Chapter Three

The next day at school Lewis didn't say a word to Jamie. Jamie noticed but wasn't worried, they'd make up eventually, he thought. But although he wasn't worried, that didn't make his day at school any easier, he sat all his lessons on his own, daydreaming and as usual taking no notice of anything the teachers said. On the way out of his last class, Jamie was approached by Lewis.

"We can't keep going on like this," he said.

"I've been thinking exactly the same thing," Jamie replied. "We've been friends for too long to let this come between us."

"I'd still like you to pay more attention in class though, and try and improve your grades. If your sister can do it you can too." He smiled.

"Actually, for your information I don't think Rachel's the geek she used to be."

"What makes you say that?"

"Come round later and I'll tell you, I have a mission to carry out now." He said, rather mysteriously.

"Sounds ominous," Lewis said doubtfully. "What are you up to?"

"Can't say," he said, and slipped away silently.

Jamie did have a mission. Unlike Rachel had thought he wasn't psychic and so he decided he would have to find out what was wrong a different way. He had managed to conclude from her changes in mood that school was the problem. What at school, however, he didn't know. So he was going to follow her. Once out of the school gates he spotted his sister immediately. She was standing just along the road with a group of her friends, but to Jamie they didn't look friendly at all. One of them, Athena, Jamie remembered, was laughing, surrounded by Rachel's other friends, three of them, laughing as well. Rachel, however, was not laughing. In fact she was doing the opposite, she looked as though she was about to burst into tears. Jamie edged closer, being careful not to be seen, he knew Rachel wouldn't be pleased if she knew he'd been spying on her. He got close enough so he could here what they were saying, then stopped, listening carefully.

"I thought you were my friends?" she asked, struggling to hold back the tears.

"We were," Athena answered, "Until we realised how pathetic you were."

"Pathetic?" she asked, unable to hold the tears in her eyes any longer.

"Are those tears I see?" Athena snorted. "See, you can't even defend yourself… Pathetic." More tears rolled down Rachel's cheeks and dripped off her chin, falling to the floor simultaneously. Jamie didn't care if Rachel would be angry with him. He had to step in; he couldn't let people who were suppose to be her friends make her cry. The three 'friends' were whispering to each other and giggling, Rachel was standing to one side, a scared look on her face; she had heard the words 'beat up' in their conversation. She had a reason to be scared. Suddenly, with no warning, Athena spun round and her fist made contact with the side of Rachel's face. Athena was strong, and Rachel flew backwards, landing in a heap on the pavement, a red mark forming on the place where she had been hit. Athena would have struck again; only she was grabbed from behind, and soon found herself unable to move. Her capturer was Jamie.

"Wha-" Athena complained as her arm was twisted round her back.

"Jamie!" Rachel shrieked.

"Did you think you could get away with hurting my sister?" Jamie growled. He let go of Athena and spun her round to face him. Her eyes showed no guilt, no shame, just annoyance at being interrupted.

"Well?" he prompted. Athena didn't reply.

"No answer… Interesting. Well know this, you lay your hands on my sister again and I'll ruin that pretty face of yours," he threatened.

"A wimp like you?" she smirked. "Just you try and hurt me."

"Don't tempt me," Jamie growled.

"Come on girls," she beckoned to her followers. "Lets leave the loser and the wimp alone. I'm getting bored."

"Scared?" Jamie asked, grinning.

"I'm not the one who should be scared pretty boy," she replied. "She is," she finished, glancing at Rachel who was still lying on the floor, before striding away confidently with her friends.

"Are you OK?" Jamie asked Rachel once Athena and her gang were out of site.

"I didn't ask for your interference," Rachel snapped, pulling herself to her feet.

"I wasn't going to stand back and watch my little sister getting beaten up was I?" he managed a smile.

"I was in perfect control," she snapped once again.

"From what I could see you weren't the one in control." Jamie was hurt. He had only been trying to help and she was angry with him for doing it.

"I was too!" she shouted. "Next time, stay out of it!" she said, before dashing off, leaving Jamie standing hurt and confused.

When Jamie got home, Lewis was waiting for him outside the door. Wasn't Rachel back? He thought, wondering why he wasn't sitting inside to wait.

"Where's Rachel?" he asked as he approached his friend.

"How should I know?" Lewis answered, following Jamie into the house once he had unlocked the door.

"She left before I did, I expected her to be here already."

"Rachel?!" Jamie shouted up the stairs. There was no reply. He shouted again. Running up the stairs, he entered her room without knocking. There was no one there. Lewis had followed Jamie upstairs, and personally he thought Jamie was going mad, so he didn't say anything.

"You stay here," Jamie announced. "I'm going to find her," he ran back down the stairs.

"But… why?" Lewis was getting more and more confused by the second, but he didn't get an answer, Jamie had already left the building.