yesterday and one today. Do they all know about each other?’
Niall raised an eyebrow. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Three girls in two days?’ I repeated.
‘Er . . . none of your business,’ he said, but his eyes were twinkling as if he found our whole exchange highly amusing. ‘So you
were
watching me then?’
‘I was
so
not watching you. I told you, I just happened to be looking out of the window.’
‘Ah, but maybe that was fate making you look just as I walked by.’
‘Pff,’ I said and wished I could think of some brilliant put-down.
‘So you’re a mate of Tasmin’s? You don’t look like one of her usual crowd.’
He was starting to annoy me. ‘And what does her usual crowd look like?’ I asked.
‘More glamorous.’
Insulting as well as full of himself
, I thought.
This boy really is something
. ‘Well, your hair needs washing,’ I said.
Niall looked shocked. ‘Wow. What side of bed did you get out of ?’
‘You just insulted me saying Tasmin’s friends are more glamorous.’
‘I didn’t mean it in a bad way. You just don’t have Tas’s loads of make-up, hair-extension look or Clover’s vintage queen style—’
‘I don’t really
care
what you think,’ I said.
Niall sighed. I got the feeling that I was starting to annoy him too.
Good
, I thought.
Boys as good-looking as he is think they just have to look at a girl and she falls at his
feet. Well, not me.
He ran the fingers on his left hand through his hair. ‘Well at least I can do something about my hair needing washing, whereas you can’t change the way you look.’
‘That’s really rude.’
‘And so is telling me my hair needs washing. Actually, I’ve just been at the gym. It’s wet from the shower, that’s all.’
‘If you say so. Anyway, heckling that guy’s singing was really mean.’
Niall’s eyes narrowed and I felt as if I had hit a nerve. ‘You don’t know the whole story there,’ he said. ‘I guess it looked mean but . . . we have
history.’
‘Like what? Tell me? I’d like to understand why you scared some kid off, then snogged three girls in less than twenty-four hours, and
then
insulted me.’
Niall sighed. ‘I didn’t snog three girls . . . er . . . only two. Look. I came over to be friendly. Clearly not a good idea. OK, just forget it. I think I’ll be going
now.’
‘
Me
too,’ I said.
Niall turned to go, then turned back. ‘Just one thing before I go, Miss Judgemental. What you see isn’t always what’s going on.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Don’t make judgements until you know all the facts.’
‘You mean like what I saw with my own two eyes?’
A look of exasperation flashed across Niall’s face. ‘I give up. You’re obviously one of those stuck-up girls who thinks you know it all.’
‘And you’re obviously one of those boys who’s full of himself, insensitive and mean.’
I suddenly realised that Tasmin and Clover had finished on the phone and were listening in.
‘Ah love at first sight,’ said Tasmin.
‘As
if
,’ chorused Niall and I.
I turned and walked away. I couldn’t stand another minute with him. He was
so
annoying. Clover and Tasmin ran to catch me up as I hurried down the pavement. I’d never had
such a horrible conversation with anyone, ever, and it had upset me.
‘Hey, slow down,’ said Clover. ‘Tasmin was only teasing and so probably was Niall.’
‘He’s such a creep,’ I said.
‘So don’t let him get to you,’ said Tasmin. ‘He loves winding girls up. He thinks it’s big. Don’t react. That’s what he wants.’
I nodded. I felt cross with him and cross with myself for giving my feelings away.
There’s a good reason I’m so reserved usually – the less people know about what’s
going on inside of me, the less they can be horrible
, I thought.
Clover linked one arm and Tasmin the other. ‘Come on, let’s go home and listen to music. Not all boys are like Niall, Paige. Honestly there are some really nice ones in
Niall raised an eyebrow. ‘Excuse me?’
‘Three girls in two days?’ I repeated.
‘Er . . . none of your business,’ he said, but his eyes were twinkling as if he found our whole exchange highly amusing. ‘So you
were
watching me then?’
‘I was
so
not watching you. I told you, I just happened to be looking out of the window.’
‘Ah, but maybe that was fate making you look just as I walked by.’
‘Pff,’ I said and wished I could think of some brilliant put-down.
‘So you’re a mate of Tasmin’s? You don’t look like one of her usual crowd.’
He was starting to annoy me. ‘And what does her usual crowd look like?’ I asked.
‘More glamorous.’
Insulting as well as full of himself
, I thought.
This boy really is something
. ‘Well, your hair needs washing,’ I said.
Niall looked shocked. ‘Wow. What side of bed did you get out of ?’
‘You just insulted me saying Tasmin’s friends are more glamorous.’
‘I didn’t mean it in a bad way. You just don’t have Tas’s loads of make-up, hair-extension look or Clover’s vintage queen style—’
‘I don’t really
care
what you think,’ I said.
Niall sighed. I got the feeling that I was starting to annoy him too.
Good
, I thought.
Boys as good-looking as he is think they just have to look at a girl and she falls at his
feet. Well, not me.
He ran the fingers on his left hand through his hair. ‘Well at least I can do something about my hair needing washing, whereas you can’t change the way you look.’
‘That’s really rude.’
‘And so is telling me my hair needs washing. Actually, I’ve just been at the gym. It’s wet from the shower, that’s all.’
‘If you say so. Anyway, heckling that guy’s singing was really mean.’
Niall’s eyes narrowed and I felt as if I had hit a nerve. ‘You don’t know the whole story there,’ he said. ‘I guess it looked mean but . . . we have
history.’
‘Like what? Tell me? I’d like to understand why you scared some kid off, then snogged three girls in less than twenty-four hours, and
then
insulted me.’
Niall sighed. ‘I didn’t snog three girls . . . er . . . only two. Look. I came over to be friendly. Clearly not a good idea. OK, just forget it. I think I’ll be going
now.’
‘
Me
too,’ I said.
Niall turned to go, then turned back. ‘Just one thing before I go, Miss Judgemental. What you see isn’t always what’s going on.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Don’t make judgements until you know all the facts.’
‘You mean like what I saw with my own two eyes?’
A look of exasperation flashed across Niall’s face. ‘I give up. You’re obviously one of those stuck-up girls who thinks you know it all.’
‘And you’re obviously one of those boys who’s full of himself, insensitive and mean.’
I suddenly realised that Tasmin and Clover had finished on the phone and were listening in.
‘Ah love at first sight,’ said Tasmin.
‘As
if
,’ chorused Niall and I.
I turned and walked away. I couldn’t stand another minute with him. He was
so
annoying. Clover and Tasmin ran to catch me up as I hurried down the pavement. I’d never had
such a horrible conversation with anyone, ever, and it had upset me.
‘Hey, slow down,’ said Clover. ‘Tasmin was only teasing and so probably was Niall.’
‘He’s such a creep,’ I said.
‘So don’t let him get to you,’ said Tasmin. ‘He loves winding girls up. He thinks it’s big. Don’t react. That’s what he wants.’
I nodded. I felt cross with him and cross with myself for giving my feelings away.
There’s a good reason I’m so reserved usually – the less people know about what’s
going on inside of me, the less they can be horrible
, I thought.
Clover linked one arm and Tasmin the other. ‘Come on, let’s go home and listen to music. Not all boys are like Niall, Paige. Honestly there are some really nice ones in
Similar Books
