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  If, on the other hand, they called Dad, he would be shocked and angry at first, but once he saw Ruby’s tears he would melt for sure, and he would soon forgive her. She’d tell him how stupid she had been and blame peer pressure and exam worries, and he would promise not to tell Mum and swear to sort it all out by himself. He would probably even enjoy keeping it secret from Mum.

  ‘Well?’ said the manager, impatiently.

  ‘My dad,’ muttered Ruby. ‘But can I speak to him first, please?’

  The manager nodded.

  Ruby knew her dad’s number was on her speed dial, but her brain was foggy and she couldn’t remember whether it was at position three or four. Instead, fumbling, she scrolled through her address book and found his entry. She felt sick as she dialled, and relieved when the voicemail clicked in. She hesitated before putting the phone down, leaving him a few seconds of breathy silence. If he asked, she could always pretend she’d called him by accident; her phone was always doing that in her bag. Now what?

  ‘Erm, straight to message,’ she explained. ‘Can I try another number for him?’ She was lying. She didn’t have another number (in truth, she did, but Dad was never at his house, so it wasn’t even worth trying him on that), but she did have an idea that could potentially get her out of this mess without consequence.

  She called the number. It rang four times, five times. Please pick up, she thought. Please be at home. Please don’t let anyone else answer.

  Chapter 12

  ‘Hello,’ said Noah.

  ‘Hi, Dad.’

  Noah was momentarily bewildered. It sounded like Ruby’s voice, but why was she calling his house? And why was she calling him Dad? Had she dialled the wrong number? Thinking about it, the way she’d said ‘Dad’ was weird, as if she was trying to convey a secret message.

  ‘I’m in a bit of trouble in a shop and there’s someone who wants to talk to you.’

  He heard her sniff. Had she been crying? ‘Oh right, er … oh God, are you OK?’ he said, perplexed and concerned. ‘Um, do they, will they, um … you want me to … OK.’ He felt his heart rate increase rapidly as he understood what she wanted him to do for her. Could he pull this off? He tried to remember how his dad sounded when he was talking to someone official about something important. If he could mimic his tone, the shape of his mouth, his expression, he might be able to do it.

  ‘Mr Collins?’ There was a strange woman’s voice on the line now. Stern and a bit scary.

  ‘Yes, this is Mr Collins. James Collins,’ he said, in as low a baritone as he could muster. His voice came out so deep and so croaky that he sounded like one of those old Mafia bosses in gangster films. ‘What seems to be the problem?’

  ‘I’m Lisa Farnworth, the manager of Zenda clothes store. We have your daughter Ruby here. I’m afraid to tell you she’s been caught shoplifting.’

  Oh shit, thought Noah, she’s gone and got herself caught. He felt angry with Ruby and scared for her, but also not all that surprised. He checked himself. How would a dad react? Would he be shocked? Or would he try to keep calm and in control? Noah was clueless. ‘I see,’ he said, gravely. ‘That’s terrible. I’m appalled. Her … I’ve taught her better than that. She’s never done anything like this before. I must apologise. What exactly did she take?’ He cringed at his question. He wanted to know, but would that really be important to her dad? At this point?

  The shop manager didn’t appear to think it was an odd question. ‘One of our security guards followed her from the store and found that she’d hidden two blouses in her bag. She had also removed the tags from said items. I’m afraid there’s no doubt that she intended to steal them.’

  ‘I see,’ said Noah. ‘And have the police been called?’

  ‘Not yet, sir. Given that your daughter is a minor and that we believe this to be her first such offence, we thought we would speak to you and leave it to you to punish her in a way you see fit. She will, of course, be banned from all our stores for a period of a year. And we will expect payment for the goods, as they are no longer in sellable condition …’

  Noah sighed. Stupid, stupid Ruby, he thought. He’d never heard of Zenda and couldn’t picture what she might have stolen, or estimate how much it had cost. Girls’ shops, their shopping habits and and their clothes were a mystery to him. He owned two pairs of trousers, some jeans, a few tops and a coat (plus his school uniform), and that was plenty. He only had one body to dress, after all. He couldn’t understand why girls wanted new clothes every week, why they loved wasting hours trying them on and swapping them with their friends.

  ‘… I hope she realises just how lucky she is,’ the woman was saying. ‘And that she’s learned her lesson.’

  ‘Oh yes, Ms Farnworth. I’m sure she has.’ Noah hoped the conversation wouldn’t continue for much longer. He couldn’t maintain the croak; soon he’d have no voice left at all.

  ‘So if we could just have the payment, please. It’s a total of one hundred and sixty-nine pounds and ninety-eight pence.’

  Noah gulped. For two blouses? What were they made out of, gold? He didn’t have instant access to that kind of money. He probably had that much in his savings account, but you had to give notice to get it out, and he couldn’t do it without his parents’ permission.

  ‘So how would you like to pay? We can take a credit card, or you could come in and give us the cash when you pick your daughter up.’

  The second option was clearly not viable. But neither was the first. He didn’t have a credit card – he was fifteen years old. He started to panic. If he let Ruby down now he would be getting her, not to mention himself, into even more trouble. The police would probably be called after all. He had to think of something.

  ‘Hold on a minute,’ he said, hoping that the manager couldn’t hear the fear in his voice. It was surely now a whole octave higher than before. There was a way he could pay, a credit card he could access, but he’d never intended to use it. He went over to his computer and typed in a series of passwords. ‘Yes, it’s, er …’ He read out the credit card number, the expiry date and then the three-digit security code. He felt nauseous. He’d never done anything like this before, and he was half expecting it not to work.

  ‘Thank you, Mr Collins,’ said the manager a few moments later. ‘Are you going to come and fetch your daughter now?’

  ‘Er, no, er, I’m at work, I’m afraid. We only live around the corner. She’ll be fine to come home on her own.’

  ‘Are you sure, Mr Collins?’

  ‘Yes, thank you.’

  ‘I’d feel happier if you came to pick her up, and if we could talk to you face to face. She is rather distressed.’

  ‘It’s not possible,’ Noah said, in the strong voice his father used when he was telling his sisters that they couldn’t have a bigger monthly allowance. It was a voice that said: this is the end of the matter.

  ‘OK, Mr Collins, I trust we won’t ever have reason to speak to you again.’

  Me too, thought Noah. ‘Yes, goodbye.’

  He wanted the manager to put Ruby back on the phone so he could say, ‘Phew, that was close,’ and ask her exactly what had happened and tell her what he thought, but he knew that couldn’t happen. He’d have to wait until later to get the lowdown from her. He sighed, hung up the phone, and turned back to his computer. The evidence of what he’d done to help Ruby beamed blatantly at him from the screen. Now they were both criminals. He closed the page down quickly and loaded up a computer game.

  Chapter 13

  The manager turned to Ruby. ‘You’re free to go now,’ she said, with an expression that looked like pity. Poor girl, it seemed to say, her parents clearly don’t care about her much; no wonder she’s a thief. It made Ruby feel guilty. ‘Free to go on condition that you do not return to this store, or any other branch for a year.’

  ‘I promise,’ said Ruby, rubbing her eyes dry with her knuckles, as she got up from her chair. She wondered if they were going to circulate Wanted posters of her
around the country, to alert the other security guards and shop staff. Ruby Collins: Wanted Dead or Alive. Otherwise, how would they be able to stop her? What if she came in disguise? Not that she wanted to come into this shop ever again anyway. Overpriced rubbish. If the blouses had been better made they wouldn’t have torn so badly when she pulled the security tags off, would they?

  The manager showed Ruby to the door and asked the security guard to escort her from the premises. Ruby didn’t know what to say, so she said, ‘Thank you,’ which felt wrong, but would have to do. She almost held out her hand so that manager could shake it, but that would have been weirder still. The security guard walked behind her until she was out on the street, then nodded, turned away and went back into the shop without saying anything.

  Ruby had never felt so pleased to be outside. She didn’t feel upset any more, just empty and a bit numb, as if all that crying had used up her emotions. She drank the air into her lungs, silently thanking Noah for helping her get away with it. She couldn’t believe the telephone trick had worked. Noah’s voice might have been deeper than most boys his age (frankly, some of them sounded like they’d been inhaling helium), but he didn’t speak like a middle-aged man, not like her dad, anyway. Maybe it was different on the phone, a bit distorted, or maybe the shop manager had just wanted her money and the problem sorted quickly, and so hadn’t wanted to ask too many questions.

  That was another thing: Ruby couldn’t believe that Noah had had to pay for the things she’d stolen, especially since it had been made very clear to her that she wouldn’t be taking them home with her. How had Noah been able to pay? How come he had a credit card?

  She felt guilty; she wouldn’t have asked him to help if she’d known he’d be made to pay. Somehow, she would have to find a way to pay him back. Maybe she could get a Saturday job, if her parents would let her. Her dad always said, ‘If you need money, I’ll give it to you. I don’t want you working for minimum wage when you could be doing your coursework.’ He didn’t understand that she’d quite like to earn her own money, because it would make her feel more grown-up, more independent.

  She decided to go straight round to Noah’s to thank him, before she lost her nerve. Her mother would be expecting her home, wondering why she was so late back from school, but if she texted her to say where she was, it shouldn’t be a problem. Mum would probably be pleased; she liked Noah. She’d never met Ross, but he wasn’t the type of boy you introduced your mum to. Not that he’d have wanted to meet her anyway.

  Going 2 C Noah xx, she texted, as she turned into her street. She took a small compact out of her bag and studied her face close up in the mirror. Her eyes were a bit puffy and her nose was red, but she didn’t look too bad, considering. She toned down the redness with some powder, and smoothed her hair with her hand. It didn’t occur to her to question why she cared what she looked like for Noah; she never had before. She wondered if he could see her coming from his usual vantage point at his bedroom window. But when she looked up there was no sign of him. Please be home, she thought. She rang the doorbell and waited. Please be home, she repeated to herself. A tall silhouette loomed up through the frosted glass and then, to her relief, Noah peered around the front door.

  Chapter 14

  Noah knew he shouldn’t have been excited to see Ruby, but he couldn’t help himself. His heart started racing whenever she was nearby. ‘Hi,’ he said brightly, as though he couldn’t believe his luck. Then he reminded himself of what she’d made him do and how he should really be annoyed with her, and he tried to appear more serious. He cleared his throat. ‘Hello.’

  ‘Hi, Noah,’ said Ruby. She was sheepish. ‘I wanted to come round and thank you. I’m totally sorry about what happened. I mean it. You saved my life again!’

  ‘You’d better come in,’ he said, trying not to smile too broadly. He opened the door for her. She hadn’t been in his house for years and he could see her eyes darting around, taking everything in. The hall would still have looked the way she recalled it, with the same colour paint and all the same pictures and hooks and mirrors.

  ‘Your house smells just like I remember,’ she commented. ‘Nice, like lots of different perfumes all mixed up together.’

  He shrugged. ‘Course. That’s because of all my sisters.’

  ‘Poor Noah,’ she teased. ‘At least you’re not an only child though. Believe me, it sucks.’

  He nodded. ‘Do you want to come up to my room?’ he asked tentatively. ‘My sisters are all home. I mean, we can talk better there.’

  ‘Sure,’ she said. She followed him up the stairs and into his bedroom. He sat down on his bed and was hoping she’d join him, but she sat in his office chair instead. She swivelled around in it, checking out his bedroom, just as she had the hall. He knew she’d be surprised at how bare it was. All the toys were gone, the walls were now plain white, and he’d taken down all his old posters. There was just a bookshelf, a desk, a wardrobe and the bed, which was covered in a duvet with a black and white geometric pattern.

  ‘Where’s all your stuff gone?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s been tidied away’ he said. ‘And thrown away, some of it. It helps me think, not having too much clutter.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said. She laughed. ‘I wouldn’t know! My room is such a mess. Yours looks very grown-up.’

  He shrugged, although he was pleased she’d said it. He liked being thought of as grown up, especially by Ruby. ‘So …’ he said, unsure how to steer the conversation back to what had happened earlier.

  ‘So …’ she said. She giggled, nervously.

  ‘What happened before? You nearly gave me a heart attack.’

  ‘I don’t really know,’ said Ruby, quietly. ‘Sorry.’ She told him the whole story and he listened without interrupting. As she described how she felt when she’d been caught, she looked like she was going to cry again, and it made him want to hug her.

  ‘It’s OK,’ he said. ‘I’m not angry with you.’

  She sniffed. ‘Really?’

  ‘Well, maybe a bit.’

  She smiled. ‘I need to ask you, how did you pay? How come you’ve got a credit card?’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘In fact, it’s probably better if you don’t know.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, surprised. Thankfully, she didn’t ask any other questions. ‘Look, I promise I’m going to pay you back. Every last penny. I promise.’

  ‘You don’t have to,’ he said. ‘Really.’

  ‘I will, honestly.’

  He took a deep breath. ‘I’d rather you just stopped stealing, Rubes.’ He’d never called her that before; it just slipped out. It was what her dad used to call her, and saying it felt good. And maybe he’d now earned the right to be close to her, because she smiled. He added, ‘I don’t want you to get into big trouble.’

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘And I’m going to try. I promise. Honestly.’

  He could never have predicted – or dreamed of – what happened next. Without another word, Ruby got up from her chair and walked over to him. Then she put her hands on his shoulders and she kissed him. She kissed him! It was far better even than he had imagined, her lips so much softer and sweeter. She pulled back, much too soon.

  ‘I should go,’ she said. She looked embarrassed.

  Noah wasn’t embarrassed. He was beaming, his eyes big and round. He had never felt so happy in his life. ‘No, don’t,’ he said. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss her again. He pulled her gently on to his lap and put his arms around her waist, drawing her towards him. He didn’t feel awkward or gangly or alone any more. If I’d have known this was going to happen, he thought, I’d have paid five thousand pounds to save her. Or five million.

  Chapter 15

  At the moment she said it, Ruby really did mean that she would try to stop shoplifting. She meant it with all her heart. And she still meant it when she awoke the next morning and, with a coy smile, remembered kissing Noah. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her, but she
knew she didn’t regret it for a second. It hadn’t been like kissing Ross, who was all tongue and wandering hands; it was gentle and slow and thrilling. She had felt as if she was falling, and yet at the same time she was perfectly safe. It was the weirdest feeling she’d ever experienced.

  She was still adamant she wasn’t ever going to shoplift again when she came straight home from school that Wednesday afternoon, without venturing anywhere near the high street. She was absolutely determined to stop. Had fate not stepped in, then perhaps her life, and Noah’s, would have taken a very different path. Who knows, maybe they would even have lived happily ever after together in their cul-de-sac.

  It wasn’t to be, for bigger, unseen forces were at work. Unknowingly, by writing her blog, by being in ‘the right place at the right time’, Ruby had tapped into the zeitgeist – an invisible ‘feeling’ in the air when, all of a sudden, almost everybody is thinking the same things and talking about the same things, and no one knows why, or how, or where it all started.

  First, a report was published by the Government revealing that there had been a massive increase in shoplifting in Britain, particularly by young people. The report might only have made a brief appearance in the news, had it not been for another event. That month, a new film version of the story of Robin Hood was due to be released in cinemas. It starred several of Hollywood’s biggest names and was directed by a multi-Oscar winning director, and it had cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. There was so much money and so much publicity attached to the film, that unless you lived alone, in a cave, under the ground, in deepest Siberia, you couldn’t have failed to hear about it. Even then, a nosy vole might burrow down to tell you. The film was like a giant snowball, rolling faster and faster, and growing larger and larger, scooping up everything in its path and taking it along for the ride. Its release also ensured that the topic of stealing – particularly the rise in shoplifting highlighted by the Government report – became the major talking point.