Killer Game by Kirsty McKay

Author:Kirsty McKay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicken House

That afternoon, I hide in the art studio, all alone. I plug my MP3 player into the music system, thumbing through my playlist until I find something cheery, and start work. For the first half an hour I’m watching the door for Flynny, certain he’ll be coming to find me, but after a while I lose myself in my screen printing, and three hours pass before my stomach and the clock tells me I’m going to have to run to make it to High Tea.

As I’m clearing away the final things, the door opens. It’s Mr Flynn.

I was sort of prepared for it, and inclined to believe what Vaughan had said about Mr Flynn not acting on what had happened the night before. But as soon as I see him, looking ridiculously handsome and dishevelled in a Sunday way, and wearing the most thunderous look I’ve ever seen on him – apart from the one he wore last night – I’m immediately reduced to Pathetic, Quivering Schoolgirl.

Of course, I don’t let him see this. I walk towards where he stands, in the doorway.

‘I’m going to be late for High Tea,’ I say.

‘Sit down.’

I sigh. ‘Ms Lasillo is on duty, she definitely will notice I’m not there, and would just love to give me an absence mark.’

‘Lucky you, it’s Mr Churley tonight.’ He nods to the nearest table. ‘Find a chair.’

I teen-shuffle to it, slugging my bag down and looking up at him.

‘Vaughan is OK.’

‘I know he is,’ Mr Flynn says. ‘I’ve just finished talking to him.’

This makes me sit up a little. ‘You have?’

Flynn nods. ‘He assured me that nothing untoward was going on last night. Beyond snogging and skinny-dipping.’

I can’t help the sharp intake of breath. Oh, Sweet Cheeses. I have to fight the overwhelming urge to put him right, but of course I instantly realize that this is the best scenario by far. Flynny thinks we were having a bit of reasonably innocent tongue-tussling down on the shore, followed by a dare to jump in the sea? Perfect. The Game is safe. I stay silent.

‘Vaughan tells me you used to know each other as kids?’

I nod.

Mr Flynn nods too. ‘This is not like you. I couldn’t smell anything on either of you last night, but if there was booze – or worse – involved, I suggest you do not do it again.’

‘There wasn’t.’ Ah. At least that part is true.

‘Fine.’ Mr Flynn walks up to the table and sits down beside me. ‘Cate, I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Girl is ambitious, clever, focused. Girl meets boy, falls in love, or lust or whatever—’

I blush and look down.

‘—and loses ambition, loses focus. Becomes one half of a couple, and little else. Lets it hold her back from jumping into all the other things she has to do with her life.’

‘That’s a bit sexist, isn’t it?’ I mumble. ‘You saying it never happens the other way around?’

‘Sometimes, it does,’ Mr Flynn says. ‘But rarely, because most teenage boys don’t let a silly thing like love hold them back.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.