Kiss Read online

  'Thousands,' said Miranda.

  'Oh,' said Carl.

  'When we get the film deal for the book,' I said softly.

  'The book?' said Miranda.

  'Yes. Well. We're writing this book together,' I said.

  I looked at Carl, wondering if he was cross with me. The book wasn't exactly a secret but it wasn't t h e sort of thing we talked about to other people.

  'What's it about?' said Miranda curiously.

  'It's j u s t kind of fantasy,' I said vaguely.

  'Can I read it?'

  'Well—'

  'Certainly not,' said Carl.

  'Why, are you worried it's silly baby stuff?'

  said Miranda. 'Dragons and princesses and precious rings?'

  'On t h e contrary,' said Carl. 'It's highly original a n d we're not letting anyone read it in case they steal our ideas.'

  Miranda sighed. I was so impressed by the way Carl talked back at her. She made me feel incredibly tongue-tied, w h e r e a s Carl didn't seem remotely in awe of her.

  'So where's this party then?' he said. He looked round. 'Are we it?'

  'Wait a n d see,' said Miranda. 'Come along.'

  She beckoned with her finger, her black nail 41

  polish gleaming. We followed her back through the kitchen to the hall. Someone switched on some music in one of the front rooms so I walked towards it.

  'No, no,' said Miranda. 'That's Parentland.

  We're downstairs.' She opened another door with steps leading downwards.

  'You're having a p a r t y in your cellar?' said Carl.

  'Such larks,' said Miranda. 'We'll take t u r n s to lock each other up in the dark. My pet r a t s like to play this game too.'

  I blinked. She had to be joking, although with Miranda you could never quite tell.

  It wasn't a cellar at all, t h a n k goodness. It h a d been converted into a comfortable den with a large television set, two sofas and several h u g e cushions, a n d books spilling off the shelves and crowding every corner of the carpet.

  'Here's our party,' said Miranda. 'Small but ultra-select.'

  There were three people sitting in a neat row on one of the sofas. They weren't from our school. The girl was very fair, very thin, very white. Her long waist-length hair was white-blonde, the colour of cream, and h e r skin was eerily pale. The boy on h e r left was Asian, very good looking, with beautiful big brown eyes and long eyelashes. The boy on her right was black, very tall and fit looking, with a cool hairstyle and a nose stud. It was as if Miranda h a d 42

  chosen her friends like ornaments, to look as decorative as possible.

  'Alice, Raj and Andy,' said Miranda, gesturing to them. 'This is Sylvie and Carl.'

  I was so glad she didn't call me the Titch.

  'What would you like to drink?' said Miranda, going to a fridge in the corner.

  I glanced quickly at the three on the sofa. I was enormously relieved. Alice h a d a bottle of fizzy water and Raj and Andy h a d Coca-Cola.

  'Coke, please,' said Carl.

  'Me too,' I said.

  Raj was looking Carl up and down. 'You go to Kingsmere Grammar, don't you?' he said. 'I'm in Year Ten.'

  'Oh. Right. Cool,' said Carl. He seemed flustered.

  'You're friends with the football guy, Paul the Ball,' said Raj.

  'Well. Kind of,' said Carl.

  I stared at him. He hadn't told me he was friends with anyone at Kingsmere, especially not some footballer. Carl hated sports.

  'Who's this Paul?' I asked.

  Carl ignored me. He was looking at Andy. 'Are you at Kingsmere too?'

  'No, Alice and I go to Southfield,' he said.

  'Miranda's old school. Until they chucked her out.'

  'Did you really get expelled, Miranda? W h a t did you do?'

  'It was mostly w h a t I didn't do, like go to 43

  lessons, do my homework, wear my school uniform, all t h a t dull d r e a r y stuff,' said Miranda, giving us our drinks.

  Carl sat on the empty sofa. Miranda sat beside him. I lowered myself cautiously onto one of t h e squashy cushions, very glad I hadn't decided to wear the short skirt.

  'I don't call running right round the gym s t a r k naked dull and dreary,' said Alice.

  'If only I'd been there,' said Andy, sighing.

  Miranda took a crisp from a bowl and flicked it at him. "It was j u s t a silly dare,' she said. 'No big deal. I don't know why it caused such a fuss.'

  'Let's play Dares now,' said Andy.

  'Boring,' said Miranda. And infantile. We'll watch a movie instead.'

  I liked this idea. It was a lot less stressful t h a n trying to think of things to say. I wondered w h a t sort of film Miranda might choose. I thought it might be a grossly explicit sex film. It was a relief when it t u r n e d out to be a horror movie about a gang of teenagers at someone's party. They're all lolling around drinking and nibbling stuff and teasing each other, just like us.

  They think their parents are upstairs, but when the main girl goes to ask her dad for some more beer she can't find him. She can't find her mum either. Then she h e a r s this awful heavy breathing right behind her and she charges back to her room and slams the door shut, and there she is, stuck with her friends, with this Thing thumping against the door, trying to get in.

  44

  I'd have been scared to watch it on my own, or even snuggled up with Carl, but it was different watching with Miranda. She held the remote on her lap and kept rewinding the good p a r t s so t h a t we could all chant along with the cast, and then sometimes we fast-forwarded so we h a d to gabble like mad, and then we all h a d to do the sound effects in unison. It was especially good fun doing the heavy breathing.

  Tour p a r e n t s will wonder w h a t in the world's going on, Miranda,' said Raj.

  'Oh, my parents are too involved in getting stoned with their boring buddies upstairs,' said Miranda.

  I couldn't tell if she was joking or not. She pretended to be scared when the Thing started walking right through the door, and clutched hold of Carl. She'd turned the light off but the television screen gave a little glow. I could see she was gripping Carl's elbow. Her shoulder was nudging against his armpit, as if she was hoping he'd put his arm round her.

  I watched Miranda, my h e a r t h a m m e r i n g u n d e r the hot black sweater. W h a t w a s she playing at?

  She knew Carl was my boyfriend.

  I couldn't m a k e out if Raj or Andy w a s Miranda's boyfriend or w h e t h e r t h e y were all simply friends. Maybe in their circles friends casually cuddled up together without it meaning anything? She couldn't be deliberately making a play for my boyfriend right in front of all of us.

  I waited to see w h a t Carl would do. He didn't push her away b u t he didn't p u t his a r m round her either. He stayed very still, as if he was p a r t of the sofa, while M i r a n d a fidgeted a r o u n d beside him.

  'I'm going for a real drink,' she said. 'It m u s t be all this talk of beer. Anyone fancy a can?'

  46

  'Do you need to ask, babe?' said Andy.

  'Don't babe me!' said Miranda, pretending to punch his nose.

  He played at punching h e r back, and then he started tickling her, while she squealed and doubled up. They ended up wrestling on the carpet, Miranda showing a lot of her shapely plump legs. She was being very physical with Andy, boyfriend or not. This was obviously the way they carried on.

  I t h o u g h t about Carl a n d me. We h a d wrestling matches too, but it was different.

  Childish and silly, not a bit sexual. Perhaps it was because we'd known each other so long.

  Jules used to tuck us into the same bed together when I was staying over at their house. When we got covered in mud or paint she'd pop us both in the same bath.

  I imagined sharing a bed or a b a t h with Carl now.

  'You look like you need a beer, Sylvie – you're bright red in the face,' said Miranda, peering up at me from the floor. 'Hey, you're blushing!'