Free Sins of the Father: MANTEQUERO BOOK 3 by Jenny Twist

 
     
    Sins of the Father
     
     
    I
     
    The Geek was staring at her – again ! Samantha could feel his eyes boring into the back of her neck. That’s all he ever did – just stare. All the time . Whenever she was in Mrs Winton’s class she knew that if she turned round in her seat she would catch his eye. He’d been doing it ever since this term started which, as it happened, was when he had joined the class. Why her? She couldn’t decide when she looked at him whether his expression was one of hate or desire. It was intense, she could certainly say that.
    She couldn’t believe it was because he fancied her. There were two things about her which were guaranteed to make any boy run a mile; she was clever, and she was fat. Boys didn’t like clever girls. They were afraid of being shown up. And nobody liked fat girls. She had no girlfriends either. Who wanted to be friends with someone who was top of the class (very uncool) and complete rubbish at sport (mega-uncool)?
    She tried to concentrate on the book in front of her but she couldn’t take her mind off the Geek. Maybe he was planning to murder her!
     
    ****
     
    Rupert was gazing at the girl with long blonde hair. He knew he was staring but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Every time he was in the Spanish class he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She had the most beautiful hair. It was dark blonde and shiny with loose waves curling down to her shoulders. Even in artificial light you could tell the colour was natural. There were too many different shades in it for it to be the result of a hairdresser’s skill. In sunshine, as it was now, it shone red-gold with a myriad of shifting colours. He wanted to touch it, run his fingers through it, bury his face in it. He wondered what it smelt like.
    She was only two desks away. He could reach over and touch her.
    Terrified he might actually find himself doing it, he sat on his hands.
     
    ****
     
    Mrs Winton was saying something about Cervantes but Samantha was completely unable to follow it. He was very tall, the Geek, a lot taller than the rest of the class, including Mrs Winton, and he was good-looking in a brooding sort of way, but the problem was he was really weird. Everybody thought so.
    She had thought about telling a teacher about the staring but it was hardly a crime was it? You couldn’t say, “There’s this boy and he keeps staring at me ,” and expect them to do anything about it, no matter how uncomfortable it made you. It was a free country after all.
    She’d considered tackling him herself. Asking him why he kept staring at her all the time. He must know he was doing it. But she hated confrontation and anyway she couldn’t think how on earth she could bring the subject up. You couldn’t introduce it casually into a conversation – “By the way, why do you keep staring at me all the time?” You’d look like a right prat.
     
    Her name was Samantha, but the other kids called her ‘Piggy Parkin’ or ‘Miss Piggy’ or just ‘Piggy’, referring to her being fat, obviously. But Rupert had never thought fat was unattractive.
    A s a matter of fact he rather liked pigs too. Intelligent animals and very clean if you allowed them the space.
    He shook his head as if he could clear out all these intrusive thoughts in the same way that a dog shakes water out of its fur.
    Perhaps he was losing his mind.
     
    “Jones!” The voice cut across his thoughts like a knife and he snapped to attention.
    “Yes, Miss.”
    “Are you with us in spirit as well as in body?”
He winced. “Yes, Miss.”
    “Then perhaps you could give us your thoughts on it.”
    He just stared back helplessly and Mrs Winton took pity on him.
    “Do you think there is a comparison to be made between Cervantes and Dickens?”
Rupert paused and thought it over. “Well,” he began, slowly, “they’re both criticising the society they live in, but I would have thought that’s the only similarity.”
    Mrs Winton smiled.