Touch of Fear ▸ House of Anubis [2]

chapter fifty-two. house of laments

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            "I can't believe him," Mara states as she sits beside me in the lounge.

            I glance up briefly from my phone, typing out a text to Nina to see how she's handling Kid-Sized Alfie thus far. I'm here covering for them; the current excuse is Nina invited him along to visit her gran in hospital. "Believe who?"

            "Mick."

            "What'd Mick do?"

            "He has an Australian girlfriend."

            I hit 'send' on the message and drop my phone onto my lap, turning to her. "Tell me everything."

            Mara sighs and explains, "Well, Ms. Valentine said that he said he can't wait to introduce his girl from Australia."

            I definitely see why she thinks that, but the phrasing sounds a little off. "Are you sure that's what he said?" I ask with a frown. "Maybe she misheard him and he actually meant 'introduce his girl to Australia,' meaning you."

            She shakes her head. "No, we broke up, remember? He has a new girlfriend."

            "Maybe you should talk to him."

            "I don't know what I would say. It hasn't been very long since he left. How does he have a new girlfriend so soon?"

            I shrug, suggesting again, "You could find out by talking to him. Seriously, he texted me this morning, needed advice on getting a lizard out of his house." She looks at me strangely, though whether it's because of the lizard or the talking to him to find out if he's got a girlfriend is up for debate. "Seriously, Mara. I think your choices here are talking to him, stewing in jealousy and heartache, or, I don't know, lying and saying you've got a new boyfriend. I say you go for choice number one."

            Her expression turns thoughtful, and I honestly think she's about to take out her phone and message him until she says, "That's it. Making him jealous by saying I've got a new boyfriend. That's a really good idea."

            "But it's not the one you should do."

            "Who is the last person in the world Mick would expect me to be with?"

            "Uh—"

            "I've got it!" Mara exclaims. I have no idea what's going on. I didn't just accidentally convince her to make Mick jealous by saying she's got a boyfriend she doesn't actually have, did I? "The last person Mick would expect me to be with is Jerome."

            I blink, staring at her for a long moment as that old feeling from last term returns. Let me rephrase: I didn't just accidentally convince her to make Mick jealous by saying she's going out with Jerome when she actually isn't? "I suppose that's true," I say, "but seriously, Mara, this plan of yours is insane."