Free Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

up with her and pulled her around to face me. She pulled away from my grasp like I was contaminated.
    ‘Yes?’
    ‘Don’t be like that?’ I pleaded.
    ‘Like what?’
    I glared at her. ‘Aren’t you going to stay?’
    ‘I don’t think so.’
    ‘Why not?’
    At first, I thought she wasn’t going to answer.
    ‘I don’t stay where I’m not wanted.’ Sephy turned around again. I ran to stand in front of her.
    ‘I did it for your own good.’
    A strange expression flitted across her face. ‘Did you? Was it my good or your own you were thinking about?’
    ‘Maybe a bit of both,’ I admitted.
    ‘Maybe a lot of one and none of the other,’ Sephy contradicted.
    ‘I’m sorry – OK?’
    ‘So am I. I’ll see you, Callum.’ Sephy tried to walk around me again, but I moved directly into her path. Fear tore at my insides. If she left now, that would be the end. Funny how a few hours ago, that’d been exactly what I was wishing for.
    ‘Sephy, wait!’
    ‘For what?’
    ‘H-how about if you and I go up to Celebration Wood this Saturday? We could have a picnic.’
    Sephy’s eyes lit up although she tried her best to hide it. I breathed an inward sigh of relief although I was careful not to show it.
    ‘Celebration Wood . .?’
    ‘Yeah. Just you and me.’
    ‘Are you sure you won’t be ashamed to be seen with me?’ Sephy asked.
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
    Sephy regarded me. ‘What time shall I meet you?’ she said at last.
    ‘How about ten-thirty at the train station? I’ll meet you on the platform.’
    ‘OK.’ Sephy turned away.
    ‘Where’re you going?’ I asked.
    ‘Home.’
    ‘Why don’t you stay a while?’
    ‘I don’t want to disturb you.’
    ‘Sephy, get off it,’ I snapped.
    ‘Get off what? You’re a snob, Callum. And I never realized it until today,’ Sephy snapped back, just as angry. ‘I thought you were better than that, above all that nonsense. But you’re just like anyone else. “Crosses and noughts shouldn’t be seen together. Crosses and noughts shouldn’t be friends. Crosses and noughts shouldn’t even live on the same planet together”.’
    ‘That’s rubbish!’ I fumed. ‘I don’t believe any of that, you know I don’t.’
    ‘Do I?’ Sephy tilted her head to one side as she continued to scrutinize me. ‘Well, if you’re not a snob, you’re a hypocrite, which is even worse. I’m OK to talk to as long as no-one can see us, as long as no-one knows.’
    ‘Don’t talk to me like that . . .’
    ‘Why? Does the truth hurt?’ asked Sephy. ‘Which one is it, Callum? Are you a snob or a hypocrite?’
    ‘Get lost, Sephy.’
    ‘With pleasure.’
    And this time, when Sephy walked away I didn’t try to stop her. I just watched her leave.

fifteen. Sephy

    There’s a proverb which says, ‘Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it!’ I never really knew what that meant – until now. All those months helping Callum with his work so he’d pass the Heathcroft entrance exam. All those nights wishing on every blazing star that Callum would pass so we could go to the same school together, be in the same class together even. And now it’d all come true.
    And it was horrible. Everything was going wrong.
    I sighed, then sighed again. I couldn’t hide in this toilet cubicle for ever. And who was I hiding from anyway? I was hiding from all those people who’d been pointing and whispering as I walked past them in the school corridor – but mainly from Callum. After what had happened the previous evening, I was afraid to face him. I was so afraid he wouldn’t be my friend any more. So if I didn’t see him, I could pretend that nothing between us had changed. But I couldn’t sit on the toilet lid for ever. The bell rang for the end of break-time. I stood up and took a deep breath.
    ‘OK . . . Here goes . . .’ I muttered to myself.
    I drew back the bolt and opened the cubicle door. I was just stepping out of the cubicle when it happened. Lola, Joanne