Read Don't Kiss Girls and Other Silly Stories for Free Online Page A

dirty dance with him. He stinks.’
    I don’t even know who these people are, let alone know how they smell. I need to become part of the loop. As my sometimes friend Kane likes to say, ‘Life is all about contacts.’
    â€˜Who’s Laura friends with?’ I ask.
    â€˜Jamie Yee, Sally Bliss and that Cathy girl.’
    My ears prick up. ‘Cathy Savage?’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    Hmm. My mind starts putting two and two together, and I’m not talking about maths. Cathy is friends with Ashleigh Simpkin – who would be the love of my life if she only knew how I felt about her. There must be a way I can use this to my advantage.
    I chew on a pencil to help me think. ‘If I told you something to tell Laura, do you reckon she could tell Cathy and then she could pass it on to Ashleigh Simpkin?’ I ask Gavin.
    He gives me a look. ‘Do you like Ashleigh Simpkin?’
    â€˜Umm. No comment.’
    â€˜What do you want me to say?’
    â€˜Umm.’ I chew on my pencil again and accidentally swallow some lead. ‘Tell Laura that … I like Ashleigh Simpkin.’
    He laughs.
    â€˜Boys!’ says Mr Relf. ‘I hope you’ve finished exercises one, two and three. Your test is on Friday.’
    I take a look at my book. I’m up to exercise zero.
    â€˜I’ll see what I can do,’ Gavin whispers.
    For the first time in ages, I reckon I’ve done something smart. Now all I have to do is sit back and wait for the good news.
    *
    â€˜Bad news,’ says Gavin.
    It’s the next day and I’m getting the low-down, after a dressing-down by Mr Relf for not doing my homework.
    â€˜There was a bit of a mix-up.’
    â€˜What happened?’ I ask.
    â€˜Laura told Sally Bliss to send a text message to Cathy, and she was gonna email Ashleigh, right?’
    â€˜Right …’
    â€˜But Sally Bliss got your name wrong. She called you Gavin Ross.’
    â€˜But that’s your first name!’
    He gives a guilty smile. ‘I know. Then Cathy emailed Ashleigh and wrote that I like her.’
    â€˜You!?’
    â€˜Boys!’ says Mr Relf. ‘I’ll be over in a second to check on your work.’
    I start whispering. ‘But you don’t like Ashleigh. I do.’
    He shrugs. ‘Well, she is pretty cute, you know …’
    My fingernails dig into my exercise book. ‘Yeah, I do!’
    I don’t say any more. Mr Relf is standing over us. ‘We’ve got an exam on triangles tomorrow and you boys wouldn’t know your isosceles from a sausage,’ he says. ‘I’m going to enjoy marking your tests. I need a good laugh.’
    The bell rings and I get ready to give Gavin a mouthful as soon as we make it outside. But I don’t get the chance because a girl runs up to us.
    â€˜Hey,’ she says to Gavin.
    â€˜Hey,’ he replies.
    I elbow him in the ribs and Gavin nods in my direction. ‘Cathy, this is Tony. Tony, Cathy.’
    â€˜Hey,’ I say.
    She gives a little wave. A friend of Ashleigh’s actually knows me! I start feeling pretty good.
    â€˜Guess what?’ Cathy says to Gavin. ‘Ashleigh likes you.’
    Now I feel bad.
    â€˜But she wants to know if you really like her, or if it’s just a joke. She likes someone else as well and she needs to know.’
    â€˜Who?’ I say.
    Cathy turns to me. She’s nice to look at, though her nose is a bit too small for her face. ‘Who what?’ she says.
    â€˜Who does Ashleigh like?’
    She gives me a tiny smile. ‘That’s what’s called a secret.’
    Cathy looks back at Gavin. ‘Tell your friend not to be so nosy. Although looking at his face, it must be hard.’
    I feel my nose. Gavin sniggers.
    â€˜Well?’ she asks Gavin.
    â€˜Don’t be so nosy, big nose,’ he says to me.
    Cathy slaps him on the shoulder. ‘No, I mean, do you really like Ashleigh or is it just a