He's After Me - By Chris Higgins Page 0,3

finding it really hard. We were double-dating, Zoe and Max, Ben and me. When I packed Ben in, pretty soon after, Max followed suit. I feel a bit guilty about it, actually.

She’s going on and on about him, as usual.

‘You’ve got to move on, Zo,’ I butt in when I get a chance. ‘Get over it!’

‘I can’t!’ she wails. ‘I’ve tried, but it’s no good. It’s over a month now since we split up and I still love him.’

She was in much deeper than me. I sigh deeply, trying to show a bit of understanding. ‘It’s six months since my mum and dad split up and she’s still wrecked.’

‘Really?’ Zoe stares at me in horror. ‘How does she cope?’

‘With difficulty.’

The truth is, my mother doesn’t. OK, she functions on an everyday level, but that’s all she is doing, functioning. Since Dad left her for Jude, all the life’s seeped out of her. It’s like every day she fades away a bit more like an old photograph. I’m afraid one day she’ll disappear altogether.

I will never let a guy do that to me.

‘I read in a magazine once that breaking up is a form of bereavement,’ says Zoe gloomily.

‘Really?’

‘Yeah, only it’s worse in a way. Especially if the corpse is still around, chatting someone else up before your eyes.’

We go shopping to cheer ourselves up, trawling in and out of stores. Zoe spends a small fortune on random stuff, but my heart’s not in it. I don’t know what’s the matter with me today.

‘Isn’t that your sister?’ says Zoe. I follow her eyes and spot Livi, easily identifiable by her cropped, blonde hair and her loud laugh. She’s in the middle of a noisy gang of kids. I recognize a couple of them from when I was at school. Troublemakers. At least she’s not still with Bus Boy.

Zoe shakes her head in disbelief. ‘What is she doing with them?’

People are attracted to Livi like bees to a bright, beautiful flower. She stands head and shoulders above the rest of us boring bedding plants. But the trouble is, she attracts wasps too. There’s one buzzing round her now, hands everywhere, touching her every chance he gets …

Get your hands off my little sister! I scream inside.

‘Anna!’ Livi sees me and immediately detaches herself from his clutches, bounding over to greet me. I know what she’s doing, she doesn’t want me to see who she’s hanging out with, but it’s too late. The boy follows behind, hovering over her like a hornet.

‘Who’s this? Aren’t you going to introduce me?’

Livi looks nervous.

‘This is Steven. Ferret, this is my sister, Anna.’

So this is the celebrated Ferret. I study him. He’s not that tall, about the same height as her, with fair hair sticking out from beneath a black beanie. He’s quite good-looking but his face is a bit too thin, his nose too long, and his eyes too small for my taste.

‘Ferret,’ I say. ‘Suits you.’

The eyes harden. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Nothing. It’s your name, not mine.’

Livi laughs nervously. ‘His name’s Steven Ferris. That’s why he’s called Ferret.’

Great. I’ve insulted him without even meaning to. He stares me out, pale eyes narrowed. When I drop my gaze he gives a victorious, insolent little bark of a laugh, like he’s won, and turns away.

I’m furious.

‘What are you doing with that?’ I hiss.

Livi’s face falls. ‘Loads of girls like him. He’s dead fit.’

‘No he’s not, Liv. You can do so much better than him!’

She shakes her head. ‘You don’t know him!’

‘I don’t want to know him!’

‘Get lost!’ she says and now she turns away.

‘Livi! Don’t be daft!’

‘Piss off!’ she yells at me.

Behind her, her mates burst out into shrieks of laughter.

All except Ferret, who stands there staring silently at me, a twisted, malevolent smile on his pale, pinched face.

I turn on my heel and walk away.

He watched as she disappeared down the mall with her fat friend in tow. He’d got her measure now. One of those girls who thinks she knows everything. Thinks she’s better than everyone else.

Well, you can be too clever for your own good.

He could teach her a thing or two. He could show her.

CHAPTER THREE

‘What the hell does she see in him?’ gasps Zoe as we walk off.

‘Goodness knows!’

‘He gives me the creeps.’

‘Me too!’ I don’t want to admit it, but I’m feeling a bit freaked out after that encounter, like I’ve been threatened or something. ‘Actually, Zoe, I think I’m going to make a move now, if it’s OK with