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back.’ She moves as if to get up to join him, climbing to her knees. But her leg is dead from sitting on it too long and she virtually topples over.
    ‘Oh no, don’t worry, stay there. I’ll be fine,’ he says, smiling at me.‘I’ve got inbuilt GPS. But if I get lost, I’ll call.’
    ‘OK,’ says Vix, who seems disappointed. She sits back down again, rubbing the life back into her leg.
    Max says his goodbyes and we watch him silently, as he makes his way down the hill and out through the park gate, where he disappears from view.
    ‘So, now he’s gone, what do we all think of Max?’ I say. ‘I’ve been dying to ask you. He’s all right, isn’t he?’
    ‘I like him,’ says Sky. ‘He’s a nice guy. Fun. A bit posh, but down-to-earth. You’d never guess he was Rufus’s brother though, would you?’
    I shake my head. ‘No way! I told you.’
    ‘I think he’s lovely,’ says Vix. She sighs.
‘Really
lovely.’
    ‘Vix!’ says Sky. ‘Have you got a bit of a crush? It’s not like you.’
    ‘Maybe a little,’ says Vix. ‘But I doubt he’ll like me back. He doesn’t seem remotely interested. Anyway, did you see the way he was looking at Rosie the whole time, grinning like the cat who —’
    ‘Don’t be silly,’ I interrupt. ‘We’re just mates. It’s probably just because he knows me better than you two.’
    ‘You think? So you’re not interested?’ asks Vix.
    ‘Nah, I don’t think so,’ I say.
    If I were, I’d know, wouldn’t I?

Chapter 10
    How Do You Know If You Fancy Someone?
    I t’s a few days later, and I’m on my way to the high street I when I see Rufus, standing in the middle of the road outside the art collective house. For some reason, he’s staring up at the roof but, as far as I can tell, there’s nothing there.
    ‘Hey, Rufus, what are you doing?’ I say. I’m still a bit nervous about starting conversations with him, but if I just think of him as Max’s big brother and not as the celeb next door, it’s much easier.
    He turns around and smiles, as if he’s actually pleased to see me. ‘Ah, Rosie, hello. I was on my way to check out the collective. One of the guys invited me along. Want to come with?’
    ‘Ooh yes,’ I say. I’ve been dying to see what goes on inside the collective’s house ever since the artists moved in. (Do squatters
move
in or break in?) Plus, Mum would go ballistic if she knew, which makes it even more appealing.
    ‘Come on, then,’ he says. He begins to stride towards the front door, with me a couple of steps behind him. I have to run a little to catch up.
    ‘Why were you looking up at the roof like that?’
    ‘Ah,’ he says. ‘Well, if you want to get into the art collective, you have to follow a secret code. They told me to stand here, wait and look up. One of them appeared at the top left-hand window and made a hand signal when it was safe for me to come in.’
    ‘Wow,’ I say. ‘Seriously? I didn’t see anyone.’
    ‘No,’ says Rufus. ‘Don’t be silly. I just have to ring the doorbell like at any other house. I was looking up at the sky because I thought I heard a helicopter.’
    I blush. This is just the sort of wind-up Max would pull on me. Rufus raises his left eyebrow and grins at me, mischievously, and for the first time I can see a little of his brother in him.
    ‘I did know you were joking, obviously,’ I say.
    ‘Sure you did.’ He sounds unconvinced. ‘Don’t worry, Max tells me you’ve got a wicked sense of humour. Among other things. He probably won’t thank me for telling you this, but he likes you, you know.’
    ‘Oh, that’s great. I really like him too. He’s good to hang out with.’
    ‘Hmm,’ says Rufus. ‘And?’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Is that all? You just like hanging out?’
    ‘I don’t get you?’
    ‘God, Rosie, you are slow today. He
likes
you.’
    ‘Oh,’ I exclaim, as what he means finally dawns on me. I know I look OK from certain angles, but I never expect anyone to