Night School: Legacy

Looking in her eyes, Allie knew this argument was pointless. She would never reveal her source – she was enjoying this too much.

Defeated, she turned to walk away, but Katie’s parting words sliced through the air after her. ‘Why don’t you run and cry to Sylvain? Oh wait.’ She covered her mouth. ‘Should I have said Carter? No. I’m sorry, which one of them is it this week?’

When Allie whirled back towards her, fists clenched, Katie’s green eyes widened. ‘Oh no! Are you going to punch me?’ Her laugh was patronising. ‘Grow up, Allie. You’re pathetic.’

‘She’s pathetic?’ Nicole’s silky voice took them both by surprise and Allie whirled to find the French girl standing beside her, eyes flashing at Katie. ‘I think you’re mistaken, Katie, about who is the pathetic one here.’

Somebody sniggered. Flustered, Katie glanced at the watching crowd before regaining her equilibrium. ‘Oh, Nicole, this is ridiculous. I know you snogged her but what’s going on here? Are you actually in love with her or something?’

Nicole tilted her head, her glossy dark hair falling over one shoulder as she studied Katie as if she were slithering across the floor. ‘I think the problem here is not who I kissed or who Allie kissed, but who you want to kiss. And who doesn’t want to kiss you.’

An ugly red flush crept up Katie’s neck to her face; she stared at them, openmouthed. All her vindictive rhetoric seemed to have left her.

Allie too had lost the gift of speech, and turned to Nicole, wide-eyed. The brunette smiled as cheerfully if they’d just been chatting about the weather. ‘Come on, Allie,’ she said, stepping away. ‘There are more interesting people to talk to.’

‘Uh … Thank you, Nicole.’ Allie said lamely as she stumbled after the brunette. Nicole’s gait was light and quick – despite her tiny size, she moved fast and they’d left Katie far behind in seconds. ‘I might have punched her.’

‘Oh, Allie.’ Her smile was angelic. ‘It was my pleasure. I despise Katie Gilmore.’

They walked through the crowds of students purposefully, although Allie had no idea where they were going. ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘about last night …’

‘It was fun, wasn’t it? Everyone was shocked.’ Nicole giggled. ‘But it’s so easy to shock English people.’

‘The thing you said …’ Allie cast a sideways glance at her ‘…about Sylvain. He’s not your boyfriend?’

Stopping, Nicole turned to face her, full lips curved up. ‘Sylvain and I have been friends since we were six years old. Our parents have summer houses near each other. We played together in the sea when we were little then we went to school together. And when we grew up we …’ she made a vague gesture ‘… experimented with dating. But it didn’t work out. It felt strange kissing him, you know?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘It was like kissing my brother. So now we are best friends.’ Her dark eyes seemed to miss nothing. ‘I thought maybe you would like to know that.’

All around them students talked and laughed in the busy hallway but Allie couldn’t really hear them any more.

‘You think … I should …’ Her voice trailed off.

What am I asking?

But Nicole answered her unfinished question without hesitation. ‘I think sometimes it’s easy to think too much about things. Sometimes you just need to listen to your heart. Trust your instincts.’ She pointed at the door next to them. ‘Now, I have to go to a science seminar. Do you want to come?’

Allie shook her head. ‘No thanks.’ Her tone was absent. ‘Thanks again for …’

Nicole shrugged, pushing open the door. ‘I told Sylvain the same thing.’


‘It was Katie’s parents.’ Isabelle poured boiling water into two cups as Allie draped herself, morose, across the chair in front of her desk. A bergamot-scented steam filled the room. ‘She spoke to them on the phone yesterday, ostensibly about the winter ball. They must have told her then.’

‘But how did they find out?’ Allie accepted the cup of milky tea Isabelle handed her, holding it absently as the headmistress sat down in the chair next to hers.

‘That’s where it all gets a bit complicated.’ Isabelle’s tone made Allie nervous. ‘You see, the entire board knows, Allie. Lucinda has decided not to keep it a secret any longer.’

‘What?’ Allie’s hand jerked and hot tea spilled on to her leg. Swearing under her breath, she wiped it away with her hand. ‘Why?’