CHERUB: Class A - Robert Muchamore Page 0,67

OK.’
Kerry shook her head. ‘You’re an animal, James.’
She slid off the bed and walked across the hallway to her own room. James’ mobile rang.
‘Hey, April,’ James said. ‘Where are you?’
‘I’m at the airport with Erin and my mum,’ April said. ‘We’re sitting here waiting to board the plane and I thought I’d say hi.’
‘I only saw you a few hours ago,’ James said.
‘Don’t you want to talk to me?’ April said, with a hint of acid in her voice.
‘Of course I want to talk to you,’ James lied. ‘It’s just … I’m really busy, packing and stuff.’
‘I’m wearing your Nike watch,’ April giggled. ‘So I can think about you whenever I look at the time.’
‘Don’t forget to give that back,’ James said. ‘It’s my only good one.’
‘Blow me a kiss,’ April said.
James shook his head before doing a couple of quick smooches into his phone.
‘I think Zara’s calling me downstairs, April. I’ve got to hang up. Have a wonderful trip, bye.’
‘James. I—’
‘Gotta go, April, sorry.’
James ended the call and tutted. Kerry had walked back in behind him. She was holding four pairs of clean sports socks.
‘Girl trouble?’ she inquired.
‘Don’t ask,’ James said.
‘Borrow these,’ Kerry said. ‘My feet aren’t much smaller than yours. Just make sure you wash them before you give them back.’
‘Cheers,’ James said, tucking the socks into his hold-all. ‘You know, April’s driving me round the bend.’
‘Why?’ Kerry asked. ‘She seems like a really nice girl.’
‘She is,’ James said. ‘But she’s too intense. She phones me all the time. She follows me everywhere at school and starts putting her arm around me. If I’m talking to someone else, she pulls me away and whispers stuff in my ear.’
‘She’s got a crush on you,’ Kerry said. ‘You should be flattered.’
‘It’s more than a crush,’ James said. ‘I bet she’s already picked out the wedding dress, and now she’s working out the names of our kids.’
‘Typical man,’ Kerry said indignantly. ‘You like having a girl draped off your arm, but only so you can snog her and impress your stupid mates.’
‘Give over,’ James said. ‘It’s just, April is a lot keener on me than I am on her. It’s not my fault girls can’t resist me.’
‘In your dreams,’ Kerry grinned. ‘I suppose you’ll dump April and leave her in a state, like you did with Nicole.’
‘Nicole?’ James said, looking mystified. ‘I only kissed her once, for about two seconds.’
‘Nicole asked if you liked her,’ Kerry said. ‘So you snogged her, then you dumped her.’
‘I just didn’t snog her again,’ James said. ‘I don’t know why you’re turning it into some big deal.’
‘But you didn’t have the decency to face her. You just skulked around the house avoiding her for the next couple of days. Nicole was really upset.’
‘Well …’ James said. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings.’
‘Yeah, right.’
‘Look, Kerry, I don’t deliberately treat girls like that. To tell the truth, there’s someone else I really like.’
‘You mean Amy?’ Kerry said. ‘You can practically see the drool run out your mouth every time she comes near you, but get over it, she’s seventeen years old.’
‘That shows how much you know,’ James said tersely. ‘Every boy on campus fancies Amy, but it’s not her I’m talking about.’
‘Who is it then?’
‘None of your business.’
‘Huh,’ Kerry sneered. ‘You’re making it up so I don’t think you’re a pig.’
‘No,’ James said.
‘Do I know her?’ Kerry asked.
‘Yes.’
‘It’s not Gabrielle, is it?’
James laughed. ‘No.’
‘You’re such a plonker,’ Kerry said. ‘I don’t know why I’m even bothering to talk to you.’
James loved the way she reared up on the balls of her feet whenever she got ratty.
‘You really want to know who I like?’ James said.
‘I don’t care,’ Kerry said, folding her arms.
‘Fine, I won’t tell you then.’
But James had piqued Kerry’s curiosity and she quickly changed her tack. ‘Oh … go on then.’
James toyed with the idea of making someone up, or saying something stupid, but he realised he was never going to have a better opportunity to tell Kerry how he really felt. He couldn’t carry on bottling it for the rest of his life. He took a deep breath.
‘I …’
His mouth dried up. He felt like his head was about to explode.
Kerry shook her head. ‘I knew you were lying.’
‘No, I like you,’ James blurted.
He stared at Kerry for what felt like a trillion years, studying her face for some kind of reaction.
‘Are you winding me up?’ Kerry asked, suspiciously.
‘Ever since basic training,’ James rambled. ‘Even when we were covered in mud doing combat