Rita greeted them at the door, still on her crutches. She took one look at their faces and ushered them inside. ‘I was going to say tell me all the exciting news about your first day, but I can see that it didn’t go so well. Come on in. Sit and tell me everything.’

Agatha told Rita all the details, from Home Group until the end of the day, and how happy she had been. She told her about the new friends she had made, the classes and even about the boy who had started to tease her and how Tully had stopped him. Katherine watched as, with each detail, Agatha’s face brightened.

‘I see,’ Rita said. ‘It sounds to me like it was a perfect first day. So why the long faces when you arrived?’

Then it was Katherine’s turn. She retold the conversation with Tully’s mum precisely. Then, to Agatha’s surprise, told Rita every detail of what happened in her bedroom and the conversation on the sofa.

Agatha watched Rita’s face closely, as Katherine gave her the details. She was expecting to see it change, like faces always did when they heard these sorts of details about her. Rita’s didn’t. She simply nodded and listened to Katherine, occasionally glancing at Agatha, giving her a small smile, then back to Katherine.

‘Say no more, Katherine. I know exactly what is going on here. So, how about you make us a cup of tea, and Agatha, you can get the First Aid tin from the cupboard. I think we are going to need it.’

‘She’s not injured, Rita,’ Katherine said, with a puzzled look on her face.

‘Who said anything about an injury?’ Rita chuckled. Agatha smiled and went to the kitchen, Katherine following. When the tin came down from its place on the shelf, Agatha lifted the lid and showed Katherine its contents. They both laughed and the air in the room felt lighter.

A few minutes later, each with a cup of tea and chewing on a chocolate, Agatha was actually pleased she was there.

‘We’ve come to you, Rita, because I haven’t had to deal with this before and we know you have done the whole school thing three times. I thought you might have some ideas.’

‘I do. But first I want to find out something.’ She looked straight at Agatha. ‘Do you want to stay here, go to school and be friends with Tully?’

Agatha shrugged. Rita continued, ‘Well, until we know the answer to that we can’t make a plan.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Katherine said.

Still looking at Agatha, Rita said, ‘If Agatha wants to give up and go home, then there’s no point us trying to fix this situation. But ... if she really wants it, and I mean really wants it, then I say, let’s fix it. It can be done, it might not be easy or instant, but it can be done. It’s up to her, Katherine. We can’t decide for her.’

Rita and Katherine took another sip of their tea and waited. With the First Aid tin on her lap, Agatha took out another chocolate. Once unwrapped, she popped the treat in her mouth and smoothed out the wrapper between her fingers. She put the tin on the table beside her and, not satisfied with its smoothness, placed the wrapper onto her thigh and continued to gently flatten it. When she was done, she reached over to the wrapper Rita had discarded and began to flatten it too.

Katherine and Rita watched.

‘Sweetheart,’ Katherine finally said, ‘tell us what you’re thinking.’

Agatha put the smoothed wrapper on top of the other one she had beside her, reached into the tin and took out another chocolate. This time, she put the sweet treat down and began to smooth the wrapper straight away.

‘I want to stay here, Katherine, with you and Chief and Rita, but I don’t want to go to school,’ she said, without looking up. Katherine and Rita exchanged glances.

‘I think if you want one, then you have to do the other,’ Katherine said. She looked at Rita. ‘What should we do?’

‘Tully’s mum doesn’t know you like we know you,’ Rita said, before pausing. ‘But I think Tully does. She’s a keeper, Agatha. I think it’s just one of those situations where you’re going to have to go to school tomorrow and act like nothing has happened. And, Katherine, I think a quick call to Mrs Sloane just to make sure Agatha isn’t moved wouldn’t go astray. Although, I doubt they’ll move you, Agatha. Imagine if schools had to move a child from a class every time a parent complained!’

Agatha looked at Rita. ‘I don’t want to go. They’ll all know and make fun of me. Tully is my only friend.’

‘There will be other friends there, Agatha.You just didn’t have to make friends with anyone else because Tully was there. And besides, you haven’t said anything that suggests anyone knows anything!’ Rita said, as she took another chocolate from the tin, put the treat in her mouth and handed Agatha the wrapper. She took it and began to smooth it out, to add to the small pile of already flattened wrappers.

‘I think Rita’s right. We’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings and then deal with that,’ Katherine said.

‘If I have to go to school tomorrow, then I better get home and do that homework.’ Agatha put the smoothed wrapper on the pile and stood up. Without another word, she turned and left, Chief at her heels.

From the sitting room, they watched her walk down the driveway. ‘That was too easy,’ commented Katherine, watching Agatha walk away.

‘Hmmm. I agree.’

‘What should I do?’

‘I think you are going to have to wait and see what happens too’

‘But what if she packs her suitcase and leaves? What if she sneaks out during ... ’

‘Katherine,’ Rita interrupted. ‘There’s nothing you can do about any of that. You can’t sit up all night and block the door. She has to decide this for herself. We know how much she wants to stay here, but we can’t make her.’

Katherine nodded. ‘I think I better call Nell and tell her what’s happened.’

‘Yes, now that is something you can do.’

Twenty minutes later, Katherine tentatively opened her front door. Chief was immediately there to greet her, then ran back through the sitting room. Katherine followed and found Agatha sitting at the dining table, writing.

‘The Maths wasn’t hard at all,’ she said, as Katherine entered. ‘I got it finished, so I’m just doing the notes. I’ll have to give them back to Tully tomorrow. Do you think I can do that and say thank you? Will her mum be cross at me if I do that?’

Katherine sat down at the table and expected, from the tone of Agatha’s voice, that she would be wiping away tears. But there were none to wipe. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked Agatha, who hadn’t raised her head from her homework.

‘I’m okay, Katherine.You don’t need to worry. I know exactly what I need to do.’

‘And what’s that, sweetheart?’

Agatha shrugged, but still wouldn’t look at Katherine. ‘I’m okay.’

Katherine sat back in the chair and watched as Agatha kept copying the notes. She glanced at her watch. ‘I might just go and water the pots outside before starting dinner. Is that okay with you?’

‘Sure, Katherine,’ Agatha replied.

As the evening went on, hardly a word was spoken between them. Agatha helped Katherine clean up the kitchen and packed up her homework into her schoolbag, ready for the morning. Then, quietly, without even a goodnight, Agatha went to her room and closed the door.

Katherine sat in her armchair, Chief settling on the sofa. ‘We will just have to wait until morning, Chief, to see what happens next,’ she said. The television flickered to life, the evening news filled with its usual sad stories.