When We Were Friends by Holly Bourne

Author:Holly Bourne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MIRA Books
Published: 2022-07-13T20:18:09+00:00

17

february 2003

It took at least a term and a half before I realized Liam Gillingham was staring at me in our English Literature lessons. I was quite certain he just found the wall display behind my head inherently interesting. I mean, this was Liam Gillingham. Possibly the best-looking boy I’d seen in real life, with his green eyes and good hair. When he finally noticed me noticing, he cracked a huge smile across the classroom, nodding, all like “yes, I’ve been looking at you.” And, of course, I fell in love with him instantly. It just kept getting better. He was in a band. He didn’t know Jessica existed, and therefore found me attractive. And, finally, after two weeks of intense eye contact across the classroom, he came over and asked me out on a date. A date. Me. My very first date!

“I’m not sure what’s wrong with him,” I told the girls, who squealed when I told them. We sat in a car park with kebabs on our laps, passing around a spliff. “Do you think he’s had a significant head trauma?”

Jessica rolled her eyes kindly as she took the blunt from me. “Have you considered there’s nothing wrong with him and he just legitimately finds you fit?”

I took a mouthful of shredded cabbage drowned in burger sauce. “Well, it won’t be that.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re gorgeous and smart and mysterious.”

Jade and Sally nodded along with red-rimmed eyes. Sally stabbed a forkful of lettuce in her plastic container. She’d not had her kebab in pita bread, as she was currently on the Atkins Diet. Last week she’s been on a diet where she could only eat branded cereal for two out of three meals.

“You’re all wrong. He definitely has a head trauma,” I insisted.

“How did he ask you out again?” Jade asked.

“Well, as we know, he’s been staring at me all term in English,” I said, “but then, this morning, he came and actually sat next to me, and we got partnered to talk about Doctor Faustus together. Then he kept deliberately brushing his arm against mine...”

The girls squealed again. Jade started coughing from the excitement.

“...and then, when the bell rang, he told me he had a gig coming up and I should come along and, I quote, ‘hang out after.’”

The squealing cranked up multiple notches. It was so strange, being the center of attention in this telling-about-boys dynamic. It was often only Sally who got this treatment, who fell in love once a month. Jessica kept her dalliances quiet. Despite Jessica’s constant silence about her sex life, since that first party of Georgina’s, she’d created quite a reputation for herself. Jade’s worst fears were proven correct when Mike and Jessica indeed had “a thing” for a month or two before deciding to be “just friends.” Murmurs on the wind were that she’d let him do “kinky shit” with her. Though, whenever questioned about it, both of them just smiled—Jessica raising her eyebrows, Mike shrugging. They broke it off for no obvious reason, unclear who had ended it first, but seemed to remain friendly.

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