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It’s a bit like when I did that white water rafting, as soon as you’ve got your nerve, you’ve got to go.’
    ‘Didn’t you capsize that raft?’
    ‘Yeah, but I’m surprisingly buoyant.’ He frowned, ‘This speech isn’t exactly going as I planned it. I don’t know how I’ve got on to my Venture Scouts rafting holiday. Unless you like Scouts? Because I did actually get quite a lot of badges. I even sewed them on myself. I did once sew my pants to my trousers but that’s why you really should take stuff off before you sew it . . .’
    ‘Westy, shall we go and sit with Elliot and Angharad?’
    I thought that if I could get him with some other people I might be able to avoid what was coming next.
    ‘Can I just say this thing? It’s taken me a long time already. It’s taken all the time I’ve known you.’
    I tried to speak but he carried on.
    ‘Because the time I’ve known you has been really good. Really, really good. Because you’re so . . . good.’
    I thought my heart was going to break. ‘Thanks, I think you’re good too, but West—’
    ‘I like you more than good. You’re definitely an excellent . . .’ he swallowed. ‘Faith, would you ever think about going out with me?’
    I honestly have never thought about going out with Westy. I had no idea what to say because I knew I couldn’t give him the answer he wanted. I hesitated, but Westy must have been able to tell from my face because his whole body sagged.
    I put a hand on his arm. ‘Westy—’
    ‘Nah, course you don’t want to go out with me. Only kidding!’ He tried to give me a playful punch, but it threw me sideways and I banged my head against the wall.
    I wanted to cry.
    ‘I think you’re brilliant, Westy. You’re a great mate.’
    ‘Yeah.’ He was looking at the floor. ‘Yeah, okay, Faith.’ He stood up. ‘I’ve just got to . . . I’ll see you later.’
    I felt terrible.
    I still feel terrible.
    THURSDAY 3RD MAY
    Why don’t I fancy Westy? He’s got a nice face; he’s sweet and funny. It would be so much simpler if I liked him instead of Ethan. The thing is that just looking at Ethan makes me feel swoony inside. Staring at Westy doesn’t exactly have that effect on me. Oh no, am I one of those people that’s only interested in looks? Wait a minute, I split up with Finn, who is probably one of the best looking boys on the planet, because we didn’t have anything in common.
    Have I got things in common with Westy? I mean, we always seem to have plenty to chat about. We both like watching people fall over and large amounts of cake, but he’s definitely a much bigger fan of wrestling and rugby than I am. And I’m pretty sure that I like reading and getting really good marks in Chemistry more than he does. He’s great as a friend, but there isn’t really anything beyond that matey level, at least not for me.
    What I like about Ethan is that he makes me feel . . . understood. He gets my sense of humour. He appreciates how I am not exactly fond of doing tons of homework, but I do like being top of the class. He knows how I enjoy insulting my family and friends even though I sort of, you know, love them a bit really. I suppose he understands all this because that’s the way he is.
    Hmm. Does this mean I only like people who remind me of myself?
    That’s a bit vain.
    Even for me.
    I don’t know, I just like the way Ethan and I interact; we connect. Also, I’ve spent quite a lot of double RE lessons thinking about snogging his face off. I think that’s a definite sign that you’re quite keen on someone.
    I don’t feel that way about Westy.
    FRIDAY 4TH MAY
    I’ve decided to become a prefect. It happened at lunchtime.
    Angharad said, ‘They’ve got prefect application forms in the office.’
    I said, ‘Mmm hmm, they’ve also got a form you can fill in if you enjoy telling people their skirts are too short, and you want to spend time helping Miss Ramsbottom make up more pointless rules. Oh no, wait, that’s the