CHAPTER 27

“Solo,” Miss Carmichael said, as soon as I walked back into class after lunch. “Can I have a quick word outside?”

A chill ran from my head to my toes. She knew about Morag’s phone, I could tell. But how? I tucked the phone into my waistband, and hid that beneath my blazer.

“Everyone else, heads down,” she said to the class. “You can work on finishing your acrostic poems from yesterday. I don’t want to hear a peep from any of you while I’m gone!”

“Yes, Miss Carmichael,” everybody droned.

Miss Carmichael walked out of the classroom without talking, and I followed behind. Her trainers squeaked on the corridor floors, and her bracelets jangled with the movement of her arms.

“You’re not in any trouble,” she eventually said, breaking the silence. “Let’s go and find a quiet spot in the library and have a little chat, just you and me.” I didn’t believe her. I’d fallen for that one before. You’re not in trouble usually meant You’re in massive trouble but we don’t want you to leg it.

In the library, Miss Carmichael found two chairs in a corner of the non-fiction section, next to the books about the Aztecs.

“Take a seat, Solo,” she said, gesturing at one of the empty chairs. “Make yourself at home.”

I sat down and trained my vision at the wooden table between us. No eye contact meant no mind-reading. I didn’t really think Miss Carmichael could read minds, but I couldn’t be too careful.

I decided to get in first. “Is this about earlier with Kai? Because if it is, he started it. He’s always starting things with me.”

Miss Carmichael nodded. “I know he started it, Solo. Trust me, I’ll be having a separate conversation with Kai about his behaviour. But, no, that’s not what this is about. I wanted to have a chat about how things are at home.”

My mind went totally blank, like a new page in a notebook.

“Fine,” I said. “Everything’s absolutely fine.”

“You don’t have to put on a brave face, Solo. You can be honest with me.”

“I am being honest, Miss,” I said, blushing.

“I’ve been chatting with Miss Ellis and Mrs Howe. We know you’ve been in the news. Would you like to tell me anything about that?”

“That was a misunderstanding!” I said, pretending to be outraged. “My mum knew the guy whose funeral it was. They were mates.”

“The article in The Herald seemed to imply that it was some sort of regular occurrence, and that they weren’t mates, Solo. The article made it sound like your mum goes to an awful lot of funerals…”

“It’s not.” I shook my head. “And she doesn’t.”

“OK.” Miss Carmichael nodded slowly. She kept twiddling with her bracelets. “We’ve tried to call your mum to discuss things, but I’m having a hard time getting an answer. There are resources we can direct you to. Food banks—”

“She’s not interested,” I blurted out. “She says we don’t need it. Says she can cope fine.”

Miss Carmichael nodded again. “It must be difficult for you, being in the papers. There’s an awful lot of unkindness out there.”

“Most of it coming from Kai Bailey,” I grumbled. “And everyone on the Cool Table. Except Chetna. Chetna’s really nice.”

“I’m glad you’re getting along with Chetna. I’ve noticed the two of you talking. Don’t worry about the rest of them, Solo. I see everything that happens in my classroom. It’s like I’ve got eyes in the back of my head!”

A silence passed between us where Miss Carmichael probably expected me to laugh.

“And how is your mum, Solo?” asked Miss Carmichael. “I don’t think I’ve seen or heard from her in quite some time.”

“She’s OK,” I lied. “She’s been busy, trying to find another job since she got fired from the train station.”

“It’s tough out there right now,” Miss Carmichael said. “I think everyone’s feeling the pinch. And how is she doing … otherwise?”

I screwed up my face involuntarily. “What do you mean, otherwise?”

Miss Carmichael was the one blushing now. “You know, generally.”

“Morag’s fine,” I said. Morag wouldn’t want me to tell Miss Carmichael the truth. “She just wants everything to blow over. She just wants everything to go back to normal.”

Miss Carmichael nodded. “That it will, Solo. Just so you know, we’re here to help if either of you need anything. Don’t be scared to speak up.”

“I won’t, Miss,” I said.

But there was no way I was doing that any time soon.