The classroom was stuffy and Samantha felt a trickle of sweat move down her neck. She took out a tissue from her pocket and gently dabbed it away and then smoothed down her hair. It felt so soft and silky tied back in a neat bow. She was very proud of her hair and spent a lot of time keeping it smooth and flat. She straightened her shoulders and touched her deportment badge, stroking it with her fingers. She was so proud of it. She was always so careful about her appearance, repeatedly checking herself in the hall mirror on the way out of the house every morning
'You are impeccable Samantha,' Miss Bryant had praised her when telling her that she had won the smartest pupil of the year. Samantha had rolled the word 'impeccable' around her mouth. She liked it, she was impeccable.
She straightened the papers on her desk and placed her pencil alongside. She breathed deeply and relaxed her shoulders.
A gust of wind blew open one of the windows and there was a loud bang and an acute scraping noise. Poppy Dobbs burst into laughter and rushed to close it. A blast of air came in and ruffled Poppy's hair. She ran her hands through it and it stuck up in a curly mass around her head.
Samantha thought that Poppy looked ridiculous. She thought everything about Poppy was ridiculous, starting from her name. How could anyone take her seriously? Then there was her loud laugh, to Samantha's ears it was coarse and vulgar, not to mention her appearance. Her tights were always laddered and her hair was a complete mess.
Poppy slid back into her seat, giggling and leant towards her friend Chloe Coleman to whisper something in her ear. Chloe turned abruptly causing them to bump heads and the pair collapsed in a fit of giggles.
Miss Bryant looked up from the book she had been reading from and frowned.
'That's enough Poppy, please try and concentrate.' She stood up and her gaze swept round the room, landing on Samantha.
'Try and learn from Samantha. By the way tomorrow at the prize - giving the prefects will be announced.'
The bell rang and Poppy and Chloe scarped back their chairs, Miss Bryant shook her head and smiled at Samantha.
'Congratulations on your best pupil award Samantha, you deserve it. I hope you're ready for tomorrow.'
There was such kindness in the teacher's voice and something else that made Samantha falter nearly dropping her books.
She replied stiffly, 'Thank you Miss Bryant, I do my best.'
As she walked out of the school gates Samantha checked the shopping list that her mother had written for her.There were all the ingredients for the cakes she made for the neighbours. Samantha's mother was always doing good deeds, dropping money into boxes all along the High Street, asking couples if they would like their photos taken together because it was so more romantic, helping out in the old people's home at Christmas, and making cakes for the neighbours.
Last week Samantha had taken a cake round to their neighbour, Mrs.Green who was recently widowed and used a walking frame. As she had handed her the cake the old lady had grabbed her arm and Samantha had cried out in pain.
Mrs.Green had put her hand to her mouth and stepped back, 'Oh I'm so sorry dear, don't know my own strength.'
When Samantha arrived at the supermarket there was a crowd from her school standing around outside, laughing and chatting. As she walked past them one of them called out, 'Hey Samantha, we'll have to watch ourselves when you're a prefect.'
It was Matt Kingsley from the year above, stocky and handsome. She felt herself redden and a warm feeling went through her to think he had noticed her.
Inside she could see Poppy and Chloe. They were standing in front of the bath products and sniffing the deodorants, giggling and putting them back haphazardly on the shelves. They caught sight of her and moved away, giggling. Samantha had a vision of herself giving them detention when she was a prefect. She took a basket and ticked off the list as she went along. When she got to the deodorants she reached out to put them back into neat lines. Someone jogged her arm and she fell forward. She turned round to see Matt grinning at her, 'Sorry Sammy, didn't see you.' He winked, 'The white musk is very sexy.'
He walked away and she stared after him, flustered and hot. He'd called her 'Sammy', it sounded much friendlier than Samantha, she felt her heart give a little lift.
At the cash desk she took out her shopping and laid it on the counter. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Poppy and Chloe flicking through the magazines, giggling and whispering. She looked at the shop assistant putting disapproval on her face and sucked in her lip, she was rewarded with an eye roll from him..
She was about to walk out of the store when a firm hand gripped her shoulder. She turned round and felt a chill as she realized it was a security guard, glaring at her and almost shoving her back into the shop.
'Come on young lady, let's see what you've got in your bag.'
She watched him rifle through her shopping and then her school bag in total horror and disbelief. It must be a spot check, but how humiliating, she felt her blood run cold and was rooted to the spot. Her head started spinning when the security guard pulled out a deodorant and held in front of her, a triumphant expression on his face. His face was stern, 'Ahh, like white musk do you?' Wildly she looked sround to see if Matt was there, he would vouch for her surely. She felt sick and caught sight of him, smirking and moving away.
'You'd better come with me miss to talk to the manager.'
Just then a loud strong voice rang out,
'There's a mistake, she didn't put that deodorant there. Chloe and I were testing them and we must have knocked it into her bag. Samantha would never do that, she's the most upright person I know.'
The security guard turned round to see who was talking.
'Oh it's you Poppy. Well if you say so, that puts things in a different light. We'll let it go this time.'
He turned to Samantha, 'We'll let it go this time, but I know your face young lady and I'll be keeping an eye on you.'
Samantha felt faint and her head was spinning. Poppy and Chloe came over and put their arms round her, Chloe took her shopping bag abd they marched her out of the supermarket right into the coffee bar next door.
She felt like a robot as they sat her down and went to order the drinks.
As she was waiting in the queue Poppy kept glancing at her and smiling. Poppy felt a lump in her throat. She'd always thought Samantha was a bit scary but last week she'd overheard her Nan talking to her friend Barbara Bryant. She'd been telling her how worried she was about the girl next door, Poppy's age. There was much shouting and yelling from that house at all hours and lately she'd heard the girl crying at night. The mother was always making cakes for everyone and at first it seemed like a kind gesture but now Barbara suspected it was a cover up.
Poppy and Chloe took the coffees across to the table and sat down close to Samantha.
Poppy put her hand on Samantha's arm, Chloe held her hand.
Poppy and Chloe put their heads close to Samantha's as her shoulders shook and tears fell dropping into her coffee cup.
'Hey Sammy what about coming round to my house for tea? You can ask your mum, my dad will take you home.'
