linked arms. Practised skaters, they prescribed wide circles, keeping close to the barriers, then moving to the middle and swirling to a halt in a flurry of ice chips. They were busy
laughing at some nerdy kid who’d got himself into the middle and couldn’t stand up, when Maya spotted Zac.
‘Back in a minute,’ she told her friends and skated over to him.
‘Hi, fancy seeing you here.’
‘No accident. Evie called me, told me you’d be here.’
‘How did she know?’ she asked and then she realised – Gerard. He’d been sure she’d turn up, then.
Zac was grinning. ‘Come on, I’ll race you!’
They buzzed around the ice, weaving in and out of people. Maya out-paced him and turned triumphantly to wave, but as she did so, a man crashed into her and sent her spinning to the side. Zac
caught up with her as she was peeling herself off the barrier.
‘You all right?’
‘Yeah,’ Maya answered brushing down her cardigan.
‘Come on, let’s go and get a drink.’
He held out his hand and they skated to the exit. Over by the window she saw Gerard talking to two little kids, and then Leona and Evie joined them. She put her hand on Zac’s arm.
‘What’s Gerard up to now?’ she muttered.
The way Gerard was holding court made her want to throw up. He was laughing and joking, all smiles and charm and it was sickening to see how her friends were taken in by him.
‘How can they like him? He’s scum,’ she spluttered, her fingers clenched tightly round Zac’s forearm.
‘Do you reckon he’s the one who spiked your drink?’
‘Yeah, probably. I want to know what he’s saying.’
She and Zac took off their skates and went over.
‘Well, if it isn’t Miss Maya – darin’ and dangerous to know.’ Gerard turned to her with a dazzling smile. ‘Just doin’ a little business with your
friends, but sadly I gotta go, meetin’ Serena.’ He clapped Leona on the back and clasped her hand. ‘Pay me anytime, no worries.’
Leona and Evie exchanged glances and giggled.
‘He’s cool, isn’t he?’ Evie said. ‘Serena’s well in.’
‘Yeah,’ Maya agreed, ‘he’s cool.’ Zac shot her a questioning glance, but she continued singing Gerard’s praises. ‘Nice for Serena to have somebody who
really appreciates her. He’s cute.’
‘You’ve changed your mind about him,’ Evie laughed.
‘He’s not my type but all right, I agree, he’s got charm.’
Now Zac looked really puzzled. ‘I thought you. . .’ he began to say, but Maya jumped in before he could finish.
‘Let’s get a drink.’
In the café area, she waited until Zac went off to the toilet before she asked her friends the question that was burning in her brain.
‘What did you get from Gerard?’ she said, trying to sound casual.
‘Oh, just some stuff to give to Serena,’ Leona said.
‘But Gerard said he’s going to meet her.’
‘Oh, yeah, I forgot.’ Leona giggled, then she leaned forward, putting her hands flat on the table. ‘Look, Maya, it’s not that we’re taking stuff all the time
– we’re not stupid. It’s just a bit of experimenting. How do you know if you don’t try, eh? You not gonna be arsy about it, are you?’
Maya smiled. ‘No, course not. Might try some myself. They say it’s bad for you, but they’re probably just trying to put us off.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Evie said. ‘I felt so good last night, I was flyin’.’
Leona jumped up suddenly. ‘We gotta go now.’
‘Shall I come with you?’ Maya asked.
‘No, you stay and keep Zac company. He likes you.’
Maya watched her friends walk off arm in arm, wondering if she should follow them, wondering what they were actually up to. They’d always shared their secrets, there’d always been
three of them – now, it seemed, there were only two.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ Maya told Zac when he came back. ‘If I dob them in they’ll be in real trouble. If I don’t tell and something happens to them, I
won’t forgive
laughing at some nerdy kid who’d got himself into the middle and couldn’t stand up, when Maya spotted Zac.
‘Back in a minute,’ she told her friends and skated over to him.
‘Hi, fancy seeing you here.’
‘No accident. Evie called me, told me you’d be here.’
‘How did she know?’ she asked and then she realised – Gerard. He’d been sure she’d turn up, then.
Zac was grinning. ‘Come on, I’ll race you!’
They buzzed around the ice, weaving in and out of people. Maya out-paced him and turned triumphantly to wave, but as she did so, a man crashed into her and sent her spinning to the side. Zac
caught up with her as she was peeling herself off the barrier.
‘You all right?’
‘Yeah,’ Maya answered brushing down her cardigan.
‘Come on, let’s go and get a drink.’
He held out his hand and they skated to the exit. Over by the window she saw Gerard talking to two little kids, and then Leona and Evie joined them. She put her hand on Zac’s arm.
‘What’s Gerard up to now?’ she muttered.
The way Gerard was holding court made her want to throw up. He was laughing and joking, all smiles and charm and it was sickening to see how her friends were taken in by him.
‘How can they like him? He’s scum,’ she spluttered, her fingers clenched tightly round Zac’s forearm.
‘Do you reckon he’s the one who spiked your drink?’
‘Yeah, probably. I want to know what he’s saying.’
She and Zac took off their skates and went over.
‘Well, if it isn’t Miss Maya – darin’ and dangerous to know.’ Gerard turned to her with a dazzling smile. ‘Just doin’ a little business with your
friends, but sadly I gotta go, meetin’ Serena.’ He clapped Leona on the back and clasped her hand. ‘Pay me anytime, no worries.’
Leona and Evie exchanged glances and giggled.
‘He’s cool, isn’t he?’ Evie said. ‘Serena’s well in.’
‘Yeah,’ Maya agreed, ‘he’s cool.’ Zac shot her a questioning glance, but she continued singing Gerard’s praises. ‘Nice for Serena to have somebody who
really appreciates her. He’s cute.’
‘You’ve changed your mind about him,’ Evie laughed.
‘He’s not my type but all right, I agree, he’s got charm.’
Now Zac looked really puzzled. ‘I thought you. . .’ he began to say, but Maya jumped in before he could finish.
‘Let’s get a drink.’
In the café area, she waited until Zac went off to the toilet before she asked her friends the question that was burning in her brain.
‘What did you get from Gerard?’ she said, trying to sound casual.
‘Oh, just some stuff to give to Serena,’ Leona said.
‘But Gerard said he’s going to meet her.’
‘Oh, yeah, I forgot.’ Leona giggled, then she leaned forward, putting her hands flat on the table. ‘Look, Maya, it’s not that we’re taking stuff all the time
– we’re not stupid. It’s just a bit of experimenting. How do you know if you don’t try, eh? You not gonna be arsy about it, are you?’
Maya smiled. ‘No, course not. Might try some myself. They say it’s bad for you, but they’re probably just trying to put us off.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Evie said. ‘I felt so good last night, I was flyin’.’
Leona jumped up suddenly. ‘We gotta go now.’
‘Shall I come with you?’ Maya asked.
‘No, you stay and keep Zac company. He likes you.’
Maya watched her friends walk off arm in arm, wondering if she should follow them, wondering what they were actually up to. They’d always shared their secrets, there’d always been
three of them – now, it seemed, there were only two.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ Maya told Zac when he came back. ‘If I dob them in they’ll be in real trouble. If I don’t tell and something happens to them, I
won’t forgive
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