Knife's Edge

CHAPTER TEN

Sunday and Monday come and go way too soon and, before I know it, I'm sat at my desk in the exam hall on Tuesday as the head invigilator calls end of time. My last exam of the year is officially over. As of now, I'm on summer break.

Finally!

The realisation is made all the sweeter by the fact that everyone else at home has at least another month of school still. The rest of the school breaks up later than A-levels.

As soon as the papers have been collected up, we're let out of the room a table row at a time. I'm sat in the middle of the room so it takes a few minutes before I'm allowed to leave, my foot tapping impatiently against the floor. As soon as I'm out, I'm surrounded by the nervous chatter of my classmates as they discuss how they think the exam went.

"Hey, Jade," someone says, jogging to catch up and falling into step beside me.

It's Mike Langford, one of Dylan's friend's and, unlike Neil, someone I actually get along with. Whenever we have to carry out experiments in Psychology the two of us always pair up and work together.

"Hey," I reply as we walk towards the lockers to collect our bags.

"So how'd you think it went?" he asks conversationally. "I hated the stress section."

"I think it went okay," I reply with a small shrug. "I preferred the other paper, though."

"Definitely," he agrees. "I'd take the memory models over the sympathomedullary pathway, any day."

"Well, lucky us, we don't have to deal with either next year," I remind him with a grin. "We just get completely brand new topics to stress our guts out over."

"Lucky us, indeed," he agrees with a chuckle. "So, this is you done now for summer, isn't it?"

"Yep," I beam. "You?"

"I've got Chemistry next week," he tells me.

"Ouch," I wince. Chemistry is my least favourite of all sciences. "Good luck with that one."

He laughs as we reach my locker, watching as I open it and stuff all my school crap into my bag for the final time this year. "Well I'd better go," he says, nodding further down the hall to where his own locker sits. "I just wanted to say have a good summer."

"Thanks, you too!" I call after him as he walks away.

Once I've sorted my locker out, I drop Megan a text. She's currently in Biology, most likely bored out of her mind.

'Suckers at school ;) x'

My phone beeps immediately with a response.

'I hate you. How'd it go?? X'

'Not awful, not great. How's class? X'

'It's AWFUL!!! Come save me?! X'

'Sorry, girl, you're on your own. I'm not gonna be late to work to save your sorry ass x'

'You're evil x'

'I try. We'll have to meet up soon, okay? I can help you revise or something x'

'Fat chance on the revision thing but a defo yes on the meet up. Speak soon! X'

I roll my eyes and chuckle at her response, sliding my phone into my bag as I make my way out of the school. I'm due at the café in twenty minutes and I hope tonight's shift will be a smooth one. I'm working four until eight tonight, my usual shift, but I can't wait to get home. There's something about exams, they just knock the energy flat out of me.