that deep deep stare, trying to work out the truth. I knew he was waiting for me to tell him it was a lie, but I couldn’t do that. I shouldn’t have been bothering about what a gorjer boy thought of me. But I was. I met his gaze.
“Do
you
believe it?” I sez. I threw it at him like I didn’t care.
For a moment, the rest of the room faded away, so did the ticking of the clock and the birds outside. My focus was only on Gregory.
He continued to meet my eyes. “I make my own mind up. I don’t listen to gossip and texts.”
I heard his words, but my heart just wouldn’t slow down.
“Why’re you staring at me, then?” I said. “Like you’re trying to read the truth from off the inside of me head?”
He blinked, but he never looked away. “Everyone looks at you, and you know it.” There was a pause. “Even me.”
Sabrina says when I’m walking through the town I flaunt along, like I’m a celebrity on a red carpet. But that was no excuse.
“You shouldn’t. You’ve got a girlfriend.”
Suddenly he wasn’t looking at me any more. He bit his lip, which made it bleed a bit more. His hands began playing with a loose thread on his shirt. “It’s tricky. Things haven’t been right – but that’s nothing to do with this…” He stopped. “My head’s confused about my life at the moment. And that’s before I hit the tarmac.”
And because he hadn’t asked to know the truth about the girl in the coma, I broke my rule and explained myself.
“There’s a girl gang in our town. Five girls who think they’re great because they copy the stupid boys who think they’re gangsters. They pick on other girls, follow them, get them in a corner and then steal their phones, or their trainers. They picked on a girl in my class. She’s not tough. They picked her because she’s got no one to stick up for her. No brothers and no dad. So me and Kimmy went to help her. The leader of the gang came at me punching and kicking, so I pushed her. I didn’t realize how strong I was. She flew back and hit her head on a wall and knocked herself out. She’s OK now. It scared me when she got knocked out, but I wasn’t sorry. She’s a bully, and I hate bullies.”
I sat back. Another silence fell. Gregory was watching me, his head on one side, licking his split lip.
“What?” I asked.
He smiled. “I’m glad it’s that. I somehow knew it would be.”
It made my heart swell to hear that, but now he could do some explaining. “Why is everybody texting about me?”
That stopped him smiling.
“You don’t want to know.”
“I do.”
He sighed. “It’s stupid. It’s because you found me, and you were there with me when everyone else turned up, and rumours got started. And because of this.” He held out his phone again. “Everyone’s seen it.”
I knew what it was straightaway. It was the photo Milo had taken as I tried to help Gregory. Only it didn’t look like I was helping him. It showed me bending over him as he lay on the ground, and my arms were holding him down. It looked like he was fighting me off. The chef had thought the same when he saw me. The image must’ve gone round the town fast. It didn’t matter that Gregory’s crowd weren’t friends with Milo – photos like this spread far and fast, like a disease.
My face went icy cold.
Milo was spreading it round that I attacked Gregory. Milo wanted me to get the blame. And if I got the blame, then Mr Langton would throw us off Gypsy’s Acre.
The doorbell rang again, but neither of us were taking much notice. I could hear talking in the hallway. I suspected someone else had come to see Gregory.
“I told the police I saw Milo hanging around before I got attacked, but there’s no proof he was responsible, and they’ve all got an alibi from one of their friends. False, obviously.” He stared off into the distance. “And I couldn’t explain to the police why they’d picked on me. I’ve seen them around town, that’s all. Maybe they
“Do
you
believe it?” I sez. I threw it at him like I didn’t care.
For a moment, the rest of the room faded away, so did the ticking of the clock and the birds outside. My focus was only on Gregory.
He continued to meet my eyes. “I make my own mind up. I don’t listen to gossip and texts.”
I heard his words, but my heart just wouldn’t slow down.
“Why’re you staring at me, then?” I said. “Like you’re trying to read the truth from off the inside of me head?”
He blinked, but he never looked away. “Everyone looks at you, and you know it.” There was a pause. “Even me.”
Sabrina says when I’m walking through the town I flaunt along, like I’m a celebrity on a red carpet. But that was no excuse.
“You shouldn’t. You’ve got a girlfriend.”
Suddenly he wasn’t looking at me any more. He bit his lip, which made it bleed a bit more. His hands began playing with a loose thread on his shirt. “It’s tricky. Things haven’t been right – but that’s nothing to do with this…” He stopped. “My head’s confused about my life at the moment. And that’s before I hit the tarmac.”
And because he hadn’t asked to know the truth about the girl in the coma, I broke my rule and explained myself.
“There’s a girl gang in our town. Five girls who think they’re great because they copy the stupid boys who think they’re gangsters. They pick on other girls, follow them, get them in a corner and then steal their phones, or their trainers. They picked on a girl in my class. She’s not tough. They picked her because she’s got no one to stick up for her. No brothers and no dad. So me and Kimmy went to help her. The leader of the gang came at me punching and kicking, so I pushed her. I didn’t realize how strong I was. She flew back and hit her head on a wall and knocked herself out. She’s OK now. It scared me when she got knocked out, but I wasn’t sorry. She’s a bully, and I hate bullies.”
I sat back. Another silence fell. Gregory was watching me, his head on one side, licking his split lip.
“What?” I asked.
He smiled. “I’m glad it’s that. I somehow knew it would be.”
It made my heart swell to hear that, but now he could do some explaining. “Why is everybody texting about me?”
That stopped him smiling.
“You don’t want to know.”
“I do.”
He sighed. “It’s stupid. It’s because you found me, and you were there with me when everyone else turned up, and rumours got started. And because of this.” He held out his phone again. “Everyone’s seen it.”
I knew what it was straightaway. It was the photo Milo had taken as I tried to help Gregory. Only it didn’t look like I was helping him. It showed me bending over him as he lay on the ground, and my arms were holding him down. It looked like he was fighting me off. The chef had thought the same when he saw me. The image must’ve gone round the town fast. It didn’t matter that Gregory’s crowd weren’t friends with Milo – photos like this spread far and fast, like a disease.
My face went icy cold.
Milo was spreading it round that I attacked Gregory. Milo wanted me to get the blame. And if I got the blame, then Mr Langton would throw us off Gypsy’s Acre.
The doorbell rang again, but neither of us were taking much notice. I could hear talking in the hallway. I suspected someone else had come to see Gregory.
“I told the police I saw Milo hanging around before I got attacked, but there’s no proof he was responsible, and they’ve all got an alibi from one of their friends. False, obviously.” He stared off into the distance. “And I couldn’t explain to the police why they’d picked on me. I’ve seen them around town, that’s all. Maybe they
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