Twenty four

Jessie regretted doing PE the moment Elektra's class had walked into the gym. Her form had taken her scars and burns as the normal but Elektra's class were more inquisitive. "What happened to your arms, Jessie?" one of the girls from Elektra's class said. Jessie rolled her eyes. She had heard about the reputation that Elektra's form had as the bully form and girly girls. Elektra who was stood to the left of Jessie just glared at her.

"Leave her alone, for goodness sake," Elektra told her. Lauren, the girl who had first spoken, raised her eyebrow and refused to move. "Now!" Jessie saw where the rumours had come from. That form had Elektra in it.

Lauren shook her head. "No! Not until she tells us," she said. Jessie sighed.

"Oh if it will shut everyone up, I'll just tell you and you can make sure you spread it round school!" Jessie shouted in anger. She saw Rick and Frank come in and shake their head. "My mum threatened to kill me and my brother if Josh didn't do as she said and burn my arms and cut me. When Josh wasn't around she threw me up against our kitchen sink and bruised me. She meant her threat. Josh has marks up his back where she was going to kill him if he didn't do what she said. I've been abused by my mum who is now in prison for GBH, ABH and threats. Josh is in a youth offenders for GBH under duress. He'll be out in three months. So can everyone just leave me alone!" Jessie shouted loudly. Everyone in the gym was now staring at her. Mr Crowhurst, who had entered as she had started her explanation, pulled Jessie to the side.

"Was that wise Jessie?" he asked.

Jessie pulled a face. "I don't care. I'm fed up of people staring at me, and rumours being spread. At least the truth is out, no matter how much it hurts me or Josh when he gets back. So are we going to play this game of netball numbers?" she said sarcastically shrugging him off and going and standing with Elektra, Faith, Rick and Frank. Mr Crowhurst gritted his teeth as he turned to face everyone.

"Right 11J go sit against the far wall for me, 11L go sit opposite them," he said. The two classes did as instructed. Jessie was sat in the middle of her form in between Rick, Frank, Sophie and Alex. Directly opposite her was Elektra. Mr Crowhurst went down both classes numbering them. Jessie was 15 and when she mouthed to Elektra they found they had the same numbers. Faith had the same number as Rick and the pair of them were just staring determinedly at each other. The last time they had played this game Faith had consistently beat Rick. "Right, remember when I call your number out, you run round the cones until you get to the red cone which symbolises your form's entrance. I will then roll the ball in to the middle. It is netball rules so no moving if you have the ball and no contact, boys," he explained. "15 and 16," he shouted surprising everyone. Rick and Jessie both jumped up and ran round the cones. Jessie was quicker than Faith but only just, as she entered the court first and only just managed to get the netball before Faith. Jessie threw to Rick, who caught it and waited while she ran into a position where she could catch the ball without the other two getting it first. She caught it and Rick ran into the goal position on an aerobic step and Jessie threw with all her might to him, accidently bending Faith's fingers backwards in the process when she tried to intercept it. Rick caught it and all three of them ran over to Faith who was clutching her fingers in pain.

"I'm sorry Faith. I didn't mean to hurt you," Jessie apologised.

She grimaced in pain but looked at her. "It's fine Jessie. It was an accident and it was my fault," she said before taking the ice pack being offered to her by Mr Crowhurst and wrapping it round her fingers. Jessie and Rick went to sit back with their form, who cheered when they got nearer, glad to be one point up. Jessie still feeling guilty sank into place next to Sophie.

Frank leaned over Sophie towards Jessie as he was sat the other side. "Faith will be fine. It's Faith. She's really sporty, she's probably had an injury like this before," he told her trying to make her feel better.

Jessie sat with her arms wrapped around her knees for most of the lesson until she realised that Rick and Faith were both running round the gym in teams of five. "Do they repeat the numbers?" she asked. Sophie nodded.

"yeah, mostly everyone has had a second go," Sophie replied. She looked at the class opposite. "in fact apart from Elektra in their class, everyone been twice." Jessie raised her eyebrows.

"So how does that work?" she asked.

"Well if we win this one it will take us to a draw but with you and Elektra still to go again, you two will be the tiebreaker. To win, our team has to win this time and then you need to throw the ball upwards and catch it each time so you can move and win for us," Alex explained clearly.

"And if we lose?" Jessie asked.

"You'll still have to go again regardless as he might make the final round worth more points especially as there is only one of you and Elektra," Frank explained. Jessie sighed. So the whole hope of her team winning rested with her.

Their team did win and so it was a draw. "15," Mr Crowhurst shouted. Elektra and Jessie both jumped up and sprinted as hard as they could. As like the last time Jessie got the ball first and had a bit of an advantage when she started throwing the ball upwards towards her goal. When Elektra finally got to her, Jessie noticed she didn't try to catch the ball.

"Throw it to me, get nearer your goal and I'll throw back to you," Elektra whispered.

"Oh yeah, I'm so going to believe that Elektra," Jessie whispered back.

"Worth a try, hey," she replied. Jessie smiled as she kept moving closer and closer. She threw it up one last time, stepped onto the step and caught it. She'd won. 11J ran forward and hugged her. Elektra smiled at Jessie from behind her form. Jessie giggled at Elektra.

A/N: Oh dear. Poor Jessie. She's not been having a good time lately. Indigo :)