me?
‘Not exactly,’ he said, unfazed, as if he’d been expecting her to ask. ‘I was on the high street buying a computer game and I saw you go into Kelly’s. I was going to come in and say hello, but then I twigged what you were going to do, so I stood there for a few minutes and kept a look-out for you, and then I saw the security guard and I thought I should warn you.’
‘Oh,’ she said, relieved. ‘That’s OK. I mean, that’s nice of you. I don’t get how I didn’t notice you standing there at all.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I guess you were concentrating pretty hard.’
‘How come you said you knew what I was going to do?’ she asked, as it occurred to her. ‘Have you followed me before?’
‘Not exactly. Not like you think. I’ve not actually followed you in real life. But I have been reading your blog.’
Ruby flushed. ‘Really? You’ve been reading it?’ She felt embarrassed and then annoyed and finally foolish, when she remembered that blogs were designed to be read by other people, even people who knew you. ‘How did you know it was mine?’
‘I helped set it up for you, remember?’
‘Oh yeah.’ She giggled. ‘But I said it was for a friend. How did you know it was me?’
‘I could just tell,’ he said. ‘It sounded like you. It’s a good blog. I’ve looked at thousands and most are pretty boring. At least you’ve got something to write about.’
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘My stupid, pathetic life.’
‘Don’t say that.’
She shrugged.
‘I wanted to tell you the other day, but I wasn’t sure how to. Didn’t you notice you had a follower? At the end of your blog page there’s a bit for comments and followers. You’ve got just one: me.’
Ruby hadn’t noticed. Once she’d written a blog entry she didn’t go back and look at it again. She didn’t like reading her own words. ‘No, I didn’t realise.’ She hesitated. ‘God, Noah, you won’t tell anyone, will you?You won’t tell my mum?’
‘Of course not. Why would I?’
‘I don’t know. You must think I’m a terrible person.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘Not terrible. You’re … normal … nice. And we all have secrets, even me.’
He was probably only saying that to make her feel better, she decided. She couldn’t imagine what secrets he could possibly have, and she didn’t presume to ask him. ‘Thanks,’ she said. She tried to smile.
‘Actually, I think you’re a bit like Robin Hood.’
Ruby burst out laughing. ‘Robin Hood! I think I’d rather be Maid Marian.’
‘No, seriously. You’re stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, in your own way. It’s not like you’re keeping what you nick.’
She imagined herself dressed in green, with a bow and an arrow and a pointy hat. She smiled. ‘I guess I kind of am,’ she said. She liked thinking of herself as a hero, instead of a villain.
‘You’ve got to be careful, Ruby,’ he said. ‘I’m not always going to be there to watch your back. Maybe … Just be careful, OK.’
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘I might not do it again, anyway.’ She knew that was a lie before she’d finished the sentence. She looked out of the window at the darkening sky and wondered if any of her friends had gone past and seen her sitting in the burger bar with Noah. She couldn’t quite decide whether or not she cared.
Robyn Hood’s Blog
I steal from expensive stores and give to charity shops
February 24
If you’re observant, you might have noticed that my blog now has a name. I’ve christened it … at last. Calling it ‘My Blog’ was getting a bit tired, don’t you think? Robyn Hood, that’s me. Do you like it? I think it describes me pretty well. Robyn, not Robin, because I’m a girl, if you hadn’t already figured that out. While there aren’t too many forests or glens or sheriffs, or friars around here, in my own way I’m stealing from the rich and giving the poor, aren’t I? (And, for the Robin Hood film-lovers among you, don’t forget
‘Not exactly,’ he said, unfazed, as if he’d been expecting her to ask. ‘I was on the high street buying a computer game and I saw you go into Kelly’s. I was going to come in and say hello, but then I twigged what you were going to do, so I stood there for a few minutes and kept a look-out for you, and then I saw the security guard and I thought I should warn you.’
‘Oh,’ she said, relieved. ‘That’s OK. I mean, that’s nice of you. I don’t get how I didn’t notice you standing there at all.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘I guess you were concentrating pretty hard.’
‘How come you said you knew what I was going to do?’ she asked, as it occurred to her. ‘Have you followed me before?’
‘Not exactly. Not like you think. I’ve not actually followed you in real life. But I have been reading your blog.’
Ruby flushed. ‘Really? You’ve been reading it?’ She felt embarrassed and then annoyed and finally foolish, when she remembered that blogs were designed to be read by other people, even people who knew you. ‘How did you know it was mine?’
‘I helped set it up for you, remember?’
‘Oh yeah.’ She giggled. ‘But I said it was for a friend. How did you know it was me?’
‘I could just tell,’ he said. ‘It sounded like you. It’s a good blog. I’ve looked at thousands and most are pretty boring. At least you’ve got something to write about.’
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘My stupid, pathetic life.’
‘Don’t say that.’
She shrugged.
‘I wanted to tell you the other day, but I wasn’t sure how to. Didn’t you notice you had a follower? At the end of your blog page there’s a bit for comments and followers. You’ve got just one: me.’
Ruby hadn’t noticed. Once she’d written a blog entry she didn’t go back and look at it again. She didn’t like reading her own words. ‘No, I didn’t realise.’ She hesitated. ‘God, Noah, you won’t tell anyone, will you?You won’t tell my mum?’
‘Of course not. Why would I?’
‘I don’t know. You must think I’m a terrible person.’
‘No,’ he said. ‘Not terrible. You’re … normal … nice. And we all have secrets, even me.’
He was probably only saying that to make her feel better, she decided. She couldn’t imagine what secrets he could possibly have, and she didn’t presume to ask him. ‘Thanks,’ she said. She tried to smile.
‘Actually, I think you’re a bit like Robin Hood.’
Ruby burst out laughing. ‘Robin Hood! I think I’d rather be Maid Marian.’
‘No, seriously. You’re stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, in your own way. It’s not like you’re keeping what you nick.’
She imagined herself dressed in green, with a bow and an arrow and a pointy hat. She smiled. ‘I guess I kind of am,’ she said. She liked thinking of herself as a hero, instead of a villain.
‘You’ve got to be careful, Ruby,’ he said. ‘I’m not always going to be there to watch your back. Maybe … Just be careful, OK.’
‘Sure,’ she said. ‘I might not do it again, anyway.’ She knew that was a lie before she’d finished the sentence. She looked out of the window at the darkening sky and wondered if any of her friends had gone past and seen her sitting in the burger bar with Noah. She couldn’t quite decide whether or not she cared.
Robyn Hood’s Blog
I steal from expensive stores and give to charity shops
February 24
If you’re observant, you might have noticed that my blog now has a name. I’ve christened it … at last. Calling it ‘My Blog’ was getting a bit tired, don’t you think? Robyn Hood, that’s me. Do you like it? I think it describes me pretty well. Robyn, not Robin, because I’m a girl, if you hadn’t already figured that out. While there aren’t too many forests or glens or sheriffs, or friars around here, in my own way I’m stealing from the rich and giving the poor, aren’t I? (And, for the Robin Hood film-lovers among you, don’t forget
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