Popping the Cherry (27 page)

My confidence grew with each step of getting ready, and, now that I
was
ready, I was raring to go. I slipped my feet into my flats and headed out of my bedroom door with my heels in my hand, but not before a spritz of my favourite perfume.

‘You look nice, love,’ Dad said, looking away from the TV. ‘Is Zac picking you up?’

‘Er … no, we’re … umm … not together any more.’

‘Oh?’ Mum peered around Dad so that they were both staring at me.

‘Yeah, it didn’t work out, so Nathan’s coming with me instead. And he’s waiting for me, so I’d better go. I don’t want to be late.’

‘Have you got Gemma’s present?’ Mum asked.

‘Ooh, well reminded.’

I dropped my shoes next to the front door and ran back up to my room, where Gemma’s present was perched on the edge of my dressing table, where I couldn’t forget it.
Whoops!
Now I really
was
ready to leave. I gathered up my shoes again, grabbed my keys and shouted my goodbyes to Mum and Dad, then stepped out into the cool September evening.

A few of the street lamps were turning pink, some already bright orange, guiding the roads as I drove to Nathan’s. I turned into his road and spotted him waiting on the kerbside in his new shirt and waistcoat, teamed with a pair of faded jeans.

‘Looking good, girl,’ he said, squeezing into the passenger seat and trying not to stand on my shoes, which I’d tossed into the footwell before setting off.

‘You too,’ I said, pulling away from his house. ‘So are you ever going to invite me into your house, or am I destined to be a permanent kerb crawler?’

‘You’re not missing anything, I assure you. So have you decided what you’re going to say to Jake yet?’ Nathan asked, swiftly changing the subject.

‘No. Everything sounds so lame,’ I said. ‘I mean, what do you say to someone who thinks you’ve spent the best part of two months avoiding them?’

‘You’ll figure it out, Lena.’

‘Hope so. I’m going to have to wing it, though, and somehow avoid the wrath of the birthday girl.’

I pulled into the car park of the hotel where Gemma’s party was being held. There were quite a few cars there already, including Flick’s Peugeot. Good, I could tell them both about Zac at the same time, even though it was kind of obvious seeing that I had Nathan with me.

Nathan passed me my heels, then climbed out. He walked around to my side and opened the door, offering me his arm. ‘Ready, milady?’

‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’ I took his arm and smoothed out the creases of my dress with my free hand as we walked across the car park.

The entrance was festooned with helium balloons, in pastel colours and shaped to form an archway. I could just imagine the look of disgust on Gemma’s face. Even Nathan tightened his grip on my arm, both of us choking back a laugh. Thankfully, my name was down as Valentina plus one, so the late switch in companions didn’t matter. Gemma came rushing over to us the moment we walked into the function room, the question burning in her eyes as she looked from me to Nathan and back again.

‘Later,’ I muttered, butting in before she could open her mouth, then followed it with a much louder, ‘Happy birthday, Gem.’

‘Happy birthday, Gemma,’ echoed Nathan, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek.

I gave her a hug and then handed over her present, which distracted her, even if it
was
for only a few seconds. Flick had also noticed my unexpected companion and was on a beeline for us. I followed her progress, dodging the other guests migrating around the bar, and then I spotted Jake. No longer interested in Flick, I took a step to set off towards him but Nathan pulled me back.

‘No, Lena,’ he said, speaking quietly enough so only I could hear.

‘Why?’ I mouthed, but then I saw what Nathan must have already seen.

Jake wasn’t alone. He had his arm around a girl—a woman—their heads bent together, and then they kissed. And it wasn’t a friendly pleased-to-meet-you kind of kiss. It was one of the ones I’d longed to share with him, the ones we’d shared in my dreams, but now it was too late. Jake had a girlfriend. I must have made some kind of anguished sound, because both Gemma and Flick grabbed me at the same time and asked me what was wrong.

‘Hmm? Oh nothing,’ I said, trying to cover my freakout. ‘New shoes giving me grief.’

‘Oh, right,’ Gemma said, not buying my story one bit.

‘Why don’t you grab us a table while I get the drinks in?’ Nathan said, saving me from having to go anywhere near the bar.

I nodded, and he gave my hand an extra squeeze before letting go, his eyes letting me know how sorry he was.

Gemma and Flick came with me, wanting to know about Zac, so I gave them the short version. They didn’t understand, but, with only half the story, they weren’t likely to. It would have been easy to crawl back to Zac and tell him I’d made a terrible mistake. He’d probably have welcomed me back, too, but deep down I knew I’d made the right decision. My brave ‘party’ face was firmly back in place when Nathan returned with the drinks and I did my best to show willing for Gemma’s sake, even though I was dying inside. I couldn’t help watching Jake—some masochistic urge to drive the knife deeper into my heart as he laughed and chatted with his girlfriend.

The bitch!

I bet she wasn’t a virgin. They probably had sex every opportunity they got.

While I was busy staring at the bar and ignoring everyone around me, the music changed to something slushy and Nathan yanked on my arm. He’d dragged me onto the dance floor and started turning in slow circles before I could splutter a word out. Fine. I linked my arms around his neck and went with it, but on the next rotation I saw we’d been joined by Jake and his girlfriend, pressed tightly against him as if they were glued together and her lips locked onto his.

‘I need to get out of here.’

Nathan winced as my fingers dug into his neck. ‘Sure thing.’

I took one final look in Jake’s direction and saw that he’d finally come up for air but then our gazes locked as if I’d summoned him. He must have assumed I’d be there with Zac, because his jaw dropped and his eyes widened when he saw me dancing with Nathan instead. Jake leaped away from the limpet as if she were on fire, so she turned her head to see what he was so bothered by. He looked me up and down, his body language unreadable, and his hand went straight to his hair. She asked him something, and Jake shook his head as he said something back.

Whatever he’d said, it earned me a fierce glare from his girlfriend before she tossed her hair over her shoulder and strutted off towards the bar. As though torn between whom to go after, Jake looked between me and her, so I made the decision easy for him. Gemma and Ben were dancing on the opposite side of the dance floor to Jake, so I grabbed Nathan’s hand and went over to them, interrupted their dance.

‘I’m really sorry, Gem, but I’m going to have to split,’ I said, rubbing my temples and trying to look ill. ‘I’ve got the worst migraine coming on.’ It was partly true: I really did feel sick, and by the time I was done crying I would undoubtedly have a pounding headache. I just needed to hold it together long enough to make a dignified exit first.

Gemma scanned the dance floor and saw Jake rooted to the spot still staring at me. ‘What’s going on, Lena?’ she asked, her lips pressed so tightly together they disappeared.

Never try to fool the drama expert
.

‘I’ll text you tomorrow, OK?’ I said, desperate to get out of there. ‘I have to go.’

Nathan followed my lead and performed brilliantly. ‘Come on, let’s get you home before you vomit on everyone,’ he said, loud enough to alert everyone around us to give us room, then he slipped his arm around my shoulders and guided me through the crowded dance floor as though I really were about to be sick. I stupidly allowed myself a backward glance and watched Jake spring to life.

He dodged and weaved across the dance floor to catch up with us.

Adrenaline fired in my veins.

‘He’s coming after us,’ I said to Nathan.

‘It’s your call. What do you want to do?’

‘I can’t speak to him. Not now. Not tonight.’ I reached down and wrenched my shoes off. ‘I need to run.’

Nathan nodded and took my hand, then we ran together down the hall. He lifted me over the gravel, then set me back onto the concrete and we raced to my little Ka. My flats were still in the footwell, so I slipped them on at the same time as I hit the ignition. With the speed of a getaway car, we were out of there. In the rear-view mirror, I saw Jake race out of the building just in time to witness my escape.

Pale wintry sunlight filtered through the gaps around my heavy curtains but I couldn’t be bothered to get up. Mum and Dad were already at work, whereas I was on the half-term break. Whoever was hammering away on the front door and wearing out the batteries of the doorbell would give up eventually. After one more distorted, demonic-sounding chime of the bell, peace was restored, just as I’d predicted, only to be shattered immediately by a blast of Jessie J as my Gemma-assigned ringtone burst into life.

Ugh
.

It was pointless ignoring her: she’d only fill up my voicemail with messages, gradually becoming abusive, as she had the last time I’d tried avoiding her.

‘Hello,’ I said, trying to sound sleepy.

‘Lena, I know you’re in there. Let me in, for fuck’s sake.’

‘You know grinding your teeth isn’t good for your long-term dental health, right?’

‘Lena!’ Gemma’s tone took on an edge that was like nails down a blackboard. Her ability to say my name in such a way was only bettered by my Mum, when I’d done something really naughty as a kid. At least Gemma hadn’t resorted to using my middle name as well. ‘We’re having this conversation even if I have to shout it through the letterbox.’

‘Oh, God, you would, too.’

‘Damn right, so get your arse down here now.’

‘Fine.’ I hung up the call and slammed my phone into the pillow. With another huff, I flung the covers off me and plodded down the stairs in my pyjamas to open the door. At the sight of Gemma holding a bag and her ‘makeover’ kit, I moved to close the door again, but she wedged her foot in the opening, having anticipated my response.

‘You took your sweet time,’ she said, shoulder-barging the door so the rest of her body could squeeze through the gap.

‘Good morning to you too, sunshine.’

‘Lena, you are coming to this party with me even if I have to drag you there by your cloak.’

‘Bad luck, I don’t have a cloak.’

‘You do now.’ She tossed the bag at me, smacking right in the gut. ‘And a cool Morticia wig, too. Oh, and some rather awesome elbow-length gloves. Just don’t tell me you’ve got rid of that black, floor-length dress I saw in your wardrobe the other week.’

Tempting. So very tempting …

‘You’re missing the point, Gem: I don’t want to go to some stinking Halloween party with a load of people I don’t even know.’

‘But you haven’t been out for weeks, not since my birthday in fact.’

‘Because I don’t want to,’ I said, throwing my hands up to shoulder height and successfully smacking the bag off my head too.

‘Why? What happened?’ Gemma narrowed her eyes. ‘I know you weren’t
really
sick. You could go into the furniture-making business with your acting skills.’

‘Gee, thanks.’ I turned to head back up the stairs. ‘You really need to work on your pep-talk skills.’

‘So where does Jake fit into all of this?’

I froze, one leg hanging in midair, before snapping out of my daze and planting it on the bottom step. ‘Jake?’

‘Yeah, big guy. Looks a bit like me. Oh, and he lives in the same house as me, too. I think you know him.’

‘Ha-bloody-ha.’

‘Well?’

‘Jake doesn’t fit into it at all.’
More’s the pity
. ‘I wasn’t feeling well so I came home. I guess the craziness of the past few months has finally caught up with me, what with Damian and Hayden, getting chased, and nearly drowning. Not to mention being outed as a virgin via social media and then breaking up with Zac.’

‘Yeah, and why was that again?’ Gemma asked, following me up the stairs. ‘Zac was great. And he was sex on legs. I bet he’d have made your first time memorable if you’d given him the chance.’

‘And that’s pretty much why. He was ready to take things further, I wasn’t. Sure, he’d have waited until I was ready, but when it came down to it I realised I didn’t want to go all the way with him.’

‘But—’

‘We’re friends. Good friends. And that’s all.’ Saying the words hurt. It was almost the same conversation I’d had with Jake, and, as I stared at Gemma, their resemblance had never been more apparent. ‘I’ll be back on form soon.’

‘So come out with me tonight. It’s not like you’re doing anything else. Ben’s working until ten, otherwise he’d have come with me. He’s going to come along and join us after work instead.’

‘Don’t make me wish I’d gone away with Mum and Dad. There’s still time for me to change my mind.’ Admittedly, I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than spend four days with their quiz posse, especially as I was trying to avoid the Saunders family, not spend three nights cooped up in a barge with Gemma’s mum and dad.

‘Go on, then,’ Gemma said, calling my bluff. ‘Go punting along the canals with
our
parents and the rest of the olds if that’s what you’d prefer. Sounds like hell to me, but if it gets you out of the house go for it.’

‘Hey.’ I crossed my arms over my chest and planted my feet. ‘I’ve not been that bad.’

‘Yeah, you have, Lena.’

‘I just like chilling out at home. It’s not often I get the house all to myself.’

‘Good point. A few phone calls and I can turn this place into Party Zone Central.’

‘You wouldn’t,’ I blurted. ‘Mum and Dad would never leave me on my own again.’

‘Then come with me tonight.’

‘Blackmail, Gem? That’s a new low, even for you.’

‘You leave me with no choice. It’s for your own good, and you still have tomorrow to be a hermit. Or are you working?’

‘No, just Saturday.’

‘Then it’s sorted. We get ready here, and then we go and have fun at the party. After that, I’ll leave you alone to do whatever it is you want to do for the rest of the weekend.’