‘OK. Thanks I guess.’
‘I’m also very sexy. We should have sex.’
His mates laughed loudly as they threw themselves down on the grass.
‘Cameron!’ Laura punched him on a bulging arm. ‘Why are you such a sex pest? Can’t you just knock one out in your bathroom like everyone else?’
At that, Lis laughed out loud. Laura was fierce. She handled the boys as if she was one of them and Lis respected that. In fact, there was something quite masculine about Laura. Not physically,
of course, but it was almost as if being queen of the school wasn’t enough, she wanted to be king, too.
‘Why are you so savage all the time, Riggsy?’ Cam demanded.
‘Because you’re so boring and it amuses me!’ She smiled sweetly. ‘Now, try again with my new friend, Lis. She’s not a piece of meat.’
Lis smiled, safe under Laura’s protection. She couldn’t stop staring at her new ally. It was as if Laura perfectly matched her idea of beauty, and when she was with her it made Lis
feel more attractive too.
‘Sorry, Lis. Welcome to Fulton. I’m Cameron and this is Ste and Bobsy. Is that better?’
‘Much better!’ Lis said, shaking his outstretched hand.
As the boys joined their circle, Lis was distracted by a newcomer striding down the slope. The new arrival was tall and slender, and Lis could just make out the curve of firm muscles underneath
his shirt. But it was his face that held her gaze: square jaw and full lips, with ocean blue eyes looking out from beneath heavy, dark brows. Lis had always had a thing for blue eyes with dark
hair. It was somehow otherworldly.
‘That’s Danny Marriott,’ whispered Harry.
Gutted that she’d been well and truly busted, Lis gulped hard and realised her throat had become sandpaper.
Danny was approaching their group.
‘He’s so hot, isn’t he?’ Harry added rhetorically. ‘He didn’t used to be. He was like this big chubby geek and then all of a sudden he became gorgeous and
joined the rugby team. Random!’
‘Oi, Danny-Boy! Sit your arse down!’ demanded Laura.
He smiled and it was so perfect, Lis stopped breathing. He shuffled into the group.
‘How’s it going?’ he threw his rucksack down and sat cross-legged next to Nasima. ‘I can’t stay; I have to do homework for Physics next lesson. I forgot all about
it. Bobsy, have you got your textbook?’
Bobsy started to rummage in his bag as Lis tried not to gawp at Danny.
‘You’re such a geek, Marriott!’ Laura said and grinned. ‘It’s just not sexy.’
‘If I mess up my GCSEs my dad won’t get me the car on my seventeenth, remember?’
‘Oh, yeah, bummer,’ said Bobsy, handing over a dog-eared textbook.
Danny fixed Lis in his turquoise gaze. It was like a Caribbean wave washing over her.
‘Hi, we haven’t met. I’m Danny.’ His voice was canyon deep but so gentle she had to strain to hear him.
‘I’m Lis.’ The words seemed misshapen and furry on her tongue.
Laura moved closer to him, stroking his arm. ‘We’ve adopted Lis from Wales. How immense of you would it be if she could come to your shindig . . .’
Lis squirmed uncomfortably under Danny’s gaze. Being around boys never usually fazed her. This was ridiculous! She barely dared to look him in the eye again in case some sort of sigh
escaped her lips.
‘Yeah, you should come. It’s in a few weeks. My parents are going away for the weekend, so I’m having some people round,’ Danny said.
‘Cool, I don’t think I’m busy,’ Lis kept her eye line just short of his.
‘Duh, of course you aren’t busy!’ Laura declared. ‘It’s not like you have any other mates yet, is it?’
The girls giggled and Lis managed an embarrassed semi-smile.
Danny seemed to roll his eyes as he got to his feet. ‘Cool, I’ll see you later then. Homework time.’ Without any messing around, he strode up the embankment, heading back to
the school.
Laura crawled nearer to Lis and Harry conspiratorially. ‘That is so epic,’ she
‘I’m also very sexy. We should have sex.’
His mates laughed loudly as they threw themselves down on the grass.
‘Cameron!’ Laura punched him on a bulging arm. ‘Why are you such a sex pest? Can’t you just knock one out in your bathroom like everyone else?’
At that, Lis laughed out loud. Laura was fierce. She handled the boys as if she was one of them and Lis respected that. In fact, there was something quite masculine about Laura. Not physically,
of course, but it was almost as if being queen of the school wasn’t enough, she wanted to be king, too.
‘Why are you so savage all the time, Riggsy?’ Cam demanded.
‘Because you’re so boring and it amuses me!’ She smiled sweetly. ‘Now, try again with my new friend, Lis. She’s not a piece of meat.’
Lis smiled, safe under Laura’s protection. She couldn’t stop staring at her new ally. It was as if Laura perfectly matched her idea of beauty, and when she was with her it made Lis
feel more attractive too.
‘Sorry, Lis. Welcome to Fulton. I’m Cameron and this is Ste and Bobsy. Is that better?’
‘Much better!’ Lis said, shaking his outstretched hand.
As the boys joined their circle, Lis was distracted by a newcomer striding down the slope. The new arrival was tall and slender, and Lis could just make out the curve of firm muscles underneath
his shirt. But it was his face that held her gaze: square jaw and full lips, with ocean blue eyes looking out from beneath heavy, dark brows. Lis had always had a thing for blue eyes with dark
hair. It was somehow otherworldly.
‘That’s Danny Marriott,’ whispered Harry.
Gutted that she’d been well and truly busted, Lis gulped hard and realised her throat had become sandpaper.
Danny was approaching their group.
‘He’s so hot, isn’t he?’ Harry added rhetorically. ‘He didn’t used to be. He was like this big chubby geek and then all of a sudden he became gorgeous and
joined the rugby team. Random!’
‘Oi, Danny-Boy! Sit your arse down!’ demanded Laura.
He smiled and it was so perfect, Lis stopped breathing. He shuffled into the group.
‘How’s it going?’ he threw his rucksack down and sat cross-legged next to Nasima. ‘I can’t stay; I have to do homework for Physics next lesson. I forgot all about
it. Bobsy, have you got your textbook?’
Bobsy started to rummage in his bag as Lis tried not to gawp at Danny.
‘You’re such a geek, Marriott!’ Laura said and grinned. ‘It’s just not sexy.’
‘If I mess up my GCSEs my dad won’t get me the car on my seventeenth, remember?’
‘Oh, yeah, bummer,’ said Bobsy, handing over a dog-eared textbook.
Danny fixed Lis in his turquoise gaze. It was like a Caribbean wave washing over her.
‘Hi, we haven’t met. I’m Danny.’ His voice was canyon deep but so gentle she had to strain to hear him.
‘I’m Lis.’ The words seemed misshapen and furry on her tongue.
Laura moved closer to him, stroking his arm. ‘We’ve adopted Lis from Wales. How immense of you would it be if she could come to your shindig . . .’
Lis squirmed uncomfortably under Danny’s gaze. Being around boys never usually fazed her. This was ridiculous! She barely dared to look him in the eye again in case some sort of sigh
escaped her lips.
‘Yeah, you should come. It’s in a few weeks. My parents are going away for the weekend, so I’m having some people round,’ Danny said.
‘Cool, I don’t think I’m busy,’ Lis kept her eye line just short of his.
‘Duh, of course you aren’t busy!’ Laura declared. ‘It’s not like you have any other mates yet, is it?’
The girls giggled and Lis managed an embarrassed semi-smile.
Danny seemed to roll his eyes as he got to his feet. ‘Cool, I’ll see you later then. Homework time.’ Without any messing around, he strode up the embankment, heading back to
the school.
Laura crawled nearer to Lis and Harry conspiratorially. ‘That is so epic,’ she
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