Leap of Faith
Authors: Candy Harper
More from the FAITH series
HAVE A LITTLE FAITH
KEEP THE FAITH
Other books by Candy Harper
THE STRAWBERRY SISTERS: PERFECTLY ELLA
First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
A CBS COMPANY
Copyright © 2015 Candida Harper
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
All rights reserved.
The right of Candida Harper to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
PB ISBN 978-1-47112-419-8
eBook ISBN 978-1-47112-420-4
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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For Chessie
CONTENTS
APRIL
FRIDAY 20TH APRIL
I haven’t had a very good Easter holiday. It’s hard to hop about like a happy bunny when the boy you like has started seeing someone else.
Megs rang me this morning. I can always rely on my best friend to bring sunshine and cheerfulness into my life, even when the universe is punishing me. When I picked up the phone she said, ‘Are you still moping, you great turnip?’
‘You’re such a comfort to me, Megs.’
‘All I’m saying is you can’t keep worrying about what could have been with Ethan if you hadn’t been such a stupid-pants. Just because you’ve made a huge mistake letting him think you’re not interested, and now he’s seeing gorgeous Dawn, you can’t spend every minute thinking about what a massive potato you are.’
‘I’m not! I’ve done lots of things this holiday that haven’t involved thinking about Ethan.’
‘Like what?’
‘Insulting my little brother and eating my own weight in Easter eggs.’
‘That’s marvellous. Maybe next week you could try for a smile.’
‘I don’t feel like smiling,’ I said. ‘How about laying some blame? I think I’ve got the energy for that. I’ll keep it simple: Megan, I blame you for everything that is wrong in my life.’
‘I see,’ Megs replied. ‘Is this the usual blame that I get for the biscuits running out, and you forgetting that you’re not allowed to sing rude songs about Mr Hampton while we’re actually in one of his lessons? Or have you found a new and ridiculous way to pin everything on me?’
‘It was you who said I should go out with Ethan in the first place.’
‘And I was right! You two are perfectly suited.’
‘Someone seems to have forgotten to mention that to Queen of the Night, Dawn.’
‘If you hadn’t wasted time hanging out with pretty-boy Finn, none of this would have happened. Ethan couldn’t wait around forever.’
I knew it was true but none of this was making me feel any better.
‘I just wish he’d waited another hour, I was going to tell him I like him.’
Megs sighed. ‘Don’t worry; it won’t last between him and Dawn.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, the rate I’ve seen them snogging at they’ll have worn their lips out by half term.’
Brilliant.
LATER
I might just forget about boys for a while. This is going to be a busy term, you know, with mock exams to sit, teachers to wind up and science labs to set on fire. I’m already going to have to work pretty hard if I want to keep up my commitment to spending several hours a day lounging about, eating biscuits.
Besides, my track record with boys really isn’t great. My first boyfriend, Finn, was super sweet and delicious looking, but it turns out that while that scores full marks in a cupcake, you need a bit more in a boyfriend. Then I realised how smart and funny and good looking Ethan is. Unfortunately, just as I discovered this, he discovered the inside of Dawn’s mouth, and apparently he liked it because he’s been spending a lot of time in there recently.
But despite Megs comparing me to all the least flattering vegetables, I am not completely miserable. There’s more to life than boys.
Maybe I’ll concentrate on being a good friend for a while.
SATURDAY 21ST APRIL
Megs and I went round to our friend Westy’s house.
Westy is six foot tall with shoulders to match, but he is ninety-six per cent giant teddy bear, and he always makes me laugh. He also has the sort of considerate parents that go away for a wedding and leave him and his big brother to conduct their business in peace. Although, Westy doesn’t exactly do peace; something is always making a loud rumbling sound, his drum kit, his stomach or a bunch of angry people following him, wanting to ask about their trampled flowers or broken fences. But he never means to upset anyone. You can’t help liking Westy.
When Megs and I arrived, Megs’s boyfriend, Cameron, was already there.
‘Faith! Megan!’ Westy said as if he was really surprised to see us, even though he’d only invited us round half an hour ago. Then he actually managed to pick us both up at the same time and shake us about a bit. It’s not a good idea to visit Westy straight after you’ve eaten.