Rosaline's POV

It's ICT, last lesson on a Friday.

I feel a small hand timidly tap my shoulder and turn to see Fedosia looking hopefully at me.

"What?" I snarl.

"Would you.. Would you like to come to Velvet lawn again with me, tonight? Or Saturday night?"

I glare at her.

"Sunday night?"

"Go away, Fedosia."

"Rosaline, please. You said yourself you enjoyed it. I want to be friends."

"You're creepy. I don't like you. Go away."

"None of your friends are going to find out, Rose."

"Don't call me that! How many times do I need to tell you my real name? If you're going to insist on irritating me, atleast get my name right."

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. It's just you look like a Rose."

"You look like an annoying, stupid little girl who should do something useful for once and travel to the other side of the world."

"That, was mean."

"I'm sorry but you can't keep irritating me then calling me 'mean' when I ask you kindly to go away."

"Kindly?"

"Okay, FIRMLY."

"That's one way of putting it."

I send her one of my best withering glares and turn away.

"Rosaline..."

"You said if I'd come out with you you'd leave me alone, right?"

"Uh..."

"Yes, you did. You PROMISED."

"I guess.."

"So stop acting like a crazy stalker and LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I snapped the last bit slightly too loud, and most people in the class hear.

Our teacher, Mr Maple, frowns at me.

"See, now you've got me into trouble!"

I hissed, furiously.

After school, I complain about Fedosia to Queenie Smith and Leone Cleden, who walk beside me.

They both sympathise.

Leone is intelligent, curvy and a favourite of the teachers, with honey-coloured skin, glasses and long dark brown hair.

She gets away with everything.

Queenie is sporty, has very blue eyes and pale brown hair, and is also a favourite of the teachers.

Those two could get away with murder.

"Would you like us to sort her out for you?" Leone asks, hopefully.

"Well.. I don't know."

Leone's ways of 'sorting people out' often end badly.

"She's just over there, come on!" Queenie hisses, urgently.

"Guys.." I suddenly feel uncomfortably.

Leone saunters over to Fedosia, who is packing some things in her bag the other side of the classroom.

She leans down and whispers something in her ear, so noone else around can here.

Then she leads a confused-looking Fedosia through the room, some of our classmates giving us quizzical looks.

"Behind the bike shed. We need to talk to you about something." Leone says, sweetly.

"Guys.." I mumble uncertainly.

Fedosia looks up at me, and before I know what I'm doing I send her an urgent warning, I shake my head slightly.

Her eyes widen.

"Uh, sorry Queenie, Leonie.. I have to go to art club.."

"Leone. And art club is on a Wednesday."

"Uh.. I mean homework club."

"That's on a Monday."

I see the desperation in Fedosia eyes and she looks at me pleadingly.

"Guys, why don't we just.." I begin.

"Hey, chillax, kid. We just want to talk." Queenie says sweetly to Fedosia.

I start to feel scared.

"We can talk here." Fedosia replies, firmly.

Queenie's eyes blaze with anger and Fedosia shrinks back.

"Behind the bike sheds, now." She hisses.

Fedosia doesn't try to argue, and I have no choice but to follow.

I try not to look Fedosia in the face.

"What shall we do to teach her a lesson?" Leone asks, as Queenie shoves Fedosia violently to the ground behind the bike sheds.

"I thought we were just talking." Fedosia mutters.

"Shut up, Fesodia."

"Actually, it's Fed-"

"SHUT UP."

"What did I do wrong?"

"You messed with my chum. That's what you did wrong."

"Who?"

"Rosaline, dumbass."

"I was just trying to be friendly."

"Well you're not. You're harassing her. She doesn't like you, noone does. You're a waste of space."

I can see the pain in Fedosia's eyes as this is said, but she just glares at them.

"So, Rosaline, how should we teach her a lesson? You choose."

I should have told them to leave her alone.

I should have said this was wrong.

But I didn't.

"Uh.. I don't know." I mumbled.

I could barely dare to look at Fedosia's scared face, all the dreamy happiness gone.

Her narrow eyes seemed much wider.

"Well, it's you who wanted us to do this. Choose." Leone sighs.

Fedosia looks at me, horrified.

"Actually.. I didn't -" I protest.

"Please let me go." Fedosia begs.

Something about her woebegone expression snaps a string inside me.

"Lets just let her go, guys."

Queenie and Leone stare at me.

"We'll just get in trouble, you know we will. They'll find us out if we do anything to her." I warn them, hurriedly.

"Good point." Queenie sighs. "Pity."

Leone grabs Fedosia's arm and pulls her up viciously, then pushes her violently.

"Go!" She snapped.

Fedosia disappears round the corner of the bike shed within 2 seconds and the only sound is her quick footsteps fading away.

"Well I think she'll be too terrified to bother you anymore." Queenie laughs, cruelly.

"She was asking for it, though." Leone shrugs, flicking back a dark curl.

"I guess so." I mumble.

"I have to go to my netball club." Queenie says, waving at us as she walks back towards the school exit.

"Bye!" She turns and takes off running.

"See you tomorrow, Queenie!" Leone calls after her.

We walk at a slow pace behind her, chatting about exams and schoolwork and boys..

But I'm barely listening to what Leone says, and I walk home as if in a dream after she turns and goes her own way.

But I'm not going home.

I'm walking past my home.

Through the town.

I don't know why I'm doing it, I just am.

I'm writing on a piece of paper, scribbling as I walk, the writing messy and almost illegible.

I get lost a few times, but I eventually manage to end up in Hazeldene Avenue.

Fedosia's house.

I try desperately hard to remember where her house is from the night of Velvet lawn, but it takes about ten minutes of wandering around the estate to find it.

I post the scrunched up piece of paper through the door, then take off running down the street, my hair flying behind me.

I don't stop running until I get back into town, and then continue the walk home, completely breathless.