Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne Read Free Book Online Page A

his ribs. The roll-up dropped out of his mouth onto the pavement. Guy didn’t notice.
    â€œSeriously?” he asked, his head still upside down.
    I looked to the others for support. They just gave me “we’re talking to this loser again?” looks.
    â€œSeriously. That was my weekend.”
    â€œChrist, you make me laugh.” He got himself upright again, realized he’d dropped his joint, and ducked to pick it up off the floor.
    â€œYeah, well, at least I’m not plucking a soggy roll-up out of a gutter with an indeterminate tribal scar forever etched onto my body.”
    â€œFair enough.” Guy was waterproof against insults once he’d had a smoke. “Anyway, you got class now? Bye, ladies.” He re-lit his smoke and sauntered off.
    Amber didn’t look impressed as we watched Guy cough his way down an alley. “That’s the guy from the kitchen, right?”
    â€œYeah, Guy. He’s okay really. He’s Joel’s best mate.”
    â€œAnd Joel is?”
    â€œJane’s boyfriend.”
    â€œAhhh, Jane.” Amber gave Lottie a knowing look. I tried to read into it but the bell went.
    â€œSee ya,” I yelled behind me and I ran off to class and Casablanca .
    â€œSee ya.”

Seven
    I was almost late for film studies and sat down all a-bluster, grabbing my notebook out my bag and rushing to get to the right page. My rush was wasted though as our teacher, Brian, walked in wearing shades and bashed his head face-down on the desk.
    â€œAll right, class? I’m hung-over as sin,” he told the wood. “Take it easy on me today.”
    From what I could tell, Brian was a frustrated director with a drinking problem. Yet he was worshipped by the rest of my class for his tendency to yell “NO YOU’RE WRONG” and smash the table if you dared suggest Forrest Gump deserved that Best Picture Oscar over Pulp Fiction .
    â€œSo…” Brian continued to address the desk. “As I need to spend most of the next hour focusing on not vomming my guts up…” I felt sick, instantly sick. “Here is a very easy task for you. For some unknown reason, the examining bastards have decided to add noughties films to the exam syllabus. I haven’t read which ones they’re testing you on yet, so turn to the person next to you and discuss your favourite three films since 2000. Then report back at the end of the class. GO.”
    I counted around the circle of desks to work out who I was paired with.
    One…two…one…two…one… I looked to the left of me, and found myself staring into the most impressive pair of cheekbones the world has ever known. They were attached to this guy, a smiling guy, as he’d already worked out we were partners.
    â€œHi, I’m Oli,” he said.
    â€œOh, hey, I’m Evelyn…well, Evie.”
    He smiled again. The cheekbones. The almighty cheekbones. His face looked like it had been chiselled out of butter by the gods, and yet he was all shy and looky-downy. Ding ding ding . My innards were lighting up like a slot machine. I promptly forgot all about worrying I’d fail my AS level due to Brian’s teaching.
    â€œI’ve not seen you in class,” I said, knowing I certainly would’ve noticed THOSE cheekbones before. “Did you just switch AS levels or something?”
    He coughed and his smile dropped slightly. “I…no…er…there was a problem with my admission…” His voice went up like it was a question, and he carried on. “They thought I was staying on at my old school’s sixth form…paperwork muddle. This is my first full week.”
    I nodded. “Oh okay. That’s…er…weird. So, you like films, huh?” I gestured towards the screen at the front of the classroom, and then cursed myself for stating something so obvious.
    â€œYeah. I’m not much of a reader, I prefer my stories in visual