‘She’s a friend Steph, and she’s nearly eighteen.’
‘Friends, really?’
Jaz was itching to hear his reply but she figured he’d be listening for the door, so Jaz shut it then placed her ear against it in the mere hope of still hearing. Nup, just the sound of solid wood. Damn.
She picked up her school bag, which she’d left by his door, and made her way to the front gate. She thought about Steph’s words. She’d actually thought Ryan and her were…well maybe…together. She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. Jaz was walking on air as her mind ran with thoughts. Steph had thought she was pretty, that was weird considering how she’d never match up to Steph in a million years. If anything, she resembled a drowned rat. Oh, how she wished she could have heard Ryan’s reply. Could they ever be more?
Jaz was a few blocks away when she realised it was spitting. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of Ryan, how he’d held her hand, how amazing it felt; and then there was the meeting with James at the agency. Life certainly was interesting now. The wetting drops didn’t worry her. Instead she started running to warm up, with her mouth open to taste the rain.
Chapter 27
Anna threw her bag down on the spare chair at their lunch table.
‘Hey, Taylor might want to sit there.’ Jaz asked. ‘Bad morning?’
‘Oh, yeah,’ said Anna shifting her bag to under the table. She sat opposite Jaz and plonked her head on the table. ‘You won’t believe it; I’ve been stuck with Angelica as a class partner!’ She started banging her head repetitively.
‘Bahhaha, that’s hilarious…I mean that’s terrible. Can’t you swap?’
Anna lifted her head and frowned at Jaz. ‘Yes, it is terrible and no I’m not allowed to swap. Stupid cow of a teacher.’
‘I thought Miss Swanson was your favourite?’
‘Yeah, well she’s just burnt all her bridges, no more nice Anna! Anyway, how was your morning?’ asked Anna with a dramatic sigh.
‘The usual, total bore. Hey, how were your lessons? Did you have a cute partner?’ Jaz asked. ‘You did, didn’t you?’
Anna smiled sheepishly. ‘I wish! I had some little old lady…but on the plus side she knew how to move.’
Jaz burst out laughing and just about spat her egg sandwich over the table. She was still brushing the crumbs around her mouth away when Taylor sat down.
‘Did I miss a good joke?’ he asked, adjusting his sunnies on his head. No one else got away with wearing sunnies at school. Taylor was one of the gifted few who had the teachers on side. Suck hole.
Jaz was about to explain when Anna kicked her under the table. ‘Um…yeah, funny joke about a little old lady but I think you’ve already heard it,’ Jaz said under Anna’s glaring gaze.
‘So tomorrow night’s the big one! I hope you dust off your dancing shoes, Jaz, you’ll have to keep up with me,’ said Taylor moving his arms and shoulders in a smooth roll from one side to the other.
‘Oh, please, no boy band moves,’ she laughed.
‘Why, would you rather the Funky Chicken?’ Taylor started flapping his wings and sticking out his chin. Jaz and Anna were practically falling off their chairs in fits of laughter. ‘How about the Sprinkler?’
‘I’m sooo glad he’s your partner,’ said Anna after her chuckles died down.
Taylor turned to Anna. ‘Oh, no. Don’t you worry, I will be finding you for a dance too, Anna Banana! You can’t escape me and my cool moves,’ he joked.
Anna rolled her eyes and turned to Jaz. ‘You should have invited Ryan to the dance and ditched Mr MC Hammer over here,’ she joked.
‘Well actually, he said he’s going to drop by before he flies out tomorrow.’
‘Really, where’s he going?’ asked Taylor.
Jaz shrugged, she wished she knew the answer to that one. ‘I don’t know, he’s gotta start work again. But it’s nice that he’s going to come say goodbye.’
‘Yeah, real sweet of him,’ added Anna in a dreamy voice.
Jaz picked up her napkin and threw it at her.
‘So, what’s happening after school? You girls free?’ Taylor asked.
‘Not me, I might go to The Ring,’ said Jaz, hoping Anna hadn’t planned to go also. Her meeting with James, the head boss bloke at MTG Agency, was today.
‘You wanna come home with me then, Anna, and watch a movie?’ asked Taylor.
Anna smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘I was going to go and see Pax, but a movie sounds great.’
Jaz breathed a sigh of relief that Anna wasn’t going to The Ring. Her lie was safe.