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I stare at him in surprise. It’s the one act of genuine kindness I’ve received from a Lochkelvin boy. It’s not the bedsheets that are filling me up with warmth butDaniel. Sweet, kind Daniel with his selfless gift of literature.
“Thank you,” I say, meaning it with all my heart. I take the books from him, looking through them all with interest. The sci-fi novel is calledA Weirdo in a Weird World, and there’s the picture of a hulking great spaceship surrounded by galaxies of stars. A woman with gorgeous flowing brown hair and not inconsiderable breasts is dressed like a pirate, swinging around the antenna of a spaceship with a telescope pressed to her eye. She’s pointing to a nearby planet with a victorious grin. It’s been well-loved, the cover artwork cracked and peeling at the corners, and there’s that amazing smell of ink and parchment.
As soon as I breathe it in, it reminds me of Rory.
I try not to breathe after that.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I say, placing the book far away from me for my own safety. “It’s really kind of you. Thank you.”
Daniel shrugs, his expression a little brighter now that I haven’t rejected his choice in literature. “I thought you might need a friend. I don’t agree with what they’ve been saying.”
I swallow, staring at him. “What have they been saying?” I haven’t heard anything. Nowadays people keep a wide berth from me.
“That you went mental and flipped out and terrorized the chiefs — um, and…” He looks kind of shamefaced, not meeting my eyes. “They’re saying you got locked up like a crazy witch in the tower because you, um, went for a… you know…” Now, Daniel seems more awkward than ever. “That you took a dirty protest in their beds and, like, covered the walls and stuff in blood. Period blood.”
I stare at Daniel, aghast. “They thinkwhat?”
He holds his hands up. “I don’t believe it! It’s just what people are saying.” He gives me a nervous look. “Y-You didn’t… right?”
“Of course I didn’t!”
Daniel gulps and releases a breath. “Okay. I knew that. I was just checking…”
I sag onto the bed, holding my head in my hands. Everyone at this school is a damned liar. I’m living in a world where the truth is treated like lies while actual lies and stupid rumors have become the accepted truth.
“Why are you here?” I mumble, poking my head out from the blankets. “You don’t want to hang around with someone like me. I’ll just make your life miserable.”
At this, Daniel grows thoughtful. He licks his lips, propping himself up against the wall, and says in a quiet tone, “My dad’s a minister.”
“Oh, yeah? You and everyone else’s dad here.” I roll my eyes. “What kind of minister, First or Prime?”
“Christian.”
I blink up at him. The covers slip off me. “What?”
“He’s a minister for the church. Maybe I listened to one too many of his sermons, but I was always taught to help those in need. And right now, I kinda think you might be one of them.”
My heart warms. I want to weep before him but instead I find myself nodding. “I’m in need,” I whisper, sounding slightly deranged to my own ears. “Whatever God has to offer me, I’ll take it.”
Daniel laughs lightly. “Unfortunately I don’t have the big man’s number, butIcould help if you want? Be a pal? I know I’m not exactly any kind of god, but…”
“They’ll hurt you. If you hang around with me, you’ll be in for it, too.”
“We can save each other, then.” He gives me an adorable, lopsided grin. “Outcast kids are the most resilient.”
Resilient. My mind turns back to Rory on the rock, telling me in that dry, mocking tone that he had to beresilient. That he couldn’t be a whiny little pussy.
With Daniel in my corner, it’s as though the darkness in my mind softens around the edges like a vignette. I no longer feel so alone. I might not have the girls, but I havesomeone, and that someone so far seems to care a heck of a lot more than the girls ever did.
We eat together, to everyone’s amazement. The gremlins ogle us. The girls do, too. I learn more about Daniel’s life — he’s the only boy in a family of six, all of whom are at least ten years older than him. He lives in a small town in the Highlands where there isn’t much to do and the church is the main hub of the community.
Eventually, Daniel becomes Danny, and he seems to like that.
“It’s weird, growing up somewhere so small where everyone knows your name. Being doted upon by elderly women who remember your first steps. There’s nowhere to escape. Maybe that’s why I like reading so much.” He twirls his spoon in his porridge. “It was a way to escape the nothingness of life…”
I get that he’s trying to distract me from the gremlins we’re sharing a table with. One of them is eagerly listening to Rory, who hasn’t taken his eyes off us all morning. They narrow at me when I catch him. When he stands up, it’s as though the entire table takes a sharp intake of breath — including me.
His leather shoes thud loudly on the stone tiles. Danny trails off, gazing up at Rory with wide eyes.
