Jamie was now wishing he had never said anything as he looked across to where his best friend was trying to get Rose to talk. He hadn't thought that by Alec talking to the girl from the library that their other friends would take any notice.
"So Jamie, you're in then?" Billy asked him.
"What?" Jamie asked, coming back to reality suddenly, breaking his stare to where Alec had got half a smile out of Rose. "Right, I'll see if he'll tell me anything then? Funny how he said he didn't like girls."
"My cousin said it comes to all of us," Billy replied.
"I hope not," the others disagreed, pulling faces and pointing across to Alec, who had been tempted to get his notebook out again and see if Rose would tell him what was wrong.
Rose was trying not to laugh at Alec's attempt to get her to talk, letting herself smile slightly, which he had noticed.
"So, Rose, want to tell me what happened to your voice?" he asked, his cousin John always telling him the direct approach was best and since he wanted to join the police, he may as well make a start.
Rose shook her head, she was already too deep in this and it was only lunchtime on the first day. She'd only last another day at most before not only the other pupils would begin to question her but so would the teachers, including that dishy new science teacher. If only he'd have been at her old school, it would have given her and her friends something else to talk about other than making Mickey look an idiot in front of his workmates.
"How about you write it down?" Alec suggested, making Rose panic as to what she could say so she shook her head. "Well I think you are just shy," he smiled, withdrawing his hand from his schoolbag.
Rose took his arm and indicated for him to go back in.
"You can write in my notebook, at the back. I don't get this notebook out for anyone else, it's personal, well not personal, just my stories, no-one else knows about them except Jamie. He's the friend who was at the library with me. Here, write down how you lost your voice. Is it a sore throat?" he asked, thinking he could practice and maybe skip being an ordinary policeman and become a detective.
Rose smiled this time as he passed her a pencil and opened his notebook from the back. Jamie was watching with interest, Alec never got his story notebook out for anyone, in case they told Kristy or Moira, who would make fun of him. She looked at him, he seemed nice, he'd tried to make her feel welcome and talked to her plus he'd stuck up for a few times but so had the other new girl.
He'd also been subject to being picked on by two other girls who thankfully weren't in their class and they'd better watch out when she decided to end her silence, she made mincemeat out of girls like that in her old school, without any help from her friends and by the look of things, they were the school showoffs who wanted others to join their gang to make fools out of anyone who got in their way. Well that wasn't going to be her or anyone she made friends with and that now included Alec Hardy.
She had to get settled first though, establish that she'd been dragged to Scotland against her will but maybe not mention her mother had followed a bloke, well she might tell Alec, who was looking at her for her to begin writing. She smoothed the page and wrote 'Promise not to tell anyone else?' Alec nodded. 'I've not lost my voice, I'm just shy and different.'
"What do you mean by that?" Alec asked her, knowing he was right, she was hiding something.
Was she willing to tell him just yet? 'I'm not from around here' was all she was going to admit but Alec had other ideas.
"You moved to the town? From where, a long way?" Rose nodded. "So a bit further than Aberdeen but not as far as Inverness?" he asked since she'd smiled at his suggestion of coming from one of the islands. "Fort William?" he suggested, Rose smiling and shaking her head.
Jamie was leaning on the side of the bench the others were sitting talking on, though he wasn't listening. He wondered why Alec had decided to go talk to her, he'd seen her in the library nearly every time they'd been in and never even tried. She was very pretty though, his older brother had said it was only a matter of time before he started noticing girls but he never imagined Alec would beat him to it. None of the other girls in their class or any of the others were as pretty as she was and Alec had beaten everyone to her.
He thought though they were prime targets for Kristy and Moira but he'd seen Alec fending them off earlier. It was almost time to go back inside, others were wandering towards the door and both Alec and Rose were taking no notice. Rose was just writing 'No, not there either, try further south,' trying to give him a hint and thinking if he guessed, he wouldn't make fun of her as he probably would if she just wrote it down.
"Jedburgh, somewhere on the borders?" he asked, thinking that was still quite a way. Rose shook her head, seeing some of the other pupils wandering past, taking no notice of them, thankfully. He was running out of places, then thought it was more than likely the west of Scotland, naming a few places, most of which Rose had never heard of and would have to go back to the library to look them up on the map.
Then Alec began to think he was right, she was hiding the fact she wasn't from Scotland at all then? "I give in if you're not from Carlisle or Newcastle," he smiled, Rose offering the notebook back as it was obvious the bell would be going soon and she'd escaped for now.
Alec had other ideas. "You can tell me later then, we have geography this afternoon, I'll watch your reaction."
Rose had to smile and got up, Alec putting his notebook away. So, he wrote stories and didn't want anyone else to know about them? She could use that to her advantage, confess where she came from and make sure he didn't tell anyone until she regained her confidence and began talking, then everyone would know. They began to get in line, Alec allowing Rose first and Rose hoping no-one had been taking any notice of them apart from who she knew was Jamie and a few other boys Alec had been talking to before he'd been trying to find out where she was from.
Suddenly, Moira decided to nudge Alec's arm. "What were you talking to the new girl for Alec?"
"Mind your own business Moira, she would have talked to you if she had wanted to," he replied, Rose hearing them as they were about to go inside.
"We tried to talk to her, you butted in," Kristy decided to join in, Alec wondering who exactly was in charge, since everyone thought it was her but maybe they were wrong.
"We all know your way of talking," Alec replied as those in front started to move.
Rose turned around and gave the two girls a stare.
"What are you looking at?" Moira asked her.
Rose was so tempted to say her for showing herself up but Alec gently nudged her arm to move forward.
"Don't think we'll forget," Kristy called after them but the teacher was watching them.
"McColl, quiet," Miss Robinson told her as the two girls passed her, making Rose smile as she heard.
Moira tapped her friend on the shoulder and whispered, "They are not getting away with that are they?"
Kristy shook her head as they went to their classroom.
Rose had history first, hoping she'd learn a bit about Scottish history but guess who was the teacher? She looked as she saw John Smith getting some books out of his battered leather briefcase. Alec went off to sit next to Jamie, thinking he'd never get away with sitting next to his new friend and Jamie must have something to say about earlier, both in the dining hall and out in the playground. Jamie nudged him as the teacher was writing something on the blackboard while making a scraping sound that was making Rose cringe.
"So what did you find out about her?" Jamie asked Alec.
"I wasn't spying on her Jamie. She's new here, I was trying to find out what was wrong with her voice," he replied.
"Did you?" Jamie wanted to know as John Smith turned around.
"So, who can tell me about the battle of Bannockburn in 1314?" he asked, looking around the room and settling on Alec, who to him seemed like he had all the answers earlier. "Alec?"
Rose wanted to ask where that was and how an English teacher knew about it but maybe he didn't, since he was asking the class. She thought he must have known he was being sent here, to have looked up Scottish battles, well the place sounded like it was Scottish anyway.
"Sir, it was the first war for Scottish independence," Alec replied, wondering how the teacher from England knew about it, since he'd not seen the man in the library.
"Very good Alec. Anything else you can tell me?"
Rose was suppressing a smile, who needed to go to the library when they could ask a native of Scotland. Alec though wasn't aware the old history teacher had also gone missing without any explanation. Where else was this new teacher who looked too much like his cousin going to turn up?
Alec gave a few more answers since they'd already been taught a little about it, hoping to impress his new friend, who he now suspected came from over the border and talking about battles nearly 700 years ago between the Scottish and the English wasn't going to help, especially if he said any more and gave no-one else a chance. Rose would think he was a show-off – or would she? He could score a few points in his favour if he seemed to know enough.
If she was from over the border, she would need all the help she could get but maybe that was why she had spent as much time in the library as he had during the holidays but what was she doing in Scotland, in Paisley of all places? He had room to talk though, since he wasn't from here originally but he barely remembered where he had been born, his mother had wanted to move nearer to her sister, who had got married and moved here.
"Right, someone else," the new history teacher told everyone as they shuffled things on their desks, a classic sign they didn't want to be asked. "How about one of the new girls? Rose, have you found your voice yet?" he grinned.
Rose could only shake her head, hoping to get away with it before he found out she had no idea, they'd not taught Scottish historical battles at her school, well not that she remembered anyway. Maybe if they'd had a teacher like him, she would have actually paid attention.
"I hope you're not staying quiet to get out of answering?" he carried on, making the others laugh.
Rose shook her head again, hoping he wouldn't keep asking her. She'd been embarrassed when he'd come up to her and Alec earlier but at least those two horrible girls had gone off, not that she couldn't have handled them herself but if she did that, Alec may not want to be friends, since he'd drawn the teacher's attention in the first place though he was trying to rescue them.
As the bell went and they were all leaving, John Smith stopped her.
"Rose, are you having a problem with those two girls who were in the dining room earlier?" he asked her as she put her bag on her shoulder. Rose shook her head. "If you are, tell me or your own teacher, okay?"
Rose nodded her agreement.
"Good 'cos if they are causing trouble, I'll be having words with them. Go on then, don't be late for your next class, I think someone is waiting for you? Maybe he's making sure you don't get lost eh?" he grinned.
Rose smiled. "Thank you," she mouthed without speaking.
"You're welcome, I hate those who bully others. It may not be bullying as such but it's intimidation non the less. Don't make the both of you late."
Rose nodded and walked off, Alec now around the corner.
"Come on Rose, I'll show you where the geography room is, I want to find out where come you from unless you want to tell me?"
Rose wanted to ask him where his friend was but she saw the other boy going into another room. When they got inside, Alec turned to her and said he'd see her in the playground and went to sit with Jamie, who nudged him. Alec was hoping the science/history teacher hadn't followed them.
"Be careful Alec, you were waiting for the new girl again," Jamie warned him.
"So?" Alec asked his friend as he got his geography exercise book out of his bag and dared glance across to Rose, who had sat next to Sandra, though the other girl hadn't made any new friends either but at least Kristy and Moira had left her alone. Rose thought they would probably get around to her eventually.
Sandra was trying to get Rose to talk as everyone settled down.
"I saw you at lunchtime, who were those two girls?" she asked Rose.
Rose thought she had best be careful and shrugging her shoulders mouthed 'Trouble' to which Sandra smiled.
"You seem to have made a friend with that Alec then?" Sandra continued. "Have you come from far away?"
Rose could only nod in agreement, since it wouldn't be fair to break her silence to anyone other than Alec. He'd tried in a nice way to find out where she was from, no-one else had talked to her really, apart from Sandra speaking up for her and talking to her now. Rose had realised the geography teacher was their class teacher and she was pulling down a map of the region after handing out some map books.
She then started asking questions about the coastline, Rose noticing Alec was keeping quiet as someone else answered with details of how it was made up and was thankful she'd not been asked this time but spoke too soon.
"Sandra, how many miles of coastline does Scotland have?"
"Miss, does that include the islands?" Sandra replied, Rose trying to keep a straight face, unlike the rest of the class, which included Alec. She finally replied then the teacher turned her attention to Rose.
"Rose, which is the largest of the Scottish lochs?"
Rose knew that one and raised her hand. The teacher indicated for her to write it on the blackboard, Rose writing 'Loch Lomond' after reading it in a book in the library when she had first arrived. She'd also looked up other facts in case she was ever asked but hadn't thought at the time she'd go along with her mother's idea of faking the loss of her voice.
"Very good Rose. Can you write down which is the largest Scottish island?"
Alec knew that was a trick question. "Miss, there isn't one," he answered as he stuck his hand up and she said his name.
"Yes Alec, you are right, it's actually two islands close together counted as one, which are called?" she asked him.
Rose was glad he'd come to her rescue again, since she didn't know that one. Alec answered as Rose went to sit down, daring to glance at him. He didn't get any clues as to where Rose had come from and she was glad the teacher had never bothered asking her as they left the classroom. Once in the playground after she'd been in the girls room, she saw Alec talking to Jamie and went to sit down, avoiding the two troublemakers, who had cornered someone else. She and her friends at her old school never had to bother gaining new friends, they all stuck to their little groups of four or five of them and only got together when sides were being picked over an argument.
Sandra had seen her chance to talk to Rose but Alec beat her to it, Jamie following him.
"Hi again Rose, you remember Jamie, from the library?" Alec asked her. Rose nodded. "I told Jamie I was trying to guess where you came from."
"Aye Rose, Alec says he can't figure it out but I bet I can," Jamie grinned.
Rose thought he'd never guess in a million years until she actually spoke, which wouldn't be for a few more days or unless she really had to.
"I bet she won't admit it even if you guess right," Alec replied, grinning at Rose as if to say she had better not, before she told him.
Jamie went through a few areas, since she knew the answer to the largest loch included that area but Rose shook her head.
"What was she writing earlier then?" Jamie wanted to know.
"Nothing, the bell went," Alec reminded him. "I asked the same places as you did and she shook her head. "So where do you live?" he asked her.
"Like she's going to tell us," Jamie laughed.
"We get the number 54 bus," Alec told her, wishing Jamie would stop. Rose looked up, she had got that one. "You do as well?" Rose nodded. "We never saw you this morning but my dad goes to work early. He used to take me to my aunt's first but he trusts me to get the bus on my own now."
Rose wanted to know why his mother didn't see him off but she herself had got the bus on her own and she used to walk with her friends to her old school.
"Tell her why we get the early one Alec," Jamie hinted.
Rose could guess.
"We could get the same one home," Alec suggested, ignoring his friend and knowing Rose may have found the bus rather full since they had to get the normal one as the bus company withdrew the special.
He supposed the bus company thought thirteen year olds could cope with the regular one
Rose had to nod her agreement, he was only trying to be helpful and some company would be nice, even if his friend was tagging along. She didn't want to make the two of them fall out though so she'd have to be careful and if Alec had his friend tagging along, she had to agree to it.
"Right, we'll show you where to get it, unless you have somewhere else to go?" he asked Rose.
Rose shook her head but if she wasn't careful, she'd suddenly say something and give the game up. She suspected Alec already knew she was putting it on though, he had hinted at it and maybe tomorrow, she may admit it but just to him by writing it in his notebook. She was dying to know if he was willing to show her the stories he was writing, he had surely shown them to his friend Jamie though, who was now giving her a funny look.
The bell went and they made their way back inside, Jamie catching Alec's arm.
"Did you mean that?" he asked Alec, trying not to let the two troublemakers hear.
If they did, they'd never hear the end of it, only the older boys kept company with the girls, whether the same age or not and he'd noticed a few of the older boys pay attention to Rose, more so than the other new girl but he himself had noticed a change in a few of their female classmates. Why couldn't Alec have picked one of them? Why did it have to be the mysterious girl from the library who Alec had been staring at for weeks?
More importantly, why had Alec not done anything about it then instead of in front of the class by sticking up for her? He'd only teased Alec about his brother, Alistair already had his eye on a girl from the college he went to. Still, he thought as he joined Alec in the maths class, surprised Rose hadn't gone to sit next to him while she had the chance, it was only the first day and the novelty would soon wear off – he hoped.
Alec had avoided answering Jamie as he'd followed Rose inside. She had waited for him to indicate where the classroom was but he had meant it, she'd been lost in school, he should see she got the right bus home at least and maybe get to find out roughly where she lived. She couldn't live that far away if she went to the local library and not the main one in the town.
Neither Rose nor Alec were picked on since the teacher never mentioned Rose or Sandra were new but Rose noticed the female math teacher with ginger hair had some odd things on the walls amongst different charts, including several male Scottish actors and singers. She knew she was going to like this class, though she'd not taken much notice before. There again, science and history had never been her strong points either but they may be now.
The bell went and Rose wondered why they'd not been in their own classroom all day, maybe she should ask Alec when she started talking? Maybe they'd get to be in it the following day, it must be used for another subject. She was looking forward to gym class though, she was good at that, she'd even got the bronze for under sevens. She'd show the others that even though she wasn't talking, that she may not know Scottish history but she could beat them all on the ropes.
The bell was ringing as everyone were either heading for their lockers, which Rose now wondered how you got one or the girls room, where she herself was going and hoping Alec wouldn't desert her and she'd have to find the bus stop on her own. He had seen her heading off but went outside to wait, thinking it was less conspicuous than making it obvious he was waiting for a girl and he knew Jamie wouldn't be seen dead waiting for a girl, especially if Moira and Kristy were around.
While Rose was in the girls room, she thought about going back to an empty flat, she had no homework with it being the first day and her mother had told her to have tea ready for her to put into the oven but now, she was going to tell her mother she'd made a friend and if Alec wanted her to hang around, she didn't want to make up any excuses why she couldn't. Now though, it was hitting home that her mother wouldn't be there to greet her, she and her friends wouldn't be getting Mickey all hot and bothered on the way home or hanging around with Shareen.
She now seemed to have only one friend, since Jamie didn't seem that keen on Alec talking to her and she and Alec were from different backgrounds. She just hoped he wouldn't be put off by firstly she was English and where she had grown up but if he wanted to be her friend, it shouldn't make any difference to him.
