Finding Sky Read Online Free Page B

‘Gentlemen, I’d like four of you up front. Make a cradle of your arms—yes, that’s it. Now, we need the smallest girl for this.’
    No, absolutely not. I sidled behind Tina, who loyally tried to look twice her normal girth, pompoms on hips.
    ‘Where’s she gone—that little English girl? She was here a moment ago.’
    Sheena spoilt my plan to hide. ‘She’s behind Tina, ma’am.’
    ‘Come here, dear. Now, it’s quite simple. Sit on their crossed hands and they’ll throw you into the air and catch you. Tina and Sheena, bring a crash mat over here, just in case.’ My eyes must have been like saucers, for Mrs Green patted my cheek. ‘Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything but point your hands and feet and try to look as if you are enjoying yourself.’
    I eyed the boys with distrust; they were looking at me closely, possibly for the first time, estimating just how much weight I was carrying. Then Neil shrugged, making his mind up. ‘Yeah, we can do this.’
    ‘On the count of three!’ bellowed the teacher.
    They grabbed me and up I went. My shriek probably could’ve been heard in England. It certainly brought the basketball coach and the rest of the boys running in the belief that someone was being brutally murdered.
    I don’t think Mrs Green will be picking me for the squad.
    Still in shock, I sat at lunch with Tina, barely eating a thing. My stomach had yet to return to earth.
    ‘They got a fair bit of height on that toss, didn’t they?’ Tina flicked my arm to interrupt my blank stare.
    ‘Oh. My. God.’
    ‘You make a lot of noise for such a small person.’
    ‘So would you if a sadistic teacher decided to torture you.’
    Tina shook her mane. ‘Not going to be a problem for me—I’m too big.’ She thought it funny, the traitor. ‘So, Sky, what’re you going to do with the rest of your recess?’
    Spurred out of my stupor, I dug out a leaflet from my welcome pack and put it between us. ‘I thought I’d go along to the music practice. Want to come too?’
    She pushed it away with a wry laugh. ‘Sorry, you’re on your own. Me, they don’t let me near the music room. Glass shatters when it sees me coming with my mouth open. What do you play?’
    ‘A couple of instruments,’ I admitted.
    ‘Details, sister, details.’ She beckoned with her fingers, drawing the words out of me.
    ‘Piano, guitar, and saxophone.’
    ‘Mr Keneally is going to die of excitement when he hears. A one-girl band! Do you sing?’
    I shook my head.
    ‘Phew! I thought I was going to have to hate you for being sickeningly talented.’ She dumped her tray. ‘Music’s this way. I’ll show you.’
    I’d seen pictures on the school website but the music suite was much better equipped than even I had hoped. The main classroom had a glossy black grand that I was already itching to get my hands on. Students were milling around when I entered, some strumming on their guitars, a couple of girls practising scales on flutes. A tall, dark-haired boy with John Lennon glasses was changing the reed on his clarinet, his expression serious. I looked for somewhere inconspicuous to sit, preferably with a good view of the piano. There was a space next to a girl on the far side. I made towards it but her friend sat down before I could.
    ‘Sorry, but this seat’s taken,’ the girl said, seeing I was still hovering at her shoulder.
    ‘Right. OK.’
    I perched alone on the edge of a desk and waited, avoiding meeting anyone’s eye.
    ‘Hey, you’re Sky, right?’ A boy with a shaved head and complexion of rich roast coffee took my hand, giving it a complicated shake. He moved with the easy grace of the long-limbed. Put into one of my comic book dreams, he’d be called something like Elasto-man.
    Stop it, Sky, concentrate.
    ‘Um … hi. You know me?’
    ‘Yeah. I’m Nelson. You met my grandma. She told me to watch out for you. Everyone treating you well?’
    OK—so he wasn’t like Mrs Hoffman after all, way too cool.