The Perfect Lie by Karen Osman

Author:Karen Osman [Osman, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781786699206
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2019-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

*

Several hours later, Claire and the girls were in their sleeping bags on the living room floor, the others around her like caterpillars except for Charlotte, who had brought down her duvet from her bedroom and was on the sofa, the height making her look like she was holding court.

‘I think he really likes you, Claire,’ said Anne.

‘Come on, Claire – share the gossip – what happened?’ prodded Vivian.

‘He’s nice,’ said Claire noncommittally before trying to change the subject. The girls screamed in protest and Claire knew she wasn’t going to get away with being coy.

‘He asked me out,’ admitted Claire, unable to hide her smile, and the girls whooped and hollered as if she’d won the Nobel Peace Prize.

‘And what did you say?’ prompted Vivian.

‘I said, I’d think about it,’ replied Claire. More claps and whistles.

‘I like your style, Claire,’ replied Vivian. ‘There aren’t many girls who would keep a guy like Chris Carmichael hanging!’

The topic moved on and Claire snuggled down into her sleeping bag, listening to the girls recall the highlights of the evening. She hadn’t had a chance to bring up Paul and decided she would do it another time. But then she heard one of the girls mention something that made her sit up.

‘Got the shit kicked out of him. Poor guy, but he really doesn’t help himself.’

‘Who did?’ asked Claire, hoping she’d misheard.

‘Paul Jones,’ came the reply. ‘Oh yes, of course, he was your challenge! Well, apparently, the new boy from Manchester, Danny Lewis, has got his eye on him.’

Claire’s stomach fell. She knew the lads gave each other a hard time but the arrival of Danny Lewis had definitely given everyone a lot to talk about. Even from the way he walked around school, you could tell he was trouble.

‘Paul’s not that bad, you know,’ attempted Claire. ‘He’s actually a really nice guy – he just comes across a bit, you know…’

The girls looked at her in surprise and she quickly backtracked. ‘Of course, compared to Chris…’ She didn’t need to go any further as the whistles resounded around the room.

‘So, when are you going to say yes to Chris?’ asked Charlotte. Claire looked up towards the sofa and she felt a ripple of energy emanate from her. It was a simple question, but Claire sensed the challenge in her tone. The message was clear.

‘He said he’d call me tomorrow,’ replied Claire and as she saw Charlotte’s slight nod, she knew that she and Paul would have to remain a secret.

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