebrew school on the weekends.’

Lina felt her mouth fall open. Three – no, four languages! she thought, amazed. And I thought I was juggling a lot with two! She snapped her mouth shut and followed Julia out of the classroom.

‘So, what have you got next?’ Julia said, as they joined the throng of girls spilling out into the busy hallway.

‘Maths,’ said Lina, grimacing. ‘My worst.’

‘Oh, me too,’ said Julia. ‘You doing hyperboles?’

Lina shook her head. ‘Algebra.’

Julia shrugged. ‘I don’t mind algebra. At least it’s got letters in it.’

Lina laughed. ‘I guess so.’ Then, just as Julia was about to turn away and head off to class, Lina took a deep breath. ‘Where do you sit for lunch?’

‘Behind the Science labs. With Amy and Bettina. And other girls sometimes.’ Julia looked deep into Lina’s face, as if looking for the answer to a question she didn’t quite have the courage to ask. ‘Want to join us?’

Lina felt her heart soar. ‘Thanks! I’d love to,’ she said, holding her voice steady.

Julia smiled and nodded a farewell over the top of her books. Lina clutched hers tightly and wove her way along the corridor towards her Maths class.

I can choose my own friends! she told herself proudly. I don’t need to wait till girls choose me.

And even though this seemed like the simplest, most obvious thought in the world, Lina realised it was also incredibly powerful. Perhaps school life wasn’t going to be so bad after all?