of the room, and flashing lights near the sound system. The DJ – this young black guy – was chatting away over the low beat of the first dance track. The rest of the room was clear, with chairs pushed back against the walls and a long table at the end, serving drinks. Someone had strung several rows of twisted paper streamers along the two long walls. You could almost taste the excitement in the room.
I felt my coat being wrenched off my shoulders. Falling to the floor.
‘Oh. My. God. She looks like one of the teachers,’ Jemima snorted.
I spun round.
She was standing in front of me – the same height as me for once, thanks to my heels. But just as evil-looking as usual, with Phoebe and Amy on either side of her.
‘I saw your boyfriend earlier,’ Jemima said sarcastically. ‘Not exactly into you, is he?’
I stared at her. She looked amazing. Her hair was all swept up off a perfectly made-up face. And she was wearing an extremely short, tight, black dress that dipped at the front seam into a low V-shape.
‘Well?’ Jemima sneered at me. ‘Has he gone off with someone else already?’
Phoebe and Amy laughed.
‘He’s just signing in,’ I said, my heart hammering. ‘He’ll be here any second.’
At that moment the volume of the music rose dramatically and coloured lights started flashing across the room.
‘Let’s dance.’ Jemima pointed Phoebe and Amy towards the sound system.
As they strutted past me towards the centre of the room, Jemima leaned across. ‘I’ll be watching,’ she leered.
I bent down for my coat. The hall was already full of girls. Hordes of boys were now swarming in through the only open door. I folded my coat and shoved it under a chair. I stood alone for a few minutes, watching Jemima, Phoebe and Amy dancing. I noticed most of the boys coming into the hall were watching them too.
And then I saw Theo, his backpack hanging from his arm. He’d taken off his jacket and was wearing that long-sleeved top he’d had on the first time I’d met him. The one with the tiny writing on the chest. He was too far away and it was way too dark for me to read what it said. But I remembered. Just try it .
Theo was looking round for me. I walked over.
We stared at each other for an awkward second. I wondered if Jemima was watching us.
‘Where’s Roy?’ I said.
Theo’s face relaxed a little. ‘Outside. Your headteacher wouldn’t let him in here – said there were plenty of adults as it was.’
I looked round the room, noticing five or six teachers for the first time.
‘She also said no one could get into this room except through that door back out to the corridor,’ Theo added. ‘How am I going to get out of here if the other doors are locked?’
Oh, no. I’d been so fixated on what I was wearing and on Jemima seeing me and Theo together, that I’d forgotten all about Theo’s main reason for being here.
How I’d told him I would help him.
And how I’d told myself I would try and talk him out of running away.
25
Theo
Rachel led me through the big hall. She pointed at the huge iron fire-escape door in the far wall. A stern-looking middle-aged woman was standing beside it.
‘It’s only bolted on the inside.’ Rachel sounded nervous. Jittery. ‘They’ll probably open it later,’ she said. ‘They did at the disco last term, to let some air in.’
I stared at her. Last term would have been the middle of summer. It was hardly going to get as hot as that tonight, and certainly not in the next half an hour.
Rachel gazed up at me, clearly seeing the doubt in my face. ‘If they don’t, I’ll just cause a distraction so you can pull the bolts and push it open. The door’s noisy, but it’s noisier in here.
It was true. The dance music was pounding away in my ears. I looked over at all the people dancing. I’d been to quite a few of these things before, but always with my friends. I’d never actually been to one with a girl before.
Not that this was a
I felt my coat being wrenched off my shoulders. Falling to the floor.
‘Oh. My. God. She looks like one of the teachers,’ Jemima snorted.
I spun round.
She was standing in front of me – the same height as me for once, thanks to my heels. But just as evil-looking as usual, with Phoebe and Amy on either side of her.
‘I saw your boyfriend earlier,’ Jemima said sarcastically. ‘Not exactly into you, is he?’
I stared at her. She looked amazing. Her hair was all swept up off a perfectly made-up face. And she was wearing an extremely short, tight, black dress that dipped at the front seam into a low V-shape.
‘Well?’ Jemima sneered at me. ‘Has he gone off with someone else already?’
Phoebe and Amy laughed.
‘He’s just signing in,’ I said, my heart hammering. ‘He’ll be here any second.’
At that moment the volume of the music rose dramatically and coloured lights started flashing across the room.
‘Let’s dance.’ Jemima pointed Phoebe and Amy towards the sound system.
As they strutted past me towards the centre of the room, Jemima leaned across. ‘I’ll be watching,’ she leered.
I bent down for my coat. The hall was already full of girls. Hordes of boys were now swarming in through the only open door. I folded my coat and shoved it under a chair. I stood alone for a few minutes, watching Jemima, Phoebe and Amy dancing. I noticed most of the boys coming into the hall were watching them too.
And then I saw Theo, his backpack hanging from his arm. He’d taken off his jacket and was wearing that long-sleeved top he’d had on the first time I’d met him. The one with the tiny writing on the chest. He was too far away and it was way too dark for me to read what it said. But I remembered. Just try it .
Theo was looking round for me. I walked over.
We stared at each other for an awkward second. I wondered if Jemima was watching us.
‘Where’s Roy?’ I said.
Theo’s face relaxed a little. ‘Outside. Your headteacher wouldn’t let him in here – said there were plenty of adults as it was.’
I looked round the room, noticing five or six teachers for the first time.
‘She also said no one could get into this room except through that door back out to the corridor,’ Theo added. ‘How am I going to get out of here if the other doors are locked?’
Oh, no. I’d been so fixated on what I was wearing and on Jemima seeing me and Theo together, that I’d forgotten all about Theo’s main reason for being here.
How I’d told him I would help him.
And how I’d told myself I would try and talk him out of running away.
25
Theo
Rachel led me through the big hall. She pointed at the huge iron fire-escape door in the far wall. A stern-looking middle-aged woman was standing beside it.
‘It’s only bolted on the inside.’ Rachel sounded nervous. Jittery. ‘They’ll probably open it later,’ she said. ‘They did at the disco last term, to let some air in.’
I stared at her. Last term would have been the middle of summer. It was hardly going to get as hot as that tonight, and certainly not in the next half an hour.
Rachel gazed up at me, clearly seeing the doubt in my face. ‘If they don’t, I’ll just cause a distraction so you can pull the bolts and push it open. The door’s noisy, but it’s noisier in here.
It was true. The dance music was pounding away in my ears. I looked over at all the people dancing. I’d been to quite a few of these things before, but always with my friends. I’d never actually been to one with a girl before.
Not that this was a
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