Strictly Friends? (11 page)

‘Oh, I don't mind,' said Mari. ‘He's right, anyway. I can't even clap in time.'

Owen came to join them in the middle of the
floor. Megan switched on the music again and she and Mari started to practise. Owen joined in, although his dancing consisted mostly of twirling round and round in circles until he got dizzy and fell over.

‘Owen!' Megan's mum came to the doorway. ‘I thought you were going to finish the rest of your banana and ice cream?'

Owen shook his head. ‘I'm too busy dancing, Mummy.'

‘Ooh, bananas and ice cream,' said Mari. ‘One of my favourites.'

‘You can have it then,' offered Owen generously. ‘I haven't spitted in it much.'

Mari burst out laughing. ‘That's very kind of you, Owen, but I think maybe I'll pass.'

‘Would you girls like banana and ice cream too?' Nicola asked. She winked. ‘You can have your
own
bowls and spoons. You've been practising for half an hour now. It looks like hard work.'

Mari grinned. ‘Dancing and dessert. Music to my ears.'

Jake seemed pleased, though Megan thought she detected something restrained in his voice.
‘I think it's great,' he said over the phone. ‘Great that you had such a good time, I mean.'

Megan waited. Wasn't he going to say anything else? ‘I was really surprised,' she said, when Jake didn't continue. ‘I mean, not just about the go-karting, but about Danny. We have quite a lot in common, though you wouldn't have thought it.'

‘That's nice,' said Jake.

‘He's really into this racing stuff. And you know that buzz we get from dancing? He gets the same thing from racing, or skateboarding, stuff like that.'

Jake laughed, though it didn't sound quite natural. ‘At least dancing isn't dangerous.'

‘No . . .' A thought suddenly struck Megan. ‘You know it's all quite safe though, don't you? I mean, I was wearing a helmet and everything. And I had to sign a form to say I didn't have any injuries. You don't have to worry about me.'

‘That's not quite what I meant,' said Jake, but he wouldn't say any more.

‘So,' said Megan, sitting cross-legged on her bed, ‘have you talked to your mum again about coming down for half-term? Because my mum said it would be a great idea. We could meet you at the train station, and you can stay in the spare room. It's not actually painted yet – well, it is, but it's this horrible
yellow colour at the moment – and I can take you round Parchester and show you the Alexander Arts Centre where I go for the salsa, and we can go to the cinema . . .' Megan trailed off, suddenly aware that Jake wasn't saying anything. ‘And it'll be just like old times,' she finished lamely.

‘Yeah,' said Jake, though he wasn't exactly jumping with excitement. ‘Well, maybe.'

‘You
are
coming, aren't you?' Megan felt a sharp pang. She hadn't realized until that moment how much she was looking forward to seeing Jake again.

‘Yeah, yeah,' he said hastily. ‘Of course I'm coming. Yeah. Can't wait.'

But when Megan hung up, she had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong.

‘Have you heard from him?' Mari asked.

Corinne was running late, so the girls were sitting along the wall of the studio and chatting. Megan flushed. ‘Not exactly. I saw him yesterday at the skate park but we didn't have time to talk.'

A girl with cropped blonde hair sitting nearby turned curiously. ‘You're all red, Megan. Who are you talking about?'

‘Ooh, Jackie, you have no idea of the excitement,' Mari said mischievously. ‘Megan had a
date
on Saturday.'

Jackie gaped. ‘No! Really?' The two girls next to her turned to listen.

‘Gather round, gather round,' said Mari, with a grin. ‘Megan is about to reveal all.'

Megan wanted to fall through the floor. ‘Mari, what are you
doing
?'

‘Megan, don't you realize you've got the most exciting news of all of us?' said Mari. She addressed the other girls. ‘How many of you had a date over the weekend?'

The girls looked at each other. Nobody raised a hand.

‘There, see?' said Mari. ‘We're desperate for gossip!'

‘But I already told you yesterday . . .'

‘Yes, but your little brother kept interrupting,' Mari pointed out. ‘And I never got to hear the juicy bits.'

‘There aren't any juicy bits!' cried Megan.

‘Hey,' said Jackie, ‘this is no good. You have to start at the beginning. Tell us everything.'

Megan was agonized. She looked around at the rest of the girls, who were all gazing at her
expectantly. Alys was chewing the end of her brown plait, she was so fascinated. ‘I don't know what to say.'

‘I'll start off for you,' said Mari comfortably. ‘Megan has been learning to skateboard. No, don't laugh, she really has! And her teacher is the very good-looking Danny Brooks.'

Jackie whispered something to Alys.

‘What was that?' asked Mari.

‘Oh, nothing,' said Jackie hastily. ‘I was just saying . . . he's kind of obsessed with bikes and things. But he is
very
good-looking.'

‘Who is he?' asked a girl called Naomi, baffled. ‘I've never heard of him.'

Jackie turned to her. ‘He's always at the skate park. He's the tall one with the black hair. You know. Kind of gothic-looking.'

‘Oh!' Naomi's expression cleared. ‘I think I've seen him around.' She stared at Megan. ‘And he asked you out? Wow.'

‘Well,' said Megan, uncomfortable, ‘I sort of asked
him
out.'

There was a collective gasp of admiration. ‘That's amazing,' breathed someone. ‘I would never dare . . .' muttered someone else. Megan felt a little twinge of pride. It hadn't really occurred to her that she'd done
something no one else would have had the courage to do.

‘He's done some modelling, you know,' Jackie offered. ‘In a magazine. I saw it once.'

‘So has his sister,' said Alys.

Mari's face darkened. ‘We don't talk about her. She's top of my Never Speak To List. But she's got nothing to do with this. Megan went out with Danny at the weekend.'

‘It's not quite how it sounds,' Megan tried to explain. ‘It was only that I've been hanging out with him and the others, and I said it would be nice to go somewhere just the two of us . . .' She tailed off.

‘
So
,' said Mari meaningfully, ‘tell us everything. And don't leave anything out this time.'

‘Oh, all right.' Megan was embarrassed but there was something exciting about having everyone sitting round and hanging on her every word. It was nice to be the centre of attention for once. And some of the girls looked quite envious. Presumably she wasn't the only one who had noticed how good-looking Danny was. ‘Well, he took me go-karting.'

Alys looked blank. ‘What's that?'

‘It's like cars,' Megan explained. ‘I mean, they've got engines. Like mini-cars, I suppose.'

‘Like dodgems?'

‘Not exactly. You drive them round a track. In a race.'

Alys looked impressed. ‘Wow. Like Formula One.'

Jackie rolled her eyes in amusement. ‘You know nothing! Haven't you ever seen go-karting?'

Alys blushed. ‘My parents are kind of strict.'

‘Was Danny any good?' asked Naomi.

Megan nodded, her face lighting up. ‘He was amazing! So fast round the track! I hardly saw him, except when he was lapping – er, overtaking – me. But I didn't do too badly in the end.' She glanced around. ‘It was kind of fun.'

‘What was Danny like?' asked Alys shyly. ‘I mean, did he . . .
you know
.'

Megan pretended she didn't know what Alys was talking about. ‘He was so nice. He said I was a really good driver.' Which wasn't
quite
true, but it might have been.

‘
And
?' said Mari meaningfully.

‘And what?'

‘Did he . . .?'

‘Did he what?'

Mari rolled her eyes. ‘Don't play dumb. Did he
kiss
you?'

The other girls fell completely silent, gazing at Megan. Megan felt hot and cold all over. ‘No,' she admitted reluctantly.

There was a sigh of disappointment from her audience. ‘Oh well,' said Mari, trying to sound positive, ‘there's always next time.'

‘He did ask me to go out with him again next weekend,' Megan said.

‘Well, that's good.' Mari patted her on the back.

‘He is kind of dreamy,' said Alys, a wistful look in her eyes.

‘You're not the only one to think that,' said Jackie, with a curious edge to her tone.

Mari was amused. ‘Maybe you should bring him along to salsa, Megan. We need some boys in this class.'

‘Ooh, yes!' said Alys, a little too enthusiastically. Some of the other girls were raising their eyebrows too.

Megan shook her head. ‘I don't think he'd come,' she said regretfully. ‘He's not really into dancing. I think – compared to what he likes – it's a bit boring for him.'

‘
Boring
?' cried Mari. ‘Didn't you show him what you can do?'

‘Mari, there wasn't exactly an opportunity.' Megan laughed. ‘I couldn't get up on the karting track and start waltzing, could I?'

‘Well, you should have,' Mari told her. ‘He would be
well
impressed! You're brilliant!' The other girls nodded in agreement.

Megan felt embarrassed. ‘Oh, I'm not really. It's only because I've been doing it for years.'

‘You are totally amazing at it,' Jackie put in. ‘Whenever I go wrong, I just look over at you to pick it up again.'

‘You should be a teacher,' Mari went on. ‘You're so patient with everyone.'

Alys looked around to make sure Corinne was nowhere in sight. ‘And you know way more about ballroom than Corinne,' she whispered.

Mari exclaimed, ‘You should teach us! Right now!' She jumped up. ‘Come on! Before Corinne comes – you teach us something.'

‘Ooh, yes!' Alys's eyes gleamed. ‘Can you teach us a different dance? Like the foxtrot or the waltz or something?'

‘No, no,' Jackie disagreed. ‘I want to do Latin dances. They always look more fun on the telly. Can we do a rumba or a cha-cha?'

Megan laughed. ‘You are all so funny. I can teach
you some bits if you like, but you really need a partner to do them properly.'

‘Who was your partner back home?' asked one of the other girls. ‘Did you have to dance with girls, like here?'

‘No,' said Megan, feeling proud. ‘I had a boy partner. Jake.'

‘Ooh!' The other girls goggled at her. ‘Wasn't it weird dancing with a boy?' asked one.

Megan laughed. ‘It's not that weird. We'd been dancing together since we were really young.'

‘You never told me you had a boyfriend back home!' Mari sounded injured.

‘He wasn't my boyfriend,' Megan replied, getting to her feet. ‘He was my dancing partner. And my friend. You know, like boy-next-door friend. I mean, he really lived next door too.'

Mari looked sceptical. ‘If you say so. Guess this class must be a bit of a come-down after your old lessons then.'

Megan felt a little uncomfortable because Mari was right. ‘Well, not exactly. It's just not what I'm used to, that's all.'

‘OK then,' said Jackie, planting her feet firmly apart, ‘I'm ready. What are you going to teach us?'

When Corinne hurried in, half an hour late, she
was astonished to find the class under way, with Megan calling out the steps from the front. Corinne stopped in the doorway and watched, smiling, as the girls tried to copy Megan's kicks and flicks. But it was only a moment or two before Megan spotted Corinne and stopped, red with embarrassment. ‘No, no,' said Corinne, ‘don't stop. That looked great! What was it – the jive?'