Chocolate Box Girls: Sweet Honey Read Online Free PDF Page B

that’s not too far from the truth, actually.
    ‘My office,’ she says.
     ‘Now.’
    A bell shrills to signal the start of
     class and Miss Bird ushers me into a darkly panelled room full of trophy cabinets
     and portraits of stern headmistresses from years gone by.
    ‘So,’ she says.
     ‘Before we go any further – we do
not
go in for customized uniform at
     Willowbank. You will wear your socks pulled up to knee-length, your neckerchief
     round your neck. And you will let down that hem once more so it’s the correct
     length.’
    ‘I can’t,’ I say
     brightly, holding the jagged hemline between my thumb and forefinger. Should I go
     for total honesty here, or just plead ignorance? It’s hard to know. Admitting
     that I hacked my school dress to pieces on the very first day may not be a good
     plan.
    ‘There’s no hem to let
     down,’ I explain, trying for a helpless look. ‘I don’t know why –
     it just came this way. Maybe the dress was a factory reject?’
    ‘Or maybe somebody took a pair of
     scissors to it?’ she says crisply.
    ‘Who would
do
a thing
     like that?’
    Miss Bird grits her teeth.
     ‘Don’t get smart with me, Honey Tanberry,’ she says.
     ‘You’ll find you’ve bitten off more than you can chew. Let me be
     straight here – your father was very keen for us to take you, even at this late
     stage in the school year. He led me to believe that you were a bright, talented
     pupil with a genuine drive for success. I must say, you are not at all what I
     imagined.’
    My eyes widen. It seems that Dad has
     been a little sketchy with the truth – I know I’m meant to be turning over a
     new leaf but I’m not sure I can live up to the saintly persona he’s
     created for me. I take a deep breath in. I am not going to let a woman with fluffy
     hair and winged spectacles wreck my chances of a fresh start. I will give Willowbank
     a fair chance, even if it doesn’t give me one … and I will be
     grateful that my murky past is finally behind me.
    ‘Sorry, Miss Bird,’ I say.
     ‘It won’t happen again. I will do my very best here, honestly I
     will.’
    ‘See that you do,’ she says
     curtly. ‘Pull your socks up and take the neckerchief out of your hair.
     Tomorrow, I shall expect perfect uniform. Your father has asked me to let him know
     if there is anything at all which concerns me, and believe me I will do that.
     Willowbank prides itself on good manners, good uniform and the desire to excel in
     all things, whether academic or sporting.’
    ‘Great,’ I mutter, untying
     my neckerchief bow.
    Miss Bird sighs. ‘Our coursework
     will be quite different from what you’re used to,’ she continues.
     ‘Your father tells me he’s requested the records from your old school,
     but they’re sending paper copies of the files, so they may not reach us until
     the new school year. Meanwhile, I’ll expect you to work hard. I want to see
     the determined, focused, career-driven girl your father described to me.
     Yes?’
    ‘Yes, Miss Bird.’
    Her eyes narrow. ‘Are you wearing
     make-up?’ she asks.
    ‘No, Miss Bird.’ Eyeliner
     and lipgloss don’t really count, do they?
    The head teacher fixes me with a beaky,
     speccy stare. ‘I’ll be watching you, Honey Tanberry,’ she says.
     ‘Remember that. Now run along – room 66, mathematics, Mr Piper.’
    I dawdle along the corridor,
     crestfallen. Whatever happened to the creative, caring school with support for
     troubled students that I was promised? I might have stood a chance there. Instead
     I’ve been thrown right back into the chaos of a regular school, only with a
     crazed chicken-lady in charge, and minus the welcome distraction of boys. Great.
    I find room 66 and take a moment
     outside, quickly pushing my socks down again before knocking and going inside.
     It’s not defiance exactly – more a matter of pride.
    Mr Piper directs me to an empty seat
     near the back. I hold my head high as my new classmates