‘Did you help me?’
‘Now why would I do that?’ He turned his back, reverting to the rude Zed of our first acquaintance.
Great.
Thank you very much, O mighty one.
Spurred on by irritation, I’d acted on instinct and sent the thought the same way I’d heard his voice. It was as if I’d taken a plank of wood to his head. Zed spun round, reeling, to stare at me—I couldn’t tel if he was horrified or amazed. I froze, momentarily stunned, as if I’d just brushed against a live electric fence. I clamped down on the shriek of emotion shooting through me. He hadn’t heard my sarcasm, had he? That was just … just impossible.
Mr Joe jogged between us, blowing his little whistle. ‘Wel done, Sky. I knew you had it in you.
Only one minute to go—get the bal back in play.’
We stil lost. 25–1.
In the girls’ changing room, I played with my shoelaces thoughtful y, not real y having the desire to get started on the shower with so many people around. Quite a few girls came over to say something about my performance on the pitch, most finding my fluke save off Zed Benedict a cause of great hilarity. That one act seemed to wipe out my tragic performance in goal. Sheena’s friends were ribbing her that she’d have to eat barbecued sneaker for dinner.
Tina pounced on me from behind and slapped me on the back. ‘You showed Zed, girl! He’l never live down you saving that kick.’
‘Maybe.’
But what had that al been about—his voice in my head? I real y felt as if he was speaking to me—
telepathy, wasn’t it cal ed? I didn’t believe in that freaky stuff. Like the colours. I was—what was the word my psychiatrist had used—projecting. Yeah, projecting.
‘So, you think they’l pick me for the team?’ I joked, trying not to let Tina see my distraction.
‘Yeah, you’re a sure thing—when Hel freezes over. But maybe the athletics coach might come knocking. You move like lightning when you want. I’ve never seen anyone run off the pitch so fast.’ She crammed her track gear in her sports bag.
‘Something going on between you and Zed I should know about? More than that hate-at-first-sight stuff?’
‘No.’ I slipped off my trainers.
‘He didn’t seem pissed that you saved the penalty.
He was staring at you al through the other matches.’
‘Was he? I didn’t notice.’ I am such a liar.
‘Maybe he likes you now.’
‘Does not.’
‘Does too. What are we: in first grade?’
‘I don’t know—I never was.’
‘That explains it. You’ve got a lot of infantile behaviour to catch up on.’ She shoved me towards the showers. ‘Hurry up. I want to get home before I’m due to graduate.’
The next few days at s
chool I suffered under the
minor celebrity status my lucky save earned me.
Nelson thought it hilarious and never lost an opportunity to make the most of my notoriety.
‘Make way, citizens of Wrickenridge, for the hottest new property in women’s soccer!’ He jogged backwards in front of me as Tina, Zoe, and I headed for Science.
‘Nelson, please,’ I mumbled, aware of the laughter around us.
Tina did better: she dug him in the ribs with one of her talons. ‘Give it a rest, Nelson.’
‘You her agent, Tin girl?’
‘Yeah, and she ain’t giving you an interview.’
‘You’re a hard woman.’
‘You’ve got that right. Now back off.’
‘I’m already gone.’ Nelson turned and ran to his class.
‘That boy is a major league pain in the butt,’
pronounced Tina.
‘He thinks he’s funny,’ I offered.
‘He is—about half the time,’ said Zoe, curling a lock of her dead straight hair round a finger thoughtful y. ‘I always figured he gets at Tina because he likes her so much.’
‘Repeat that and die,’ warned Tina.
‘He’s had a thing for you since fourth grade and you know it.’
‘I don’t want to hear this. Not listening.’ Tina flapped Zoe away.
Zoe considered she’d won that exchange so dropped the subject. ‘So, Sky, you gonna come and watch the school basebal team today? We’re playing Aspen.’
‘If I do, wil one of you explain what’s going on?’
Zoe groaned. ‘Don’t tel me—you don’t know the rules of basebal . Where you been living al your life?
Under a rock?’
I laughed. ‘Nope. Richmond.’
Tina elbowed Zoe to get her to lay off. ‘Sure, we’l fil you in, Sky. Basebal ’s fun.’
Zoe gave Tina an arch look. ‘Zed’s on the team, you know.’
I pretended interest in a leaflet pinned to the notice board outside the lab. ‘I could’ve guessed.’
‘An extra reason for coming along.’
‘Is it?’ I replied airily.
‘That’s what they’re saying.’
‘I would’ve thought it a reason for giving it a miss.’
Zoe giggled. ‘I’m more of an Yves girl myself—
those cute little glasses and studious air gets me every time. He’s like a hot Harry Potter.’
I laughed as Zoe expected, but my mind was working over-time. Was everyone speculating about Zed and me? Why? We were the least likely pairing in the school. Just because he helped me up in front of the year and stared at me for the rest of the afternoon …
‘Look who it is!’ crowed Tina, elbowing me in the ribs.
Enemy at twelve o’clock: Zed was just leaving the lab, in conversation with another boy. I tried my commando camouflage technique, hiding behind Tina.
‘Hi, Zed,’ said Zoe in a falsely girly voice.
I withered with embarrassment. It made us sound like a bunch of groupies.
‘Oh, hi.’ Zed’s gaze skimmed us, then scooted back to me, just visible between Tina and the wal .
Letting his friend go on ahead, he stopped in front of us. ‘I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you, Sky.
You made an awesome save.’
Damn him—he was laughing at me.
‘Yeah, I thought it pretty unbelievable,’ I said ironical y.
‘I’m tel ing everyone you got lucky.’ Zed tweaked the strap of my bag back on to my shoulder.
My stomach did a flip. The gesture felt almost territorial. And what was this? Zed Benedict being nice to me.
‘And I say I had a little help.’ I gave him my hardest stare. What was his game? Had he real y told me what to do? It was driving me mad not knowing what was real and what I had imagined.
‘You’re rumbled, Zed: we al know you didn’t bend the bal like you usual y do.’ Tina gave me a worried smile. She hadn’t missed the casual way he’d touched my bag strap.
Zed held up his hands in surrender. ‘I was just lul ing Sky into a false sense of security. Next time I won’t be so easy on her.’
Zoe hooted, enjoying the flirtatious undercurrents to the conversation even if Tina and I weren’t. ‘No way. Zed Benedict, you built up this image of the meanest guy in the year and now we know you’re a sucker for little blondes looking al dewy-eyed and defenceless.’
‘Zoe!’ I protested, her remark too close to the bunny stuff for comfort. ‘Don’t make me out to be dumb.’
‘Miss Congeniality shows her temper! I knew you had to have one somewhere,’ said Zoe, fascinated by my prickly response.
‘You’d be like that if you had to live with looking like I do. No one takes me seriously.’
My temper only rose a notch when al three of them snorted with laughter. ‘So I’m a joke, am I?’
‘Sorry, Sky.’ Tina held up a hand to prevent me storming off. ‘It’s just that you looked so fierce when you said that … ’
‘Yeah, real y scary,’ agreed Zoe, struggling not to laugh. ‘Like Bambi with an Uzi.’
‘And, just so you’re clear, none of us think you’re dumb,’ said Tina. ‘Do we?’
‘Definitely not,’ Zoe chipped in.