Cassie's Crush Read Free

London. She was jiggling around him, all eager and panty like a little puppy. Any minute now she’d start licking his face. “Oh, hi, Cassie,” she trilled, spotting me strolling casually by. “Did you sort out that … thing ?”
    â€œWhat thing?” I didn’t know what she was on about, but I wished she’d just disappear in a puff of smoke. Ollie was looking at me, and when he smiled I went tingly all over. It felt like every cell in my body was kind of … shimmering.
    â€œYou know,” the Leech retorted. “Weren’t you talking about things coming in different sizes?” She exploded with laughter.
    Oh God. Why did she have to bring that up now? She was still sniggering, and Ollie looked confused, and I wondered what had possessed me to think I could march up to him and start chatting and be his friend. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Amber,” I said with as much dignity as I could muster. Then I folded my left arm over my left side and walked away as fast as I could to find Marcia and Evie.
    Â 
    The three of us went out for a baguette at lunchtime. “The Leech ruined everything,” I told them as we squished on to a bench in the high street. “She was going on about things coming in different sizes.” I prodded my left side, where I’d stuffed a bit of loo roll into my bra. Our school uses horrible cheap stuff so it was really scratchy. I was worried it’d make a rustly noise if I moved the wrong way.
    â€œWho cares about her?” Marcia retorted. “She’s such an airhead.”
    â€œAnyway,” Evie cut in, “never mind the Leech. What about Ollie?”
    â€œWhat about him?” I asked glumly.
    â€œWell, if you like him that much, you should ask him out or something…”
    â€œI couldn’t do that!” I exclaimed.
    â€œWhy not?” Evie asked with a shrug. “You’re making it pretty obvious anyway. You were staring at him all through English…”
    â€œAnd registration,” Marcia pointed out.
    â€œI was not staring!”
    â€œOK. Not staring,” Evie agreed. “Just drooling, then.” A bit of bread shot out of Marcia’s mouth and on to the pavement as she burst out laughing.
    â€œI was not drooling,” I spluttered.
    â€œRight,” Marcia said. “What did we do in English, then?”
    â€œUm, er…”
    â€œGot memory loss?” Evie asked.
    â€œI was … daydreaming. I just haven’t clicked back into school yet after the holidays.”
    â€œPffff,” Evie sniggered, taking a gigantic chomp off the end of her baguette. “Can’t imagine what you were daydreaming about.”
    â€œJust stuff,” I said, which sent us all into hysterics. I felt better already, just being out of school with Marcia and Evie, who have the knack of making me see the funny side of things. And Ollie did smile at me – in registration and in the playing field. The thought of those smiles hovered about in my mind for the rest of the day.

How has Ollie managed to become so popular in just one day? I’ve lived in Tarmouth all my life and don’t have people gathered around me, all chatting and asking questions, like he does. Half the time it was the Leech, Jade, Natasha and the rest of her hangers-on. Then it was Sam, Joey, and a few other boys, so it looks like he’s got a group of mates already. I couldn’t bring myself to talk to him with so many people around.
    Then, first period after lunch, I spotted him wandering along looking a little bit lost in the corridor. “Hi,” I said as we passed. I also flashed a huge, friendly smile, which I hoped made him realize that if he needed any help settling in, I mean anything at all , then I was the girl to do it. I also hoped to God there wasn’t any lunch stuck to my teeth.
    â€œHi,” he said. Then he paused and looked at