I can’t understand the way I feel today. I thought I’d be on top of the world – no more Santa, no more visits to Smelly Nelly’s office – but I’m not. I’m lonely and sad, and I miss everyone like mad already, even though I’ll probably meet most of them around town over the summer.
Isn’t it funny? All through sixth class, we couldn’t wait to be finished with primary school. We counted down the days since Easter, and moaned and groaned about how bored we were – and now that it’s finished at last, there’s just this giant empty space.
And now we’re going from being the oldest kids in school, the ones in charge, to being the youngest – that’ll be really strange.
Mam says she remembers feeling exactly the same. I e-mail her from the Internet café most days now on the way home from school, and usually she answers me back straight away. The great thing is I can print off her mails, which I couldn’t do at home. I have a bundle of them in my knicker drawer, the only place I can be sure Dad won’t go near, ha ha.
Of course I didn’t tell her about being caught shoplifting – but the good news is that Smelly Nelly didn’t tell anyone about it either. She did call me into her office, the day after it happened, but for once I didn’t try to be smart, or look bored or whatever. I sat quietly and listened to her saying all the same kind of things that Dad had said to me the day before, and then I told her that I’d definitely learnt my lesson, and would never do it again.
And she smiled at me and shook my hand, and said she believed me, which for some weird reason made me feel really good. I know Smelly and I haven’t always been the best of friends, especially since Mam left, but right then, she was OK. She wished me luck in secondary school, and she said she hoped I’d keep making the most of my artistic talent, and that she knew I’d go far. Imagine.
And now it’s three days later, and we had our graduation ceremony in the hall this afternoon, and Dad was there along with all the other parents, and loads of them had brought along camcorders and cameras, and it was like the Oscars.
And naturally Catherine Eggleston was in floods of tears, but I have to say she wasn’t the only one. Everyone was passing around autograph books, or just copies, and getting e-mail addresses and phone numbers.
It just feels very weird right now. Tomorrow Bumble and I are going into town to meet up with a few of the others for lunch. Wonder if we’ll all drift apart, when we’re scattered in different schools.
Not Bumble and me, of course, even though he’s going to the Comprehensive and I’m going to St Rita’s. We’ll be best friends forever, even if we end up living on opposite sides of the world. But guess what? The only other person who’s going with me to St Rita’s is Chloe Nelligan – can you believe it? Old garlic breath Chloe. I’ll have to practise breathing through my mouth until I make new friends.
I think I need some ice cream now. If I sneak past the sitting room Dad won’t hear.