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school.
    â€˜What’s up?’ I said cheerfully. ‘Couldn’t you sleep either?’
    â€˜Dad and Penny had a bust up.’ 
    â€˜Who’s Penny?’
    â€˜My stepmum.’
    â€˜Oh, I see,’ I paused. ‘Serious?’
    â€˜She screamed at him to get out. Told him she never wanted to see him again. Then he went out, slamming the door behind him. But, just before he did, he took this little porcelain statue of a ballerina from the table in the hall and threw it on to the floor. It was her very favourite thing and it lay there in a million bits. She went completely mad.’
    â€˜When was this?’ I whispered. I felt more concerned because Is wasn’t whimpering or anything. She was just quietly relating the facts as if she had been watching something that didn’t really concern her.
    â€˜About six-thirty this morning.’
    â€˜So what did you do?’
    â€˜Got dressed and came to school of course. What else was there to do?’
    â€˜You’ve been here all this time.’ 
    â€˜Yes.’
    I was amazed. ‘What have you been doing?’
    â€˜Just thinking.’
    â€˜Oh.’ I didn’t know what else to say.
    Isabel looked at me in an old-fashioned sort of way and then smiled. ‘What about you? Why are you here so early? You look very cheerful for a Monday morning.’
    â€˜You’ll never guess,’ I started.
    â€˜Try me.’
    â€˜I saw your bridge.’
    â€˜What bridge?’
    â€˜You know; the one you drew.’
    â€˜Oh, that bridge.’
    I was really disappointed. She didn’t seem in the slightest bit interested. But then, her parents had just had a blazing row, and even if she gave the impression of not being concerned, it must have had an effect on her.
    But I persisted anyway, I was sure she’d be pleased.
    â€˜Yes that bridge, Isabel. The bridge you drew in Mr Phillips’ class, the one you got into trouble over…’
    â€˜What about it?’
    â€˜Well, I’ve only been and seen it, haven’t I?’ I said proudly. ‘It’s at Maidenhead. It’s a railway bridge. And it’s exactly like you drew it, you know with those really flat arches that look impossible and all that…’
    She looked puzzled. ‘Yes, I know.’
    I was flabbergasted.
    â€˜What do you mean, “you know”? Are you saying you’ve seen it before?’
    â€˜Yes, of course.’
    â€˜Then why didn’t you say something to old Phillips when he was going on about it? He was wrong. Your bridge could have been built. It has been built. It’s there. I’ve seen it.’
    â€˜What’s the point?’
    â€˜My dad says it’s famous. So old Phillips should have known about it anyway, shouldn’t he? Even less reason for behaving like he did.’
    â€˜What’s it matter? There were lots of people like Mr Phillips when it was built. They thought it’d fall down too. Some of them even wanted it to. I didn’t care then and I don’t care now.’
    â€˜What do you mean? I don’t follow you.’
    â€˜Nothing.’
    She turned away and starting kicking at a loose bit of gravel in the playground, ignoring me.
    I was starting to feel a bit angry with her by now. She’d argued with a teacher, and ended up with detention when all she had to say was that it was a real bridge that she’d seen. How stupid.
    â€˜Oh well, please yourself, Isabel Williams.’ I stalked off in a huff. I couldn’t believe how ungrateful she was. And I thought she was a friend. I was feeling so cross as I crossed the playground that I had to stop for a second and take a deep breath to calm down. I looked over my shoulder and saw Is was still standing exactly where I had left her, still kicking at bits of gravel. ‘I don’t know why I bother,’ I muttered to myself as I started off again. Unfortunately, I was still looking at