Taking Flight Read Online Free PDF Page B

and holds the letter at arm’s length. ‘Two Rs in “sorry”, Kelly. Not exactly fulsome, is it?’
    I bite my lip.
    Then he seems to get fed up. ‘Registration,’ he says. ‘I’ll see to this. And don’t let me see you back in my office this term.’
    School. Scuffed walls, smell of crisps and polish and feet. All the noise – teachers shouting names, pupils replying – is behind classroom doors. I push open the door of our classroom and Mr Dermott’s voice trails off when he sees me. From the way some people look at me I know they know about Mum. Half the people in my class live round our way. I slink to the back and sit beside Cathal Gurney. I can see the ribbons of snotters and his wet, red, open mouth. No wonder no one ever wants to sit beside him.
    When the bell goes I grab my bag as usual but Mr Dermott puts his hand out to stop me.
    â€˜Just a minute, Declan.’ At least he calls me by my name. The likes of Payne just call you by your surname which is stupid because there’s three Kellys in our class. I hang back. ‘Sit down,’ he says, pulling out a chair beside his desk.
    I sit.
    He pulls at his earlobe. He looks a bit like Homer Simpson, only ginger. ‘Umm, Declan, just wanted a bit of a word.’
    I get ready for the usual pep talk about fights.
    â€˜I had a phone call yesterday from your aunt. She … well, she told me about your mum being … um, in hospital.’
    â€˜Oh, right.’ My cheeks burn.
    â€˜Don’t worry,’ he goes on, ‘nobody else has to know. But if you’re finding things a bit difficult, well, come and find me and we’ll see what we can do.’ He sounds embarrassed too. I wonder how much Colette’s told him. Iknow I’ll never in a million years go and find him, no matter what happens.
    Seaneen Brogan is leaning against the wall opposite twisting a bit of hair round her hand. When she stands like that the first thing you notice is her tits in her tight school blouse. ‘Right, Declan?’ She walks beside me. ‘Heard about your mum.’
    â€˜Not you too.’
    â€˜Sure you know my granny misses nothing.’ Seaneen lives round the corner from me but her granny lives right across the street. She smiles at me and pulls her ponytail tighter. She has all this curly hair that she scrapes back off her face but wee frizzy bits always escape. ‘Granny says she saw you going away in a blue car.’
    â€˜I’m staying with our Colette.’ I might as well tell her.
    â€˜Her that married a Prod?’ Without waiting for an answer she goes on, ‘Is your mum going to be OK?’
    God, what is it with this girl? I can’t shake her off. She’s on her way to Technology, like me, and she’s obviously going to walk every step of the way with me, talking non-stop. But in a way I don’t mind. Colette has been pretty nice to me but she’s hardly mentioned Mum; it’s like she doesn’t exist even though she’s the reason for me being there in the first place. And at least Seaneen doesn’t look at me the way Princess Vicky does, like I’m nothing . She’s prettier than Vicky too.
    I see Emmet in the playground at break, surrounded by his mates, as usual. I wonder if he got the letter yet. I wish I hadn’t spelled ‘sorry’ wrong. He gives me what I think is meant to be a dirty look, but it’s hard to see what his fat gob is doing because his nose is still spread all over it. I hope it never goes back to normal. He’s an ugly bastard anyway – you can tell he’s going to be just like hisda. Barry stubbed out a cigarette on the back of my hand once, when he found out I squealed on Emmet to the peelers. I still have the scar; why shouldn’t Emmet?
    Don’t know what Mum sees in Barry. I know she gets cheap drink and fags and that off him, but I can’t believe that’s enough to