Everything We Keep by Di Walker (inspirational books .TXT) 📕

‘What’s that Jax?’ Mr Brown left his desk and come over.

‘Nothin’, Mr Brown, nothin’. I don’t know what Tully’s carryin’ on about.’

‘Tully?’

Tully looked at Jax through squinted eyes, then to Agatha, who had dropped her head. Tully stood up. ‘You know what, Mr Brown, I’m really tired of Jax having a go at everyone. That’s what was going on. He was having a go at Agatha.’

‘Is that right Jax?’

‘Tully’s got it all wrong. She’s lost it.’ He threw his arms up in the air and looked around as if in disbelief.

‘No, I haven’t. And I bet if we asked everyone in this class if they were over you too, they would all agree.’ Tully looked around at the nodding heads.

‘So, you tryin’ to get everyone to gang up on me,’ Jax exclaimed. ‘That’s bullying, isn’t Mr Brown.’

‘I wouldn’t say bullying, not this once, but it’s not nice, Tully.’

Tully sat down with a loud humph.

‘He does it to me every day, Mr Brown.’ It was Agatha’s voice that now spoke up. Mr Brown moved towards her and stood in front of her desk. He placed one hand on the desk, leaning in, with his head slightly to the side.

‘What do you mean, Agatha?’

‘He calls me Ag – ahh – tharr,’ she said, adding the menacing tone she had come to know from Jax.

‘Every day?’

‘Yes. He’ll walk up behind me and say it, or sometimes, if I look at him across the class, he says it. He said it before, that’s why Tully said something.’

Mr Brown slowly turned to Jax, folding his arms in front of him. ‘Well?’

‘She’s lyin’.

‘Let’s find out. Do you have any witnesses Agatha?’ Before she could answer Mr Brown turned to the class. ‘Has anyone witnessed Jax doing this to Agatha?’ Nearly every hand in the room shot up. ‘Okay,’ Mr Brown nodded. ‘Well, there seems to be a lot of folks who have heard you Jax.

‘They’re all lying.’

Mr Brown ignored his protests. ‘Saying it over and over, targeting Agatha, that is bullying, Jax. I think it’s time you and I paid a visit to Mrs Sloane.’ He turned back to Agatha, ‘Well done for speaking up.’ Agatha nodded. She wasn’t sure if she was more pleased about everyone backing her or having found the courage to speak up. Either way, she smiled.

By the recess break, Jax had not reappeared. The rumours about him spread throughout the entire Year 8 group. By the time it got back to Tully and Agatha, it had morphed into a whole new story. ‘We should tell them what really happened. What they’re saying is not true,’ Agatha said.

‘Nah. It won’t hurt Jax to think that everyone thinks he’s a cry baby. I really like the part when he fell to his knees and begged to stay.’

‘But he didn’t.’

Tully shrugged. ‘It’s okay Agatha. By tomorrow it’ll have blown over. Everyone will be talking about something else. Besides, Jax has started so may rumours about people that it’s a little bit of payback.’

Agatha felt uneasy. She had been the target of rumour so many times.

There was still no sign of Jax at the lunch break. Agatha was really starting to worry. ‘I’m just going to my locker,’ she said to Tully, as they were finishing their lunch. Instead Agatha went to Reception and asked Stella if she could see Mrs Sloane.

‘Everything alright?’ Mrs Sloane said, as she pointed to a chair in her office for Agatha to sit in.

‘I just wanted to find out about Jax. People are saying all sorts of things, and I’m worried he’s in a lot of trouble.’

Mrs Sloane sat back in her chair and adjusted her glasses. ‘So, you’re checking that he’s okay?’

Agatha nodded.

‘You weren’t the first person to complain about him, Agatha, but you were the last straw. The term is nearly finished, and he’s had a lot of chances to correct his behaviour not just this year but last year as well.’ Mrs Sloane paused and leaned forward to her desk, folding her hands in front of her. ‘He’s gone home today so he can have a think about it and he and his parents can decide if this is the right school for him.’

‘I don’t want him to leave because of me. I know what it’s like to have people want you to leave; to be the one no one likes.’

‘I admire your concern, but this is different. You had no choice about what was happening for you. Jax, on the other hand, has made plenty of choices, just not the right ones. He’s had a lot of chances to get himself on the right track.’

Mrs Sloane stood up and Agatha took it as her cue to leave.

As she walked back to Tully, Cora and Morgan, Agatha felt different. She held her head up and pushed her shoulders back. No one stared at her. No one giggled behind their hands at her.

‘Where have you been?’ Tully asked.

Agatha shrugged. ‘Nowhere. But I’m here now, and I’m not leaving again.’

Epilogue

‘They’re here! They’re here!’ Agatha called as she stood on the pier with Chief bouncing around beside her. Lawson stepped off the boat and joined her as Katherine came out from below deck.

Coming along the pier, half walking, half running were her three best friends – Tully, Cora and Morgan, full of excitement.

‘Happy birthday Agatha!’ they cheered in an unexpected chorus.

‘And how good is it that there’s no more school!’ said Tully flinging her arms into the air with joy. ‘Did your report come, Agatha? Mine arrived this morning. I bet you got all A’s. I nearly did – one B.’

‘I haven’t looked yet – we’ve been so busy getting the boat ready. Come on board.’ Agatha stepped off the pier on onto the boat and the others quickly followed.

‘Welcome aboard ladies and Ed,’ said Lawson.

‘Thanks for the invitation Lawson – I’ve always wanted to learn how to sail,’ said Ed, ‘plus I think you need