Engleski A - 2020. jesen, reading 1.

A Archie

As a young kid, I used to hang out with Gavin, or rather, follow him around. Gavin was sort of my hero, self-confident and strong, and I guess I felt he could protect me. But one day he talked me into going into a derelict garden with an old house, and there was a sign that said ‘NO ENTRY. Trespassers Will Be Prosecuted’. He started throwing stones at the house and one broke a window with a loud ‘crash’. Suddenly a guard appeared and Gavin ran off, leaving me behind. He wasn’t my hero after that, I can tell you.

B Becky

Clara is by far my oldest friend, going back to my first day at primary school. She had a strange way of walking. She said she’d been shot in the hip by Imperial Stormtroopers while defending Princess Leia. From then on, we were Jedi Knights, or Pirates of the Caribbean, or medics in a war zone. She couldn’t run down the street, but she could race through worlds in her head. There was never a moment’s silence with her; stories poured out of her. Every day was an adventure, and every day a new victory.

C Caryn

I thought Jenny attached herself to me because I didn’t make fun of the way she talked. She had moved to our town from the country and people sometimes didn’t know what she was trying to say, and this gave her a complex. Also, we played handball together and built up a great understanding on the court, so we were put in the school team to compete against other schools in the region. But when I got a boyfriend, she completely changed towards me, and I decided we shouldn’t hang out any more.

D Daren

We had great fun, Robert and I. We’d be walking along the street when I’d say ‘Race you to the corner’, and off we’d sprint. Or we’d be in a park and I’d dare him who could climb higher. He once got stuck in a tree and I had to help him down. In football, he supported his home team, Bayern Munich, and I the local team, Manchester United. But then his father got a job in Saudi Arabia and we lost contact. Years later, we found each other again through Facebook.

E Edmund

Gustav was a special person. He stood out, and not just because of the birthmark on his face which embarrassed him so, though I thought he looked like a pirate. He was kind and gentle. We could talk together for hours. I think he was the only person who understood me at the time. My parents said that I wasn’t to see him. They thought it was weird that he’d want to be with someone so much younger. But I didn’t care. Then he got a place at university in another city, and he disappeared from my life.

F Frieda

This stranger just exploded into our lives. Her family had moved to our town and she joined our class mid-term. When she burst into our classroom, it was like an alien landing, like she was from another planet. There was no controlling her. We would never think of walking along the canal after dark, until we saw her do that. We would walk in the park like young ladies, and I’d look up and see her up in a tree. She was, for all of us, an enigma.