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Back Stargazing for Beginners Save as PDF
Contents ( 64)
  1. A Letter from the Author
  2. ONE
  3. TWO
  4. THREE
  5. FOUR
  6. FIVE
  7. SIX
  8. SEVEN
  9. EIGHT
  10. NINE
  11. TEN
  12. ELEVEN
  13. TWELVE
  14. THIRTEEN
  15. FOURTEEN
  16. FIFTEEN
  17. SIXTEEN
  18. SEVENTEEN
  19. EIGHTEEN
  20. NINETEEN
  21. TWENTY
  22. TWENTY-ONE
  23. TWENTY-TWO
  24. TWENTY-THREE
  25. TWENTY-FOUR
  26. TWENTY-FIVE
  27. TWENTY-SIX
  28. TWENTY-SEVEN
  29. TWENTY-EIGHT
  30. TWENTY-NINE
  31. THIRTY
  32. THIRTY-ONE
  33. THIRTY-TWO
  34. THIRTY-THREE
  35. THIRTY-FOUR
  36. THIRTY-FIVE
  37. THIRTY-SIX
  38. THIRTY-SEVEN
  39. THIRTY-EIGHT
  40. THIRTY-NINE
  41. FORTY
  42. FORTY-ONE
  43. FORTY-TWO
  44. FORTY-THREE
  45. FORTY-FOUR
  46. FORTY-FIVE
  47. FORTY-SIX
  48. FORTY-SEVEN
  49. FORTY-EIGHT
  50. FORTY-NINE
  51. FIFTY
  52. FIFTY-ONE
  53. FIFTY-TWO
  54. FIFTY-THREE
  55. FIFTY-FOUR
  56. FIFTY-FIVE
  57. FIFTY-SIX
  58. FIFTY-SEVEN
  59. FIFTY-EIGHT
  60. FIFTY-NINE
  61. SIXTY
  62. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. ONE

I go over to our table, sit down and take out my pencil case. I put it at the front of the desk next to his virtually empty pencil case. Then I stare straight ahead at the whiteboard and pretend to be fascinated by Ms Edgecombe’s E=MC2 screen saver. Ed does the same. A few seconds pass. I shift on my stool. Ed leans forward and clears his throat.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see him turn to face me and the blush that has been creeping over my face since I walked into the room reaches epic proportions. ‘Meg,’ he says. I swallow and nod, but I can’t bring myself to look at him so instead I rummage through my pencil case. ‘I’ve been thinking about what you said in the cafe … About me laughing at you.’

OK, that is not what I thought he was going to say.

In a rush, he says, ‘I did it on the science trip, and you’re right, I’ve done it other times too. I thought it was funny, that we were having a laugh together, but I obviously got that wrong … What I’m trying to say is sorry.’ He laughs. ‘My mum says that sometimes I can be an arrogant little … twit … Only she doesn’t say “twit”.’

This makes me smile and I look up at him. ‘My mum says I can be cold.’

He shakes his head. ‘If your mum had seen you with those kids being Mega Knickers, she wouldn’t have said that … Meg, there’s something else.’ He glances at the door. ‘You know what Bella said on the science trip, about me asking you to the dance?’

My blush creeps back and my eyes shoot back to my pencil case. ‘Oh, that.’ I shrug as if I’ve barely thought about it. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘Well, it does because we sit next to each other in all these lessons and it’s going to get a bit awkward if I don’t –’

I interrupt him. ‘Honestly, Ed, it’s fine. Just don’t mention it. Please.’

‘Don’t mention what?’

‘The dance.’ I line up two pens and a pencil.

‘What, never?’

‘Never, ever,’ I say. I couldn’t bear listening to him apologise about that. It would be too humiliating.

The door to the classroom opens and we look up to see Bella standing there with Chiara.

‘Just to clarify,’ says Ed, ‘if I never mention the dance in your presence again, then we’re fine?’

‘That’s right,’ I whisper. We really need to stop talking about this. Bella is coming over.

‘Great,’ says Ed. ‘So when can we work on our presentations, because we really need to meet up. Saturday – tomorrow?’

What? Is he insane? I shake my head. ‘No, I’m babysitting all day.’

‘That’s OK, I’ll come round to your place. Two o’clock?’ Across the table, Bella drops her bag on the floor. She’s giving her full attention to her phone. ‘Or I could mention a certain D.A.N.C.E. –’