Page 145 of The Man Upstairs

I liked that a lot.

Lola looked so happy, too, when I saw her at lunchtime.

“That trip did Peter loads of good,” she told me. “He hasn’t stopped smiling. He’s been looking up restaurants in town, says he wants to invite you and Julian out with us, a treat from him.”

“That would be amazing.”

“Yeah, it would. So will sandcastles and ice cream.”

“I’m thinking Tenby. I went there as a kid.”

She high-fived me. “Mind reader. I was thinking the same. So did I. I went there, too.”

Somehow, I doubted Julian had ever been to Tenby. It could be a new experience for him. I’d make sure I showed him the awesome amusement arcade. He could grab me a little teddy with the claw.

The afternoon’s lessons went by easily, despite the fact we were approaching exam dates at lightning speed now. Revision was on the cards, sure, but I had someone to help me if I needed it. Julian was a college professor, after all.

I wished I’d be seeing Lola when the afternoon was done, but she was at a digital exhibition in the art block, so I left on time. The sun was bright, and my mood was light, and I was buzzing, keen to get home to find out what dirty treats Julian’s fingers had been working on this morning, but no. My route home wasn’t going to be clear.

It wasn’t the block seven idiots outside the garage today, it was Jayden, sitting on the bench. I wondered with the faintest hope if he was waiting to apologise and make things up with me after Mum had shouted at him, but his eyes were even more hateful than before, and I should have walked on by without a thought, screw what he would shout after me, but fuck it. I sat by him. I was done with bad feeling, from all sides.

He wasn’t expecting that. He looked awkward, staring ahead across the street and not at me.

“I know you were waiting for me,” I told him. “Don’t pretend you weren’t.”

“How could you know that? I could have been waiting for anyone. You’re not normally out of there for ages now anyway.”

“Stop trying to fool me, Jay. I know you were.”

I found I was smiling, remembering all the times we’d spent together. I could read him like a book.

“Whatever, Rosie. I do have other mates you know.”

“I know that, but you were waiting for me. I could tell.”

“How?”

“You always have a particular scowl when you’re angry at me. Your eyebrows pit, like this.” He turned to me as I pulled a face, and despite his terrible mood he couldn’t help himself. He shook his head, but he was smiling.

“I was going to tell you to fuck off.”

“Again? Wow. Aren’t I lucky.”

“Guess you’re getting immune since the whole of the estate wants you to fuck off right now.”

“Ouch.” I faked a heart wound.

“Yeah, well, true, isn’t it?”

I leant back against the bench, not letting his words get to me.

“They can want me to fuck off if they want to. Maybe I will one day.”

His eyes were piercing. His smirk was a bastard. “Maybe you’ll fuck off in that cute little car of yours. I bet it was fun going away in it.”

Ah, of course. I smirked back at him, still immune.

“It was you, wasn’t it? You’re skilled. You should be an artist.”