The Boy from France by Hilary Freeman Page B

actually. But she’s miffed that you’ve come between her and Xavier. It’s also obvious to her that you
like him and that you’re after him.’
    ‘It’s not exactly like that!’
    ‘Vix, there’s something you need to know. She told me that they’ve got something going on, back in France.’
    My stomach lurches horribly, the piece of sandwich I’ve just swallowed sticking halfway down my throat. ‘What do you mean?’ I try not to sound panicky. ‘He says he hardly
knows her. They go to the same school, that’s all.’
    ‘Well, that’s not what she told me. She said that they’d flirted at a party and that they were getting quite close before the exchange. All her friends said something was
definitely going to happen between them in London. And then she got here and Xavier met you, and everything changed.’
    ‘Oh! Is that all? They flirted at a party – which she could have imagined – and her friends said something might happen – which they probably only said because it was
what she wanted to hear.’ I’m so relieved, I’m practically laughing. ‘Sorry, Rosie, but I think it’s all in her head. Do you know what? Between you and I, I
don’t even think Xavier likes her that much as a friend. He never looks that happy when she talks to him and he doesn’t seem to want to spend any time with her. He never, ever mentions
her or says he wants to hang out with her.’
    She doesn’t look at me. ‘Maybe that’s because you’re always there.’
    ‘So what? If he really liked her, not just in her fantasies, that wouldn’t matter.’
    Rosie looks uncomfortable. ‘I’m not getting at you, Vix. Please don’t get so upset about this. She just thinks you’ve got in the way, distracted him.’
    But I am upset. ‘Distracted him? Doesn’t he have a mind of his own? And anyway, even if it were all my fault, which is ridiculous, how was I supposed to know that she thought she had
something going on with him?’
    ‘You weren’t. But you do now.’
    ‘So what am I supposed to do? It’s not like I can help it if he likes me.’
    ‘You could step aside. You could act like you’re not interested until he gets the message and gives up. I’m just asking you nicely to please back off. Then we can all be
friends and it will all be so much easier.’
    ‘It’s not that simple,’ I say quietly. ‘I like him. A lot.’
    ‘I know you think you do, hon,’ says Rosie. I roll my eyes. I realise she means to be sweet, but it just comes across as patronising. ‘But you hardly know him. Do you really
think you’d like him that much, if he weren’t French? Maybe it’s just the cute accent and the fact he dresses differently from the guys we know. If you put him in a hoodie and
trainers, cut his hair differently and made him talk with a London accent, you probably wouldn’t look at him twice.’
    I’ve tried to keep calm but I’m angry now. ‘That’s total crap, Rosie. I’ve spent loads of time with him, talking about all sorts of stuff. I know I really do like
him. And why the hell should I care about Manon’s feelings, when I don’t even know her? She’s not my friend. She’s just some girl who you’ve only known for a few days!
It’s not as if you or Sky had feelings for someone first – that would be different. I don’t owe Manon anything. Anyway, I can’t tell Xavier who he should fancy. If he
prefers me, that’s not my fault. That’s just life. Or,
c’est la vie
, as Manon would probably say.’
    ‘God, Vix, calm down. I don’t want to fall out over this. I was just trying to have a friendly chat. What’s happened to you? You’re not yourself at all today.’
    She’s right, I’m not acting like ‘myself’ today, and do you know what? I feel bloody brilliant about it. I wouldn’t normally be this confident or assertive.
Usually, I would back down, apologise even though I haven’t done anything wrong, and contemplate walking away so that Manon could continue to