Love Bomb Read Online Free

happy. I have a little wiggle of my own happiness as I roll the words ‘boyfriend’ and ‘Toby’ around in my head, enjoying how good they sound together. Maybe it’s worth breaking my no-singing rule if it means I get to bewitch Toby with my magical voice.
    I make a bold decision. ‘I will sing hokum at the Autumn Celebration,’ I announce. ‘Sign us up, Kat. We’re a band!’
    *
    Kat and I agree to rehearse at her place on Sunday. Then, with the help of Kat and Bea, I spend the rest of the day stalking Toby. To improve the quality of our surveillance, we go to the Year Ten office and tell the secretary that Mr Simms needs a copy of Toby’s timetable. Two minutes later, we know where he is every minute of the day.
    I spend the next few days trailing him. Soon I find out his favourite drink is Apple Tango and that he always gets to PE on time and to English late. On Tuesday I discover he likes playing Fruit Ninja on his phone. To find this out, I have to stand very close behind him in the canteen queue. My nose actually touches his blazer. I could have licked him. Alright, I did lick him, but only a tiny bit and just to make Bea laugh.
    I’m so busy loitering outside the boys’ changing rooms on Wednesday that I lose track of time, and Toby, and get to science late. I burst into the room to find the class already paired up and dissecting dead fish.In the corner, I see Kat trying to stick scales in Bea’s hair.
    ‘Sit with the new boy,’ instructs Mr Brooks, barely glancing up from his computer. Mr Brooks’ words have a powerful effect on me. Heart hammering and body tingling, I make my way to the back of the room. Finally, I’m going to get to speak to Toby.
    He is rocking back on his stool, his arm stretched across a worktop, watching me as I walk towards him. His eyebrows are raised as if he’s amused by some secret thing.
    ‘Hi,’ I manage to say as I sit next to him.
    ‘Alright?’ he says, tilting his head to one side.
    Say something, Betty, say something! ‘It looks like we’re a couple,’ I finally manage. Wrong thing! Abort, abort. ‘I mean, a pair, partners …’
    ‘Life partners?’
    ‘Science-experiment partners,’ I say desperately.
    ‘Got it,’ he says, smiling. Then he pushes a petridish towards me. It contains a small green fish that’s speckled with yellow spots. ‘We need to find a worm in its gills,’ he says. I take in his dark lashes and high cheekbones, and I notice a small hole in his top lip where he must have taken out a piercing. Suddenly, I realise I’ve been staring at him for far too long.
    He catches my eye and his smile grows.
    I blush and look away only to spot Bea and Kat watching us gleefully. Kat mouths something, which might be ‘Oh my God’, then they both shut their eyes and start French kissing the air. Bea gets really into it, running her hands up and down her body and sticking her tongue out. It’s quite a sight.
    Toby catches the end of their performance. He looks at me and frowns.
    ‘My friends,’ I say, quickly picking up a pair of tweezers and poking around in the spongy grey flesh, desperately trying to hide the blush that’s spreading powerfully across my face and down my neck. Suddenly,and inexplicably, I say, ‘I’m coming to get ya’, worms!’ In an American accent. Like a cowboy. This is terrible. I. Must. Stop. Talking. ‘Where are those critters?’ I mutter, still with the accent. Yikes! I glance over at Toby. He’s started texting under the table, possibly ignoring me.
    He puts his phone away and I show him the little worm I’ve found.
    ‘Nice work, Betty,’ he says. The sound of my name on his lips makes me melt. ‘We’ve got to fill this in,’ he adds, reaching across the table, his arm brushing against mine.
    ‘Right,’ I say, forcing myself to look at the worksheet he’s holding. It looks like Mr Brooks has asked one of his children to draw a picture of a fish. All around the blobby image are boxes and