Just Like Heaven Read Online Free Page B

because soon enough it would be the hot topic of everyone at school.
     
    “You’re keeping something from me,” Hayley stated, scrutinizing her friend. They’d known each other since kindergarten and were so close they could anticipate each other’s thoughts and movements. Hayley could tell when Demi was keeping a secret; the giveaways were subtle but obvious to the trained eye. She would fiddle with her hands, avert her eyes and scratch her nose. She was doing all three things at once as they rode the bus that morning to school.
     
    “Spit it out!” Hayley demanded, growing inpatient.
     
    “What?”
     
    “Don’t play dumb with me, you are hiding something!”
     
    “I’m not,” Demi lied.
     
    “Look, I’m your best friend, we are supposed to tell each other everything,” Hayley said, trying to make Demi feel guilty and it worked.
     
    “Okay, fine, but don’t tell anyone,” Demi whispered and they bent their heads together.
     
    “You know I was tutoring Arthur Cooper.”
     
    “Yeah.”
     
    “Well we met up Saturday night…to study.”
     
    “And?”
     
    “And…” Demi took a deep breath before delivering the dramatic news. “We kissed.”
     
    “What?” Hayley’s eyes were wide with disbelief and shock as she pulled away from her friend.
     
    “No way!”
     
    “Honestly, it happened,” Demi insisted, a little hurt that her friend found the idea so unbelievable.
     
    “You believe me, don’t you?” Demi asked gently, but Hayley turned away from her, her mouth drawn in a tight line.
     
    The rest of the journey they sat in silence and Demi regretted telling Hayley about Arthur, but couldn’t understand why she was reacting the way she was. Did she like him? She’d said in the past that she thought he was cute, but then she said that about a majority of the boys so it was difficult to tell when she was being sincere.
     
    At school, Demi was eager to depart the bus and the tension between Hayley. She came out in the morning sunshine and spotted Arthur standing and talking with some of his friends; other members of the football team, by the steps which led in to the school.
     
    Wanting to feel better, Demi summoned up her courage and went over to talk to him. Arthur would instantly help her feel better about Hayley’s oddness. He’d smile warmly at her, as he had on Saturday, and they would talk about what else they’d been up to over the weekend. She already knew most of it as they’d been texting constantly but personal contact was always so much more satisfying.
     
    Striding over to the group of jocks Demi tried not to see how surreal the situation was. A week ago she would never have approached them, not even for a million dollars. She tentatively approached the group, heading towards Arthur, and when she was close enough she called him.
     
    The five guys instantly stopped talking and turned to address her. She didn’t register the look of surprise on their faces for she was staring only at Arthur. He smiled briefly as he saw her, then he glanced to his friends, then back to her and his face hardened and Demi felt a shiver run down her spine in anticipation of what was about to play out.
     
    “Hi, Arthur,” she said weakly, trying to appear casual.
     
    “I thought we were meeting after school,” Arthur said coldly, the boy he had been on Saturday completely gone.
     
    “Sorry?” Demi asked, confused.
     
    “In study hall, to go over the civil war stuff. I can’t talk now, I’m busy.” Then he turned away from her, back to his friends.
     
    Demi fought the urge to cry as she stood there, humiliated and dumbfounded. Steeling herself she turned away, only to hear him say to his friends;
     
    “Why are tutors always so damn annoying?” They laughed at this. Laughed at Demi. Arthur was mocking her. He didn’t care for her. How could she have been such a fool?
     
    Walking away, her head now down, her confidence on the floor, she felt hot tears pushing against