Angelic Business. The Full Trilogy. A paranormal YA series.

By Olga Núñez Miret

Angelic Business. The Full Trilogy, collects the three novels in the Angelic Business YA series, and follows the story of Pink, who is the 'elected' to sort out the differences between Heaven and Hell. In Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters, we meet Pink, a 17-year-old girl, good student, articulate and smart. But she has never been the centre of attention or reached the top ten list of the most popular and attractive girls at school. When two guys, G and Azrael, suddenly appear, claim to be angels, insist that she is, indeed, 'special', fight for her attention and help, and tell her she is the key to the future of the universe, she is quite cynical. But these guys can 'do' pretty amazing things, even miracles, so she has to do some thinking. In Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg, Pink discovers that demons come in all shapes and sizes, that some celestial and demonical beings can be very stubborn, and manages to save one of her closest friends, Sylvia, from a very dangerous situation, with a little help, both human and otherworldly. But she knows she has to be careful because Hell doesn't lose gracefully and demons make no favours. Everything comes with a price tag. Angelic Business 3. Pink, Angel or Demon?, gets angels and demons really close to Pink's home. She knows she has to make a decision before somebody decides for her. She does her best to ensure that all her friends and family will be happy, and prepares for the final battle, with some plotting and conspiring in between and even a bit of romance thrown in for good measure.

The battle between Heaven and Hell will be fought by Pink, a 17 years old girl, who refuses to believe in angels and demons. But if they dare to threaten her friends and family, they'll really have a fight on their hands. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olga Núñez Miret
• Release date: Dec 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781910214329

Olga Núñez Miret

Me llamo Olga Núñez Miret y soy escritora. También traduzco las obras de otros autores. ¿Qué más? Nací en Barcelona, España, pero llevo viviendo en el Reino Unido hace muchos años. A lo largo de mi vida he hecho y estudiado muchas cosas y he tenido otras vidas pero no importa cuánto me aleje de esto, siempre acabo volviendo a los libros y las historias, mis dos amores primeros. Cuando leer ya no me bastó, empecé a escribir. Mi primer libro fue publicado en 2012 y mi obra cubre muchos géneros, desde la ficción literaria al romance, la novela juvenil y los thrillers psicológicos. Planeo escribir más novelas en los mismos géneros y si mi imaginación así lo decide, exploraré otros. Me encanta conectar con los lectores, así que no dudéis en poneros en contacto conmigo. Si queréis estar informados de mis novedades, ofertas, y promociones, podéis suscribiros a mi lista, aquí: http://eepurl.com/bAWjPj También me podéis encontrar en los lugares habituales y siempre incluyo enlaces al final de mis libros. No os olvidéis de echarle un vistazo a mi página web y a mi blog (http://www.authortranslator.com). Siempre descubriréis alguna sorpresa. ¡Y gracias por leer!

Book preview

Angelic Business

The Full Trilogy

A Young Adult Paranormal Series

By

Olga Núñez Miret

Text of each novel and the full trilogy copyright ©2015 Olga Núñez Miret

Published by Olga Núñez Miret (Just Olga Books)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity (including, but not restricted to, organizations such as Amazon, Google, etc), in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, scanning or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the author.

Edited by: Express Editing Solutions (www.expresseditingsolutions.co.uk)

Cover: Lourdes Vidal (www.lourdesvidaldisseny.jimdo.com)

Table of Contents

Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters

Chapter 1. Petra (a.k.a. Pink)

Chapter 2. The Meeting (Part 1)

Chapter 3. The Meeting (Part 2)

Chapter 4. Identity

Chapter 5. The Test

Chapter 6. Secrecy

Chapter 7. And now to work

Chapter 8. The dark truth

Chapter 9. Boys will be boys

Chapter 10. Liar, Liar

Chapter 11. Falling

Chapter 12. The ball

Chapter 13. Tell me what you want, what you really, really want

Chapter 14. I wanna

Chapter 15. And now...

Chapter 16. The end?

Angelic Business 2. Shapes of Greg

Chapter 1. Christmas Eve

Chapter 2. Merry (?) Christmas.

Chapter 3. New Year’s Eve Part 1

Chapter 4. New Year’s Eve Part 2.

Chapter 5. And another year

Chapter 6. Still missing

Chapter 7. Brief Encounter

Chapter 8. New Man (?)

Chapter 9. Getting to know you...again

Chapter 10. The Return of Greg

Chapter 11. The Mission

Chapter 12. Dashiell and Greg

Chapter 13. Let the best one win.

Chapter 14. And then there were none.

Chapter 15. G is back...or is he?

Angelic Business 3

Pink, Angel or Demon?

Chapter 1. Here We Are

Chapter 2. The Cousin

Chapter 3. The Reveal (1)

Chapter 4. Spring Fair

Chapter 5. Brothers and Friends

Chapter 6. The Reveal (2)

Chapter 7. Matchmaking

Chapter 8. Duel of Angels. Well, not quite

Chapter 9. Calling his Bluff

Chapter 10. A Week in the Cabin 1. (Easter)

Chapter 11. A Week in the Cabin (2). Lorna’s News

Chapter 12. Aunt Gemma’s Visit

Chapter 13. Spiritual Healing

Chapter 14. If I Decide...

Chapter 15. A Pact with the Devil

Chapter 16. Fancy Dress Party

Chapter 17. And Now To Work

Chapter 18. The End?

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Angelic Business 1. Pink Matters

By Olga Núñez Miret

This was not a dream. It was true. And it was happening to her, Pink. Was it even possible? And why her?

Chapter 1. Petra (a.k.a. Pink)

It’s very true. Nobody can make you feel as humiliated as a really close friend can. Yes, we were close. But from that to assuming... Seth and I had known each other for years, lived next to each other, went to school together, shared things. And Seth was the most popular guy at our high school (and therefore the most popular guy in my universe), and had all the girls he wanted and all that. I know; you’ve watched the movie. And you know that everybody believed I was in love with him and wasn’t it a shame that I wasn’t his type, and was rather plain and... plump... But, OK, it was fine that everybody thought that and felt sorry for me. What wasn’t fine, not by a long stretch – what was really offensive – was how he himself believed it. He had phoned me on the fatal evening (5th November, if you must know), at around midnight, quite drunk, asking me to go and collect him from Chris’s party. They had invited me but I was busy writing, and I knew how these things went. Because, of course, I was also boring, clever and studious. I didn’t drink and I didn’t do drugs.

I went to pick him up (I had to borrow my parents’ car, but they liked Seth, and I was convinced that at least my mother thought that things would develop between us) and I found him necking a girl. I’d never seen her before, probably she was from a neighbouring town. Once he’d said his goodbyes (something on the line of I’ll call you, but very slurred) he followed me, or rather, I half-carried him to the car. I had to stop once so he could be sick. Then, when I stopped in front of his house to let him out, he turned to me, kissed me on the cheek (lovely experience, still smelling of sick and all) and said the memorable:

You know, Pink, if you ever...I know you don’t have a boyfriend, but...you know...If you can’t find ...If you ever want a bit of a...cuddle and a kiss or...anything else, anything really... I’ll...I’ll do it for you.

I just pushed him out of the car, feeling sick myself. And I could not sleep after that.

Next day it only got worse, although I didn’t think that was possible. I hoped he would not remember the comment and didn’t even expect or want an apology, but oh, no, that would have been too easy. I tried to avoid him during the day, even decided not to talk about it to my best friends, Lorna and Sylvia. You see? Maybe if I didn’t talk about it, it wouldn’t have really happened. I could just pretend it had been a nightmare and I had imagined it all.

I left school without meeting him, and I thought I had succeeded and was home safe. But no, too much to ask. As soon as I got to my door I heard somebody running towards me. I didn’t even need to turn; I knew it would be him.

Pink, Pink! Hey...I’ve been trying to catch up with you all day!

You finally have. What did you want?

I...Listen, about yesterday...

I didn’t want to make him feel bad about it either. It was my maternal, mother-hen instinct towards him that had been developed over years (if not imprinted in my DNA) and I could not switch it off, even when he was vile. I decided to pretend I didn’t remember.

Yesterday?

The sex thing...I...

Forget it.

No, no. Don’t get me wrong. That’s not...I just wanted to say...I meant it. It wasn’t a drunken thing...Of course, you don’t need to worry about anything; I wouldn’t tell anybody about it.

I was about to ask him if he was serious, but he was looking solemn and sympathetic. I couldn’t come up with anything to say, and he misinterpreted my silence.

You’re all right. No need to say anything. I’ll see you around, he said, patting me on the back. My only consolation was that he had not patted me on the head, like a good dog. It wasn’t much of a consolation, to be honest.

I could have screamed, and I actually did when I got into my house and locked myself in my bedroom. I wanted to kill him! Justified homicide, no doubt.

I was quite upset for a couple of weeks, trying to avoid Seth to little avail. He seemed completely unaware of my efforts or feelings.

I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer, and I finally told Lorna and Sylvia. We had also known each other for many years, and gone to the same school and class since we were little, even though Lorna and Sylvia lived in High Ridge, a neighbouring town. We had always had similar interests and hung out together, as we didn’t seem to easily fit in with any of the usual groups. Studious and bookish, but not repellent (none of us even wore glasses), plain but not awfully ugly, not particularly sporty but not clumsy enough to become the butt of all jokes. And yes, we weren’t in a group of fashionable in people, but we did not attract attention because of weird sense of dress, make-up or tattoos. If anything, we were grey and invisible. And so far that had been fine with us. It was also true that my friendship with Seth gave us some street-cred that probably avoided our fall into one of the officially despised groups.

I had been trying to exercise, eat healthily and lose weight, and I had succeeded somewhat, although I had enough insight to know I’d never be Barbie. Even if I were to starve to death, my body shape wouldn’t change to the point where I would have legs coming up to my armpits, and although I still had some hopes for my breasts, so far they had refused to become anything that guys would bother to look at.

Lorna had done better with growing up, and although she would not accept it when Sylvia and I told her, she had become an attractive girl. It was evident when the three of us were together that guys were now looking at her, whilst in the past they normally scanned over us to look at somebody else. Her newly straightened long dark-brown hair, hazel eyes, faultless olive complexion and heart shaped mouth made her quite pretty, even without make-up. And she was petite and well proportioned. She’d even gone out on a few dates, although so far she had not found her prince charming.

On the other hand, adolescence hadn’t been quite so kind to Sylvia, who had suddenly had a growth spurt that had made her taller than most of the boys of our age, was very skinny, and flat as an ironing board. Despite countless visits to orthodontists and a succession of devices worthy of listing in any Wikipedia article about torture, her smile wasn’t made for toothpaste ads and she had become even shyer than before. In my subjective and invaluable opinion, I must add, I found them both beautiful and the best friends a girl could wish for.

When I told them about Seth’s behaviour their reaction was as I expected.

Lorna was indignant. Who does he think he is, now, eh? Gee... How can you be friends with him? You don’t need that idiot, Pink, you definitely don’t.

Sylvia was always kind and forgiving. I also had my suspicions that she fancied Seth too...Well, OK, most girls did, but Sylvia was so shy she hardly ever allowed herself to think about boys, as it sent her into meltdown. But I’d seen her blush when Seth had looked in her direction or talked to her and if not love, infatuation at least.

He was probably just trying to be nice... He’s a bloke after all. He doesn’t understand how we feel about these things. I’m sure he didn’t intend to humiliate you.

Well, good job then, isn’t it? I don’t think he could have done it that much better if he had tried to humiliate you... A mercy fuck... Ughhhhh! It makes me sick! Lorna said, still angry.

Yes, I also felt very angry to begin with. But now...rather than just carrying on fuming, I think maybe I should be proactive and do something about it.

Yes, but what? Sylvia asked.

That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I have to get my own back on him.

How? Lorna asked, interested.

I have to prove him wrong.

You mean...finding a boyfriend? Isn’t that a bit too much? Sylvia said, evidently appalled by the suggestion.

I don’t think it needs to go quite as far as a boyfriend. I don’t really want a boyfriend. I’m far too young and have too many things to do... Anyway, you know what I think about all that.

In summary what I think about it is, nice in theory but in reality quite likely a big waste of time at an age when one doesn’t have that much time to waste. More important things to be getting on with. OK, I know you might think sour grapes and all that, but honestly...boys? Maybe when they grow up – if they ever do.

I see. You just want him to see you going out with somebody... Lorna said, appreciatively. I approve.

Yes, but who? I asked.

Let’s see.

As usual, when we had to take important decisions or discuss serious matters, we went to the library café. With the popularity of e-readers, netbooks and tablets, android mobile phones, and particularly Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, there was hardly anybody other than people of a certain age at the library. We always sat at the same table, at the back by the window. We considered it our table.

Once settled there, with our Diet Cokes, we started virtually looking around for candidates. Sylvia was very organised and stopped Lorna when she stated naming boys at random. It’s best if we look at the population of guys.

What? I asked.

Well, you know...Kind of an ethnographic/sociological-type study. What type of guy are you thinking about?

You want us to create a profile? Lorna asked.

Maybe. But I think that would be too ambitious, considering the raw material we have access to. It will be easier to look at what there is, in terms of groups of guys that might be available.

OK. A methodical and scientific approach. Why not? Yes, it made sense. No need to be overly emotional and girly about this thing. If we were going to do it, we might as well do it well. And as it was a matter of guys, thinking like a bloke might help.

Sylvia got her iPad out.

Really? Lorna asked. Isn’t that going a bit too far?

Why? What is technology for, if not these kinds of things?

Important things, maybe? How to solve the problem of providing energy and food to the population of the world, curing illnesses, educating the masses... I said.

Yes, OK. Maybe we’ll do that at some point, but what’s the harm in using a spreadsheet to make a sensible decision about guys?

I had to admit she had a point. Today, finding a possible candidate to boyfriend. Tomorrow, the Nobel Prize.

Lorna, who’d evidently been giving boys some thought, took charge of naming the diverse groups of candidates, whilst all of us considered their pros and cons. Well, we couldn’t always find pros. When looked at in such a systematic manner, it appeared surprising that anybody would actually dare to go out with anybody else. Dating agencies definitely deserved their money and more for even attempting such a task.

Let’s see, let’s see...What kind of guy would you want Seth to see you with, Pink? Sylvia asked me.

Well...evidently somebody reasonably attractive but with some brains...I mean, it would have to be somebody he’d believe I’d go out with. He knows me well enough to know I wouldn’t go out with just a pretty face...not that just a pretty face would probably go out with me, either.

Lorna looked at me seriously. Oh, Pink, don’t start like that. There’s nothing wrong with you. Any guy—

Let’s leave it. That’s not what this is about. Let’s be methodical, I said.

OK, attractive but reasonably intelligent...

We thought for a while. Not that many boys that would easily fit into such a category...

There’re always Seth’s friends...Adam isn’t bad looking... Lorna said.

No, he isn’t. Neither are Tony, or Chris, or Scott... Are you joking, Lorna? Haven’t you noticed the type of girls they go out with? Cheerleaders, trend setters...the beautiful or at least pretty girls. That would be mission impossible, and you know they are hardly discreet. When they go out with a girl, everybody knows all the details. Even we do! I replied.

Yes, Seth is the only one with a bit of class in his group of friends. Yep, Sylvia. Didn’t I tell you she fancies him?

I’m also not very convinced about any of them in the brains department. They are popular and good at sports, and that gives them a lot of leeway, but with regards to merits... I said.

Seth is quite clever...I think.

Lorna and I looked at Sylvia. I don’t know about me, but Lorna definitely rolled her eyes.

Yes, and he has lovely sandy-coloured and wavy hair, green eyes, cute dimples and the rest. Stop talking about Seth, Sylvia. He’s the cause of all this trouble, and evidently Pink isn’t going to go out with him. No, you’re right, Pink, none of his friends are of any use. He knows them too well; he’d know that you wouldn’t really go out with any of them... It wouldn’t work.

Most of the guys we considered clever were in one of two despised categories: either the brainy, studious group, mostly composed of extremely uncool characters, good for conversation and teaming up for school work but not datable material – or the geeks.

Theo, Paul, Mark and Luke... Sylvia said.

The brains? Sure, they are clever, but...attractive? Have you ever looked at them? I said.

Well...OK, but Mark...has nice eyes, Sylvia added.

Yes, and Theo is very tall, and Luke has lovely dark curly hair, but, Mark has horrendous acne and is very short, Theo is really big and always sweaty, Luke wears really old-fashioned glasses and is so skinny that you can hardly see him in profile and Paul... I added.

Yes, poor Paul was officially the ugliest guy in the school. He was a really nice guy but if I went out with someone from that group, Seth was bound to think I was desperate or I had lost my marbles. He’d probably repeat his offer if he saw me with any of them. They wouldn’t work.

Lorna shook her head. No, none of them will do. Not only are they ugly, they are also very shy with girls and have no social graces. They’d probably have a heart attack if they as much as suspected you wanted to go out with one of them. And...

Yes, I know. They’re too nice and bound to get hurt if I just used them like that. OK, I was trying to get my revenge on Seth, but it wasn’t fair to hurt others in the process. That would never do.

We refilled our drinks and looked at the document in Sylvia’s iPad. So far, only crosses... Sherlock Holmes used to classify the cases he was working on according to how many pipes he had to smoke to get to the answer. Smoking was no longer PC, and women and pipes had never mixed up very well, so I guess in our case we would go by the number of diet colas we drank whilst thinking about a problem, or producing a plan. This one might break our record of three.

What about the geeks? They aren’t quite as sensitive as the brains, Lorna asked.

Although the brains were fairly geeky, the geeks were a distinct category of boys who seemed to dedicate their lives to gadgets, games, and who most of the time seemed to live in an alternative reality that only crossed with ours very sporadically.

And apart from Troy, all the rest are fairly normal looking, Sylvia agreed.

We all paused at the mention of Troy. He was the son of the mayor, and in contrast with his oldest brother, the jewel of the family, who had left school with a football scholarship and was now at Davis, he was really awkward looking and odd. He’d always reminded me of actors in horror movies. He didn’t seem to belong on our planet. He wasn’t ugly, but just like a Picasso his aesthetics and looks were extremely unconventional. It’s true that nobody could go unnoticed on his arm, but I wasn’t convinced that was the kind of attention I wanted.

Have you ever tried to talk to Matt, Pete, Dean or Todd about anything that isn’t games, computers or comic books? I know you’ve tried. So have I. With no success. I want revenge but not at the cost of my sanity. I don’t want a real boyfriend but at least I’d appreciate somebody I could have a conversation with...

More crosses. Still no ticks.

What about the invisible guys? Lorna asked. She meant guys that, like us, didn’t seem to belong in any of the defined categories. Plain, non-offensive, not particularly sporty, not particularly clever, not particularly attractive...

No good. Pink needs somebody Seth would notice. Somebody who’d force him to double-take when he sees her with him. An invisible won’t work.

I nodded. Yes, Sylvia was right.

He’d notice it if you went out with one of the rebels, Lorna said.

Yes, even Hope Springs, the town where nothing ever happened (according to our rewriting of the official motto, which was where all dreams are possible – I agree, sickeningly sweet, and not true to boot), had some bad guys. At our age we were not truly convinced they were genuinely bad, they really hadn’t had time for that, but they were rebellious, non-conformist, and more troublesome than the generality. Admittedly, in a place like Hope Springs, that wasn’t very difficult, but...they had a bit of a reputation.

Clint has a girlfriend. And Jesse... Sylvia said.

Jesse had pushed Sylvia last year and she’d fallen down some stairs, twisting her ankle. He’d denied it had been intentional, saying that he was just in a hurry and she had been in the way, but we officially didn’t like him. We’d predicted he’d end up in prison one day. A future convicted criminal was a bit too much for what I had in mind. No.

We were now on our third diet cola and still had no reasonable candidates.

I can’t think any longer, Lorna said. I think we must have gone through all the class.

We were quiet for a few seconds, and then Sylvia jumped up. You’re right! That’s it! We’ve gone through all the boys in our class. But that’s not all the boys. We need to look at other classes. We need to expand our age range.

I closed my eyes. I knew where this was going now. I could see the name Sylvia would come up with flashing in neon lights. But I was still curious to know how she’d bring him up.

I don’t think younger guys would be appropriate. Even guys our age are immature, can you imagine a younger guy? A year younger would already be too much. You don’t want to get a reputation for being a cradle-snatcher, Lorna said, with finality. She had a way of summarising things and getting straight to the point, which I’d always admired and thought would put her in good stead for a career in advertising or the movies.

No, Seth would laugh at me if I went out with a younger guy. He’d tease him and me to death. That wouldn’t help.

Oh girls, come on. You know I didn’t mean you should go out with a younger guy. What I meant was you should look at older guys. It’s always a status thing for a girl to go out with an older guy. A man of the world, more mature...

Sure, but how old? What are we talking about? University guy? Lorna asked, turning to me and winking. She’d evidently also worked out what Sylvia was trying to get at.

We don’t want to go over the top either, or make the guy look like a freak or a paedophile... No, maybe somebody a couple of years older... Sylvia added, trying to sound casual, and failing.

I don’t think we know a lot of guys that age, do we, Lorna? I asked, looking at Lorna, trying to appear serious.

No. I can’t think of any. Maybe guys from another town... Lorna snapped her fingers. I have an idea! Sylvia, why don’t you ask your brother, Jackson, if he has any friends that would be suitable? He’s two years older than us, isn’t he? I don’t know his friends, but it’s possible one of them could do. Maybe you should phone him.

Lorna and I both looked at Sylvia with intent and an eager expression.

Yes, that sounds like an idea. Why don’t you phone Jackson, Sylvia, and ask him? I said.

Sylvia looked at both of us, red-faced, breathing fast and shallow, trying to think of something to say. We finally couldn’t keep it up and started laughing.

You should see your face, Sylvia! I told her.

You were taking the mickey! You knew I meant my brother!

Lorna squeezed her arm. Of course we knew you meant your brother. You’re always trying to fix him up with Pink. You’ve always had this idea that the two of them will fall madly in love, will be happy ever after and you will be sisters and you’ll have lovely nieces and nephews.

But Jackson really likes you, Pink!

You know I think your brother is a nice guy and I quite like him, as a friend, but...

Lorna again got to the point quickly. Jackson is clumsy, has the attention span of a fish and, other than ball sports, has very few interests. You are the brains in the family, dear Sylvia. Your brother, although not bad looking, is a bit of an—

Sylvia didn’t let her finish. You’re right, this is all for revenge and it wouldn’t be fair to get my brother involved when he has feelings for you...

Poor Jackson probably didn’t even know what he felt, but he was happy to go along with his sisters’ assessment of his feelings and had always been extra-nice towards me, although I’d tried as much as I could, without hurting him, to make him understand that I didn’t see him as boyfriend material, and I didn’t really want a boyfriend anyway. Lorna was right, though; he wasn’t bad looking. He had the perfect smile that his sister hadn’t managed yet, despite her and the dentists’ efforts, and although very tall he was a good basketball player and his height suited him.

Well, that’s it then. I think we’ll need to keep thinking, Lorna said. I can’t drink any more diet cola or go on about guys any longer. We’ll have to leave it.

Maybe somebody new will come along, Sylvia said, always optimistic. I didn’t think that was likely but nodded. No point in upsetting her further, after our comments about her brother. Maybe all our dreams would come true anyway.

Chapter 2. The Meeting (Part 1)

I wasn’t much of a dreamer or a romantic. All right, sure, I like romantic stories and one can’t help but dream, but I didn’t really believe in them or put any stock or faith in any of those things ever happening to me. I didn’t expect the perfect guy to just turn up, snatch me and take me to paradise. (For one, I was pretty convinced that we would not have the same opinion on what paradise might consist of.) Even in fairy tales, such things only happened to princesses and the like. Normal, run of the mill girls like me, were hardly the protagonists of such stories. Of course, feminism and an increase in social and diversity awareness had broadened the subject, and modern stories were a bit more equal and fair. But if I had to put my hand on my heart, I still preferred the old-fashioned ones.

Due to my realistic (rather than pessimistic) view of life, I was not expecting the perfect candidate for my pretend boyfriend to just turn up. If this had been one of those stories, not only would he have turned up and been perfect, but he’d have fallen in love with me and eventually I’d have realised that the pretence had become reality. I know, you’ve also read that story. And watched the movie. So have I. Still...

A new boy did come to school. He wasn’t handsome in any typical way, but he had something. Dark hair, grey eyes, tall, strong features...Not standard pretty/cute boy (Zac Effron style), but rather the brooding, attractive in a no-nonsense kind of way guy (maybe Robert Pattinson, although I don’t really like him that much. But hey, I can see why many others do). And he had a lot of style. Leather jacket, always dressed in black, and seemed surrounded by a slight air of mystery...possibly even menace and danger.

As usual, the popular girls took the initiative to try and get as much information as possible from him. They tried their best, including batting their eyelashes, unbuttoning the tops of their uniforms, laughing at his non-jokes, but he seemed tight-lipped and resistive.

Lorna, Sylvia and I overheard Chloe (the head cheerleader – you know the type, blonde, tall, blue eyes, toned and well proportioned) talking to her best friend, Zoe (similar type but dark haired) after spending some time with the stranger. What do you think is up with him? He’ll only answer in monosyllables. And he says his name is G. G? What kind of a name is G?

Don’t get upset...He’s probably gay.

I need to know. I’ll ask Scott to talk to him after training this afternoon. Blokes can sometimes be shy with girls they don’t know.

Chloe had been going out with Scott for a few months, whilst Zoe was dating Chris. I doubted this G guy was particularly shy, though. He had a very intense gaze and a knowing smile.

Sylvia said, I think he’s looking at us.

Our first reaction in those cases always was to look around us, because guys didn’t look at us. But there wasn’t anybody else around. Yes, he seemed to be looking at us.

I think you’re right, Lorna said.

I wonder why, I added.

The three of us worked at the library for a while. By the time we left, football practice had finished. We were all intrigued about G, but none of the popular girls were around and it seemed unlikely we’d get any information that day. I accompanied Sylvia and Lorna to the bus stop and walked home. When I was half way, Seth came by in his old and battered car. His father had promised him a new one if he did well and got into a good college, so he’d been working fairly hard for his usual standard.

Hey, Pink! Come over! I’ll give you a ride.

I got in and sat next to him. He had been playing very loud music but lowered the volume.

How was practice?

Same old, same old. If coach doesn’t get some new ideas we’re never going to beat anybody this year.

I thought you’d said you had a strong team. I didn’t really pay much attention to his football patter, but every so often something stuck.

Yeah, but we could do with a couple more guys...maybe a strong defence...a kicker...

Well, it’s unlikely you’ll get new players this late in the season, isn’t it?

Tony thought that new guy – G, he goes by – might be a player, although he doesn’t seem strong enough to be a defence but... You never know what talents people might hide, but no. He told the coach he’s not interested in football. It seems he likes to run, and – you won’t believe this – gymnastics! Isn’t it the weirdest thing?

I’d always liked gymnastics...Not to practice...I could work hard but had neither style nor much sense of equilibrium, but I loved to watch gymnastics. One of the few sports I had any time for.

What’s wrong with gymnastics? You need to be pretty fit and strong...

Sure. A bit girly, though, don’t you think? Scott was telling me Chloe had been trying to talk to him... talk, you know? You know what I mean...

Flirt and show him her bra, you mean...

He laughed and made a claw-like gesture. Grhhhhhh! Bitchy, bitchy! You’re too serious. But I guess that’s what I mean... And he’d just ignored her. Well, not ignored her, but just answered yes or no. There must be something wrong with him if Chloe can’t get him going.

Maybe he likes a different type of girl...

Really? What bloke doesn’t like Chloe? One might not like her as a person, but she’s a babe. Who do you think would be more his type then? You, maybe? And he laughed. And kept laughing. My determination to get my own back grew stronger than before.

As soon as he dropped me home, and I got to my room, I went online with Lorna and Sylvia. They were both at Lorna’s house. I told them what I’d found out.

Honest, Pink, Seth is an absolute idiot! Lorna growled. Maybe you should just send him to hell.

He wouldn’t understand what it was all about and I wouldn’t get much satisfaction from it. No, I’m more determined than before to carry on with the plan.

It would serve him right if you went out with that G guy, Sylvia said.

Yes, I was thinking the same, but he’s such an unknown quantity. Nobody seems to know anything at all about him, not even where he’s come from. He might be a nasty piece of work, for all we know. And also, I doubt that he’s interested.

Well, the few bits of info we have about him are encouraging. Lorna summarised. He doesn’t like football, so he’s unlikely to hang out with Seth and his bunch. He likes gymnastics and you like it, so you should have something to talk about. And he seems impervious to the charms of Chloe and her band of pretty girls...

And don’t forget he was looking at us, Sylvia added.

I’m not sure about what that means. He might think we’re weird or something... We’ll have to see what happens in the next few days and if anything at all develops... I said.

It would be quite a thing if you managed to go out with him...he’s completely new in the market and not from these areas...as objective and fresh a guy as you’ll ever find around here, Lorna said.

We’ll see.

For the next week or so, G was the centre of attention, although he didn’t seem to return the interest and appeared to be trying to become invisible most of the time. However, he had a way of appearing wherever Lorna, Sylvia and I were, even when he wasn’t attending the same class.

I’m telling you, he’s looking at us! Sylvia said for the millionth time.

Yes, but which one of us is he looking at? Lorna asked.

I was a bit bored of having the same conversation at least once every day, if not several times a day. This time we’d just come out of the library, and he was on the pavement on the other side of the street, leaning on the wall, seemingly looking at us.

Who knows? Sylvia replied once more.

I’d had enough. It wasn’t really that difficult. If you really want to know it’s quite simple. OK, Sylvia, come with me. Lorna, you stay there.

I grabbed Sylvia’s arm and dragged her with me to the window of the shop at the corner of the street. No, G wasn’t looking at Lorna; his gaze had followed us.

Now, you stay here.

I left Sylvia by the shop and I crossed to the side of the street where G was standing. Now there was no possible doubt. Difficult as it might have been to believe, he was looking at me. Both Sylvia and Lorna joined me, very excited, but trying to keep their voices low (although I didn’t think they were succeeding). At least I could be grateful they were not jumping up and down. We weren’t particularly bouncy girls.

Oh my god! He’s definitely looking at you! Sylvia said, trying not to squeal.

Yes, yes, he is. That’s it. He’s the guy for your plan! Lorna concluded.

What are you going to do? Sylvia asked.

Get out of here, first.

This time we went to my house and chatted for ages. Sylvia and Lorna suggested all kind of hare-brained schemes and plans to get G’s attention. Or channel his attention, as it seemed that for unknown reasons I already had his attention. All their suggestions involved a fair amount of flirting and taking up roles that I wasn’t particularly familiar with, like the damsel in distress or the adoring fan. I wasn’t sure what strategy I’d try, but, yes, it seemed worth trying to get him to go out with me. And I was quite curious about him and his interest in me. What was that all about?

How to go about it was another question. Not my area of expertise, boys, you see? Although I was determined, assignments, studying, and similar pressing matters put it all on hold and pushed it to the back of my mind. I kept putting it off, trying to find a good moment to act, and ignoring Sylvia and Lorna’s advice (pressure, to be honest).

One Saturday, about a month after G’s appearance, Lorna, Sylvia and I had arranged to meet at the Atlantis, a local independent bookstore. I was a bit early and went in to have a look at the second hand books. I was looking at a beautiful illustrated copy of The Great Gatsby when somebody touched my shoulder. I turned around, and there he was. G.

Hi.

Hi.

OK, neither one of us was going to win a contest for originality or get recorded in a book compiling famous conversation opening lines.

I’ve been wondering when I’d have a chance to catch you by yourself. You always seem to be with your friends...Lorna and Sylvia, isn’t it?

Yes. We...we’d noticed you were looking at us.

You mean at you. Interesting way of scientifically testing it. Although I expected after that you might follow through and approach me, but you didn’t, he said.

Well, I didn’t know what it meant, but we were just wondering and I was bored of speculation...I wasn’t expecting you to be looking at me.

Were you hoping I was looking at you, at least?

No.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ve already told you I’m not good with boys, and I can’t flirt to save my life, so there.

Oh, all right.

I don’t mean... Sorry. I’m no good at these things...

What things?

You know, flirting and all that... Relationships with guys aren’t my strong point.

I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Let’s start again. Hi Pink, I’m G. I assume Pink isn’t your real name. What’s your real name?

Petra.

Where does the name come from?

I’ve always liked Pink. And I don’t like my real name, so—

No, I meant your real name.

My father was an amateur archaeologist when he was younger, and he really liked Petra.

I guess it could have been worse.

Like what, Abu Simbel or the hanging gardens of Babylon?

He laughed. Short but full-hearted laughter. Then he smiled. He had the weirdest and more mysterious smile I’d seen, all inclusive (men and women). Imagine the Mona Lisa, but in a young man. Knowing, complicit and secretive all at the same time.

And you? What does G stand for?

At that moment Lorna and Sylvia turned up and stopped on their tracks when they saw me talking to G.

We’ll carry on with the conversation at some other point. Maybe in a couple of days, during Lake Day. By the little church on the north shore. After lunch.

Why are you so sure it will be in a couple of days?

I know things...

He left. Lake Day was a St Mary’s School tradition. The headmistress, Mrs Langston, had studied at Mount Holyoke and loved their Mountain Day, particularly the idea that suddenly, with no notice, the whole school would take to the buses and go on an excursion and have a day out. As there were no mountains or even hills deserving of the name close to St Mary’s, but there was Lake Swallow, so  she instituted Lake Day instead. The exact date when it would take place was a well-guarded secret, surrounded by speculation, so I had no idea how G would know, if he was right, when it would be.

Sylvia and Lorna interrogated me for ages about my encounter with G, but I had little to tell them.

Do you think he really knows when Lake Day will be? Sylvia asked.

He seemed very confident, but how could he know? He hasn’t been here for two minutes and doesn’t know the teaching staff...as far as we know. Why should they tell him?

Maybe his family are very rich and they’ve made an important donation... Lorna suggested.

I’m sure if anybody had made a huge donation we’d had heard about it; it would have been published in the local newspaper and advertised everywhere. And I’m sure any donors would have more important things they’d want to know than when the next Lake Day is, I said. We shouldn’t get carried away with our theories, because otherwise G would end up not only being James Dean, but also Rockefeller. His reference to the little church was correct, but that only meant he must have visited the lake at some point, and it was a fairly popular spot in that area. Nothing terribly mysterious about that.

Eventually I managed to get the girls off the subject of G and on to other matters. Although, I have to admit, I waited with curiosity to see if he was right and Lake Day would really be in two days’ time. That was not the only reason for my curiosity, of course. I also wanted to see what he’d tell me next time we met. He’d appeared very determined, but I had no idea what his goals or intentions might be.

If I was pretending to be cool, I’d say that two days later I had already forgotten G’s predictions and went to school with no expectations whatsoever. The truth is that I was quite excited that day, and Sylvia and Lorna hadn’t stopped talking about that in the intervening period. So when, after five minutes or so of the first class, the bells rang and Lake Day was announced, we all got really agitated.

But he’s not here! Sylvia said. He should have been in class with us, but he wasn’t.

Oh well, I guess if he really knew there wasn’t going to be a class he must have found something else better to do than come on an excursion, I said, pretending not to care.

But he arranged to meet you! Lorna said.

I’ll survive.

Still, I could not resist and left Sylvia and Lorna after lunch and walked around the shore of the lake to the little church. And there he was. G was all dressed in black, as usual, wearing a leather jacket, standing by the side of what looked to me like a rather large motorbike for his age. Triumph? Black, shiny, and impressive is as good as I can do to describe it. Motorbikes are again not one of my specialist subjects.

Wow! Is that yours?

Yes.

Nice! A little bit Hell’s Angels, isn’t it?

His reply was an even weirder smile than usual. What on Earth was up with him?

So, you were right. About Lake Day, I mean. How did you know?

I told you I know things...

"OK. So you’re being mysterious...fine. You asked me about my name, the other day, but never replied about yours.