The cracked phone

Text 1: Spider’s Web, by Jasper Linnell

An original novel extract.

The crack ran from the top corner of Tom’s phone right down to the charging port, splitting the screen into a spider’s web. He had dropped it on the bus that morning, only a week after his birthday. At dinner he kept it face down beside his plate, with his hand resting on top as if it might run away. When Mum asked him to pass the salt, he passed it with his left hand. When the phone buzzed, he slid it off the table and into his pocket in one smooth movement, without looking at it. ‘Who’s that?’ Dad asked. ‘Nobody,’ Tom said, too quickly, and started talking about the football results, although he did not care about football. His little sister watched him across the table with narrowed eyes. Later, while he was washing up, she leaned in and whispered, ‘How much will you pay me not to tell?’

Give three words or phrases that show Tom is trying to hide the damaged phone from his parents.