Love and Kisses

Love and Kisses
Jean Ure

A fun and feisty novel from master storyteller Jean Ure – with a gorgeous look to appeal to all girls who love real-life stories.Thirteen-year-old Tamsin has never had a boyfriend, and she's starting to feel left behind. Even her ten-year-old sister has a boyfriend, so surely it must be her turn soon! When Tamsin meets Alex, she just can't stop thinking about him, and she’s thrilled when he asks her out on a date. But he’s sixteen and has already left school. Before she knows it, Tamsin is lying about her age and going behind her parents back… but for how long can she keep up the pretence?A charming story about the innocence of first love – and learning to do the right thing.

Copyright (#ulink_457fdd50-f824-53cf-9eac-8338c8208c16)

HarperCollins Children’s Books a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2009

Text © Jean Ure 2009 Illustrations © HarperCollinsPublishers 2009

The author and illustrator assert the moral right to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work.

Conditions of Sale This ebook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form, binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Source ISBN: 9780007281725

Ebook Edition © JULY 2009 ISBN: 9780007342501

Version: 2015-01-30

For Zoe Crook

Contents

Cover Page (#u2c9c400f-f95c-5e95-b34f-e6cc2a1146e1)

Title Page (#u9f9e1080-2db4-5383-96c0-114f65862737)

Copyright (#uc28da291-4d5b-5ed4-b43a-77e23d212b6d)

Dedication (#uafa4e652-2bd4-5a22-b7f8-35b9ac72dc3a)

CHAPTER ONE (#u05e8f2ad-67ed-5311-9cef-4ddadae9292f)

CHAPTER TWO (#uabfadda7-0f99-5d03-b086-300d4bd7ea54)

CHAPTER THREE (#ua5492b04-3941-5688-ac0c-d375c6d1d5f5)

CHAPTER FOUR (#ucb16cefa-e7f8-5a25-88d7-57d0726a4d29)

CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)

Keep Reading (#litres_trial_promo)

Also by the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_3a1c9316-9628-57d4-9865-976db107e42d)

I’ll never forget the day I first saw Alex. I was walking down Hawthorn Road with my best friend Katie. Best friend in the whole world! Friends for ever, through thick and thin. Though that was the summer we almost parted company…and all because of Alex.

It was a Friday, I remember; the second half of the summer term. Katie was coming back to my place for a sleepover, which was something we quite often did. Either her place or mine; we used to take it in turns. That day it was my turn, so there we were, happily wandering down the road together in the sunshine, carting our school bags full of the usual massive amounts of homework, when WHAM! Bam! It hit me.

A few doors away from my place, they were turning one of the big houses into flats. The other morning I’d seen an older man, who seemed to be in charge; but he wasn’t there that Friday. Or maybe he was, but he was indoors. Outside, in the front garden, there was a red-haired boy churning stuff about in a cement mixer. As we walked past, he turned to look in our direction and winked. He did! He winked. I tried to pretend I hadn’t noticed, but it still made me get all red and flustered. Pathetic, I know, but you can’t always control these things. It’s an instinctive reaction. Very embarrassing.

I strode on, really fast, with my cheeks sizzling. A second boy was coming round the side of the house with a wheelbarrow. I caught his eye, absolutely without meaning to, and he smiled. Straight at me. At me! At me! OMIGOD. That was it. That was when it happened. The wham and the bam, and my heart going into convulsions. I felt like I’d been struck by lightning.

Katie came scurrying after me. “Really,” she grumbled, “that was so not politically correct.”

I mumbled, “What?” My cheeks were still sizzling.

Katie said, “What d’you mean, what?”

“What was not politically correct?”

“What he did! Winking. He winked at us! Don’t tell me you didn’t see?”

I muttered that I had tried not to take any notice.

“Oh, well, yes, me too,” agreed Katie.

“Otherwise they think you’re encouraging them.” And then she giggled and said, “What about the other one?” She nudged at me with her elbow. “Know who he looks like?”

I shook my head. I tried to say “Who?” but I couldn’t seem to get any sound out.