Page 33 of The Inn on Bluebell Lane

“Nothing, really.” She turned off the keyboard and hunched her shoulders defensively. “Just messing around.”

“Do you play?”

“Not really.” She’d had lessons when she was little, but she hadn’t practiced and her mom had stopped them after a while, claiming they were a waste of time. Jess hadn’t really minded. “Do you?” she asked, and the girl shrugged, hunching her shoulders.

“Sort of. When I can.”

This was the most Jess had talked to anyone since she’d arrived at this school. It felt good, but also a little scary. Uncertainly, she moved over on the bench seat. “You can have a turn, if you want.”

The girl’s face brightened, making Jess smile. “Can I? Thanks.” She sat next to Jess and switched the keyboard back on. “I’m really bad,” she added self-consciously, like a warning, and Jess found herself smiling all the more.

“You couldn’t be as bad as me.”

“I’m Sophie,” the girl said after a moment, and she smiled shyly.

“I’m Jessica,” Jess replied, smiling back, “but you can call me Jess.”

“You’re new, aren’t you?”

The smile started to slide off Jess’s face. “Yeah.”

“And American.”

“How can you tell?” she managed to joke, and Sophie gave a little laugh.

“Oh, I don’t know, the accent, maybe? It’s cool. Everyone here sounds so… Welsh. It’s nice to hear something different.”

“Is it?” Jess was heartened; her science teacher had made fun of the way she’d said some words, which had made Jess burn with humiliation. She didn’t think he’d meant it meanly, but didn’t he know how kids her age operated? Everyone had mimicked her American accent as she’d gathered up her books, putting on the most over-the-top and ridiculous accents. She knew she didn’t sound like that. The only plus about not having any friends was that at least they’d all forgotten about her by lunchtime, so she hadn’t had to endure the teasing for very long.

“How do you like it here?” Sophie asked.

Jessa thought of the miserable two weeks she’d spent feeling like she was in an isolation tank, or maybe just invisible, and that was if she was lucky. She’d been counting down the hours and sometimes even the minutes of every single excruciating school day. “It’s okay,” she said.

Sophie gave a commiserating sort of grimace, as if she’d guessed at everything Jess hadn’t said. “Yeah? It’s not so bad, once you get used to it. There are some nice teachers, and some good after-school clubs.”

Jess couldn’t help but notice Sophie hadn’t mentioned anything about the school’s students. Did she have trouble making friends too? Was that why she was on her own at lunchtime? She seemed nice enough to Jess, but she knew kids could be cruel. There had been some mean girls back at her old school—girls like Emily. Chloe had barely texted her all week, and she was trying not to mind, even though it hurt, bitterly. Clearly she had a new BFF, one that was way cooler than Jess ever had been.

Turning back to the keyboard, Sophie let her fingers ripple over the keys. “Do you know this one?” she asked and played the opening bars of a pop song Jess had heard on the radio.

Unthinkingly, Jess sang along for a few seconds, and then stopped, embarrassed, tensing in case she was teased. Again.

“You have a great voice,” Sophie encouraged, and she played another familiar pop song, raising her eyebrows expectantly. This time, they both sang the opening lines, before bursting into embarrassed giggles, ducking their heads.

“You’re really good on the keyboard,” Jess remarked. “Much better than me. I took lessons when I was little, but I can only play a couple of chords.”

Sophie scooted over, gesturing to the keyboard. “Have a go.”

“Okay…”

For the next twenty minutes, they took turns playing the keyboard and singing along to pop tunes. It was the most fun by far that Jess had had since moving to Wales. It felt so nice just to chat to someone her own age, to joke around and have a laugh over nothing much. It felt like a million years since she’d done something like this with Chloe, or anyone. She’d been feeling so lonely, she knew she had, but she hadn’t even realized how much until now, when she felt as if she’d just taken a big drink of water in the desert. She was refreshed and energized just by a few minutes of joking and chitchat. She finally felt seen.

The bell rang for the next lesson, and Sophie rose from the bench reluctantly. “I’ve got double science now,” she said with a grimace. “You?”

“Double math.” Jess grimaced too. “Or maths, as everyone says.” She grimaced again.

“I like your accent,” Sophie told her with a smile. “And the American words.” She raised her eyebrows. “See you around?” she asked, an uncertain smile curving her mouth, her voice lilting with hope, and Jess nodded enthusiastically, too pleased with the possibility of a friend to try to seem cool or unbothered. What was the point, anyway?

“Yeah, definitely,” she said, like a promise. “See you around.”