IN THE MEADOWBROOK MIDDLE School canteen, it was traditional for boys to sit with boys and girls to sit with girls. Even if they were friends, even if they were hooked up, boys and girls separated at lunch. It wasn’t a law, it wasn’t school policy — that’s just the way it was.
But this was an opportunity to talk to Ken, and Amanda was going to have to break the unwritten rule. So when she picked up her tray she didn’t go directly to her usual table, where Nina and her other friends were sitting. She waited until Ken emerged from the line.
‘I have to tell you about Harmony House,’ she said.
He didn’t ask why the story couldn’t wait for class. His eyes searched the room. ‘There’s a table.’
Amanda knew people were looking at them as they sat down at the empty table together, and she knew that she’d have to answer for this later, but it was unavoidable. She was impressed that Ken didn’t even look embarrassed. He really was too cool for words.
‘What happened?’ he asked. ‘Did you get inside?’
Amanda shook her head. ‘There wasn’t anyone checking in. But I talked to Doctor Paley.’
‘About Carter?’
‘Not really.’ She reported the conversation she’d had with the doctor. ‘I got this feeling he knows all about the kind of gifts we have. And I think he can help us.’
‘Help us do what?’
She hesitated. She really had no proof of what she was about to say. But she couldn’t help herself. It seemed like a possibility, and Ken would be just as interested as she was.
‘Help us lose our gifts.’
Ken’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You really think so?’
‘He’s a doctor, Ken. I bet he knows more about our conditions than Madame does.’
‘Wow,’ Ken breathed. ‘Wouldn’t that be something. .’ His eyes shifted. ‘Hi, Nina.’
‘Hi, Ken. Amanda, Britney’s got a big problem. We need you!’
Amanda gritted her teeth. What could she do? Ken might think she was selfish if she didn’t rush to the aid of her friend.
‘See you in class,’ Ken said. He picked up his tray and strolled over to a table where some of his friends were sitting. Amanda took her tray back to her usual table, where Britney, Sophie and Katie were sitting.
Nina hadn’t been lying. Poor Britney looked like she was on the verge of tears.
‘He hasn’t even spoken to me today,’ she whimpered. ‘He acts like I’m not even there.’
‘Who are you talking about?’ Amanda asked.
Sophie answered for her. ‘Tommy Clerk, of course.’
Amanda’s brow furrowed. ‘Tommy Clerk?’ She looked at the others. ‘Why is she crying over him?’
Katie frowned at her. ‘Amanda, where have you been? Britney’s been talking about Tommy for weeks!’
Amanda recovered a dim memory of Britney’s latest crush. ‘Oh yeah, right. Sorry, Britney, I forgot.’
Real tears began to flow. ‘How could you forget?’ Britney wailed softly. ‘I’m in love with him!’
It was on the tip of Amanda’s tongue to remind her that she’d been in and out of love with half a dozen boys since September, but she managed to keep this to herself. Britney looked up to her, the way Nina used to, and Amanda didn’t need any more ‘frenemies’. She had to be sympathetic and offer some advice.
‘Tell me what happened,’ she ordered Britney. At the same time, she handed her a tissue.
Britney blew her nose. ‘He always goes to his locker just before lunch. So I went by there, and I said “hi”.’
‘And then?’
‘He said “hi”.’ Fresh tears began to flow. ‘And that was all! He closed his locker and walked away!’
‘Boys can be so cruel,’ Katie muttered. ‘Forget about him, Brit. You can do better.’
‘But I want Tommy!’ Britney sobbed. She appealed to Amanda. ‘What shall I do?’
The other girls, even Nina, looked at Amanda and waited expectantly for the Queen Bee to speak. Amanda was on the line, and she needed to show them she was still in charge of the clique.
‘You’re not flirting, that’s the problem,’ she told Britney firmly. ‘Saying “hi” isn’t enough. You have to come on a little stronger.’
Nina raised her eyebrows. ‘But you’re always saying we should play hard to get. You said boys don’t like girls who show how they feel.’
Amanda met Nina’s doubtful eyes. ‘Up to a point,’ she declared. ‘Tommy might think Britney’s out of his league. He could be afraid to speak to her. Boys can be insecure, you know.’
Britney gazed at her in amazement. ‘Really?’
‘Absolutely,’ Amanda said. ‘You should go over to his table right now. Don’t sit down, just ask him something. You’ve got a class with him, haven’t you?’
‘Biology.’
‘OK. Say something about that, ask him something.’
‘Something like what?’
‘It doesn’t matter! Just make sure you make eye contact, and when you walk away, look back and give him a little smile. Not too big. Like this.’ Amanda demonstrated her well-practised ‘I’m just a little bit into you’ smile.
‘And then what?’ Britney wanted to know.
‘Then it’s his turn. Make sure you run into him after the last bell, and I bet he’ll ask you if you want to hang out.’
‘You really think that will work?’ Nina asked sceptically.
‘Of course it will,’ Amanda snapped. But even as she spoke, she wasn’t really all that sure. Britney had never been able to flirt easily. If she went over to speak to Tommy now, she’d probably start giggling and fumbling with her words. And if Amanda wanted her crew to respect her, she had to show that her advice would result in success for Britney.
There was only one way to guarantee this. As Sophie, Katie and Nina debated Amanda’s proposal, Amanda kept her eyes fixed on Britney. Poor Britney, so shy, she can be really pathetic when it comes to boys. .
That was all it took. In less than a second, Amanda was looking across the table at robot-Amanda. She had taken over Britney’s body.
She rose from the table, turned and searched the canteen for Tommy Clerk. She spotted him at a table with some other guys, and sauntered over.
She acted as if she was just walking past the table, and then stopped, as if an idea had struck her. ‘Tommy. .’
The boy looked up. ‘Yeah?’
‘Do you understand that stuff about plants? What’s it called — photo, photo something.’
‘Photosynthesis?’ Tommy asked.
‘Yeah, that. Do you know what it is?’
‘It’s the process when plants turn carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen.’
Amanda-Britney had no idea what he was talking about, but this sounded good. ‘Oh, OK. Thanks!’ She turned as if to walk away, and then looked back, aiming her special smile at Tommy. She hoped the smile looked as flirtatious on Britney’s face as it did on her own. From the way Tommy’s eyes widened, she had a feeling it did.
She sashayed back to her own table, sat down, and fixed her gaze on robot-Amanda. Almost instantly, she found herself back in her own body.
‘That was good, Britney!’ she exclaimed.
Britney seemed dazed. ‘Huh?’
‘What you just did!’
Britney looked at her blankly. ‘What did I do?’
‘Britney!’ Katie exclaimed. ‘You talked to Tommy!’
‘I did?’
Amanda turned to the others and rolled her eyes. ‘Can you believe her? She must have been so nervous, she blanked out!’
The girls grinned knowingly, and Amanda wasn’t surprised when even Britney bought this.
Britney had never been the sharpest crayon in the box.