The Rainbow Maker's Tale by Mel Cusick-Jones Page B

fell into step behind a boy from my Green
Zone school class. Matthew. I didn’t greet him or make him aware of
my presence. Why would I?
    “Hey Matt!”
    I turned towards the voice,
even though it wasn’t me that had been shouted. A boy I didn’t
recognise was waving and he turned in my direction. I saw Matthew
raise his own hand in acknowledgement when he saw the guy and he
slowed down to wait as the newcomer approached through the crowd. I
slowed myself, mainly because I had little else to do at the moment
apart from continue with my circuits of the square.
    The boy was tall – a good few
inches bigger than me – and he had the dark skin colour of the
station descendents with African heritage. He had a relaxed walk,
more of a lope really, and he covered the distance between them in
a few long strides. I found myself eavesdropping on their
conversation, as a distraction from my own concerns.
    “Hi Joel, how’s things?
Where’re you going?” Matthew asked as the boy joined him.
    “I’m starting my Medic
placement today at The Clinic.” The boy – Joel – nodded towards the
large building that I’d been circling for the last forty minutes.
“What about you?”
    “Yeah, I’m on placement too.”
Matthew shrugged his shoulders dismissively as he replied.
    It was exactly the same
movement Cassie made and I wondered whether this was something
she’d picked up from him or vice versa, as I knew that they hung
out at school.
    “I’m just heading over to
Engineering, I applied for the longer rotation and start
today.”
    I could tell by the sound of
Matthew’s voice that he wasn’t overly happy with this and I wasn’t
surprised; from what I could remember of his answers in class,
engineering was not his strong point. That would explain the
extended placement and lack of enthusiasm.
    “I know – no holidays right?”
Joel complained lightly, echoing Matthew’s apathy. “It sucks!”
    “Anyone else you know on these
earlier rotations?”
    Joel shook his head. No. “Not
on the Engineering side of things,” he said, “just a girl from my
class on the Medic rotation.”
    “Nice?” Matthew asked. I knew
he wasn’t referring to her personality.
    “Oh yeah,” Joel laughed,
catching his meaning immediately. “But man, can she talk!” He held
his hand up and flexed his fingers open and closed rapidly to
reinforce his words. Matthew laughed and rolled his eyes. “Anyone
you know on my placement?” Joel asked a moment later.
    “I think Cassie’s doing the
extended Medic rotation,” Matthew replied after a few seconds
thought. “She might be with you.”
    “Nice?” Joel asked, flashing
Matthew a mischievous grin as he echoed his friend’s earlier
question.
    “Sure,” Matthew replied;
without hesitation I noticed.
    Joel made the same talkative hand gesture that he made before. Matthew laughed
again.
    “Yes, but not in a bad way,” he
assured Joel. “She’s pretty cool.”
    “Really?” Joel asked turning
towards his friend with interest now. An unfamiliar monster growled
somewhere in the pit of my stomach when I saw Joel’s reaction. For
some reason I could not explain, I felt unexpectedly angry with
this perfect stranger.
    “Yeah,” Matthew repeated.
    “Seeing anyone?” Joel enquired
casually.
    The unknown beast rumbled
inside me again, its discontent still directed at Joel.
    “Nope,” Matthew shook his head.
“Don’t know why really – she’s pretty much the nicest girl in our
year – just never seemed interested in anyone, like that.”
    Matthew’s words silenced the
monster. It gave me a secret sense of satisfaction to know that
Cassie did not seem attached to any of her male friends from
school. In that instant I realised what the unknown growling beast
inside me was.
    I’m such an idiot!
    “Hmmmm,” Joel drawled sounding
thoughtful.
    His interest didn’t bother me
any more. I was too busy trying to absorb the implications of the
fact I might be jealous of him – or any