Meanwhile at St Felicity’s School for Girls, it’s morning break and the pupils filter from their classrooms into the enclosed school yard. Andrew’s had an hour or two to get used his uniform and whilst everyone else wears the same, he feels completely out of place being one of seemingly a handful of boys in the whole school. He walks awkwardly in his black T-bar sandals with their two inch heels; heels that strike the parquet flooring noisily with every step. Burgundy tights cover his legs up to his mid thigh where his tartan pinafore dress takes over. His bunches bounce awkwardly around his ears as he’s bustled along with the rest of the kids and eventually out into the yard. “You!” an adult voice hollers. “New boy!”
Andrew turns to see one of the teachers looking at him and beckoning him toward her. Sheepishly, Andrew saunters over, scraping the occasional heel against the undulating surface. “Yes Miss.” he humbly says.
“Take this and play over there.” she says, handing him a skipping rope and pointing to a corner of the yard.
“Err…” Andrew croaks as he hesitantly takes hold of the skipping rope. “I can’t… I don’t know how to.”
“You’ll learn.” she sternly says. “Just follow the others.”
With his head hung low, Andrew does as he’s told and goes to the corner of the school yard where a handful of other kids are skipping. Some were on the minibus and like him, are boys in a girl’s school. A trio of busty prefects watch over them. “Don’t just stand there boy!” one says to Andrew, prompting him to join in.
“I can’t do it.” he claimed.
“Try!” she barked. Andrew observed the others and followed suit. He held the wooden grips in each hand and hung the rope at the back of his ankles, before trying and failing numerous times to skip over the rope. His continued failure was almost as embarrassing as having the prefects snigger at his ineptitude, but neither of these are as embarrassing and the girl’s school uniform he was given soon after arrival.
The sound of a car horn is quickly followed by a loud whistle. Everyone stops what they’re doing and a handful of teachers tell the children to move to one side of the school yard. The big iron gates are opened and the school’s minibus slowly drives into the yard. Its sliding side door is opened and two girls get out… then in full view of the entire school, a very timid William is helped out. His hands cup and a host of cheers and jeers greet him. “Looks like they’ve found your friend.” one of the kids says to Andrew. He’s escorted into the building and the minibus is reversed out of the yard. The gates are shut and one of the teachers yells “Carry on!”
Andrew is dumbfounded with what he’d just witnessed. “Carry on!” one of the prefects prompts. “You’re not allowed to just stand around.”
“Er…” Andrew replied, before continuing trying and failing to skip. “I can’t do it in these shoes.” he claims.
“Everyone else can.” the prefect retorts, drawing his attention to the other boys who are skipping in the same style of footwear.
“They’ve had more practice than me.” Andrew claimed.
“Well practise.” the prefect barked. “Don’t just stand there looking gormless.”
Andrew hung his head before swinging the rope over and attempting to skip over it… but being unaccustomed to wearing shoes with heels, he daren’t jump more than an inch or two. Within a couple of minutes, the school bell rings and brings great relief to Andrew. Everyone filters back inside. The boys who’d been skipping hand their ropes back to the teacher. “I was the same on my first day.” one of the boys said to Andrew as they walked two by two back to class. “Didn’t have a clue how to skip.” he added. “You’ll soon get the hang of it.”
“Not in these shoes.” Andrew replied. “Do we have to do that every break?”
“Yeah… if it’s not skipping it’s hop-scotch.” the boy replied. “I presume that was your mate they brought in?”
“Yeah… William.” Andrew said. “I can’t believe they dragged him in like that”
“That’s what happens if you try to skip a day at St Flick’s.”
