‘Okay,’ says Kira, holding up her hands. ‘I am sorry I did this without telling you. But look around, people are discussing it.’
She nods towards Alia and Tasmin, who are having a very animated discussion.
‘Look, if someone used something I told them in secret against me, it would be blackmail.’
‘But what if they witnessed you doing something bad, is that not fair game?’
‘Two wrongs don’t make a right!’
‘It’s not that straightforward.’
‘Who are you blackmailing?’
I watch them animatedly discuss my Selena Snap. They’re discussing my thoughts, my words.
‘I mean, the blackmail point wasn’t really the take,’ I say. ‘The point was I thought all-girls’ schools were a good ground to get favours.’
‘Well, ifyou’dactually written the opinion piece afterwards, and not Tori, maybe you could have said that,’ says Kira.
‘Tori’s piece is garbage,’ I say. ‘It’s not what I was writing about at all.’
‘You do realise there’s a way of correcting that,’ says Faye.
‘How?’ I say.
‘By submitting a follow-up,’ says Faye, with a coy smile.
Fourteen
All I have is my pen
It can create or break open
Worlds of my choice
With wicker words that
Set alight when spoken
‘Creation’ fromDreamers
That afternoon after school, I’m sitting at my laptop, overlooking the garden. No sign of Ty out there.
I’m trying to avoid Ty. I haven’t talked to him since our interaction last week. Partly to keep a sense of mystery going. But mostly because I’m worried he’ll retaliate. Giving him some time to cool down may be a good thing for us both. But I can’t stop myself from watching him when he’s out there. And what’s most annoying is that I can tell he knows I’m doing it.
I didn’t bother putting up the privacy pane. My point was made. And it’s good because it means I still have an unobstructed view into his garden. We’re hitting the last of the September warmth, and I know our garden meetings will soon be over.
I turn back to my laptop. Kira gave me access to the anonymous email account she used to submit my Selena Says. There’s oneemail in it, Tori acknowledging receipt and asking a string of questions: what year of school I’m in, what classes I’m taking, if I want to write a further expansion of my piece . . . She’s attempting to respect my anonymity, but I can tell she really wants to know who I am.
There are some things that bug me about the Secret Sender piece. One is Kira sending it in the first place, although I know she had my best interests in mind. The second is everyone misconstruing what I said.
I tap my desk with my fingers. Can I really send in a follow-up? Won’t it make it all worse? But part of me enjoyed that people were talking about what I wrote, dissecting the meaning. It was like I was the subject in an English class. Being a writer feels powerful.
I open an email up and start writing:
Dear Tori
No that doesn’t sound right—
