‘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.

23

No one had been more surprised than Paul when Claire agreed to come over to his house. They’d been sneaking around for weeks and for Paul, the school library was no longer enough. He needed to be with Claire alone. He’d already taken her to the bike track where he and Brian regularly met, but he was still on edge in case they came across Gavin, or – even worse – Mohican, and he felt she was too. Claire seemed distracted. He’d taken her hand then and they’d walked through the woods without speaking.

Gradually, as the minutes passed, he felt the woods work their magic. It was a place he’d always felt happy, surrounded by nature, the trees camouflaging his movements as he walked, ran, or biked his way through the undergrowth. Here and there, the occasional strobe of sunlight managed to make its way through the thickness of the leaves and branches, casting flickers of sunlight. He rarely saw any movement with the exception of birds who preferred to remain in the branches or the odd squirrel who would quickly dart up the nearest tree upon sensing his presence. When they were deep into the woods, Claire stopped, closed her eyes and breathed in the air. When she opened them, she smiled.

‘I can’t believe I’ve never been here before and it’s been right on my doorstep the whole time,’ she said. ‘It’s so peaceful – unlike my house!’ she joked and Paul sensed a hidden meaning behind her words.

‘Really?’ asked Paul, trying to keep his tone casual.

‘Yeah,’ replied Claire tentatively. ‘You know, just my parents…’

Paul waited.

‘They argue a lot.’ Claire shrugged.