Listen Closely by Leon Egan

Author:Leon Egan [Egan, Leon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
Published: 2025-05-28T17:00:00+00:00

Jude

‘Jude!’

Aiden’s waiting for me outside the changing rooms on Tuesday morning. If he thinks I’m going to actually participate this time, he’s pushing his luck immensely.

‘Nobody should be this perky before PE,’ I say when I reach him. ‘Tone it down. The appropriate level should be anywhere in the region of complete despair, but ideally a step above climbing into the oven.’

Aiden just grins back at me, then says, ‘For all my despair, for all my ideals, for all that – I love life.’

All right, that was hot, I’ll give him that. I hated it. But it was hot. ‘What?’

‘Sylvia Plath!’

‘Bold of you to assume I know anything about Sylvia Plath except the oven thing.’

‘You should, she’s great.’

‘Clearly. You just had that quote ready to go? Like you’re competing for the title of world’s most charming arsehole?’

‘I’m charming?’

I’m going to pass away. ‘You’re an arsehole.’

He laughs. ‘Charming enough to be on my team for PE?’

‘There’s not enough charm in the world. I don’t do PE. Not ever, if I can help it, but especially not after last time.’

‘I get it, I do. But sitting on the bench is only going to make you feel worse. This way, I can keep you company.’

Oh, but he’s right, and it’s infuriating. Putting aside the idea of Aiden keeping me company, and the way he’s looking at me with the big sad pleading eyes while he twists his thumb ring around as if he’s got any reason to be nervous about this. The only prospect that could possibly feel more horrifying than joining in with PE right now is to sit in full view of the class and risk bringing the whole catastrophe back to the surface of everyone’s minds.

He takes my hand, again, like it’s nothing. Like my chances of spontaneous combustion don’t increase by about a million per cent every time he does it. ‘Please?’

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