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“I swear I didn’t touch her.” His brow furrowed. “Blimey, maybe that’s why she’s upset. Sorry, luv. D’you want me to ravish you in proper teen-pirate rock-star fashion? A little lovin’ followed by a sensitive emo ballad in which I tell you why I can’t be your boyfriend? I know you fancy that Fabio Testosterone bloke. Fair enough. Not bad-looking. Mind, he’s not a pirate. But you can’t have everything.”
“Are you okay?” Shanti asked. She gave Sinjin a dirty look and he blew her a kiss.
“Totally fine!”
“Why did you scream?”
“Look what I found!” Miss Ohio pushed past Sinjin and came back brandishing a bottle of expensive rum. “There’s two whole cases in here!”
Adina took a small sip and coughed till Mary Lou had to hit her on the back. “Whoa. Lethal,” she choked out.
Sinjin sagged against the doorframe. “That’s me bloody private stock.”
“Not anymore, Cap’n,” Petra said, swiping a bottle. “This here’s a rum mutiny.”
Sinjin smiled slowly as he looked Petra up and down. He stepped closer. “And, um, what if I tried to reestablish my command?”
“That depends. Are you a black belt?”
“No.” Sinjin played with the tassels on Petra’s scarf.
“Because I am.”
“Right.” Sinjin wagged a playful finger as he took a solid step back. “You I like. Give us a kiss, luv.”
Petra stopped him with a hand. “Does that work?”
“Does what work?”
“That bullshit charm, luv,” Petra mimicked perfectly.
Sinjin considered it. “Like a charm.”
“Not for me.”
“Is that a challenge?” Sinjin smirked.
“No. Statement of fact.”
“No likee the charm?”
“Lovee the charm — as long as there’s some real behind it. Gotta keep it real, girl, to keep wit me” Petra sang.
“Real like nature, real like a tree. …” Sinjin twirled and shot his arms upward like branches in perfect imitation of the “Keep It Real, Girl” video.
Petra’s mouth opened in astonishment. “You know that song?”
“By heart! Boyz Will B Boyz? Fantastic!”
“Oh. My. God. But you’re not a nine-year-old girl.”
“I’m offended. Way to put me in a box. I loved Boyz Will B Boyz. Copied all their moves in m’ bedroom. Made m’ mum buy me one of those godawful outfits with the skinny black leggings and the oversize jackets —”
“Bandanna?”
“Cor blimey! Not complete without the bandanna, was it? And the hair.” Sinjin pantomimed a long fall of bangs over one eye. “That hair said ‘Shag me, I’m too depressed to own a comb.’”
Petra laughed. “There wasn’t any shagging. We were eleven.”
