I heave a sigh, glancing down at myself. I definitely can’t go into town wearing my campaign t-shirt.
“Here.” Dee digs into her bag and tosses me a black jumper. It’s a little too tight, and I definitely don’t look ready for a night in town. But it’ll have to do.
As we head toward the bus stop, I can’t help the gnawing dread in my stomach.
chapter thirty-two
ishu
I STAY PREOCCUPIED WITH HANI AND NIK AND HOW TO deal with everything until I get to school on Monday. Beside the office, there’s a list of names tacked up and I know exactly what that is about. It’s only a few weeks until the exams and the end of our school term. I knew that the Head Girl candidates would be announced sooner or later. I guess I thought it would be later.
With everything else going on—the fake dating guide in Nik’s hand and this ridiculous crush on Hani—I had almost forgotten about Head Girl. But now a strange dread gnaws at me as I slowly make my way toward the list. What if I’ve been too preoccupied with all of this stuff? I had been so worried about not making Head Girl because I need everyone’s vote to make it happen, but to get there, I need to first of all make the cut and be chosen as a viable candidate by the teachers.
Taking a deep breath, I start to scan the list. The first couple of names are for the candidates chosen for prefect who need to interview with the teachers. Hani’s name sits in the middle: Humaira Khan, International Prefect: Wednesday 3 p.m. in the library.
I’m not surprised to see Hani there. Everybody loves her, after all. And it’s not like there’s stiff competition for prefect applications when there are more than a dozen positions available.
The Head Girl candidates are listed at the very bottom, and I have to take another deep breath before I can look:
Head Girl interviews will take place on Tuesday in the principal’s office at the following times:
Alexandra Tuttle: 9 a.m.
Siobhán Hennessey: 9:30 a.m.
Maya Kelly: 10 a.m.
Ishita Dey: 10:30 a.m.
I barely get the chance to breathe a sigh of relief before I spot Hani coming around the corner, concern written all over her face.
“Hey …” she says hesitantly, and I’m not sure if this is because of this weekend or the list that’s hanging in front of us.
“I’m on the list. I have my interview tomorrow.” The words out of my lips feel like relief, but there’s a sense of dread there too. Because this is just the start. Nik was on this list too during her fifth year, but even with her charming smile and winning personality she couldn’t convince people at this school to choose her as the Head Girl. I don’t have Nik’s personality—what hope do I have to win what she didn’t?
Hani’s face brightens, the smile that’s become so familiar to me on her lips now. “That’s amazing, congratulations!” Then, lowering her voice she asks, “So … why do you look disappointed? This is what you wanted, right?”
“I mean …” I take a deep breath, stepping away from the office and toward the browbeaten bench opposite it. We sit down side by side and I’m a little too aware of the fact that we’re so close I can smell the coconut scent of her shampoo. “These are the parts I can’t control.” My voice is barely a whisper, but Hani must hear them because her smile disappears.
“They’ll vote for you.”
“And you know that because …”
“Because … our plan worked,” Hani says matter-of-factly. “It worked … kind of better than we could have ever imagined, hasn’t it? Aisling and Dee are on your side now. There’s no way you’re going to lose this.”
Somehow, Hani sounds completely convinced of this fact. I can’t help the smile that breaks out on my face from her strangely confident gaze.
“You’ve just jinxed it, you know.”
Hani just rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “I made the prefect shortlist, you know.”
“Yeah, obviously you did. Congratulations.”
“So … Aisling and Dee were saying we should celebrate after school? You’re going to come, right?” There’s a hint of a plea in her voice and I heave a sigh.
“Maybe we should … talk about …” I hesitate and Hani gazes down at the hem of her skirt, her fingers wrapping around the ends, “… the guide?”
Hani looks up to meet my eyes again. I know there are other things we have to talk about too, but this seems more pressing. “I mean … if something happens with that, all our hard work will be blown, right?”