Page 34 - SAMPLE Looking for Emily

Four
Monday morning arrived and Lily found herself in a panic about the non-completion of Ms Hanan’s “homework”. The museum had distracted her, occupying her thoughts throughout the weekend, but now the sight of the school made it unavoidable.
She edged her way into the playground, trying to make eye contact with someone and then immediately dropping her gaze when she succeeded. Coward. She took herself off to one side for a stern talking-to. It was one word. Five seconds of her life. It didn’t mean she had to be friends with the person. She could just say it, listen to whatever their boring response was and then go and tell Ms Hanan that she had tried but that she had been right to avoid her classmates all along. She steeled herself and went back into the playground.
Why did adults always feel as though they had to be helpful? They almost always made everything worse. She inwardly cursed Ms Hanan and looked around the playground. She had no idea how to just
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