02

« Felt sorry for you ? More like he’s still in love with you, » Matt said bitterly.

I sighed, rolling my eyes. « He’s not in love with me, Matt. We’re just friends. You know, it really hurts that you can’t trust me. »

His gaze softened. « I do trust you, Iz. Honestly, I do. It’s him I don’t trust. Everyone knows how much of a flirt he can be. »

« Sam and I have been friends for years and he’s never tried anything on with me. He knows I’m with you, and a decent person wouldn’t try to sabotage their friend’s relationship. »

Matt simply shrugged again and looked away down the corridor. He apparently didn’t have anything to add, yet didn’t look completely consoled either.

« Anyway, Katrina told me he had a date at the weekend, » I added, hoping that would convince him.

Matt snorted. « Sam ? A date ? »

« Why is that so hard to believe ? »

« Sorry, I forgot he was all cool now. »

I bit my tongue, holding back my retort. In the last few months or so, Matt’s best friend had moved away, and he’d therefore become friendly with a different group of lads : the cool lads—Sam’s friends. He had no right to judge Sam when he was trying so hard to fit in with the same people.

« Are we still on for tomorrow ? » I asked, quickly changing the subject.

« Yeah, think so, » Matt replied vaguely.

That didn’t fill me with confidence. He had a terrible habit of cancelling at the last minute. Most of the time he didn’t even provide me with an excuse.

« Good. » I smiled, shutting my locker door. « I’ll see you tomorrow, then. »

I stood on my tiptoes in order to reach to kiss his lips. It was a brief kiss, but there was a time when Matt was uncomfortable with PDA in school, so at least it was progress. He squeezed my hand, shot me a smile, and then headed off to his car. I sighed to myself as I watched him walk away. He wasn’t even going to offer to walk me out of school.

Sometimes it was like we weren’t in a relationship ; it was almost as though we were stuck somewhere between being friends and being a couple. The lines were very blurred and the only thing that tended to differentiate the two was our physical relationship. Maybe Matt thought it would be weird to go from our casual friendship to a romantic relationship. I could understand that to a certain extent in school since people were used to seeing us as friends and it’s always a juicy piece of gossip when two friends get together, but we’d been together nearly a year now. People were over it. We were just a normal couple ; or at least that’s what I wanted.

I was standing in front of my mirror, delicately applying mascara, when my phone buzzed. I looked down and saw Matt’s name flashing on the screen. Immediately my heart sank. Nevertheless, I put down my mascara brush and opened it, trying to remain positive. Unfortunately, my instincts were correct.

-Hey I’m really sorry but can’t do this afternoon anymore. Sorry xxx

I felt like throwing my phone across the room in a mixture of frustration, disappointment and sadness. Why did he always cancel at the last minute ? Part of me felt like I should ignore the text and leave him waiting for a reply. I waited around for him enough. He deserved to do some waiting of his own. But I couldn’t ; I needed to know when I could next see him. So I typed out a reply.

-Well when can you do then ?

It took a while for him to reply, which annoyed me even more, and I should have guessed what he was going to say anyway really.

-Tomorrow ? Xxx

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was when I was supposed to be playing tennis against Sam. I actually had no intention of playing tennis tomorrow, but Matt obviously believed that by suggesting that I come over, I’d cancel on Sam. If he wanted to believe that then fine. At least he’d be less likely to cancel on me again.

I sent him a text saying that I could do tomorrow, and then I rang Kat. She answered almost immediately.

« Hey, I know I’m the world’s worst friend, » I began. « But are you still free tonight ? »

« Of course. What happened with Matt ? »

« What do you think ? » I asked bitterly. « He cancelled on me. Can I rant at you tonight ? Over drinks ? »

« I’m not old enough, Izzy. That’s just cruel. »

« I’ll buy you one. »

« Criminal… » she sang playfully down the phone.

Being underage had never deterred Kat from drinking in the past, but she knew better than to expect to get served in a bar, especially when staff were so strict on IDs these days.

« Please, Kat ? Or you could come round here ? I’ll get a bottle of vodka… »

« Are you that upset ? »

« I’m not upset. I’m just fed up. And you always cheer me up. Besides, I feel like getting drunk. Matt’s always out getting drunk, so why can’t I do it once in a while ? »

« Maybe because he once told you that you shouldn’t do it in case someone takes advantage of you ? And then you felt bad. And then you stopped drinking. And then you stopped going out in general. And then—«

« Okay, » I snapped, to cut her off. « I get your point. So are you coming out or what ? »

« Do you actually want my company ? Or are you just trying to defy Matt ? »

« Yes, I’m trying to defy Matt. But I want your company to do it. Doesn’t that count for something ? »

« Why don’t you invite Sam ? » Kat asked in a teasing tone.

I sighed. « Please, don’t. Not you as well. Matt has already given me the third degree on him. »

« God, Izzy, he is such a dick. I don’t know why you put up with him. And don’t start with the whole because I love him story, because we both know you don’t—«

« Can we discuss this tonight ? » I interrupted. « Eight o’clock ? The bar ? »

« Sure. I plan to actually talk some sense into you this time. »

« Okay, » I replied, knowing she meant it. Kat never wasted an opportunity to express her disapproval of my relationship. « I’ll see you at eight. »

I disconnected and sauntered downstairs.

« Are you off ? » Dad asked me as I tried to sneak past.

« Yeah. I’ll be back late. »

« Not too late. Take care. »

I didn’t want to admit that Matt had cancelled again. Even though I knew what he was doing was wrong, I always felt the need to defend him in front of my dad. It was no secret that my parents disapproved of Matt, and I completely understood why, but that’s because they didn’t see what he was like when it was just the two of us. They didn’t see what a good boyfriend he could be ; they only heard about the times he treated me not so well.

-

Kat was very rarely on time and so I sat down at the bar and ordered a drink to occupy myself until she arrived.

« Got ID ? » the barmen asked in a bored tone.

Apparently he was used to underage girls trying to buy themselves drinks. Trying not to appear smug, because he quite obviously believed I was underage, I handed over my ID. He studied it and then handed it back as he began to make up my drink.

As I waited patiently, I became aware of a group of lads, sitting at the far end of the bar, who kept looking over at me. Feeling vulnerable, I twisted my chair so my back was to them. Hopefully they wouldn’t assume I was playing hard to get. The last thing I wanted was hassle. I checked my phone for the time. It was eight o’clock now. Hurry up, Kat.

In an attempt to keep myself busy, I ended up drinking the whole of my drink in under ten minutes. Kat still hadn’t appeared. She truly was unbelievable.

« Can I buy you a drink ? »

The voice startled me and I dropped my phone, which I’d been using to check the time once again. It clattered against the hard floor, sliding out of sight. I found myself face to face, or rather face to chest, with a guy who was watching me with an amused expression.

Frowning, I glanced over my shoulder at the lads. Surely I’d have noticed if one of them had got up to come over ? They were all still there, though, so I could only assume this other man was here alone. When I turned back to him, he was bending down to collect my phone.

« Thanks, » I mumbled, taking it from him and quickly shoving it into my bag.

« So, » he said, leaning against the bar as his blue eyes skimmed over me. « Can I buy you a drink ? »

« I, uh, I’m actually meeting someone. Sorry. »

He ran a hand through his blonde hair. « I’ve been watching you constantly check the time for the last half an hour. Sorry to break it to you, but I think you’ve been stood up. »

I considered myself a relatively shy person who wasn’t very good in social situations with people I didn’t know, but something about that comment got to me. Maybe it was because I actually had been stood up at one point today. Or maybe it was the patronising insinuation.

« I haven’t been stood up, » I said. « I’m waiting for my friend. »

He smiled knowingly. « Ah. Is your friend always so late ? »

« Yes, she is, actually. » I tried to hide my defensiveness, but it seeped through in my clipped tone. « Time-keeping isn’t one of her strengths, but she’s reliable, so… »

I angled my body away from him, but he didn’t take the hint.

« Can’t help thinking she’d be more reliable if she turned up on time. » He sounded amused.