The New Girl by Cathy Cole Page B

I don’t like her. Not in that way.” His eyes softened. “But I do like you. I really like you. Eve just makes it impossible for me to go out with anyone else. I need to straighten things out with her before taking things any further, OK? I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Can you be patient? Can you trust me?”
    He ran his hands through his hair and gazed beseechingly at her. Lila felt a hopeless tug in her gut. She couldn’t help herself. Even in a smelly toilet she felt herself falling for him. His gaze was smouldering. She leaned towards him. . . There was a hammering at the door. Lila and Ollie sprang apart.
    â€œI know you’re in there,” Eve said furiously, hammering again. “Open the door!”

ELEVEN
    Lila felt the blood draining from her face. Of all the people. . . How could she possibly explain that they had only been talking? OK, so they had nearly kissed. But it wouldn’t look that way. It wouldn’t look that way when she opened the door and faced the one person she really, really didn’t want to see.
    â€œI said, open it!” Eve shouted, banging on the door again.
    Ollie looked as worried as Lila felt. “This is going to be nasty,” he said. “But we can handle it. Right?”
    You’ve had worse than this! Lil whispered in Lila’s head. Face her and get it over with! Unlike in the past, you have nothing to be ashamed of. “I can if you can,” she said shakily. An even nastier thought struck her. “Are you going to tell her what you just told me?”
    Ollie looked uncomfortable. “It’s not really a good time, is it?”
    â€œThere’s never a good time for things like this.” Wisdom was coming from somewhere and pulling Lila’s scattered thoughts together.
    He stared at her. “So I should do it now?”
    â€œNo!” Lila said quickly. She cringed at the thought of witnessing the conversation. “Don’t do it where I can see it. OK?”
    â€œOpen the door,” Eve bawled.
    â€œPromise me,” Lila begged.
    There was more banging. Ollie flinched and rubbed his hands through his hair. “We’d better open the door before Eve kicks it in.”
    Lila reached out her hand and slowly turned the lock.
    The door crashed open at once. A crowd of people were standing outside in the corridor. Eve’s arms were tightly folded across her body, her face burning with anger. Rhi looked uncomfortable. Max was openly laughing. In the background, Lila couldn’t make out Polly’s expression at all.
    â€œEve,” Ollie began, raising his hands. “This isn’t what it looks like. I swear we weren’t doing what you think we were doing.”
    â€œDon’t lie to me,” Eve spat. The look she gave Lila was incendiary. “Who locks themselves in a toilet just to talk ? How long has this been going on?”
    â€œNothing happened!” Ollie repeated.
    â€œI don’t believe you,” Eve raged.
    Ollie’s shoulders slumped. “OK, it’s like this. Lila and I—”
    Lila felt panicky. He was going to do it right here and now, she realized, with a swoop in her stomach.
    She didn’t like Eve, but being rejected by a boy in front of your friends? She wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Despite herself, Lila felt a little rush of pleasure mixed in with the horror. Ollie liked her. Her heart fluttered just thinking about it. But rejecting Eve like this, out in public for everyone to see. . . Something told her that the Heartbeat Café grapevine would love it. The word was probably already spreading about her and Ollie being locked in the toilet together. A public humiliation like this would be one more reason for Eve Somerstown to hate her.
    â€œOllie,” she began in warning.
    Suddenly, the air split open. Rhi screamed and covered her ears as the fire alarm by her head started shrilling at full volume. A cry