Perfect Timing

Of all the ridiculous scrapes I’d ever got myself into, this was easily the most embarrassing...

- Kate hogan

No!’ My heart sank when I heard the bang. I turned, stared at the slammed door, then down at my old pyjamas. Why had I decided to put the bins out before I was dressed? Maybe Ryan was right…

I felt a sudden pang before steeling my heart. There was a light on in the house opposite– Handsome’s place. ‘Handsome’ was the new guy on the block. Ryan reckoned Handsome fancied himself just because he’d given me a big smile once or twice. Truth was, I thought it was all in Ryan’s head. But who knew? Maybe Handsome could help a girl like me heal her broken heart…

Ha! I thought, trying hard to stem the sudden unexpected panic and shivers spreading up from my bare feet. Ryan always said I didn’t think before acting. He was wrong, I did – even though it was often unrelated to what I was doing at the time!

‘There you go again,’ he’d said, when I’d backed the car into the newly erected fence while admiring the sunset. It was just so beautiful… The fence had been, too, before I’d razed it to the ground. 

Ryan had laughed. 

‘Get out!’ I’d yelled, feeling suddenly totally inept, and blinking back the threat of tears. ‘If you’d been paying attention to the romantic sky, maybe I wouldn’t have flattened the fence to give you a better view!’

‘Sarah,’ he’d said, grinning. ‘You can’t blame me for you not concentrating on…’ 

‘Out!’ I’d hissed. 

‘Well, I would if I could,’ 

Ryan had said with false solemnity, ‘but given you’ve crushed the car into next door’s hedge as well as yours, I can’t.’