The Set Up Read Online Free PDF Page A

wanted, for a few seconds at least.
    Having just managed my first bit of telekinesis in the dorm – lifting my pillow off my bed – I headed outside. A group of us were meeting out the front of school to get the bus to nearby Hanmore Park and go to the movies. Ketty was already there, chatting with Lola and Lauren. I could see Billy hovering nearby. Ignoring him, I went over to the girls.
    Ketty was in her normal going-out gear of jeans and trainers. But something was different. Lola and Lauren were ooohing and aaahing beside her, pointing at her hair . . . no, not her hair . . . I got closer . . . at her earrings. I did a double take. Ketty hardly ever wore jewellery and these were long, silvery earrings that glittered as they peeked through her dark, curly hair.
    Lola caught me staring. ‘Hey, Nico.’ She giggled.
    Ketty turned. ‘Hey.’ She made a self-conscious gesture towards her ears. ‘They’ve got diamonds in them . . . what d’you think?’ she said. ‘I got them off Billy.’
    Unbelievable . My heart slid into my shoes. What kind of teenage boy buys his girlfriend diamond earrings ?
    I forced a smile. ‘Cool, babe . . . though it’s kind of crazy giving you nice stuff like that. I mean, they’ll fall out as soon as you start running.’
    Ketty’s face flushed. Lola sidled up to me.
    ‘She’s not going to wear them when she’s running, Nico,’ she simpered. ‘Anyway, now she’s got Billy, Ketty’ll probably stop going running quite so much.’
    Ketty and I exchanged glances. I knew from previous conversations that none of Ketty’s girlfriends understood why she liked running so much. To them it was just something tiring and boring that made your body all sweaty and your hair look crap. For Ketty, though, running was everything. She said it made her feel good about herself in a way nothing else did.
    I got that. But nobody else seemed to.
    ‘If Ketty stops running, I’ll eat those earrings, babe,’ I said.
    ‘Nico!’ Lola giggled.
    Ketty just smiled. A minute later, she drew me aside.
    ‘Lola fancies you, you know,’ she said.
    I shrugged. I kind of knew that already. It didn’t matter. Lots of girls behaved like Lola around me, all giggly and nervous. I wasn’t interested in any of them.
    ‘Hey, listen,’ Ketty went on, breathlessly. ‘I’ve just found out about this Youth Marathon. Well, it’s really a halfmarathon but that’s still over thirteen miles. It’s perfect for me.’
    ‘That’s great, babe,’ I said, transfixed by the way her eyes were all lit up and shining.
    ‘Not really.’ Ketty’s face fell. ‘It’s in Scotland and the closing date to enter is this coming Monday and it costs forty pounds to sign up. Then there’s the fare to get there and finding somewhere to stay . . .’
    I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic about Billy picking up the tab, but then it suddenly occurred to me this was my ideal opportunity. I could research the marathon and buy everything Ketty needed!
    ‘How much d’you think the whole thing will cost?’ I asked, as lightly as I could.
    ‘A couple of hundred quid.’ Ketty made a face. ‘I asked my mum and dad. They said they didn’t mind me going, but it was too expensive for what it was, and wouldn’t I rather have a laptop . . .’
    Better and better.
    I made a sympathetic face back. Ketty had often complained to me how her parents hated her obsession with running. Not that she saw them very often. They lived and worked abroad and, since Ketty had joined Fox Academy at the beginning of the school year, I knew she’d only seen them once, at Christmas.
    ‘What about your brother?’ I asked.
    Ketty talked about her older brother a lot. I’d never met him but, as far as I could tell, he was the only family member she was really close to.
    ‘Yeah, I tried Lex too,’ Ketty sighed, ‘but he said he was skint until next week and I need the registration money by Monday.’
    I nodded. Billy was watching me over Lauren’s