Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble

by Hopkins, Cathy

  ‘Face?’ I said, putting my hand up to my chin. It did feel a bit raw. Oh God, I thought, I’ve got a snog rash. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Your face,’ said Dad taking a closer look. ‘It’s all red round your jawline.’

  ‘Oh, that!’ I said, grinning like an idiot. ‘Oh yeah. Er, I did a facial before. Got a bit carried away with the exfoliator and er, clearing any blackheads.’

  Dad pulled a face and Mum was looking at me quizzically, as I made for the hall and stairs. I don’t think she believed a word of it. Better get out of here quick, I thought, before they suss out what I’ve really been doing. Lying on the sofa snogging a boy who wasn’t even my boyfriend all evening probably wouldn’t go down too well in their book.

  Later, when I lay in my bed in a mild stupor, still smiling all over my face, I thought, this can’t be wrong. This is the real thing. It really is. And I, TJ Watts, for the first time in my life, am totally and utterly in love.

  Email: Outbox (1)

  From: babewithbrains@psnet.co.uk

  To: hannahnutter@fastmail.com

  Date: 12th December

  Subject: True Love

  Dear Hannah

  It’s one o’clock in the morning here and I can’t sleep. I had to tell you as I have to tell someone. I am in love. Really really in love. It’s official. Luke came over this evening and I had the best night of my entire life. I think he is my soulmate. And what is even better, he feels the same way. He wasn’t into Sian after all. It is awesome. I can’t sleep thinking about him. I am also going to email Steve as I think it’s only fair to him that I tell him as soon as possible and I don’t want him to hear from anyone else. Plus he is a nice guy. I will follow it up in person as I know it’s mean to dump someone by email but I can’t run the risk of someone else telling him first and I’d hate that to happen.

  Lots of love

  TJ

  Email: Outbox (1)

  From: babewithbrains@psnet.co.uk

  To: jamesblonde@psnet.co.uk

  Date: 12th December

  Subject: Us

  Dear Steve

  I’m writing to tell you that I can’t go out with you any more. I’m really sorry and I hope you won’t be too upset. It’s not you, I think you’re fantastic. It’s me. But I’m not going to insult you by explaining or trying to make excuses. It’s never easy ending something and I’m keeping this short as it’s about the hundredth version I’ve written and I couldn’t find the right words in any of them.

  I hope you will always be my friend as you genuinely do mean a lot to me and I really enjoyed going out with you and I’m sorry to do this by email, but will explain why I had to do it this way later.

  Your friend

  TJ

  Chapter 16

  ‘God, what happened?’ asked Izzie the next day at school as she stared at the rash on my face. ‘Did something bite you?’

  ‘Sort of, er, but not bite,’ I replied sheepishly. I’d tried everything I could find in the bathroom when I’d got up. Mum’s soothing creams, Germaline. Aloe vera gel. But my face was still inflamed and the creams only irritated it more.

  Izzie looked puzzled.

  ‘Snog rash,’ I said.

  ‘Oh! Steve not been shaving? I hate it when boys have that scratchy stubble. It can really hurt. I’ll see if there’s a balm or something in my essential oil book for you.’

  I shook my head. ‘It wasn’t Steve.’

  ‘So who . . . ? Ohmigod. Was it who I think it . . . ?’

  I nodded. ‘We couldn’t help it, Izzie. We tried not to, but . . . it was too strong. He’s going to tell Nesta. And I’ve already told Steve. Do you think I should tell Nesta?’

  Izzie shook her head vehemently. ‘No way. That’s Luke’s responsibility. Are you sure about this?’

  ‘Hundred percent. I’ve never felt like this before. It is totally totally amazing. Everything was . . . just perfect. I think Luke’s my soulmate.’

  Izzie let out a sigh. ‘Wow! Carumba! I thought you were the one who didn’t believe in soulmates.’

  ‘I know, but that was before Luke. It’s like everything you and Lucy said . . . and more.’

  ‘Double wow. What can I say?’

  ‘Do you hate me?’

  ‘No. Course not. If he’s your soulmate, you can’t argue with destiny, but hell, poor you, and poor Nesta. It’s not going to be easy. I’d lie low if I were you in case Luke’s told Nesta already. Stay out of her way until she’s calmed down.’

  Not going to be easy. That’s an understatement, I thought as Izzie went off to the cloakrooms to hang up her coat.

  Lucy wasn’t as friendly when she arrived in the school hall five minutes later and confronted me straight away. ‘Steve told me that you dumped him. On email too. That’s a bit cold, isn’t it? I’d have thought you could have at least told him to his face.’

  I looked at the floor. She was right. I knew it had been a lousy way to dump someone, but then I wasn’t thinking straight last night and it seemed the right thing to do at the time. In the light of the day, I wished I’d waited – like who was I thinking was going to tell Steve about Luke and me in the middle of the night? I guess love can make you go a bit doolally, I thought. I’d felt so high and so good last night that I thought everything would just work out, everyone would understand. It’s true love and to be forgiven anything. When I woke up this morning, I cursed myself for having been so impetuous. If we lived in the old days of letters, I could have ripped it up but, with email, one press of the button and it’s gone forever.

  ‘I’m sorry Lucy. I know it wasn’t one of my best ideas but I . . . I wanted him to know as soon as possible, in case he heard from . . . from anyone else.’

  ‘Why? Why as soon as possible? Have you met someone else?’

  I nodded. ‘I am sorry, Lucy. I didn’t want to hurt him more than necessary. Is he OK? How is he?’

  ‘How do you think? He really liked you.’

  ‘I know. I really liked him too. I still do. And that’s why I thought it best he was told as soon as possible. It wasn’t fair not to. The . . . er, the chemistry wasn’t there any more and I didn’t want to lie to him. Surely you agree with that?’

  Lucy didn’t look convinced. ‘Whatever, but there are ways of letting someone down. So who’s the new boy? You’ve been keeping him pretty quiet.’

  ‘Oh . . . just someone . . .’

  ‘Must be pretty special for you to end it with Steve by email.’

  ‘He is. Very special, just . . . he was . . . is involved with someone as well and we don’t want to go public until he’s finished with his girlfriend as well.’

  Lucy looked miffed. ‘Fine. Whatever. Don’t tell me then.’

  ‘Lucy I can’t tell you yet . . .’

  ‘I hate secrets and I thought that we were mates . . .’

  Just at that moment Nesta bounded up behind us. I felt myself cower inwardly. I didn’t know if Luke had told her and, if he had, whether he’d have mentioned me or not.

  ‘Hey,’ she smiled, then noticed my face. ‘Heyhey, TJ Watts. Do I see what I think I see? Uno snog rash. Hhmm. Looks like someone had fun. I didn’t think Steve had it in him.’

  ‘Snog rash?’ said Lucy studying my face carefully. ‘Oh yeah. Wow. You don’t waste time do you?’

  ‘What are you on about?’ said Nesta. ‘She’s been going with Steve for ages.’

  ‘Not Steve,’ said Lucy. ‘TJ’s finished with Steve and got herself a new boyfriend. And she won’t tell me who.’

  Nesta raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh really? Won’t tell, huh?’ she said, then leaned over and pulled my arm behind my back, like she was a policeman and she was arresting me. ‘Ve have vays of making you talk, Miss Vatts. Come on, Lucy, we’ll get it out of her someway or other.’

  I laughed and tried to play along with her like everything was normal. Clearly Luke hadn’t told her yet, but then it was only the morning after and he had probably decided that the right way to do it
was face to face instead of email. As we were scuffing about in the corridor, Izzie came out of the cloakrooms and flew towards us.

  ‘Hey, leave her alone,’ she said, pulling us apart. ‘She didn’t mean to hurt anyone.’

  Nesta let go of me and we all stared at Izzie for a moment. She quickly realised her mistake. From her angle, when she came out of the cloakrooms, it must have looked as if Lucy and Nesta were pushing me about.

  ‘Izzie, they were only messing about . . .’ I explained.

  ‘Yeah. She has a new lover boy and won’t say who,’ said Lucy.

  ‘And why on earth would we push TJ about?’ asked Nesta. ‘Are you on drugs?’

  I shook my head at Izzie to try and tell her not to say. Unluckily, Lucy saw me.

  ‘You know who, don’t you Izzie?’ asked Lucy.

  Nesta pouted. ‘So how come you told Izzie but not us?’ she asked. ‘I thought we were all mates. Why can’t we know as well?’

  Izzie looked lost for words as Lucy and Nesta looked at her accusingly. Then Lucy looked at me and her eyes narrowed. I could see the penny drop for her.

  ‘Oh no,’ she gasped. ‘Oh no. TJ?’

  ‘What? What?’ demanded Nesta. ‘What is going on with you guys this morning?’

  Lucy’s expression grew cold. ‘Nothing. Come on, Nesta, let’s go.’

  She linked her arm through Nesta’s and pulled her away towards the assembly hall.

  Izzie looked at me and grimaced. ‘Hells bells and poo,’ she said. ‘The shitola has just hit the fan.’

  I wanted to turn around and run. The warm glow that had been surrounding me since last night suddenly evaporated and was replaced by a cold feeling of doom. Why, oh why, does love have to be so complicated? I asked myself as Izzie pushed me gently in the direction of assembly.

  Lucy hauled Nesta off as soon as assembly had finished and I saw them heading for the cloakrooms just as the bell for lessons went. I wanted to run out of the school gates and go home and hide, but how would I explain that to anyone? I can’t exactly see my mum giving me a note to excuse me from lessons.

  ‘Just tell her the truth,’ said Izzie. ‘She can only kill you.’

  I nodded. ‘I will. Should I catch up with them?’

  Izzie nodded back. ‘Best get it over with. Want me to come with you?’

  ‘Please.’

  As we made our way to the cloakrooms, I remembered a scene from a film I’d seen with a condemned man walking to the electric chair. Dead Man Walking, it was called. ‘Dead girl walking,’ I said to Izzie as she put her arm through mine.

  ‘Just keep breathing,’ said Izzie, who looked as worried as I felt.

  Nesta and Lucy had their heads close together in the corner of the cloakrooms and they looked up as I walked in. Luckily we were the only ones in there, which was a relief as I’d have hated anyone else from our class to have been there, earwigging it all then passing it round the school.

  Lucy looked at me defiantly. ‘I had to tell her. TJ. It’s only fair. You said Steve deserved to know as soon as possible, so Nesta does too and . . .’ at this point she gave Izzie a dirty look, ‘and no one else round here was brave enough.’

  I glanced at Izzie, who looked shocked, then at Nesta. ‘I really am sorry . . .’

  Nesta shrugged. ‘Yeah. So am I. But no worries, TJ, I know it must be difficult for you and I’m sorry it’s had to come out this way . . .’

  I didn’t understand and looked at the girls quizzically.

  ‘She already knew,’ explained Lucy.

  ‘You already knew?’ I asked. So Luke had told her? ‘When? When did he tell you?’

  ‘Oh ages ago, when you guys first started working on the project together . . .’

  Whadtt? I thought. He never mentioned it to me. Last night he’d said he hadn’t told her yet.

  Nesta put her hand on my arm and looked at me sympathetically. ‘It must be really tough for you . . .’

  Tough for me? I thought. What the hell was going on? ‘What exactly did Luke tell you?’

  ‘Oh you know,’ Nesta sighed. ‘About you having a crush on him. He told me all about it, as he didn’t know how to deal with it. He said he didn’t want to hurt your feelings as you were a mate of mine . . . And I didn’t want to say anything to you as I didn’t want to hurt your feelings either. I mean, it is kind of embarrassing, isn’t it? I know you’re into Steve, so fancying Luke? No way. I knew that you’d never make a play for him, in fact, I even wondered if he’d got the wrong end of the stick. You know, inflated male ego and all that.’

  ‘I . . . I . . . So why did he say anything?’

  ‘He said he wanted to let me know in case you got the wrong idea about him. He says it happens all the time, that girls misread the signals. He wanted to reassure me that your crush was all in your head. He told me that what he and I have is on another level and not to worry.’

  I felt like someone had plunged a knife into me. ‘But . . . but . . . I . . . Oh God. What a mess. I . . . So, you haven’t spoken to him today then?’

  ‘Today? No.’

  ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry, Nesta . . .’

  ‘No need to apologise. I’m glad it’s all out in the open now and we can talk about it. And I totally understand. Luke is gorgeous, and as I said, loads of girls have crushes on him. I can’t say I blame you . . .’

  Lucy didn’t look as forgiving and looked accusingly at my chin. ‘But that doesn’t explain . . .’ She didn’t finish her sentence and looked away, but not before Nesta had noticed where she’d been looking.

  I saw confusion flicker in Nesta’s eyes. Izzie looked horrified, not as horrified as I felt though. I felt mad with Luke. He’d given us both the same line. We were both on another level then? No. No. I knew it wasn’t like that. Not after last night. It was special, a once in a lifetime thing.

  Nesta sighed heavily. ‘I’d forgotten . . . Steve didn’t give you that snog rash did he?’

  I didn’t answer.

  ‘I suppose he likes you because you’re so clever,’ said Nesta sadly. ‘Beauty and brains, I always said it was a lethal combination.’

  ‘But . . .’ I started. Just at that moment, the door opened and Miss Watkins stuck her head round the door.

  ‘Theresa Watts, Izzie Foster, Lucy Lovering, Nesta Williams. What are you doing in here? Didn’t you hear the bell? Move yourselves. Now!’

  As we filed out after her, my heart was thumping in my chest. I felt angry.

  I need to talk to Luke, I thought, as soon as possible. Find out what he’s been saying, and give him a piece of my mind.

  I sat through Miss Watkins’ class in agony. Lucy and Nesta were sitting behind and I looked round whenever I could to try and gauge what was going on in their heads. Lucy stared steadfastly in front of her and wouldn’t let me catch her eye. Nesta looked upset and was doodling on her notebook. Izzie also kept looking round, then glancing over at me and rolling her eyes.

  ‘Izzie Foster,’ said Miss Watkins. ‘What is so interesting at the back of the class today? Maybe you’d like to share it with the rest of us.’

  ‘Er no, nothing, Miss,’ stuttered Izzie. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘If you don’t start paying proper attention, you’ll stay behind and do detention. Understood?’

  ‘Understood,’ said Izzie and put her nose in her book.

  I felt utterly miserable. Lucy and Nesta would probably never speak to me again and I’d managed to get Izzie in trouble, not only with Miss Watkins but also with Lucy. She’d made it very clear in the cloakrooms that she thought that Izzie should have said something to Nesta about Luke and me. My new best friends, I thought, and I was going to lose them. That is, if I hadn’t lost them already.

  At break, Nesta obviously had the same idea as I did. I watched as she dived out of the classroom, with Lucy in hot pursuit, then get her mobile out of her bag.

  I waited until the classroom had emptied except for Izzie, who had hung back to stay with me. I quickly pulled out my
mobile and dialled Luke’s number. I had to warn him. Plus I had to find out what was really going on. I got his voice mail.

  ‘Hell, voice mail,’ I said. ‘I think Nesta’s got through first.’

  ‘Try again,’ urged Izzie. ‘He might not be on break yet, so might have it switched off. Sometimes break-time is different in different schools.’

  I sat there dialling. And dialling. And dialling again. Suddenly I heard the phone ring and Luke’s voice at the other end.

  ‘Luke,’ I said.

  ‘Hey, Watts,’ he said cheerfully. ‘Top night last night.’

  ‘Yeah, right. I thought so too at the time.’

  ‘Hey. What’s the problem? Your voice sounds weird. What do you mean?’

  ‘Have you said anything to Nesta yet about you breaking up with her?’

  ‘Woah. Give me a break. It’s only the morning after . . .’

  ‘I think she knows . . .’

  Luke’s tone suddenly changed to serious. ‘How?’

  ‘Lucy guessed. It was bound to come out . . .’

  I heard Luke sigh heavily at the other end. ‘OK. Right. OK. Now calm down TJ.’

  ‘Calm down?! She said she knew all about it. She said that you said I had a crush on you and you wanted to reassure her that it was all in my head. What’s that all about?’

  Luke was silent for a few moments. ‘Oh that. Yeah. Listen, TJ. I was er . . . testing the water to see how she’d react. Look. Let me handle this my own way. I need time to think. Um. Yeah.’

  ‘Is it all in my head?’

  ‘You tell me, TJ.’

  ‘Oh please don’t start with all that again. What about last night?’

  I could hear Luke sigh again. ‘Don’t start getting all heavy on me. It was a kiss. One kiss. No big deal.’

  No big deal? I thought. How could he say that? A kiss that lasted almost three hours and now threatened to end my friendship with two of my best mates and had already ended my relationship with Steve. My mind was reeling and I was at a loss as to what to say next.’

  ‘Look, got to go,’ said Luke. ‘Keep your chin up. I’ll sort it.’