Night School

Isabelle stepped into the circle and leaned against an empty desk.

‘I hope everybody read some Browning last night. I’m curious to hear what you all thought. He had a unique style that rebelled against many of the accepted rules of poetry of the time, so I thought some of you might relate to his approach. I presume you’ve all had a chance to meet our new student, Allie. Allie, I don’t want to embarrass you, but would you please read the first few lines?’

Oh bugger.

Standing uncomfortably she held her book close to her face and cleared her throat.

‘Escape me?

Never

Beloved!

While I am I, and you are you

So long as the world contains us both,

Me the loving and you the loth

While the one eludes must the other pursue.’



At Isabelle’s nod, Allie slipped gratefully back into her desk.

‘So, what is Browning saying here?’ The class regarded her in silence. Allie was fairly confident that she knew, but no way was she going to say anything right now.

‘It’s about obsession.’

Allie hadn’t seen Carter West come in, but he was sitting just a few desks away from her.

Isabelle nodded. ‘Care to elaborate?’

‘As long as they both exist on the same planet, he has to be with her,’ Carter said. ‘He’s in love with her, but it’s more than love. It’s everything. He thinks they were meant to be together but she doesn’t. So his life is spent trying to convince her.’

‘Interesting theory.’ Isabelle glanced at Allie. ‘Anyone else?’

Allie slid down in her seat.

‘Ismay,’ the headmistress said, turning to a familiar-looking brunette. ‘Can you read the next few lines?’

Allie chanced a sideways glance in the direction of Carter’s voice, and then looked away sharply. He was looking right at her.

‘What is it with the boys in this school?’ Allie and Jo were walking to the library. Classes had ended for the day and Jo had intercepted her on the way back to her room and suggested they study together.

‘What do you mean?’ Jo asked.

‘They stare,’ Allie said. ‘A lot.’

Jo smiled. ‘You’re pretty. And new. Boys stare at pretty, new girls.’

‘I’m not that pretty. Boys didn’t stare at me like that in London.’

‘I think you’re pretty,’ Jo said. ‘Maybe they just …’ she shrugged, ‘want you to notice them.’

They both giggled. Allie pretended to sag under the weight of her book bag. ‘I can’t believe how much work I need to do.’

Jo nodded. ‘They really bury us in the summer, because if you’re here for the summer term it’s because you’ve got, like, promise.’

‘Promise?’ Allie raised her eyebrows.

‘You know, potential.’ Jo shrugged. ‘Whatever. The school is sort of, I don’t know, divided up, I guess. Some come here because they’ve got lots of money. Some come here because their parents did. But some are here because they’re super-clever. They’re here most of the year, while the others get the summer off. I think we’re being groomed to rule the world or something.’

Allie marvelled at how she could say things like that and not sound pretentious.

‘That’s why I don’t mind being here in the summer.’ Jo pushed open the library door and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘We have the place to ourselves, and the people who are here at this time of year are the coolest.’

The voice in Allie’s head was damning: I’m not here because I’m super-clever.

As they walked into the library’s hush, she breathed in the rich mix of leather, old books, and lemony wood polish. The room stretched further than she could see through a forest of dark wooden bookshelves that reached to the ceiling fifteen feet above their heads. Each row had its own rolling ladder giving access to the highest shelves. The floor was covered with thick oriental rugs that captured the sound of their footsteps. Ancient, wrought-iron light fixtures that surely must have once held candles hung several feet below the ceiling on thick chains, so that the books on the top shelves were lost in the shadows. Heavy wooden tables topped with green-shaded lamps were surrounded by leather chairs; many were already occupied by students, dwarfed by the stacks of books piled around them.

Intimidated by the display of studiousness and its accoutrements, Allie tried to push back a wave of insecurity. She was already so far behind: how would she ever catch up? For the first time in a long time she cared about failing.