Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble

by Hopkins, Cathy

  ‘And I’ll tell Lucy,’ said Izzie. ‘That is if I can get to speak to her. I’m going over there tomorrow and I’m going to sit in the front porch if she doesn’t let me in.’

  ‘Maybe I’ll come and join you depending on what time we get back. I could bring a banner saying sorry.’

  On Sunday, we didn’t get away as early as I’d hoped in the morning, as Dad wanted to check out estate agents and Marie and Mum still had wedding plans to go through. I went with Dad to look in estate agents’ windows. It might have been my imagination, but he didn’t seem as enthusiastic as he had been in the beginning and it was me who seemed the more eager of the two of us, although I was beginning to regret having told Mum that I was happy to move. On the one hand, it would be a new start for me – a new chapter was just what I wanted after I’d put the record straight with Lucy and Nesta. Down here, no one would know me or what I’d done. On the other hand, if I could make things right with my mates, the last thing I’d want to do was leave them.

  After a lunch of Marie’s spaghetti bolognese (it’s her speciality and the only thing she can cook. I wondered if Stuart’s realised yet that unless he cooks, he’s destined to eat takeaways or the same meal for the rest of eternity), everyone wanted to do some Christmas shopping in a market that was held in the local scout hut. I saw loads of things there that were perfect for presents for Nesta and Izzie and Lucy. As we browsed and I bought a few items (including a recipe book for Marie), I thought I couldn’t imagine life without the girls even after we’d moved to Devon. I would always think of Izzie when I saw a crystal or aromatherapy kit. Glittery make-up and bath gels would always remind me of Nesta and any romantic type of fashion or lovely fabric would always make me think of Lucy and her passion for design. I felt sad as I bought them presents thinking that this might be our last Christmas in the same city. I couldn’t bear to think it might all end on a sour note. I bought a silver and amethyst bracelet for Izzie, a red velvet scarf for Lucy and a tiny handbag with a fluffy trimming for Nesta. I hoped that they’d accept my gifts and still be my friends, and we could spend the coming holiday together as we’d planned before this whole fiasco with Luke had started. I’d made up my mind, Luke was history. I just hoped that Lucy, Izzie and Nesta would be a part of my future no matter where I lived.

  I made sure that I got to school early on Monday morning and was waiting at the gates to catch Nesta and Lucy on their way in.

  Lucy was the first to arrive. She looked confused when she saw me as if she didn’t know how to react.

  ‘Lucy,’ I called. ‘Can I speak to you?’

  She hesitated for a moment, then came over.

  ‘I wanted to say that I’m really, really sorry,’ I blurted. ‘I never meant for any of this to happen and want you to know, please will you be friends again? I’ll do anything, and I know I’ve messed up badly and handled everything the wrong way. But it’s all over with Luke and me. I promise. I’ve been such a fool.’

  Lucy looked embarrassed. ‘I saw Izzie yesterday. She came over and wouldn’t leave until she’d told me everything.’

  I smiled. ‘Did she set up camp in your front porch?’

  Lucy smiled back. ‘Something like that. She said she wasn’t going until we’d talked everything through, and that she’d brought sandwiches and a sleeping bag and was going to sleep in the shed if I didn’t let her in. Anyway, she told me everything about you and Luke and everything that’s happened, and . . . and . . . I guess I was a little hasty in judging you.’

  ‘Does that mean we can be friends again? I know it’s only been a short while, but it’s felt like an eternity. I’ve missed you so much and it’s been hell not being able to talk to you.’

  Lucy nodded. ‘I’ve missed you too – like this weekend, it felt like something wasn’t right. But . . . look TJ, I do want to be friends, but let’s get one thing straight, friends put each other first and tell each other everything. You should have said something about fancying Luke.’

  I nodded. ‘I know. I really really know, but . . . I was afraid that you’d hate me.’

  ‘I don’t hate you. You can’t help who you fancy, but you can help what you do about it.’

  ‘I know, and nothing like this will ever happen again. I promise that from now on I will tell you everything, everything . . .’

  ‘Deal,’ said Lucy, smiling.

  I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a huge hug. ‘I really honestly truly didn’t mean it to happen,’ I said. ‘I’ve been sooo stupid . . . and unhappy . . .’

  ‘I guess love makes us all a bit stupid sometimes . . .’

  ‘It’s made me realise a lot . . .’

  Just at that moment, Nesta came round the corner. She looked taken aback to see me being so pally with Lucy and turned to walk the other way.

  ‘Nesta,’ I called after her.

  ‘Later,’ she said as she walked off towards the assembly hall.

  It wasn’t going to be easy winning Nesta back, I thought.

  ‘Any ideas?’ I asked Lucy.

  ‘Grovelling might work,’ she replied. ‘If that doesn’t work, try bribery, a lifetime’s supply of chocolate or something. And I’ll try and talk to her in the break.’

  At break, Lucy made a beeline for Nesta as she headed out of class and I prayed that she might get through to her. However, when we went back into class fifteen minutes later, Lucy looked over at me and shook her head.

  ‘I’ll try at lunch,’ said Izzie. ‘If nothing else, she has to realise what Luke is really like.’

  ‘Thanks, Iz,’ I said. ‘But I think it should come from me.’

  ‘Well let’s just hope she doesn’t shoot the messenger,’ said Izzie with a grim look, ‘or try to strangle you. But then again, it might give us a chance to practise our first aid skills.’

  I lightly punched her arm. Thank God for Izzie, I thought. She’s kept me sane through all this.

  At lunch, I was first out ready to confront Nesta. As she came out of the classroom, she saw that I was waiting and headed in the other direction. Lucy and Izzie came out soon after and gave me a nod to go after her, so I followed and caught up with her.

  ‘Nesta,’ I said. ‘We have to talk.’

  ‘Nothing to say,’ she said.

  ‘It’s about Luke . . .’

  ‘I said nothing to say. He told me about how you threw yourself at him.’ Then she stopped and turned to me. ‘How could you, TJ?’

  I took a deep breath. ‘I’m sorry, Nesta, I really am. But it wasn’t how he said it was.’

  She waved her hand as if dismissing what I was saying. ‘Yeah, yeah. Whatever.’

  ‘No. No. Nesta. Not whatever. It wasn’t all in my head, you have to believe that. Luke has been lying to both of us.’

  She shook her head. ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’ she asked. ‘He’s into me. End of story. Now get your own boyfriend.’ And she started to walk off down the corridor.

  I couldn’t let her go off like that. It was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done and I knew it would hurt her, but she had to know the truth. ‘I spoke to him after he’d told you that story about me throwing myself at him and . . .’

  I saw her slow down, so I caught up with her again. ‘Listen Nesta, I’m really sorry to have to tell you this and . . . and . . . I’m sure Luke does like you. He told me that he likes you, but he’s also told me that he’s going to finish with you.’

  Nesta stopped. She didn’t look at me, but I could see that she was listening.

  ‘He . . . he said he wants to be with me and doesn’t want to hurt you, so he’s going to go out with you a bit longer and let you down slowly. I don’t even know if that’s true, but I think you ought to know what he’s saying behind your back.’

  Nesta didn’t say anything.

  ‘I’m really really sorry. And I didn’t throw myself at him, honestly. There was one time when we kissed. One time . . . and it wasn’t me forcing myself on him. It really wasn’t. He was with me
for three hours . . .’

  Nesta finally looked me in the face. Her expression was one of anger and hurt. ‘He told you that he’s going to finish with me?’

  ‘Yes. Can’t you see what he’s doing, Nesta? He’s telling us both different things . . .’

  ‘And . . . when he kissed you, he was with you for three hours?’

  I nodded.

  Nesta ran her fingers through her hair and looked agitated. ‘OK. OK . . . Let me get my head round this. So you’re saying that Luke lied to me about you?’

  ‘Yes. Remember my snog rash?

  ‘I asked him about that, and he said that Steve must have given you that.’

  ‘No way. And anyway, you’ve seen Steve. He hardly has to shave. I know it’s hard to hear, but it was Luke.’

  ‘And you say that he’s planning to dump me?’

  ‘That’s what he said.’

  ‘OK. OK. So . . . if he does dump me, are you going to go out with him?’

  ‘Noooo. No way. I can’t trust him. Neither can you. That’s why I’m telling you all this. But you can trust me, Nesta. I’m being totally honest with you now. I don’t think we’re the only girls he’s stringing along either. Sian thinks he wants to be with her as well.’

  ‘Sian? That blonde girl?’

  ‘Yes. He told me that he didn’t fancy her. Not his type he said, but then she told me that he’d kissed her and when I confronted him about it, he gave me the line he gave you about me. That she threw herself at him.’

  Nesta looked shocked. ‘Sian? I can’t believe it.’

  ‘Well who knows what’s really going on in her head, but I don’t think it’s entirely her fault that she thought she stood a chance with him. He can’t bear to tell anyone the truth. I think he wants to know that he can have all of us. But I’ve had enough of him. I don’t want any more misunderstandings, not knowing what’s going on. I want to be with people who are totally on the level, who I can trust and who trust me. I want us to be friends again more than anything in the world.’

  Nesta gave me a long hard cold stare. ‘I’ll kill him,’ she said then turned and walked away.

  I stared after her, wondering if I should follow her, when Izzie came up behind me. ‘Leave her,’ she said. ‘She probably needs to be on her own for a while.’

  Email: Outbox (1)

  From: babewithbrains@psnet.co.uk

  To: hannahnutter@fastmail.com

  Date: 15th December

  Subject: Love

  Dear Hannah

  God I miss you. So much has been happening here and I’ve learned so much mainly that the most important thing in any relationship is trust. I really liked Luke a lot but I can’t trust him, not like I can my friends. I really hope I can win them back.

  Love

  TJ

  Email: Inbox (1)

  From: hannahnutter@fastmail.com

  To: babewithbrains@psnet.co.uk

  Date: 16th December

  Subject: Love

  Ma petite TJ

  Methinks you are very wise and I just want you to know that even though we are many miles apart now that I trust you completely. Friends are forever and I shall pray from afar that they all see sense and make it up with you.

  Love and stuff

  Hannahalulu

  Chapter 20

  ‘He’s just come in,’ said Izzie coming over to the stand where I was busy with Olivia pinning up our work for the project. It was the afternoon of the presentation and anyone involved had been let out of school for the afternoon to go to the Institute in Highgate to prepare for the evening. The hall was buzzing with teachers and pupils rushing about, making last minute adjustments, all busy trying to show their work to its best advantage in its own screened-off area.

  ‘Time to face the music, I guess,’ I said as I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Luke was heading straight for me.

  ‘Let me know how it goes,’ said Izzie and pointed to the other side of the hall, ‘and I’m only just over there if you want me to come over and knock his lights out.’

  ‘What happened to your Buddhist philosophy about not harming any living creature?’

  ‘I wouldn’t kill him,’ she said with a grin, ‘only maim.’

  ‘Thanks, Iz,’ I said, then turned back to the board and began to pin up my poster detailing all the people who’d lived in Hampstead. Our area did look impressive. On one side were all the photographs that Steve had taken for me before we broke up, colour blow-ups of the houses we’d visited. On the right were my posters of all the famous people who lived in the area, a map of where they’d lived and Luke had picked a selection of quotes from the writers and photos of some of the paintings of the area. Sian had done some fabulous illustrations of streets, shops and houses and Olivia had done a great job on the layouts of all the titbits of information in between. The whole effect was very professional and glossy.

  ‘It’s beginning to take shape,’ said Olivia standing back as Luke came to join us. ‘I think it’s going to look good. Don’t you think, Luke?’

  Luke looked at me and not the work. ‘Yeah. Looks great. Sorry I’m late. Er . . . Olivia,’ he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys, ‘could you start getting the boxes in my boot out of my car. I’ve got a load of brochures on the houses that people can take away if they want. I need to just check a few things in here then I’ll come and help you unload.’

  ‘Sure,’ said Olivia and headed off for the door.

  I carried on pinning up the work.

  ‘So why haven’t you returned any of my phone calls?’ asked Luke. ‘I’ve been going out of my mind.’

  ‘Oh I think you know exactly why,’ I said, without turning to look at him.

  ‘Actually I don’t,’ he said. ‘I think we need to talk.’

  I couldn’t resist. ‘Oh do we have to do this now?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. I need to know what’s going on . . .’

  ‘Oh don’t get all heavy, Luke,’ I said, turning to him at last. ‘Tonight’s the big night.’

  ‘You know I’ve finished with Nesta, don’t you?’

  ‘I know that Nesta finished with you,’ I said. ‘Lucy told me.’ Apparently she didn’t waste any time and finished with him the same day that I’d spoken to her about his lying.

  ‘So that means it won’t be a problem with us any more.’

  ‘Whadt?’ I couldn’t believe his cheek. ‘Er . . . reality check, Luke. I think there’s a major problem with us, a few in fact. One, that you’re a liar. Two, that you seem to have some kind of problem being alone and three, that I can’t trust you. Oh. And four, I wouldn’t go out with you if you were the last person on the planet.’

  Luke looked taken aback. ‘But . . . I thought we had something special.’

  ‘And so did Nesta, and so does Sian and God knows how many other idiots. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I think I’ll go and give Olivia a hand with those boxes.’

  At that moment, Sian came over and looked coyly at Luke. You’re welcome to him, I thought as I made my way across the hall.

  Izzie caught me up at the door. ‘Everything OK?’

  ‘Sure. How about you? Is your stuff up and ready?’

  Izzie nodded in the direction of her stand. She’d managed to get loads of posters of the leaders of all the different religions and a big statue of the laughing Buddha took pride of place on a table at the front and good old Steve had photographed all the churches in the area for her. She’d even persuaded Trevor to dress up as a swami although he didn’t look too comfortable about it as people kept going past him singing, ‘Hare Krishna’.

  Suddenly Izzie’s eyes swivelled to the door. ‘Ohmigod,’ she said. ‘Major babe alert. Ding dong. Eyes left. Which school is that divine apparition from?’

  I turned to where she was looking and saw that a tall boy had come in behind Olivia. He was striking, like he could have been Orlando Bloom’s younger brother.

  ‘Don’t know but he’s definitely a fiv
e star hubba hubba,’ I said as I checked him out. ‘Is Nesta here yet?’

  ‘Down the end of the hall helping Lucy,’ said Izzie pointing to the far right of the hall where Lucy was busy dressing a mannequin while Nesta gave instructions. Then Izzie laughed. ‘Looks like they’ve clocked boy babe as well.’

  I glanced over and saw that both Lucy and Nesta were looking in the boy’s direction. Lucy saw us looking and gave us a wave. As we waved back Nesta looked over, then turned away when she saw me.

  ‘How is Nesta by the way?’ I asked.

  ‘She’s been pretty quiet all week,’ said Izzie. ‘She still not speaking to you?’

  ‘She did speak to me yesterday,’ I said, ‘when we came out of maths. Only to say that she’d never speak to me again though.’

  ‘Ah,’ said Izzie. ‘So there’s hope then.’

  ‘How do you see that?’

  ‘No one can ever say never say never. She said yesterday that she’d never look at another boy as long as she lived and look at her now. She’s definitely checking the hubba hubba boy out. If she can break her vow never to look at another boy in the short time of twenty-four hours, she may come round to being mates with you again.’

  A few moments later, Lucy made her way through the throng to join us. ‘Hey, have you checked out the boy over there.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ said Izzie. ‘Mucho tasty.’

  ‘That’s what Nesta said,’ said Lucy. ‘I think she may be on the road to recovery.’

  Luke walked past on his way to the door and took one look at Lucy, Izzie and I, then glanced down the hall at Nesta.

  ‘Got to get some last-minute photocopying done,’ he gulped and disappeared fast.

  For the next half-hour, we kept busy with the preparations. I stayed away from Nesta. I felt that the ball was in her court and there was nothing more I could say or do to win her back. In the meantime, Izzie came over to see me, then went to check on Nesta and Lucy. Then Lucy came over to me while Nesta watched from the fashion stand and I watched her from the history stand. After about half an hour of this, I glanced over at her and caught her looking at me. She stuck her tongue out at me and made a silly face. Then she gave me a look with one eyebrow raised that was like a challenge – as if to say, what are you going to do about it? I pulled my worst face back at her. I’d perfected it in the mirror years ago. I put an index finger on my nose to make it snub, stretched the corners of my mouth out with the little fingers of both hands, stuck my tongue out and crossed my eyes.