I was last on the register, so

as soon as I said

that I was still there

everyone stood up and left.

Katie was still there

and she pointed at me and

asked me if I was coming tonight.

I said that guessed not and she asked me

If I knew that she wasn’t

my girlfriend.

I didn’t answer so she informed me

that I wasn’t allowed to be jealous that

she goes to parties that I don’t.

I asked, ‘what party?’ and she rolled her eyes

and left. I walked out of the classroom alone and

wondering what the hell just happened.

James saw me across the yard

and shouted

if I was coming tonight.

I told him to *******

and walked quicker

every time he tried to

call me back.

A few kids on the bus

swore at me through

the open window, their

middle fingers and crude words

working together in pitiless tandem.

I turned up the volume

in my ipod

and kept on walking.

It carried on snowing. It had been

three days now and three times

we had been called to assembly

so the headmaster could announce

which schools had been closed for the day.

That morning he was

proud to tell us

that we were the only school

in the area

to still be open.

The snow was four inches deep

and rising and grey and dangerous.

Through the frosted windows

in the front door I could see

my keys. I kicked the wall

and nearly shattered my toes.

I climbed over my gate to the back of my house.

For a while I thought about

breaking a window.

The cat found me and pawed me shins

and I told her I was sorry,

but I couldn’t let her in the house.

I sat in a frozen plastic chair

and looked across the white

and green garden. The cat

joined me, and sat on my lap,

her body as close to me as possible.

I zipped her up inside my jacket

so only her head poked out and

we sat there,

watching cartoon’s on my ipod.

Batman fought The Joker again, and

Gumball finally got to kiss Penny.

The Joker escaped again

and Gumball realised

that it was all a dream.

It got cold and dark and eventually

both the cat and I fell asleep.

My mother shook me awake

and unzipped my jacket to let the cat out.

She asked me if I had a good day at school, and

I rubbed my eyes

and told her that

I couldn’t remember.