"Nicholas Walker - Ice Princess" - читать интересную книгу автора (Walker Nicholas)

"It wouldn't be such a bad idea at that," said Samantha. "I might show you one day."
Mrs. Rollinson, the Principal of Stoke Dameral School for Girls, was a large friendly woman, but she was still a principal. She waved Samantha to
a seat and studied her carefully for a minute. Samantha didn't much care. All her life she had been pushed and bullied by ballet teachers, jazz instructors, choreographers, and the like-all of them much tougher than this Mrs. Rollinson.
"Well, Samantha," she said at last. "How are you getting along?"
"I'm all right. I don't know about you," said Samantha.
"Don't be impertinent!"
"It's a failing of mine. I would expel me if I were you."
Mrs. Rollinson sighed. "I am aware that you are here very much under protest," she said more gently. "But even so you are not trying to make the best of your situation, are you, Samantha?"
The Principal was being nice and this didn't suit Samantha's purposes at all, so she gazed past her and stared at the heavy black curtains that covered the window.
"I'm not planning on being here long," she muttered.
"Your parents think otherwise."
Samantha didn't answer, she sat there wondering if the curtains were really velvet.
"They say you haven't written home yet."
"I can't afford a stamp on the allowance you give to me."
"My instructions are that your money is to be
strictly controlled," said Mrs. Rollinson. "I'm not saying I agree with it, but your father assures me that if you get hold of any money you will put it towards a new pair of ice skates."
Samantha met her eyes. "He smashed my old ones-with a hammer. Smashed them! Did he tell you that?"
"Yes, and he told me why. Samantha, I'm not going to argue the rights and wrongs of your case. All that matters is that you have been sent here to keep you away from ice skating and to prevent you having any contact with this boyfriend of yours."
"He's not my boyfriend! He's my skating partner."
"Was your skating partner."
"Is!" said Samantha defiantly. "Nothing any of you can do can change that. Only Alex and I can break up our partnership."
"That's as may be, but your life here will only get more difficult if you refuse to cooperate."
"More difficult! You tell me how it could get worse?" demanded Samantha. "I'm not allowed out without an escort! I can't have any magazines unless you see them first! I get a few dollars a week allowance-my television's censored! I'm not even allowed any letters without them going through you first! I thought this was supposed to be a school, not Gestapo Headquarters!" Samantha's eyes filled with tears and she brushed them
angrily away and went back to the curtains.
Mrs. Rollinson was silent for a moment. "When you prove you can be trusted, I will be only too happy to relax the restrictions on you," she said.
"Well, I'll tell you now," said Samantha. "I can't be trusted! My parents made me give up dance-there's no way they're going to get me to give up skating."
"Well, you really can't complain about the limitations we put on your freedom," said Mrs. Rollinson reasonably. "And if you go on cutting class and sports, you're only going to spend every night in detention. Samantha, the other girls are happy here. Our waiting list is one of the longest in the country. You're only here because of your special circumstances. You'll soon settle down and get over this silly obsession of yours. It's all happened before."
"I cut class because I'm miles behind the rest of them," said Samantha. "And I cut sports because it's supposed to be bad for my heart-or didn't you know? That's why I'm here!"
"You're here because you can't be trusted not to exercise to excess. Your doctor assures me that, as long as you haven't any kind of chest infection, sports won't hurt you."
"I'm not over my cold yet," said Samantha.
"And still I'm told you go running every morning and spend every lunchtime riding up and down the driveway on that funny bike of yours."
"The secret policeman on the gate won't let me through."
"The caretaker has been instructed that you're confined to the premises." Mrs. Rollinson opened Samantha's file, which lay on the desk in front of her. "Now, Samantha, you have got to take part in at least one sport. It's part of the national curriculum and one of the school's most important rules. And I don't mean cycling or running on your own-the idea of sport is to participate."
"I don't think you have to tell me that," said Samantha, meeting her eyes again.
"No, no, of course not." Mrs. Rollinson regarded her levelly. "Well, it's up to you, Samantha, either you choose a sport or I'll choose one for you."
Samantha sighed. "If I must, I don't mind swimming I suppose," she said grudgingly. The Principal was delighted.
"There you are, swimming," she said writing it down in Samantha's file. "I told you, you'll soon start fitting in with the other girls."
6.
Skating into Danger.
Mrs. Barnes put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Alex, then sat down opposite him. It was Monday morning and Alex was in a hurry because he had his paper route to get through before school. His mother had a worried look on her face.
"I don't know about this at all, Alex," she said. "You know your father thinks you spend too much time at the rink as it is."
"I know, but if you have a word with him he'll come around," said Alex.
"We thought you'd be skating less since Samantha went away," said Mrs. Barnes. "Now you want to skate two mornings a week as well!"
"I don't see the problem. The school says I can go in late on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as I've got free periods then anyway," said Alex. "The Principal understands, why can't you?"
"I do understand, Alex, so does your father
really. It's just that-well, your exams are this year, you know."
"But the two mornings aren't going to affect my exams. All I'll miss is assembly."
"Why does it have to be this new place? What's it called again?"
"The Coliseum Sports Arena," supplied Alex. "Because our rink is only open to coaches at that time of the morning, and I can't afford a coach. Anyway, the Coliseum is brilliant-and the Juniors is being held there. I need to adjust to the
ice."