walking me back into the shop.
Then, just as we’re going in, Cat turns up.
“Ash, what’s going on?” She looks outraged.
What the hell is she playing at?
“I’ve been —”
“Sorry for dragging you away from your shopping, it’s just —”
“Excuse me,” Three Strands says, interrupting her. “Your friend has been caught shoplifting, and I am escorting her to the manager’s office.”
“Shoplifting? You’ve got your facts wrong there, mate.” Cat looks appalled. Even
I’m
convinced. “It’s all my fault.”
I start to panic. Surely she doesn’t think he’s going to let me off just because she dared me?
“I was calling her from outside the shop. I was positive I saw that guy off
The X Factor
walking down the road. Ash came out to see what was going on, so it’s my fault that she walked out of the shop. She’d never steal anything, would you, Ash?”
“Er, no.” I try to play along, but I’m not sure what the game is.
“Well, we’ll see about that, shall we?” Three Strands is getting impatient. “Would you mind emptying your pockets, please?”
I don’t budge. Now what? Cheers, Cat. He reaches for my jacket and helps himself. When he pulls out the perfume, I gawp at him. “Oh, my God, I don’t know how that got there. Honestly,” I say as convincingly as I can, innocent confusion plastered onto my bright red face.
“It was my fault. I called her,” Cat breaks in. “She didn’t have any
intention
of stealing anything, did you?”
And finally, I realize what Cat’s up to. We’ve been doing the Theft Act in our law class and one of the things about stealing is that they’ve got to prove you “intended to permanently deprive” the shop of it or something. Luckily, it’s the one law class Cat has been to this term, although I’m amazed she took it in. Mr. Cartwright would be proud. Somehow I doubt we’ll be running to tell him about our field trip, though.
They’re both looking at me.
“N-no,” I stammer, finally getting into my role. “Of course not. I must have been dreaming, not thinking about what I was doing. I just heard Cat calling me and thought she was in trouble, so I went out to see what was up. That must have been when I
accidentally
put the —”
“All right, all right.” Three Strands looks crushed. He doesn’t believe us for a second but knows we’ve come up with something that would wash in a court. “On this occasion, I will not call the police to press charges, but you’re both banned from this shop. That means don’t come back, all right?”
The compromise hangs in the air between us. I catch Cat’s eye and she gives me a quick nod. “OK,” I agree.
“And you will, of course, pay for the perfume.”
“But I haven’t got thirty-eight pounds!” I protest.
Three Strands raises an eyebrow and I quickly shut up. This is the best offer I’m going to get, and I’d better take it or prepare for a bit of finger-painting on a police file.
Cat is getting her purse out. “I’ll lend it to you,” she offers. Yeah, too right. It’s her fault I’m here in the first place.
Three Strands escorts us to the checkout, and we pay for the perfume.
“Can I have it gift-wrapped?” Cat flashes a winning smile at the checkout woman. I hold my breath. The store detective’s face has gone kind of purple. One of his strands has fallen out of place and is sticking up in the air. For a moment I feel sorry for him. He’s only doing his job, after all. And he has been quite generous to us, all things considered. If Cat has blown it now, I’ll never forgive her.
When the checkout woman sees the look on his face, she just shoves the perfume into a plastic bag and gives us a dirty stare as she passes it across the counter.
“Nice doing business with you,” Cat calls over her shoulder as we leave the shop.
I don’t say anything till we’re safely down the road, then I explode. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“What?”
“Ask to
Then, just as we’re going in, Cat turns up.
“Ash, what’s going on?” She looks outraged.
What the hell is she playing at?
“I’ve been —”
“Sorry for dragging you away from your shopping, it’s just —”
“Excuse me,” Three Strands says, interrupting her. “Your friend has been caught shoplifting, and I am escorting her to the manager’s office.”
“Shoplifting? You’ve got your facts wrong there, mate.” Cat looks appalled. Even
I’m
convinced. “It’s all my fault.”
I start to panic. Surely she doesn’t think he’s going to let me off just because she dared me?
“I was calling her from outside the shop. I was positive I saw that guy off
The X Factor
walking down the road. Ash came out to see what was going on, so it’s my fault that she walked out of the shop. She’d never steal anything, would you, Ash?”
“Er, no.” I try to play along, but I’m not sure what the game is.
“Well, we’ll see about that, shall we?” Three Strands is getting impatient. “Would you mind emptying your pockets, please?”
I don’t budge. Now what? Cheers, Cat. He reaches for my jacket and helps himself. When he pulls out the perfume, I gawp at him. “Oh, my God, I don’t know how that got there. Honestly,” I say as convincingly as I can, innocent confusion plastered onto my bright red face.
“It was my fault. I called her,” Cat breaks in. “She didn’t have any
intention
of stealing anything, did you?”
And finally, I realize what Cat’s up to. We’ve been doing the Theft Act in our law class and one of the things about stealing is that they’ve got to prove you “intended to permanently deprive” the shop of it or something. Luckily, it’s the one law class Cat has been to this term, although I’m amazed she took it in. Mr. Cartwright would be proud. Somehow I doubt we’ll be running to tell him about our field trip, though.
They’re both looking at me.
“N-no,” I stammer, finally getting into my role. “Of course not. I must have been dreaming, not thinking about what I was doing. I just heard Cat calling me and thought she was in trouble, so I went out to see what was up. That must have been when I
accidentally
put the —”
“All right, all right.” Three Strands looks crushed. He doesn’t believe us for a second but knows we’ve come up with something that would wash in a court. “On this occasion, I will not call the police to press charges, but you’re both banned from this shop. That means don’t come back, all right?”
The compromise hangs in the air between us. I catch Cat’s eye and she gives me a quick nod. “OK,” I agree.
“And you will, of course, pay for the perfume.”
“But I haven’t got thirty-eight pounds!” I protest.
Three Strands raises an eyebrow and I quickly shut up. This is the best offer I’m going to get, and I’d better take it or prepare for a bit of finger-painting on a police file.
Cat is getting her purse out. “I’ll lend it to you,” she offers. Yeah, too right. It’s her fault I’m here in the first place.
Three Strands escorts us to the checkout, and we pay for the perfume.
“Can I have it gift-wrapped?” Cat flashes a winning smile at the checkout woman. I hold my breath. The store detective’s face has gone kind of purple. One of his strands has fallen out of place and is sticking up in the air. For a moment I feel sorry for him. He’s only doing his job, after all. And he has been quite generous to us, all things considered. If Cat has blown it now, I’ll never forgive her.
When the checkout woman sees the look on his face, she just shoves the perfume into a plastic bag and gives us a dirty stare as she passes it across the counter.
“Nice doing business with you,” Cat calls over her shoulder as we leave the shop.
I don’t say anything till we’re safely down the road, then I explode. “What the hell did you do that for?”
“What?”
“Ask to
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