01
It all happened so quickly that it almost took a while for the penny to drop. In truth, the shouting should have been a warning of what was coming: a blow to the back of the head. Eleanor was taking a sip of juice when her teeth knocked against the rim of the plastic bottle. A sharp pain shot through her, her neck forced forward. As soon as the ball bounced past her, she recovered, calmly screwed the cap back on the bottle, picked up the ball, and turned around.
‘Oi, big mouth… my bad.’ A stocky boy laughed as he apologised. Eleanor smiled and hurled the ball with all the strength she could muster at a very particular spot. Normally, her aim was terrible, but at that moment… it was as if someone up there had lost patience with injustice and bullying and gave her a hand. Like Aphrodite during the Trojan War.
The boy doubled over in pain and Eleanor, closely followed by her best friends, marched straight towards him. The problem was that Ruby looked like a porcelain doll, so no one believed she’d hurt anyone. Roxy was the real danger, as fiery as Eleanor. And she, in fact, launched herself at the boy, slapping and hitting wherever her hands could reach. She wasn’t paying attention to what was happening with her friends, only focused on hitting and hurting the bully. She was fed up with the daily taunts and humiliations; she’d reached the limit and couldn’t care less if she really did hurt him. The school monitor came running, out of breath, and in the attempt to break up the fight, ended up getting slapped by Eleanor.
‘That’s enough! Everyone to the headteacher’s office, now!’ the woman shrieked, her voice shrill, and was promptly ignored; eventually, it took several teachers and other staff to break up the scuffle. While waiting for the headteacher in the outer office, the bully sneered:
‘I hope you get expelled, you little piece of rubbish. And take those idiots with you.’
‘And I hope your dick rots and falls off.’ Roxy shot back. ‘With any luck, Elle did enough damage for you to have to piss sitting down.’
The door opened and the headteacher appeared.
‘Conrad… inside, now, please.’
The boy obeyed, but not without first casting a furious glare at Eleanor, who simply raised an eyebrow. As soon as the door closed, Ruby turned to Roxy.
‘I hope your dick rots and falls off?’
‘I was just being honest. I really do hope it happens.’
‘Roxy!’ Ruby exclaimed.
‘Well, maybe it won’t fall off… but I did make sure to drive my knee into that worm of his. He should be pissing sitting down for a while.’ Eleanor retorted. Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps grew louder until Eleanor’s father appeared in the doorway. He took a good look at the three girls and asked:
‘What happened here?’
‘I got hit on the head with a ball. Every single day that son of a…’ Eleanor stopped when she caught the stern look in her father’s eyes. ‘he keeps picking on me, calls me worse and worse names, he’s hit me before… I’ve had enough, that’s all.’
The school secretary came over and greeted him:
‘Ah, Mr Hargreaves… the headteacher is with… the other party involved. She’ll see you shortly.’
Eleanor’s father nodded, stepped closer to the three girls and asked:
‘Was it really him who started it? Did he hit you?’
Eleanor nodded.
‘If you think the girls are biased… there are plenty of classmates, even from our own year, who can confirm he always hits me.’
Her father agreed silently. When the headteacher finally received him, the bully walked past the three girls and hissed:
‘You’ll regret this. Especially you, big mouth.’
Both Eleanor and Roxy made to lunge at him, but Ruby held them back. As the boy strutted away, Ruby said:
‘Leave it… karma will catch up with him sooner or later. And it’ll be the loveliest thing to watch that quiff of his drop just like that…’ She snapped her fingers.
The outcome was a three-day suspension. But something unexpected happened: the girls were allowed back sooner. The headteacher didn’t explain exactly why, but Eleanor enjoyed a rare week of peace while the boy was absent.
On the very day he returned, a new pupil joined their class. Everyone was abuzz about the new girl. Not only had she come from Barcelona, but she also wore combat boots, had dark hair streaked with blue, a skull bracelet, and heavy make-up. Somehow, no one dared to mess with her. Most of the students seemed wary; Eleanor and her friends, however, were curious.
During the break, something unusual happened. Eleanor, Roxy and Ruby were left in peace. Across the courtyard, they spotted Conrad approaching the newcomer. She was reading, and he snatched the book from her hands. She stood at once and said something that made him laugh. He replied, and she came out with something unexpected.
’Vés al carall!’ she said, loud enough for everyone to hear; the whole courtyard froze to watch. Conrad sneered:
‘Say that again, if you dare.’
’Vés al carall, fill de puta!’
And then she did something no one expected: with a swift, precise movement, she twisted her hips, swept his legs out from under him with force, and sent Conrad crashing onto his back. Everyone held their breath as he hit the ground with a thud, completely winded, while she straightened up, crossed her arms, and wore that sarcastic smile of someone who’s already won before the fight even began.
’Mess with me again, gilipollas, and I’ll do worse.’ the girl warned, picking up her things and stepping right over a dazed Conrad.
‘Did you just see what I saw?’ Ruby asked, astonished.
Roxy leapt to her feet and ran towards the girl.
‘…and there goes Roxanne, scaring her off…’ Ruby sighed. Yet, as surprising as the newcomer’s move on Conrad was… what came next was even more so: Roxy and the new girl came walking back towards Eleanor and Ruby.
‘Well, these are my sisters from other parents, Ruby and Eleanor. Girls, this is Cecelia.’
‘You can call me CC.’ the girl replied. ’So that malparit bothers you too?’
Eleanor nodded.
‘Leave him to me. He won’t be troubling anyone again.’
And just like that, the trio became a quartet. Conrad, in fact, didn’t dare come near Eleanor — and certainly not CC — again.
One afternoon, when the girls were studying at Eleanor’s house, CC asked as they walked down a corridor while she looked around in awe:
‘Are you a princess or something?’
‘Almost. My father’s a marquess.’
’Collons!’ CC exclaimed. ‘So you lot are like… long-lost relatives of the Rockefellers or the Queen?’
‘Not really…’ Eleanor replied. ‘But my father’s family has always been just as wealthy.’
They soon went back to studying, and when Eleanor went to fetch something from the library, CC took the chance to ask:
‘Hey… does Eleanor live here with both her parents?’
‘Most of the time… it’s just with her dad.’ Ruby explained. ‘Her parents aren’t divorced, but her mum’s a volunteer on humanitarian missions. She’s a psychologist, so she helps children mostly.’
‘And you’ve met her in person?’ CC asked.
‘Mate… think of the most badass woman you can imagine. That’s Elle’s mum.’ Roxy cut in. ‘Whenever she comes home, she does everything she can to make up for the time she’s been away.’
CC fell thoughtful. As they studied, she couldn’t help but glance at Eleanor from time to time and find it oddly fascinating, her friend’s situation. But her father seemed to support his wife’s decision…
Later, they watched a film about an all-girl band, and it was as though something clicked inside them. The film wasn’t just entertainment; it was a kind of calling, something none of them had ever stopped to consider, yet they all felt the same: music could be made by girls like them. In the silence that followed, the idea took shape: “We could do this.” Without the others knowing, each of them made the same decision: they would give it a try.
It began subtly. Without telling her friends, Roxy asked the school’s music teacher for help. But her secret was discovered when Eleanor caught her standing in front of a music shop, staring at a guitar in the window display.
A few days later, during a chemistry class, the teacher demonstrated a safe experiment to the class with hydrogen peroxide, washing-up liquid and yeast, creating a foam that spilled over the beaker. Roxy, overexcited, accidentally knocked over one of the test tubes, and before it could roll off the bench, CC caught it mid-air with lightning reflexes.
That Friday at lunchtime, CC brought up an idea:
‘I was thinking… we could go to the cinema tomorrow. There’s a film that came out recently which is a pretty good portrait of my family — even if we’re Spaniards and not Greek’
‘Couldn’t we go next week? Tomorrow I’ve got a commitment, and it won’t work… though, if you want to give me some support…’ Eleanor said.
‘What sort of commitment?’ Roxy asked.
‘A recital. My teacher wants me to play, and honestly, I’d rather go to the cinema, but after that fight with… you know who…’ Eleanor discreetly jerked her chin towards Conrad, who was hanging around with his mates further away. ‘I’d rather not get on my dad’s nerves.’
‘Recital? I didn’t even know you played anything…’ CC remarked.
‘She doesn’t exactly look the type, does she?’ Ruby teased. ‘But it was sort of obvious… our future marchioness is a pianist.’
CC raised her brows in surprise.
‘Does anyone else here play an instrument?’ she asked, and the other two shook their heads. ‘Shame… we could’ve formed a band.’
‘What do you mean “anyone else”?’ Roxy pressed.
‘Well… we’re missing a guitarist, a bassist and a singer. We’ve got a pianist — who we can adapt to keyboard, of course — and a drummer.’
The other three stared at her in surprise.
‘Drums, karate… is there anything else surprising we haven’t yet discovered about you?’ Eleanor asked.
’Well… my favourite animal is the panda. My dad’s a neurosurgeon and my mum’s a paediatrician. I can’t eat traditional paella because I’m allergic to shellfish. Before we moved, I was learning flamenco dancing — my dad would help by playing the guitar. Oh, and I’ve been to more bullfights than I’d care to admit.’ CC said it all in a matter-of-fact tone.
‘…after that, I feel so… dull.’ Roxy joked melodramatically.
’Oi, no, nena! You must have loads of cool stuff about you. Anyway, none of us even come close to Elle.’ CC teased, making Eleanor laugh.
‘Oh blast, I left my notebook in class. Come with me, Elle?’ Ruby asked, and the two walked off.
‘My dad’s a policeman and my mum’s a nursery teacher.’ Roxy began. ‘My music taste’s influenced by him, so I like loads of old bands. I’ve got a button collection. I love salted popcorn with chocolate and… sometimes, weird things happen.’
CC frowned, intrigued.
‘What sort of weird things?’
‘Well… before exams, for example. My hands get sweaty, my heart feels like it’s about to burst out of my mouth, my throat dries up… once I even had trouble breathing and it felt like something terrible was about to happen.’
CC watched her quietly, but attentively.
‘Has it happened other times?’ she asked.
Roxy nodded, slightly embarrassed.
’Hey… don’t be embarrassed, d’acord? It’s normal to feel anxious before exams. I think what’s odd is if you weren’t affected at all.’
‘I don’t see Eleanor as a… threat, but… look at the other girls here.’
CC glanced around and said:
’Ai, per favor…’
‘Oh, but look at them! One of them has a Burberry bag!’ Roxy protested, her tone tinged with frustration.
‘So what? That just proves that inside her head there’s nothing but wind between her ears. To me, what really matters is being authentic, honest, and brave enough to be unique — even in a place like this. I wanted to be friends with you lot precisely because you’re not like the others. You stand out — and in a good way.’
Roxy smiled faintly, just as the other two returned.
‘What on earth took you so long? Did you have to go all the way to Egypt for that notebook?’ CC teased.
‘Yes, Egypt indeed… by the way, Tutankhamun sends his regards.’ Ruby quipped.
‘Then I’d better watch out, before Ankhesenamun comes back to haunt me out of jealousy.’ CC laughed. ‘Right, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat, since tomorrow’s cinema plan is off.’
They ended up at a café not far from the school.
‘About that band idea…’ Ruby began after a while, as they were eating. ‘Were you serious?’
‘Of course.’ CC replied. ‘But it’s no use if it’s just me behind a drum kit. We need the rest to make it something real.’
‘And what sort of music would we play?’ Eleanor asked.
‘Rock, obviously.’ CC said with enthusiasm.
‘Well… we’re only missing a bassist.’ Roxy pointed out.
‘My uncle’s in a jazz group. He plays double bass, but he knows electric too. I think if I ask, he could teach me — maybe even get me an instrument.’ Ruby said.
‘So we’re agreed, then?’ CC asked.
‘Yes.’ the three answered, excited.
‘Then officially… we’re a rock band.’ the Spaniard declared. All four of them felt an even stranger sensation than the one they’d had watching the film. It was more tangible this time. And just as positive.
