She gives me a small smile. ‘What would the Secret Sender do?’
Thirty-One
You’re my . . . cheerleader
Standing on the side
Pep talks for miles
I couldn’t do it without you
‘Cheerleader’ from
The Brink of Teenage Freedom
I am shaken by Ms Harkness knowing my secret. The next day, I keep looking around, as if the news will suddenly break and everyone will know.
‘Why are you so concerned, anyway?’ asks Kira, at lunch. ‘I thought you stood by what you wrote.’
It’s a pointed comment, and one I am going to ignore.
‘It’s part of the mystique of the Secret Sender,’ I say. ‘It’s literally in the name, “Secret”. Nobody is going to care if it’s me.’
Kira rolls her eyes. ‘They might care if it’s you when they find out they’re your opinions.’
‘Let’s not fight,’ says Faye, holding out her arms. ‘I have some news.’
‘What?’ we say.
‘The Chelsea seamstress has taken me on for next year! I had to go there and beg, but I’ve got it.’
‘Designer Faye, here we go,’ says Kira, snapping her fingers. ‘Hey, you can design all my power suits for when I’m running this place.’
‘Why, Madam Prime Minister, I would love to be your fashion designer of choice,’ says Faye, mock curtseying. I shake my head in bemusement.
‘Now I’ve got into LSE, I feel much better about things,’ says Kira.
‘Wait – what—?’ I say.
‘I wanted to tell you guys in person,’ Kira grins wickedly at us, ‘and now seems like a good enough time.’ She spreads her arms out. ‘This girl is on her way out of here.’
I feel pure delight for Kira. Faye and I pull her into a group hug.
‘This isn’t gloating, is it?’ says Kira.
I know she’s mocking my article, but I’m too happy for her. ‘No jokes. This is celebrating,’ I say, holding her. ‘I’m really happy for you.’
‘See, Selena,’ says Kira, grabbing my arms. ‘Improbable things can happen. I can get into LSE, Faye can get her placement, and you can get this newspaper work experience.’
‘You’ve been working hard for this your whole life! I don’t think LSE was ever improbable.’
‘Everything is improbable when it feels like the odds are stacked against you. Look at me – if I didn’t try for any opportunity that didn’t have people like me there, I wouldn’t do anything. Just because you think the world is full of people like Tori, who have been prepping their whole lives, with contacts, doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough. You’ve got to try.’
‘Yeah, now we’ve worked out what we’re doing next year, it’s only you left,’ says Faye. ‘And we’ve got your back.’
I nod, but inside I know, even though they’ve got my back, I’m the one who’s got to do the work.
***
