Oh, for goodness’ sake, thought Claire crossly. It’s one trip to the cinema not a marriage proposal. Paul would be fine. Afterwards, she would just tell him that while she liked him, she didn’t have time for a boyfriend while preparing for her exams. Unexpectedly, Claire thought of Paul’s hands as he pointed out the method in her textbook, his long fingers caressing the page.

Don’t be stupid. He’s the class nobody.

Impatiently, she rubbed off the rest of the lipstick and smoothed her lips with her kiwi lip balm. She debated whether to crimp her hair. She decided just to brush it, leaving it loose around her shoulders before slipping on her denim jacket. She had told her dad she would walk to the cinema and she would call him from the phone box for a lift after the film. The thought cheered Claire that in just a few hours, this stupid dare would be over and she would back to her normal life, but this time with the prestige of being in the Queen Bees. And it was then that Claire realised it wasn’t having to kiss him that bothered her, it was the deceit.

*

The walk into town was cool but despite this, she could feel the sweat under her armpits and she was glad she’d brought her denim jacket to put over her top to hide the damp patches. She’d tried shoving tissues under her arms, but they had moved around. She had been going to wear her black lace top but had changed at the last minute because it felt too dressy for the cinema. She shoved her hands in her pockets, trying to think about anything but the upcoming evening, but as she turned the corner and saw the cinema ahead, her palms started to sweat. Would he be waiting for her? Would he even turn up? She thought of the last glance they’d shared before she’d left the library and knew instinctively that he would. As she drew closer to the building though, she couldn’t see him.

Damn. There was no way she was going to get there first.

She checked her watch. She was a few minutes early. She would walk to the nearby shop and pick up some chewing gum. Confident that she wasn’t about to be stood up, she turned left, away from the cinema and towards the crossing at the traffic lights. As she waited for pedestrian signal to turn green, she heard a familiar burst of laughter. Turning, she watched in dismay as she saw Charlotte, Tiffany, Louise, and Vivian walking in the direction of the cinema linking arms. There was another girl with them as well.

Was that…? No, it couldn’t be.