unrequited love.

Chapter 5

Nevaeh:

There are some days when Loren stays round mine for dinner when her parents go out of town for their rich people events, like gala's and formal dinners with Mrs Jones's work colleagues and shit. She much prefers dinner at my house, plus my parents consider her part of the family since she's over so much, so nothings ever awkward with her and my folks.

'How have you been my darlings?' My mum asks us both as we walk through the door, just coming in from school.

'Splendid!' Loren replies, rich people vocabulary is gross.

My mum giggles at her formality and replies with a polite smile and then turns to face me. 'I got a call from your history teacher sweetie,' she tells me, 'he says you've been struggling concentrating'.

For fuck sake.

'No mum, please don't worry. I was just thinking about... about-'

'about what to wear tonight!' Loren interrupts, 'we are going out tonight, remember Nev?'.

What is she doing?

'Y-yes', I quiver.

'I didn't know about this?' My mum says, her eyes are slits now.

'Mrs Harris, do not worry about her one bit, it's just a quiet first day back party for the year thirteens at our small sixth form. My father said he would pick us up afterwards and we will eat there and everything! Absolutely no trouble for you whatsoever!' Loren persuades my mum to let us go to this 'party' that I still know nothing about. We slip out of the dining room and upstairs to my bedroom.

'Jesus Nev, who died in here?'

'Fuck off the drains clogged in my bathroom thanks to my idiot brother. We can't get it fixed until tuesday so deal with the smell', Loren mimes putting a peg on her nose and scrunches up her face tightly while making a load groaning noise. She pushes me and I flop, lopsided, onto my bed, laughing along with her.

'Ouch!' I shriek, still half laughing. I pull out from my pocket a pencil, well half a pencil- obviously I snapped it when had I collapsed a second ago.

'Shit that was Theo's,' I say, Loren's got a confused look on her face.

'Theo's?' She questions.

'Oh shit yeah I forgot to tell you, I know who the secret window boy is!'

'WHAT!' she yells.

'Shhhh! Keep your voice down dumbass, it's Theo Hunt'. Something about saying his name out loud gave me butterflies.

'The boy you've been obsessed with since year seven? That Theo Hunt?' Her eyes lit up.

I nod. 'I know, I can't believe I didn't realise it was him before'.

'And why do you have his pencil may I ask?'

' We were both in the library, and he sat next to me. I didn't really know what to say to him at first but he kept starting conversations, and stuff happened and now I have his pencil' I explain.

'He's gonna be at that party you know' She says, my heart stops. He is going to be there.

'Really?'

'Your going to have to look fucking drop dead gorgeous tonight Nev, he is going to fall for you faster than your brother clogged up that toilet'.

We both laugh in synchronisation and then I look at her.

'Can you help me?' I ask.

'Well duh, you can't do makeup for shit'

'Screw you bitch' I giggle.

'I love you too Nevvy' She says with a wink.

We began getting ready. There were hair straighteners strewn across the floor, makeup staining my desk and carpet, brushes, combs, curlers and perfume scattered across my black bedspread leaving sparkly stains behind. We had 80s hits blasting through my speakers the whole time, mouthing the words to Madonna's 'Material Girl' and Whitney Houston's 'I wanna dance with somebody', using our hairbrushes as microphones. We looked rather silly, but we didn't care. I never seem to care about much when i'm around Loren, she brings out the fun side of me that tends to be tucked away under a very thick security blanket.

'It's 9pm' Loren announces.

'We better get moving to... to- actually I have no idea where we are supposed to be going' I say, grabbing the keys to my car.

Loren steps into the vehicle in a rush. 'George Miller's house, 78 Bakerstreet. Now push down that pedal and let's go'.

I start to drive to the party, still trying to comprehend with the fact that Theo is going to be there. I really hope there's alcohol there because I know that i'm much more fun when i'm drunk, maybe he would like me better if I was more 'bubbly'.

'How much are you planning on drinking?' Loren asks- I guess that answers my question.

'A lot, you said your dads picking us up yeah? That means I don't have to drive home'

'Right!'

'This is just a small party right? You know how much I hate socialising and crowded places' I ask her assertively.

'Yeah yeah...'