Strictly Friends? (8 page)

He looked at her enquiringly. ‘What do you mean?'

‘Do you – go out?'

‘Yeah. All kinds of places.' His gaze suddenly snapped up. ‘You want to come?'

Megan felt breathless at the intensity of his gaze. His eyes had turned a stormy grey. It was almost like she was being pulled into some kind of cloud. ‘Yes,' she said in a weak voice. ‘I'd like to. If that's OK.'

He shrugged. ‘Cool. I'll talk to the others.'

‘Oh.' Megan took a breath. ‘Could we go somewhere just us?'
What am I doing?
she wondered. The words were coming out of her mouth by themselves!

He looked surprised. ‘Just us? Why?'

‘Well – I'm not sure the girls like me that much.'

‘You don't want to take any notice of them. Girls are weird.' He caught her eye. ‘I don't mean you.'

Megan blushed. He thought she was different from other girls! A faint tingling started at the nape of her neck. ‘But don't you think it would be nicer just us? We could talk properly.' Megan wasn't sure where this courage was coming from, but somehow she knew she really wanted to see Danny alone. ‘Not a date,' she added hastily in case he'd be put off by the thought. ‘Just a chance to get to know each other a bit more. After all, I haven't made many friends here yet.'

Danny studied her for a moment and then smiled. ‘Sure. I'll take you somewhere really cool. I know just the place.'

‘How did it go?' Megan's dad asked as she let herself in the front door. ‘You were only gone forty minutes after all that.'

‘Was I?' Megan was taken aback. Was it really only forty minutes since she'd left the house? ‘It felt like longer.'

‘Are you a championship skateboarder now then?'
asked Bryan in a teasing voice. ‘Got your ollies sorted from your nollies?'

‘What?' said Megan, startled. ‘How do you know about all that stuff?'

‘I wasn't always a dad, you know,' said Bryan. ‘I had a skateboard once. From a toy shop.'

Megan grinned. ‘I don't think the boys I saw today would be impressed. They build their own – decks and trucks and everything.'

Bryan snorted with laughter. ‘Now who's talking the language?'

They grinned at each other. ‘I had a very nice time, thank you,' said Megan primly. ‘Where's Mum and Owen?'

‘Gone swimming,' said Bryan. ‘Owen asked specially.'

For a moment, Megan felt disappointed. She loved swimming. And splashing around with Owen was good fun.

Bryan saw her face. ‘We didn't know what time you'd be back. Owen had one of his manic moments. Your mum thought he should burn off some energy. Sorry.'

‘It's OK.' She sat down on the sofa next to him. ‘I can go next time.'

‘So what did you do?' Bryan shuffled
The Sunday
Times
out of the way and turned to face her. ‘Did you fall off?'

‘Only once,' admitted Megan. ‘I hurt my ankle a bit but it's OK now. Danny showed me some tricks while I was resting.'

‘Danny?'

‘This boy.'

‘Ah . . .' said her dad in a knowing voice. ‘A
boy
.'

Megan laughed. ‘He's really nice, Dad. And amazing on a skateboard – I mean, really mind-boggling.'

Bryan grinned. ‘Let me guess – he's also incredibly good-looking and was very nice to you all the time you were there.'

Megan flushed. ‘Dad . . .'

He held up his hands. ‘Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to embarrass you. So, are you going back again? To – uh – see Danny?'

We might be sort of going out somewhere together . . .' mumbled Megan. ‘Maybe.'

‘Say no more,' said her dad. He patted her on the back. ‘I hope you have a lovely time.'

Megan knew it was Jake when her mobile rang, but when she answered it, all she could hear
was laughing. ‘Jake? Jake, what's going on?'

‘AHAHAHA!' Jake laughed loudly in her ear. ‘AHAHAHAAAA! Seriously, though, I'm crying with laughter here.'

‘Why?' Megan felt the corners of her own mouth creep up. ‘What's so funny?'

There was a pause and then Jake said, ‘You on a skateboard! AHAHAHAAAA!'

‘Oh ha ha, yes it's all hilarious,' said Megan sarcastically. ‘Have
you
ever been on one?'

‘I
have
actually,' said Jake, stopping laughing as suddenly as he had started. ‘For about five minutes. It didn't go anywhere, so I got off.'

Megan laughed despite herself. ‘You idiot.'

‘So, how did you do?'

‘Not too bad,' Megan told him proudly. ‘I only fell off once.'

‘Was that when it started moving?'

Megan blew a loud raspberry down the phone. ‘You are impossible. I won't tell you anything else about it.'

‘Fine. I've got news to tell you instead.'

‘Really? What kind of news?'

Jake sounded amused. ‘You know that drinky thing we had to go to the other evening? With the new people next door?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Well, it turned out to be this really mad evening. We were there till one o'clock in the morning!'

Megan nearly dropped the phone. ‘What? On a
school night
? Bet your mum loved that!'

Jake chuckled. ‘You'd be surprised. She was playing charades with a party hat on her head.'

‘No!'

‘But that's not the strangest thing,' Jake continued. ‘They're knocking through the kitchen and lounge wall, and they've put a hot tub in the conservatory!'

‘A
hot tub
?' Megan clutched the phone. ‘You're
not
going to tell me you spent the evening in a hot tub?'

‘No. It'd only just arrived that day, there wasn't any water in it or anything. I did sit in it for a minute but then Skye told me I might damage it.'

‘Who's Skye?'

‘She's the girl next door. She's got a brother – get this – he's called Jasper.'

Megan giggled. ‘They're called Skye and Jasper? Wow, they're going to stick out a bit in Milton.'

‘I know. Skye told me she's already had some kids at school making up songs about her.'

‘Oh, that's nasty.'

‘Ah well, they'll get bored soon. I told her not to worry. She's really nice. Same age as us.'

Megan felt suspicious. ‘Do you
fancy
her, Jake?'

‘Of course not.' Jake's response was just a little too quick, Megan thought. ‘She's just a friend.'

‘Riiiight.'

‘Why do you girls do that? I haven't asked you if you fancy Danny Boy, have I?'

‘Don't call him Danny Boy.'

‘Anyway, it doesn't matter.' Jake took a breath. ‘Listen, there's something else. Mum and I were talking the other day and she said maybe I could come down and visit you guys in half-term. What do you think?'

‘Oh!' Megan felt a smile sweep across her face. ‘That would be fab! Half-term's only about three weeks away, isn't it? That would be amazing!'

Jake sounded a little relieved. ‘Good. I wasn't sure if . . . I mean, I thought maybe you might be busy with your new friends or something.'

‘Are you kidding?' Megan laughed. ‘You're my best friend. It would be so cool if you came to see us. Would you stay for a bit?'

‘Yeah, a couple of nights, I think. If that's OK.'

‘I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll talk to Mum.'

‘My mum says if you can meet my train, too . . .
there's a direct one from Milton to Parchester, which is kind of handy.'

Megan grinned. ‘We can get it sorted. Oh, wow! I can't believe you're coming to stay! We're going to have such a brilliant time!'

‘
I
AM
GETTING
better, aren't I?' Mari gazed anxiously at Megan. ‘You would tell me, wouldn't you, if I was completely hopeless?'

Megan laughed. ‘You're making good progress, Mari. You just need to listen to the rhythm a bit more. Try to feel the beat.'

Mari glanced around the studio. It was the end of the class and Megan had spent most of it trying to teach Mari the short routine Corinne had given them. ‘Everyone else can do it better than me.'

Megan pulled off her shoes. ‘No they can't. You're imagining things. And you're doing really well in those shoes.'

‘They help,' confessed Mari. ‘I can sort of imagine I'm a proper dancer, you know. Thanks so much for lending them to me.' She glanced at the shoes in Megan's hands. ‘Are you sure you don't want these back? Only, the ones you've got now . . .'

‘Are very comfortable,' finished Megan, grinning. ‘Don't worry. They're not sparkly silver like yours but they're fine. I have another silver pair but they're for best only.'

‘Best what?'

‘Well, when I do competitions and things like that.'

Mari shook her head in awe. ‘Wow. Competitions. I can't imagine dancing in front of anyone, let alone competing.'

Megan felt a pang. She had always entered competitions with Jake. Now, even those shoes were a reminder of the old days in Milton. When was she going to find a class that was more suited to her level? Because nice though it was, this salsa class wasn't challenging her in any way – unless it was as a teacher!

As if she'd read Megan's mind, Mari suddenly said, ‘I don't suppose . . .' and then stopped.

‘What?'

‘Well, I was wondering . . .' Mari chewed her lip for a moment and then rushed on with, ‘You're such a good teacher, Megan, I was wondering if you'd give me a bit more help. Outside classes, I mean.'

Megan was surprised. ‘Outside classes? You mean, practise on our own?'

‘Yes. I just don't want to hold everyone else back.'
Mari's face was beginning to turn red. ‘Of course, if you're busy . . .'

Megan laughed. ‘Don't be silly. I'd love to help out a bit.'

Corinne, who was passing, overheard this. ‘Good idea. You're a good teacher, Megan. Have you ever thought of doing it as a career?'

‘No,' said Megan, taken aback. ‘Not really.'

‘Well, it's just a thought. Come on, you two, I need to lock up this room.'

Megan and Mari headed towards the front entrance, discussing when and where they could meet up. ‘My house is tiny,' said Mari abruptly. ‘We'd only be able to take three steps in any direction. How much room have you got?'

‘Quite a lot,' replied Megan, considering. ‘If we rolled back the rug in the lounge . . .'

‘Whereabouts is your house?'

‘Just three minutes round the corner. Listen,' said Megan as a thought struck her, ‘why don't you come back that way now and I'll point it out to you?'

Mari nodded. ‘Good idea. Then I can come knocking on your door one evening!'

They approached the skate park together, and Megan felt her heart skip a beat as she spotted Danny practising ollies in the middle of the concrete. On an
impulse, she turned to Mari. ‘You see that boy over there?' she whispered.

‘Which one? The tall one with the dark hair?'

‘Yes. He's teaching me to skateboard.'

Mari looked astonished. ‘He's what? You're learning to skateboard?'

Megan nodded, eyes sparkling. ‘Well, sort of. He's amazing, Mari. He can do all these jumps and tricks and things.'

‘I'll bet he can. He's
very
cute too.' Mari raised her eyebrows. ‘How do you know him?'

‘I bumped into him one day. Literally. We crashed into each other.'

‘Wow. And so now he's teaching you to skateboard.' Mari nudged her friend. ‘Did you pretend to be interested so that you could talk to him?'

‘I
am
interested! Skateboarding is kind of fun.'

Mari grinned. ‘Bet it's more fun when you've got a good-looking boy teaching you!'