Free Strictly Friends? by Jo Cotterill Page A

mean.’
    Megan was surprised. ‘Outside classes? You mean, practise on our own?’
    â€˜Yes. I just don’t want to hold everyone else back.’Mari’s face was beginning to turn red. ‘Of course, if you’re busy . . .’
    Megan laughed. ‘Don’t be silly. I’d love to help out a bit.’
    Corinne, who was passing, overheard this. ‘Good idea. You’re a good teacher, Megan. Have you ever thought of doing it as a career?’
    â€˜No,’ said Megan, taken aback. ‘Not really.’
    â€˜Well, it’s just a thought. Come on, you two, I need to lock up this room.’
    Megan and Mari headed towards the front entrance, discussing when and where they could meet up. ‘My house is tiny,’ said Mari abruptly. ‘We’d only be able to take three steps in any direction. How much room have you got?’
    â€˜Quite a lot,’ replied Megan, considering. ‘If we rolled back the rug in the lounge . . .’
    â€˜Whereabouts is your house?’
    â€˜Just three minutes round the corner. Listen,’ said Megan as a thought struck her, ‘why don’t you come back that way now and I’ll point it out to you?’
    Mari nodded. ‘Good idea. Then I can come knocking on your door one evening!’
    They approached the skate park together, and Megan felt her heart skip a beat as she spotted Danny practising ollies in the middle of the concrete. On animpulse, she turned to Mari. ‘You see that boy over there?’ she whispered.
    â€˜Which one? The tall one with the dark hair?’
    â€˜Yes. He’s teaching me to skateboard.’
    Mari looked astonished. ‘He’s what? You’re learning to skateboard?’
    Megan nodded, eyes sparkling. ‘Well, sort of. He’s amazing, Mari. He can do all these jumps and tricks and things.’
    â€˜I’ll bet he can. He’s
very
cute too.’ Mari raised her eyebrows. ‘How do you know him?’
    â€˜I bumped into him one day. Literally. We crashed into each other.’
    â€˜Wow. And so now he’s teaching you to skateboard.’ Mari nudged her friend. ‘Did you pretend to be interested so that you could talk to him?’
    â€˜I
am
interested! Skateboarding is kind of fun.’
    Mari grinned. ‘Bet it’s more fun when you’ve got a good-looking boy teaching you!’
    Megan blushed. ‘Well, that helps, I suppose. But he is really amazing. I mean, look at that! How does he do it?’
    â€˜Oh dear,’ said Mari, smirking, ‘you have got it bad. Shouldn’t you dash down there now? Aren’t you afraid someone else is going to become his pet pupil?’
    â€˜I hadn’t even thought of that,’ said Megan, startled.‘But then there are these two girls who hang around him. One of them’s his sister. They’re not very friendly. They nearly scared me off.’
    Mari laughed. ‘Nice. He must be worth it, to put up with them!’
    â€˜He is. Well, I like him. And I’m sure the girls are nice really. It’s just taking a while to get to know them.’ A movement behind Danny caught her eye. ‘There they are. Those two, just coming down the steps from the playground.’
    Mari glanced across, amused. Then, suddenly, she stiffened all over. Her eyes turned hard and cold. ‘Those two girls?’ she said icily. ‘The blonde one and her friend?’
    â€˜Yes. The blonde one is his sister. Danny’s sister, I mean.’
    Mari grabbed her arm, and Megan jumped at the tightness of her grip. ‘But that’s
Samantha
,’ she hissed.
    Megan was startled. ‘Samantha, yes, that’s right. Do you know her?’
    â€˜Samantha Brooks,’ said Mari urgently. ‘That’s her! That’s the girl who injured Fliss in the play!’
    Megan gaped. ‘
What?
’
    Mari pulled Megan back towards the arts centre and out of sight of the