Busy watching YouTube videos of puppies barking at themselves in the mirror?
ARE YOU IN MY FLAT? EW!
Chill out, Audrey said you were obsessed with those stupid videos. It was a lucky guess
Audrey needs to stop talking about me to you. It’s invasion of privacy.
I told you what Skylar was like. So leave me alone
Fine. I was actually texting you to let you know that Chef has saved a plate for you from dinner but I’ll let him know that you don’t want it. I was just asking you about Skylar Chase to be polite
Wait, what?? NO don’t tell him that!
Sorry. Too late. I just threw it away
You are such a moron
I didn’t tell anyone at school about Skylar Chase.
I know, weird, right? Usually if I meet anyone remotely famous I phone Ella straight away and know it will be all over school by the next morning, but it just felt different with Skylar. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It’s not like I didn’t get the chance to tell anyone, either – Grace ambushed me the moment I stepped on to school property, asking me a hundred questions all at once about whether she was actually staying there, if I’d spoken to her and whether or not it’s true she had a fling with Justin Bieber. Without even thinking, I lied and said I hadn’t seen her, before changing the subject.
Grace looked disappointed but cheered up at lunch when she excitedly announced that theDaily Posthad confirmed Skylar Chase was staying at Hotel Royale. She’d been spotted leaving the hotel with a huge entourage that morning. Everyone turned to wait for my reaction but I just shrugged, saying I’d let them know if I saw her. Satisfied with my answer, Ella turned the discussion to who was wearing what to her party and which boys were going to be there, a conversation that continued at my locker as I got my books out for the last lessons of the day.
‘So, definitely the green top over the pink?’ she asked for the fifth time that day.
‘Yes,’ I replied irritably.
‘Tights or no tights?’
‘Uh-uh,’ I said automatically, struggling to find my maths book in the bomb site that was my locker.
‘I guess it depends on the shoes I’m wearing.’ She sighed heavily, as though dealing with a world catastrophe. ‘And I don’t know whether to curl my hair or leave it straight. Maybe I’ll get a blow-dry. There’s so much to think about.’
‘Sure,’ I answered, finally tugging out my maths book.
It sent everything else in my locker flying out with it, scattering books and loose paper all over the floor. I groaned and crouched down to start picking it all up when I noticed someone else bend down next to me to help. Oliver, Grace’s brother, gathered together the loose sheets and handed them to me.
‘Thanks,’ I said gratefully, standing up and awkwardly trying to balance everything in my arms.
‘That’s OK.’ He laughed, immediately catching a book falling from my grip. ‘You got it all?’
‘Yep.’ I shoved everything back into my locker, taking the final book from him, throwing it on the top of the pile and closing the locker door quickly.
‘You do know that it will all fall out again as soon as you open your locker door,’ he commented.
‘I know,’ I grumbled. ‘I need a new locker. This one’s WAY too small. I did formally request they get bigger lockers last term but they just ignored me. This school is so mean. If I get flattened by one of these books falling on top of me, I will be able to sue.’
Oliver laughed as though I’d told a hilarious joke.
Quite frankly I see nothing funny about this school’s clear lack of concern for their students’ well-being but whatever, he clearly has a weird sense of humour.
Since Oliver had come over, Ella had been too busy vying for his attention to help me pick anything up. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and twirled a lock of her glossy brown hair.
‘That was kind of you, Oliver,’ she said in a sickly sweet voice. ‘Flick’s locker has always been a disaster. She’s so lazy.’
I did a double take at her face as I noticed her lips were much shinier than they had been a moment before. She must have added a slick of lip gloss as soon as Oliver bent down to help me pick everything up.
‘I’m looking forward to your party next week, Ella.’ Oliver smiled, showing off his prominent cheekbones.
