‘Girls,’ Dad said, ‘this has to be your aunt and uncle’s decision.’ But he sounded quite miserable himself.
‘An interesting place, Australia,’ Mr Hernandez remarked. ‘There are a lot of kangaroos there.’
‘So we’ve been told,’ Auntie said quietly. ‘And when we’ve decided what we’re going to do, you girls and your dad will be the first to know.’
‘And Mr Morgan,’ Uncle Jai added with a nervous look at the cameras.
Well, how could we concentrate on the game properly after that bombshell? Especially with the whole Baby thing going on too. The level of tension in the room had rocketed as we once again went through the motions of playing Truth or Dare. But I was certain almost everyone had something else on their mind.
Dad, Geena, Kim and Mr Hernandez got ‘Dares’, and Geena and Dad looked mightily relieved. I was so intent on thinking about all the implications of Auntie and Uncle Jai moving to Australia, though, that I wasn’t really concentrating. Until I put my hand in the box and pulled out ‘Truth’.
‘Oh, great!’ said Baby eagerly. ‘Now I get to ask the question! So, Amber, do you secretly fancy that boy who’s always hanging round you? What’s his name? George Bottomley?’
‘Botley,’ I said, feeling suddenly hot all over. It seemed like everyone’s eyes were boring into me at once. ‘Well . . .’ What was the truth? I hardly knew myself. ‘I suppose I do like him, in a way – but just as a friend. Sort of.’
‘Oh.’ Baby looked disappointed. ‘I thought you might have something you wanted to share with us.’
‘No,’ I said firmly. Of course I did have a secret but it was nothing to do with George Botley. All would be revealed tomorrow when the contest was over. Or not. It all depended on one person. And I didn’t have much faith in that person coming through for me at all.
‘Right, there are enough slips left for us to have another go.’ Mr Hernandez peered into the box. ‘Let’s change places to make it more interesting.’
We all moved seats. Jazz and I both tried to get near Geena but she plonked herself down quickly between Mr Hernandez and Rocky, looking very smug. Obviously she was determined to fend off any questions about mystery boyfriends.
On the other hand, Dad was now sitting with Baby on his left. He looked worried and he had a right to be. When he pulled out ‘Truth’, Baby pounced like a spider on a poor little fly.
‘My question is – have you got a girlfriend, Uncle?’
Oooh! There was a sharp intake of breath around the circle.
‘I don’t think that’s appropriate at all, Baby,’ Auntie snapped.
‘It’s all right,’ Dad said quietly. ‘No, I don’t have a girlfriend.’
Geena, Jazz and I glanced at each other, relief written all over us.
‘However,’ Dad stumbled on manfully, ‘I do have a friend who is a lady. I mean, a woman. But we’re just friends.’
That sounded slightly more worrying and would require more discussion later with Geena and Jazz. Meanwhile the box was making its way around the circle once again and I was relieved this time to get a ‘Dare’, even though Jazz dared me to sing the school song backwards. I can hardly sing forwards, so at least it was quite amusing and lightened the tension a little.
But the biggest shock of all came when Geena pulled out ‘Truth’. She looked slightly concerned, but only slightly, as she turned to Rocky. Maybe she thought he was going to ask her if she thought his rapping was cool or something. But she was unprepared for the question he actually asked, as were we all.
‘Right, then . . .’ Rocky sat forward in his chair. ‘So have you ever, like, been out with a boy on a secret date without your dad or auntie finding out?’
Geena turned completely pale.
‘I told him to ask that when we were changing seats,’ Baby said with great satisfaction.
‘You may as well tell us the truth, Geena,’ Auntie said grimly. ‘I have a suspicion that there’s been something going on.’
Jazz, in a state of high excitement, pinched my arm rather hard. I barely noticed the pain because my eyes were riveted on Geena.
‘Oh all right!’ Geena muttered, fidgeting uncomfortably in her seat. ‘I did go out with . . . someone – but just twice. I finished it by telling him I didn’t really like him, but it wasn’t that. I just couldn’t stand all the sneaking around.’
‘Who was it?’ Jazz demanded breathlessly.
Geena bit her lip. There was a tense silence which seemed to last for decades.
‘Gareth Parker,’ she said at last.
‘GARETH PARKER!’ I screamed.
Jazz fell back in her chair, stunned. Kim was goggling at Geena in disbelief. Dad, Uncle Jai, Auntie and even Mr Hernandez looked shocked. None of us could take it in.
‘What, you mean that grim-looking boy who’s one of the sixth-formers?’ asked Auntie.
‘He’s very good-looking without his glasses,’ Geena mumbled, eyes on the floor.
‘I told you so, Amber,’ Baby said triumphantly. ‘Heathrow. I mean, Heathcliff.’
‘Oh, now I see why he’s been so mean,’ I said slowly, working it out. ‘He was getting his own back on Geena. And that must be why he bid for us all at the slave auction. He only wanted to win you . . .’ I glanced at Geena, who was completely overcome with embarrassment. ‘But it would have been too obvious if he’d only bid the once.’
‘So he was staring at our house with his binoculars that time!’ Jazz gasped. ‘He was trying to spot Geena!’
‘Is this guy a stalker or what?’ asked Rocky.
‘I must say, I don’t like the sound of that,’ Dad said with a frown.
‘He’s not a stalker,’ Geena muttered. ‘He wanted to talk to me and I wouldn’t. That’s all.’
‘And it must have been Gareth who passed you that note Baby spotted,’ I guessed. ‘What did it say?’
Geena turned pink. ‘I can’t remember,’ she muttered untruthfully.
‘Did you kiss him, Geena?’ Jazz asked with rampant curiosity.
‘Oh, really, Jazz!’ Geena snarled.
‘Ooh, Gareth could be watching this right now if he’s on camera duty!’ Jazz exclaimed, opening her eyes very wide. ‘And even if he isn’t, I bet he’ll see it later.’ Her eyes opened even wider. ‘Oh! The whole school could be watching all this later today!’
We stared at each other in horror. We’d been so caught up in the unfolding drama that we’d all forgotten that the cameras were rolling.
‘Maybe people have lost interest in the contest by now,’ Geena said hopefully. ‘There might be hardly anyone coming to watch the updates after school.’
‘But if no one’s voting, then we’ll make hardly any money for our Mum Fund,’ I pointed out. I didn’t know which was worse – washing my family’s dirty linen in public or not raising any money. It was a tough one.
‘I think that all these things should be left alone until we get out of here tomorrow,’ Dad said in an authoritative tone. ‘We’ll have plenty of time to discuss everything then.’ He glanced at Geena, who looked apprehensive.
‘What drama!’ said Mr Hernandez, flopping back on the sofa. ‘This is better than Neighbours.’
I knew what he meant. But thank goodness the game was now over. It had well and truly put a killer cat amongst the pigeons . . .
Following on from all those amazing revelations, the afternoon was supremely dull. Dad, Auntie and Uncle Jai were on guard, making sure that nothing that had come to light during the Truth or Dare game was mentioned again at all in front of the cameras. It was extremely annoying.
Drained by all the drama, we went to bed very early that night. I was hoping that Auntie would fall asleep first. There was no hope of getting any more out of her about the proposed move to Australia, but at least then Jazz and I would have a chance to quiz Geena.
I mean, Gareth Parker!!!
I was still in shock.
But Auntie wasn’t having any of it. My eyelids insisted on closing while she was
still sitting up, arms folded, waiting for the rest of us to go to sleep. Even though I was also thinking about the end of the contest tomorrow, and whether my Big Secret would come out, I just couldn’t stay awake . . .
Some time later – I don’t know how much – I woke up with a jolt. The classroom was now in darkness but I could hear a steady tap-tap-tap sound on the door. I think that was what had woken me up.
‘Rocky!’ I thought. I guessed that he’d sneaked out to see Baby. Well, I’d give him the fright of his life . . .
I slipped out of bed and tiptoed over to the classroom door. But it was me who got the fright of my life.
I looked through the glass and saw George Botley grinning back at me.
Chapter Eleven
‘GEORGE!’ I GASPED, wondering for a moment if I was still asleep and having a nightmare. ‘What – what the hell are you doing here?’
‘Well, that’s nice,’ George said in an injured tone. I could just about hear him through the door. ‘You told me to break you out. So here I am.’
‘Yes, but – but . . .’ I was floundering badly. ‘How did you get in?’
‘I climbed through a window,’ George replied.
‘But there are CCTV cameras in the corridors!’ I said anxiously. ‘A sixth-former or a teacher will be along in a moment to throw you out!’
‘No, they won’t.’ George sounded supremely confident for some unknown reason. ‘But we’ve only got about ten minutes, so we’ve got to hurry.’
‘Amber, what’s going on?’
Auntie’s voice behind me almost made me jump out of my skin. I spun round and accidentally knocked a pot plant off the nearby bookcase. It crashed to the floor and smashed loudly.
A second later Auntie switched on the light. I stood there blinking, surrounded by bits of compost and leaves. Meanwhile Geena, Jazz, Kim and Baby sat up yawning and stared at me.
‘What’s going on?’ Auntie asked again.
‘HELP!’ Jazz screeched, pointing at the door. ‘There’s a horrible ghostly face looking in at us!’
‘Don’t panic,’ I said. ‘It’s only George Botley.’
‘George Botley!’ Auntie repeated in amazement. ‘How did he get in? And more to the point, what’s he doing here?’
‘I’ve come to break Amber out, like she asked me to,’ George called through the door. ‘So she can claim Mr Gill’s thousand pounds.’
Auntie turned and threw a piercing stare my way, which made me blush. ‘How strange,’ she said. ‘Amber never mentioned to me that she’d asked for your help, George.’
‘Or me,’ Geena and Jazz both chimed in.
‘Well, I didn’t really think he’d manage it,’ I muttered defensively. ‘And I’m not actually convinced that it’s going to work anyway. Whoever’s watching the CCTV cameras tonight would have seen him come in.’
‘I keep telling you,’ George said impatiently, ‘they won’t. But we’ve only got about nine minutes left now.’
‘What do you mean, George?’ asked Auntie.
‘The caretaker’s on camera duty tonight,’ George explained. ‘But he nips out every hour to have a ciggie. He’s away for ten minutes on the dot. That’s why we’ve only got a bit of time left.’
Auntie grabbed her dressing gown and then unlocked the door.
‘How do you know all this, George?’ asked Geena.
George grinned. ‘I’ve been asking around,’ he replied. ‘And I keep my ears open.’ He raised his eyebrows. ‘Nice jim-jams, Amber.’
I scowled, wishing I’d brought some other nightwear instead of my cosy, candy-pink PJs covered with fluffy white bunnies.
‘There must be other people – teachers or sixth-formers – patrolling around the block tonight,’ I said tartly. ‘How are we going to avoid them?’
George shrugged. ‘We’ll just have to keep a look out,’ he said. ‘Are you up for this or not, Amber?’
‘I am, definitely!’ Jazz cut in, scrambling for her slippers.
‘Only one of us needs to go . . .’ I began.
‘Why don’t we all go?’ Kim suggested. ‘Mr Gill might give you a bit of extra money then, Amber.’
‘I’m not going if it’s cold outside,’ Baby grumbled.
‘Don’t worry.’ George winked at her. ‘You’re hot enough to keep yourself warm.’
Baby giggled.
‘George,’ I said coldly, ‘this is no time for flirting.’
‘We’ll all go,’ said Auntie. ‘Then I can keep an eye on everyone. Lead on, George.’
We all hurried out into the moonlit corridor behind George. As we did so, a tall thin shadow loomed over us on the opposite wall.
‘It’s a ghost!’ Baby screamed.
‘What’s going on?’ Dad stepped out of the dark common room, looking bewildered. ‘We heard a crash and it woke us up.’ He looked even more confused when he spotted George. ‘And what’s he doing here?’
‘No time to explain, Dad,’ I said hastily. ‘We’re off to claim Mr Gill’s thousand pounds.’
‘Can we come too?’ Mr Hernandez rushed out of the common room, wearing eye-popping lime-green pyjamas. He was followed closely by Uncle Jai. ‘This is a bit of an adventure!’
‘Where’s Rocky?’ asked Baby.
‘He’s still asleep,’ Uncle Jai replied.
We all tiptoed off down the corridor in a long line towards the window where George had let himself in. After a moment or two we heard footsteps and Rocky joined us.
‘Why did you leave me on my own?’ he complained to the other guys. ‘You know I don’t like the dark!’
Baby sniggered.
‘Here we are.’ George stopped underneath the same window I’d tried to escape through three days earlier. ‘Want a leg-up, Amber?’
‘No, thank you, George.’ Dad had already heaved me up and I was climbing through. Geena and Kim followed me outside.
‘It’s freezing,’ Baby moaned as she joined us.
A few minutes later we were all out. After being locked up for four days, it felt wonderful to be out in the cool night air.
‘I’ve brought my camera.’ George whipped a dinky little digital camera out of his pocket. ‘And a copy of today’s newspaper so we can see the date. That’s how they do it in the movies.’
‘You’ve thought of everything, George,’ said Auntie. ‘Well done. But I’m sure you shouldn’t be out this late, you know. It’s well after midnight. Does your mum know?’
‘Oh, my mum brought me here,’ George explained cheerfully as we all lined up for the photo. ‘She’s waiting in the car at the playground gates. She thinks it’s a great laugh. You know, she’s a bit mad like that.’
Yes, that probably summed up Mrs Botley only too well. You’d have to be slightly off-the-wall to produce a son like George.
George shoved the newspaper at me and I held it up. Then he snapped away several times as we did all the silly things people usually do in group pictures, like thumbs-ups and rabbit-ears. Then, when we’d checked that the photos had turned out OK, we tiptoed over to the window.
‘So what’s happening in school then, George?’ I asked curiously. ‘Is everyone watching us, or have they lost interest by now?’
‘Oh, I can’t tell you that,’ George said in a most infuriating manner. ‘It’s against the rules.’
I ground my teeth. ‘Can’t you give me some idea? Especially after what happened today?’
‘Oh, you mean the Truth or Dare game?’ George chuckled and winked at me. ‘Thanks for saying you liked me.’
‘As a friend,’ I reminded him, with as much dignity as I could muster in my fluffy bunny PJs.
George shrugged. ‘It’s a start,’ he replied jauntily. ‘Yeah, that Truth or Dare bit was gripping. Edge-of-the-seat stuff.’
‘Yes, but exactly how many people were on the edge of their seats?’ I asked urgently. ‘Two? Ten? Thirty? Two hundred?’
George cocked his head to one side and regarded me thoughtfully. ‘What do you wan
t me to say, Amber?’ he asked as we reached the window. ‘I could tell you that there were only about five of us watching the update after school today.’
I felt a mix of relief and disappointment. ‘And would that be true?’
‘Or,’ George went on, ignoring my question, ‘I could tell you that almost the whole school was there. And that lots of the kids’ parents have started popping in to watch too, and bringing their friends, because everyone’s really hooked on seeing what happens next. And that loads of people are voting every single day.’
I stared at him in amazement. ‘And would that be true?’
George winked at me again. ‘What do you think, Amber? See you tomorrow afternoon when you get out.’ He slapped me on the back in an annoyingly matey manner and ran off. I stared after him as Dad and Uncle Jai pulled the window wide open again. Could it really be true? Had the contest been a huge success?
‘Me first!’ Baby elbowed Kim and Jazz aside. ‘I’m cold.’
Dad and Uncle Jai bent down to give Baby a leg-up. As they did so, someone with a torch came round from the front of the building.
It was Gareth Parker.
There was a moment of completely incredulous silence. I don’t think Gareth could believe his eyes either as he played the torch slowly over all of us. At last the beam came to rest on Geena and she flushed bright red.
Oh, this was so unfair! I swallowed hard, anxiety overwhelming me. We’d all broken the rules. What if the contest was cancelled and we had to give the money back or something like that? All our hard work would be wasted.
‘I suppose it’s no use asking you not to tell on us?’ I muttered.
Looking highly embarrassed, Gareth cleared his throat. ‘Go on,’ he said gruffly.
‘What?’ I asked, confused.
‘Go on, climb through the window,’ he muttered. ‘I haven’t seen you.’
‘You mean – you’re letting us go?’ Jazz squeaked. ‘You’re not going to tell anyone?’
Gareth shook his head. I glanced at Geena, whose face was now literally on fire.
‘Oh, come on, what are we waiting for?’ Baby said impatiently. She shot a brilliant smile at Gareth and then launched herself at Dad and Uncle Jai. They hadn’t quite braced themselves, and staggered backwards. Baby climbed all over them and pushed herself through the window back into the corridor.
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