could hardly think.
‘So, looks like a great party,’ Saia said fidgeting with a button on his shirt. Surprisingly, he looked almost as nervous as I felt.
‘Yeah,’ I nodded. ‘Hard not to have a great party in a house like this, though. It’s amazing. How many people actually live here?’
‘Just Ryan and his brother – oh, and their parents, of course.’
‘Seriously?’ I said. ‘It’s so big. Wow!’
Saia laughed and I quickly shut my mouth, realising that I had just done exactly what Annabel had told me not to do. I was acting really surprised about everything. It was so much easier talking to someone via text. I looked at Saia, wondering what he thought of me. He was still smiling, so that was a good sign.
‘I think my house would fit in that shed,’ Saia said, pointing to a small structure at the end of the yard. Surely that wasn’t true, but it was sweet of him to say. Annabel was right – I did have to chill out more.
‘That big? What luxury!’ I laughed, until I realised he might have thought I was mocking him. ‘Great game, today,’ I said, quickly changing the subject. ‘We didn’t see the whole thing. But that try you scored at the end? You smashed it.’
Saia beamed. ‘Just a lucky break,’ he said modestly.
‘Come on,’ I gave him a nudge. ‘You left that other guy for dead. You were a total star.’
Saia couldn’t help smiling, a broad grin spreading over his face. ‘Thanks. It’s not like that every week. But it’s kind of good when it is. What sport do you play?’
‘Ah,’ I said, trying to think of something I did that passed as sport, and coming up with nothing. ‘I do debating. Does that count?’
‘You must be really smart.’
‘No, not at all,’ I laughed. ‘I’m just weird. Instead of playing sport at lunchtime like normal people, I go to debating meetings. I’m also in a club that raises money for endangered animals. Actually, there’s a movie-night fundraiser for orangutans at our school tonight.’
I told Saia all about what we’d been doing in the Wild Club. Once I got started, it was hard to stop. I’d been going on about logging and habitat destruction for ages before I suddenly realised what I was doing. ‘Sorry, I’m probably boring you senseless.’
Saia shook his head. ‘It’s cool. Honestly. It sounds like you really care about this stuff. So why aren’t you at the movie night, instead of here?’
I shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward. ‘We had already made plans to come to this party when I found out about the movie night. So … here I am,’ I said.
Saia smiled. ‘Well, I’m glad you came.’ He edged closer and I thought he might be about to kiss me, when suddenly he stiffened. Something behind me had distracted him.
I turned to look. In the shadows, beneath a big, sprawling tree, I could see a couple. From a distance, it looked like Marco and Kimmi. But when I looked more closely I could tell from the clothes that it wasn’t Kimmi. I was almost certain the guy was Marco, though. He and the girl were so close, it definitely looked like something was going on. As I watched, she leant towards Marco and kissed him.
‘Oh, no,’ I groaned. ‘That’s not good.’
The tension that had built up between me and Saia unravelled completely. He looked down, like he was embarrassed. I didn’t know where to look either. I couldn’t stand the thought of Kimmi coming out here and seeing this.
‘Who’s that girl?’ I asked.
‘She’s from Fairmount.’
I looked at the girl again and recognised her from the rugby game. And she’d been standing at the top of the driveway when we arrived.
‘You know her?’ I asked.
Saia nodded. ‘Marco’s been after her for ages.’
‘Oh,’ I said, glumly. ‘Poor Kimmi. She thought she’d be hanging out with Marco tonight.’
‘Yeah, that’s kind of awkward.’ Saia frowned.
‘Really awkward. What am I going to say to Kimmi?’
Saia shrugged. ‘It’s probably kinder if you
‘So, looks like a great party,’ Saia said fidgeting with a button on his shirt. Surprisingly, he looked almost as nervous as I felt.
‘Yeah,’ I nodded. ‘Hard not to have a great party in a house like this, though. It’s amazing. How many people actually live here?’
‘Just Ryan and his brother – oh, and their parents, of course.’
‘Seriously?’ I said. ‘It’s so big. Wow!’
Saia laughed and I quickly shut my mouth, realising that I had just done exactly what Annabel had told me not to do. I was acting really surprised about everything. It was so much easier talking to someone via text. I looked at Saia, wondering what he thought of me. He was still smiling, so that was a good sign.
‘I think my house would fit in that shed,’ Saia said, pointing to a small structure at the end of the yard. Surely that wasn’t true, but it was sweet of him to say. Annabel was right – I did have to chill out more.
‘That big? What luxury!’ I laughed, until I realised he might have thought I was mocking him. ‘Great game, today,’ I said, quickly changing the subject. ‘We didn’t see the whole thing. But that try you scored at the end? You smashed it.’
Saia beamed. ‘Just a lucky break,’ he said modestly.
‘Come on,’ I gave him a nudge. ‘You left that other guy for dead. You were a total star.’
Saia couldn’t help smiling, a broad grin spreading over his face. ‘Thanks. It’s not like that every week. But it’s kind of good when it is. What sport do you play?’
‘Ah,’ I said, trying to think of something I did that passed as sport, and coming up with nothing. ‘I do debating. Does that count?’
‘You must be really smart.’
‘No, not at all,’ I laughed. ‘I’m just weird. Instead of playing sport at lunchtime like normal people, I go to debating meetings. I’m also in a club that raises money for endangered animals. Actually, there’s a movie-night fundraiser for orangutans at our school tonight.’
I told Saia all about what we’d been doing in the Wild Club. Once I got started, it was hard to stop. I’d been going on about logging and habitat destruction for ages before I suddenly realised what I was doing. ‘Sorry, I’m probably boring you senseless.’
Saia shook his head. ‘It’s cool. Honestly. It sounds like you really care about this stuff. So why aren’t you at the movie night, instead of here?’
I shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward. ‘We had already made plans to come to this party when I found out about the movie night. So … here I am,’ I said.
Saia smiled. ‘Well, I’m glad you came.’ He edged closer and I thought he might be about to kiss me, when suddenly he stiffened. Something behind me had distracted him.
I turned to look. In the shadows, beneath a big, sprawling tree, I could see a couple. From a distance, it looked like Marco and Kimmi. But when I looked more closely I could tell from the clothes that it wasn’t Kimmi. I was almost certain the guy was Marco, though. He and the girl were so close, it definitely looked like something was going on. As I watched, she leant towards Marco and kissed him.
‘Oh, no,’ I groaned. ‘That’s not good.’
The tension that had built up between me and Saia unravelled completely. He looked down, like he was embarrassed. I didn’t know where to look either. I couldn’t stand the thought of Kimmi coming out here and seeing this.
‘Who’s that girl?’ I asked.
‘She’s from Fairmount.’
I looked at the girl again and recognised her from the rugby game. And she’d been standing at the top of the driveway when we arrived.
‘You know her?’ I asked.
Saia nodded. ‘Marco’s been after her for ages.’
‘Oh,’ I said, glumly. ‘Poor Kimmi. She thought she’d be hanging out with Marco tonight.’
‘Yeah, that’s kind of awkward.’ Saia frowned.
‘Really awkward. What am I going to say to Kimmi?’
Saia shrugged. ‘It’s probably kinder if you
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