whispered, ‘you can pull Cam at the party!’
Lis frowned. ‘Do I have to?’
‘No, duh, I’m not a pimp! But you should, he’s actually really nice.’
‘What about you, Laura?’ asked Nasima. ‘Danny?’
Laura laughed, throwing back her curls. ‘Maybe. Watch this space!’
And that was it. Game over. If Laura had her claws into Danny then it was finished before it had even begun. It was never gonna happen. And for some reason, Lis wanted to cry.
Stalking is a very strong word, but as the twenty-past-three bell rang throughout Fulton High School, Lis found herself stalking Danny Marriott. He was ambling down the slope
that led to the bus turnaround with Cameron and Bobsy, the sound of their cheerful camaraderie drifting up to her location some thirty feet behind them.
She studied every inch of him: the way his backpack hung just above his perfect bum, his dimples, his almost coy laugh. She knew this was pretty shameless behaviour. Lis had always considered
herself above this sort of nonsense. In fact, she’d been convinced that she didn’t have the ‘crush’ gene. Turned out she was just a late developer. He was divine .
Some distance ahead she saw the little circus that was Kitty, Jack and Delilah heading out of the bus lane and towards the main road. What was more interesting was the reaction to their
presence. As Kitty led their march, people almost dived out of their way like they had leprosy or something. Onlookers laughed nervously as they passed and, from such a distance, Lis could only
imagine what people were whispering to each other, but one thing was for certain, Fulton High was scared of the trio.
Suddenly hands grabbed her shoulders and Lis let out a startled yelp.
‘Guess who!’ Harry squealed.
‘Christ, you made me jump!’
Laura, Nasima and Fiona were close behind, fixated on something in the distance.
‘Quick,’ said Laura, ‘you don’t wanna miss this.’ Laura took Lis by the arm and steered her towards the bus stop.
‘What don’t I want to miss?’
‘You see the girl with the long ponytail?’ Laura pointed to an aristocratic-looking girl waiting for the bus. ‘That’s Poppy Hewitt-Smith.’
Laura stopped the group as they reached the gate.
‘Who’s she?’ Lis asked.
‘She is the bitch that grassed me up for sneaking vodka into her barbecue before I went to Thailand. Her mum told my mum and I was grounded for a whole weekend!’
‘She’s well stuck up, too. Just because her sister’s married to a Leeds United player.’ Nasima tossed her silky hair back.
‘OK,’ Lis said, confused.
‘Keep watching.’ Harry giggled. ‘The show’s about to start!’
‘How come?’ Lis asked.
Laura’s eyes widened, overflowing with fake innocence. ‘This afternoon in Chemistry, I informed Connor O’Grady that Poppy had told Ms Dandehunt who started the fire in the
boys’ toilets. Let’s just say he wasn’t too happy.’
Lis was beginning to understand. Her heart began to beat a little faster and her cheeks burned. That sense of dread returned and the knot in her stomach tightened. Something was about to
happen. Laura was claiming revenge, and Poppy, chatting to her friends, had no idea. Lis felt sick.
‘Who’s Connor O’Grady?’
‘School psychopath,’ Laura said, matter-of-factly. ‘You don’t mess. Seriously.’
Fiona stepped forward, camera-phone raised. ‘Here he comes. Here he comes!’
A rugged youth with a zero crop pelted down the slope towards the bus turnaround. His hand was outstretched, carrying something that glinted in the lingering sunshine. Charging through the line
of pupils waiting for the bus, he ploughed his way to Poppy, smashing onlookers out of his path. As her shocked friends began to protest, he clamped his hand around her thick ponytail and, with a
flash of metal, it came away in his hand.
Lis took a step forwards as Laura and the girls howled with hyena laughter. Even from their safe distance, she saw Connor
Lis frowned. ‘Do I have to?’
‘No, duh, I’m not a pimp! But you should, he’s actually really nice.’
‘What about you, Laura?’ asked Nasima. ‘Danny?’
Laura laughed, throwing back her curls. ‘Maybe. Watch this space!’
And that was it. Game over. If Laura had her claws into Danny then it was finished before it had even begun. It was never gonna happen. And for some reason, Lis wanted to cry.
Stalking is a very strong word, but as the twenty-past-three bell rang throughout Fulton High School, Lis found herself stalking Danny Marriott. He was ambling down the slope
that led to the bus turnaround with Cameron and Bobsy, the sound of their cheerful camaraderie drifting up to her location some thirty feet behind them.
She studied every inch of him: the way his backpack hung just above his perfect bum, his dimples, his almost coy laugh. She knew this was pretty shameless behaviour. Lis had always considered
herself above this sort of nonsense. In fact, she’d been convinced that she didn’t have the ‘crush’ gene. Turned out she was just a late developer. He was divine .
Some distance ahead she saw the little circus that was Kitty, Jack and Delilah heading out of the bus lane and towards the main road. What was more interesting was the reaction to their
presence. As Kitty led their march, people almost dived out of their way like they had leprosy or something. Onlookers laughed nervously as they passed and, from such a distance, Lis could only
imagine what people were whispering to each other, but one thing was for certain, Fulton High was scared of the trio.
Suddenly hands grabbed her shoulders and Lis let out a startled yelp.
‘Guess who!’ Harry squealed.
‘Christ, you made me jump!’
Laura, Nasima and Fiona were close behind, fixated on something in the distance.
‘Quick,’ said Laura, ‘you don’t wanna miss this.’ Laura took Lis by the arm and steered her towards the bus stop.
‘What don’t I want to miss?’
‘You see the girl with the long ponytail?’ Laura pointed to an aristocratic-looking girl waiting for the bus. ‘That’s Poppy Hewitt-Smith.’
Laura stopped the group as they reached the gate.
‘Who’s she?’ Lis asked.
‘She is the bitch that grassed me up for sneaking vodka into her barbecue before I went to Thailand. Her mum told my mum and I was grounded for a whole weekend!’
‘She’s well stuck up, too. Just because her sister’s married to a Leeds United player.’ Nasima tossed her silky hair back.
‘OK,’ Lis said, confused.
‘Keep watching.’ Harry giggled. ‘The show’s about to start!’
‘How come?’ Lis asked.
Laura’s eyes widened, overflowing with fake innocence. ‘This afternoon in Chemistry, I informed Connor O’Grady that Poppy had told Ms Dandehunt who started the fire in the
boys’ toilets. Let’s just say he wasn’t too happy.’
Lis was beginning to understand. Her heart began to beat a little faster and her cheeks burned. That sense of dread returned and the knot in her stomach tightened. Something was about to
happen. Laura was claiming revenge, and Poppy, chatting to her friends, had no idea. Lis felt sick.
‘Who’s Connor O’Grady?’
‘School psychopath,’ Laura said, matter-of-factly. ‘You don’t mess. Seriously.’
Fiona stepped forward, camera-phone raised. ‘Here he comes. Here he comes!’
A rugged youth with a zero crop pelted down the slope towards the bus turnaround. His hand was outstretched, carrying something that glinted in the lingering sunshine. Charging through the line
of pupils waiting for the bus, he ploughed his way to Poppy, smashing onlookers out of his path. As her shocked friends began to protest, he clamped his hand around her thick ponytail and, with a
flash of metal, it came away in his hand.
Lis took a step forwards as Laura and the girls howled with hyena laughter. Even from their safe distance, she saw Connor
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