The Boyfriend Bet Page 3

  “So what’s the plan for tonight?” Bex asked as we walked home. I had successfully managed to avoid Sam for the rest of the afternoon.

  “Um...I’ve got dancing.” I said.

  “What? I thought you’d quit! How are we going to find out stuff about Riley now?” Sarah didn’t look happy that their plans were ruined.

  “Sorry, I’m helping out with the kids’ class.” I muttered, “I’ve promised Stella.” Bex and Sarah started pulling faces at me. They vaguely knew Stella - she runs the Stella Digby Dance Academy.

  “Tell her you’re ill,” Sarah suggested. “How come she let you go back anyway?”

  “I told her I was sorry,” I muttered. “And she said this was my very last chance.”

  “Just because she doesn’t make you pay all the stupidly expensive fees doesn’t mean she owns you.” Sarah huffed.

  “I’ll see you later.” I waved them off before they could have a go at me anymore.

  Stella was in fact a very generous woman really but I hadn’t been in her best books lately. When I’d been so stupidly in love with Sam, I’d kind of given my dancing a back seat. Stella had rightly said that I couldn’t pick and choose when I was going to turn up and that a lot of the girls would kill to be invited to join the advanced group. The advanced girls was an invite only class - they practise quite a lot, meaning the fees were a lot more expensive than the one class a week my mum had agreed to pay, but Stella still let me go.

  Me and my temper had got me into trouble again. I’d walked out, convinced she was always trying to make me feel guilty because I didn’t have to pay as much as the others and I told her I had a life as well as dancing. It was completely typical that it was the week that Sam and Ella had fallen onto the stage and I basically had nothing left in my life that I enjoyed.

  Anyway, since this week I have decided I am going to be ‘me’ again. I went to see Stella to practically beg her to let me come back - you wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed dancing. At least I can forget about the rest of the world there, well nearly. The only downside about the Stella Digby Dance Academy is that Zoe Ryan goes there, and she’s good, really good. Stella said I could come back on one condition: she needed some help teaching the younger classes and her payment was my fees.

  So, I actually went and helped out at the little kids’ class. I did two classes and I actually enjoyed it, even though it was Friday night and I normally find something else to do with my mates. When all the kids had finally been picked up, I sighed at the mirrored wall of the dance studio. I still hadn’t had time to sort my hair out. “See you Monday night?” Stella said as I could see her reflection in the mirror, walking towards me. Now there was one reason to keep dancing, Stella must be in her fifties but her figure was amazing. I nodded at her. “Go on then, go and have fun.”Stella waved me out of the studio.

  “Hey!” Bex called from across the road, as soon as I’d stepped out of the door.

  “Bloody hell you scared me!”

  “Come on let’s go!” Sarah and Bex practically marched me home. It wasn’t like I was knackered or anything! Just as we were almost back at mine I walked straight into Riley. I have no idea where he had been and I cannot believe after all the planning that I would indeed look stunning when I ‘bumped’ into him, I was actually wearing my pineapple dance trousers, black dance trainers and a matching hoody. Let’s not even mention the hair or lack of make-up!

  “Hi Charley,” Riley said casually. I just sort of stared at him. He looked great as usual and I looked shit (as usual).

  “Hi!” Sarah said as she nudged me forward. I still didn’t say anything. I was just sort of smiling in that creepy way again.

  “See you later. Have fun.” Riley said as he opened his front door just as Jay was coming out of it. Great, I just had to see him as well, didn’t I! Jay didn’t say a word to Riley and they sort of pushed past each other - looked like they had the same sort of relationship as me and Ella.

  “Oh my god, he has a cute brother too.” Sarah whispered in my ear.

  “He’s an idiot!” I hissed at her just as Jay was sarcastically smiling at me.

  “Hi!” Sarah waved again and this time it was my turn to nudge her in the ribs.

  “Trying to impress Riley again?” Jay said in a stupid voice trying to embarrass us, I stared at him in my best pissed-off face.

  “Um... no, but hypothetically if we were, which we’re not, what sort of girl does he go for?” Sarah continued. I stared wide eyed at her. For god’s sake, if she could just hear herself! I could hear Bex sniggering already. CRINGE!

  “Um... let me see.” Jay said as he was having a good look at me. “He likes girls with long blonde hair.”

  “How original.” Bex muttered.

  “That’s been brushed!” Jay laughed and I felt myself getting really angry. He was just taking the piss out of me. “And he hates trackies and trainers.” Jay gave me and exaggerated smile and then carried on walking.

  “I’ve been dancing!” I yelled after him. “What the hell am I supposed to wear, stilettos?”

  “Very true,” Sarah whispered.

  “Shut up!” I snapped at her. She was the one who had asked the rubbish ‘hypothetical’ question, allowing Jay to be so damn rude to me.

  Jay turned round to look at me; he was grinning in that annoying way he does. “Hey, don’t shout at me, I didn’t say I didn’t like it. I actually think you look quite fit...in a chavvy kind of way.”

  “Unbelievable!” I shouted. I picked up an empty coke can that was lying on the pavement near my feet and threw it at him. He just blatantly takes the pee out of me and I have never ever met anyone that makes me so mad. And the worse thing was I was obviously playing into his hands, I could see him laughing as he walked off down the road.

  “You shouldn’t let him wind you up like that,” Sarah said knowingly.

  “I know” I snapped and then I stomped off towards my front door. I was in a seriously bad mood.

  Boy watching!

  “I think blonde hair would really suit you,” Sarah was still going on. “You said the other day you wanted a change.”

  “Yeah but how pathetic will it look? Jay says Riley likes blonde hair and then the next thing I‘ve got blonde hair!” I protested, I was running my fingers through my hair. I did want to do something to it but I didn’t want to look that desperate to impress Riley, even if I am. My hair is very boring - it’s a dull dark blonde colour or some people would argue it is a very light brown, either way it is nothing to shout about.

  “Oh go on, let me put some blonde bits in it at least, I’m really good.” Sarah whined. Bex was pulling a face at me. “We can go to the shop and get one of those highlighting kits. How hard can it be?”

  “Look, blonde looks great on you!” Sarah was holding one of Ella’s clip-in blonde extensions against my hair. Luckily, I had been right about Ella going out and it was just as well because she would’ve gone mental if she knew we were touching her stuff.

  “I thought we were supposed to be finding out stuff about Riley.” I tried to change the subject before Sarah started trying to dress me in Ella’s clothes as well. To be fair, Bex was sitting on the window sill, looking out.

  “Oh that reminds me, look what I brought! Sarah excitedly pulled a pair of binoculars out of her bag.

  “What the hell?” I raised my eyebrows at her.

  “Yeah ‘cos that’s not creepy at all,” Bex looked up from the window.

  “You want me to stand in the street and peer through the windows with those? Don’t you think someone will notice?” I said slowly to Sarah. Sometimes I really wonder about her.

  “Come on, let’s go for a walk. Hopefully he’ll have his light on and we’ll be able to see right in!” Sarah jumped up, pulled on her jacket. I just stared at her, totally stunned. “And change out of those bottoms!” She stared back at me.

  “C’mon don’t tell me you’re up for it as well!” I stared at Bex as she stood up from t
he window sill.

  “It beats sitting here waiting for nothing.” Bex shrugged at me. I sighed, as I found my favourite skinny, ripped jeans and swapped my ‘chavvy’ bottoms for them and then I pulled on my leather jacket. I scraped my hair up messily in a band as I followed the other two down the stairs.

  Sarah was already down the garden path and was shamelessly staring into the windows next door. “I was right! Bedroom light on and curtains not shut!” Sarah was pointing to the window upstairs.

  I lowered Sarah’s arm. I could see right in. No sign of Riley yet. “Oh my god, just think his bedroom is right next to mine; my bed is literally right next to his bedroom wall!” I shrieked. Now there was a good thought! I suddenly didn’t care that our house was right in the middle of the row. This was now very good news.

  “Can you see anything?” I was tiptoeing now, I wanted to see if he had any posters on his wall or anything that would give me a clue about him. All I could see was that someone had painted the walls electric blue. Wow, it was pretty cool in comparison to what it used to be like in there. We had an oldish lady live there previously; she actually looked after me and Ella once in an emergency. She was ok but it’s a bit more exciting to have the hottest person in school living next door, and his bedroom is next to mine! Did I mention that already?

  “Erm I can see some boxes,” Bex whispered.

  “Oh my god I think his bed is next to your bedroom wall, like next to your bed!” Sarah shrieked.

  “Only with a wall in between,” Bex said dryly.

  “How the hell can you see his bed?”I asked. I looked at Sarah who was now standing on my garden wall with one hand clinging onto the street lamp and the other hand was holding the binoculars and she was staring intently into Riley’s bedroom. She clearly had no shame. Then the curiosity of whether I actually sleep next to Riley (wall or no wall) got the better of me. “Give me those!” I snatched the binoculars from Sarah just as I‘d hoisted myself up onto the wall and was clinging onto the other side of the lamppost for dear life.

  “Not stalker-like at all.” I could hear Bex muttering. I peered through the binoculars, wow I could see right in and then just on cue someone looked out of the window. It felt like they were staring down the lenses of the binoculars and directly into my eyes. I pulled the binoculars away as quickly as I could manage. Jay was waving at us with that stupid know-it-all smirk on his smackable face and then he shut the curtains. I thought he’d gone out! Bex obviously failed to mention while spying out of my bedroom window that he’d come back. I swear these two are useless!

  “Bloody great!” I snapped at Sarah, “You were the one who brought these and now I look like the totally weird, stalker freak that lives next door!”

  “You are.” Bex looked at me, her eyebrows raised.

  “Argh! I just want to scream! There is something just so totally and utterly infuriating about that Jay Jackson!” I spat.

  “Why does he bother you so much?” Sarah said innocently. “He’s actually quite cute, don’t you think?”

  “No I do not bloody think so! He is so...so...annoying!” I was practically yelling now. “And the worst thing is I have to go to bed tonight and know that Jay Jackson is only about five feet away from me!” I was already striding up the garden path, Sarah and Bex were sniggering. I felt like throwing the binoculars at Sarah’s dumb head! I mean honestly, bringing binoculars, you can probably get locked up for that sort of thing!

  “If that’s Jay’s bedroom, then Riley’s must be at the back.” Sarah’s eyes lit up just as we’d reached my bedroom again.

  “Well, obviously,” I sighed, as I sat down on my bed.

  “We could go out in the back garden.” Sarah continued.

  “No!” I stared at her. What was I supposed to go downstairs and tell Mum I was just going outside in the back garden to look through the windows of the house next door?

  “Have you still got that tree house?” Bex’s eyes were lighting up and I knew what she was thinking. We’ve had a tree house at the end of garden since, well since forever. I think it was already there when we moved here when I was a baby. It’s in prime position right at the end of the garden.

  “Yeah, but I haven’t been up there for years and Mum said it’s unsafe, Peter isn’t allowed up there.”

  “Yeah because Peter’s seven; are you sixteen or six? Do you still have to do what your mummy tells you to do?” Bex was taunting me now and I knew exactly what she was doing and it was working.

  “No of course not, come on.” I got up and tried to make my way down the stairs as quietly as possible. Peter was at his dad’s (yep, he has a different dad to me and Ella) and I was pretty sure that Mum was watching T.V in the lounge, so the coast was clear.

  It was quite nippy outside and I couldn’t help thinking how mad we were by the time we had walked to the end of the garden and started to attempt to climb up to the tree house. There were basically just pieces of wood nailed to the tree that were supposed to be a ladder. I was the first one to the top, and despite the rotten wood and that damp woody smell, I have to admit the view was amazing.

  “Oh my god, he’s just got out of the shower!” I did one of those excited shouty whispers that are actually really loud.

  “What? Is he naked?” Sarah sounded a little too ecstatic at the chance of seeing him in his birthday suit and she climbed the tree in super quick time. She was soon standing beside me on the most unconvincingly strong piece of wood but at that moment it seemed to be the last thing to enter our minds.

  “Nah, he’s got a towel on but still.” I whispered. Sarah already had her binoculars out but I didn’t need binoculars to see that Riley had a very nice, buff body. Sam, who the hell is Sam Smith? I am so over him!

  “Hey I can’t fit up there!” Bex was whinging but we kind of just ignored her, we had other things to think about. “It’s ok, there’s a hole in the hedge and I can see right in!”

  “Bex get out of their garden!” I hissed at her and I was also slightly annoyed that she had made me divert my attention from Riley’s bedroom window.

  “Why hasn’t he shut the curtains?” Sarah whispered without tearing her eyes away from the Jackson house.

  “Maybe because he doesn’t expect anyone to be perving at him round the back of his house,” Bex called up at us and as usual pointed out the truth. It was true our houses weren’t overlooked from the back; we were right on the edge of the estate and all that was behind the fences of our gardens was a wooded area that eventually led to the playing fields.

  “Who cares?” I muttered.

  “Chuck us those binoculars, I wanna see!” Bex was calling up to us again.

  “Oh my god, he is totally going to take that towel off in a minute!” Sarah whispered.

  “Give me the binoculars!” Bex was calling out again. “It’s not fair, you two can see up there.”

  “For god’s sake give ‘em to her and shut her up.” I whispered to Sarah because someone was going to hear us if Bex kept shouting up to us. Riley was doing his hair in the mirror on his wardrobe. I think he took longer doing his hair than I did.

  Sarah threw the binoculars down, supposedly at Bex. She has such a lame throw and they crashed down loudly on the tin roof of the old shed at the back of their garden which Bex was leaning up against in the shadows.

  “Sarah!” I hissed at her. It was so loud even Riley was now peering out of the window and Bex wasn’t helping the situation because in her attempt to hide in the hedge, she was making more noise by tripping over. God knows what was piled up around the shed but it was making a racket as Bex was knocking it over and the hedge was now visibly moving to anyone who might just happen to look out of the window to investigate the commotion.

  Obviously Riley wasn’t the only one to see and hear that something was going on out here. We could hear the backdoor unlocking, shit! “Get those binoculars!” Sarah was whispering in my ear. The binoculars were nearly in reach, we were right next to the shed roof up here.
I grabbed a stick and tried to hook the strap of the binoculars on to it.

  “Dad, did you see something as well?” I could hear Riley’s voice (he now had on a t-shirt and some jeans). He’d caught up with his Dad who had now opened the backdoor and was peering out into the garden. Thank god it was dark. “I saw someone out here.”

  I leant over the side of the tree house. I had almost hooked the binoculars. There was no way I wanted them to find these. I mean, how dodgy would it look?

  “What’s going on?” I could hear Jay’s voice now. Great, just what I needed.

  “There’s someone out here.”

  “Really?” Jay didn’t sound surprised and I had a bad feeling that he already knew it was us. I just needed to get those binoculars back before they came down here to have a look and then found the binoculars strap hanging suspiciously over the side of the shed.

  “Have you got them yet?” Sarah barely whispered at me.

  “Nearly.” I leant over further and I just about had them hooked onto the stick. I was aware that Riley and his dad were slowly making their way to the end of the garden, followed by the delightful Jay. I just needed to pull the binoculars up and then we could keep still and hide up here in the tree house.

  “Bex, there’s not a lot of room up here, keep still!” I could hear Sarah hissing at Bex who had now scaled the tree in her desperation to hide and obviously had the same idea as me that the tree house was a good place to not be seen. Well if we crouched down anyway.

  I could feel Sarah being pushed into me as Bex was desperately trying to duck down and then just as I was about to hiss at her to keep still, the wood I was leaning on gave a loud crack and I screamed as I fell through the air and out of the tree house.

  Luckily or unluckily, whichever way you look at it, I landed smack bang in the middle of the shed roof just as Riley, his dad and Jay had made it to the end of the garden. As if that didn’t look bad enough my arm was outstretched, stick still in my hand with the binoculars hanging from it and dangling over the side of the shed.