Edenham Comprehensive

"Ready?"

"What do you think?"

"Me neither." Casey grabs Reuben's sweaty hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. "Here goes."

Breathing deeply to psych themselves up, the two of them paste on bright, we-are-so-in-love smiles before striding through the school gates. As surreptitiously as she can manage, Casey seeks out Tyler. As per usual, he's perched in his position of power atop the dead tree stump. She turns away before they can make eye contact, pulling Reuben round to face her.

"Kiss me," she whispers, trying to maintain her smile. Her skin is stretched so tight it hurts to look this happy.

"You might want to bring the grin down a few notches first," he whispers back. "Unless you were intending to look like a female Joker."

"Keep the compliments coming, why don't you?" she mutters, glancing down.

He rolls his eyes. "Sorry, babes. Didn't mean to offend you or anything."

Her eyebrows rise in scepticism. "'Babes'? Are you kidding me?"

A grin lights his face, a genuine one this time. "So you don't like it, then? Guess I'll have to think up another nickname for you. What do you think of muffin cake?"

"How about you stop chatting shit and kiss me already?" she growls, her patience on the verge of snapping.

With a long-suffering sigh, Reuben stoops down to her level and brushes her lips with his. She stretches up on her tiptoes to meet him, running her hands through his hair with an over-dramatic flourish.

Out of the corner of her only half-closed eye, she can just about make out Tyler's expression. Needless to say, he does not look like a happy bunny. His face is squashed in on itself, his eyes narrowed into slits. It gives her a small thrill of pleasure to know that she's pissing Tyler off, that she's pushing his buttons.

She pulls away eventually, smiling. "We'd better go inside. I'm freezing my arse off here."

He slings an arm casually around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him as he does so. "Whatever you say, honey-boo."

Shrugging off his arm, she glares at him. "I'm really starting to regret this. What is with you and the weird nicknames?"

"I'm trying to cement our fake relationship," he protests. "People who are going out always have nicknames for each other."

"Whatever you say, Rubes."

"Fine by me, Case."

"Now there's a nickname I could live with," she says dryly.

"I still think Rubes makes me sound like a girl, but whatever makes you happy, sweetheart."

Reuben holds the door open for her as they walk into the school building. She gives him a strange look as he falls back into step beside her.

"What was that for?" she queries.

He shrugs. "Figured it was a boyfriend-y thing to do."

She rolls her eyes. "You'll be buying me flowers next."

"Oh, that reminds me. What's your favourite type of flower?"

"I was joking!" she exclaims, shaking her head at him. "And for the record, it's daisies."

"Daisies?" He looks a bit sceptical. "Got it."

They round the corner, reaching their form room. Casey sticks out a hand to hold Reuben back.

"Don't worry, I can get this door by myself, thanks," she informs him pointedly, sweeping into the room.

Chortling to himself, he follows.

***

Tyler heads straight for Casey and Reuben's form room the minute he's let out of his first lesson. People flatten themselves against walls to allow him free passage through the thronging crowd, conscious of the dark rain cloud hovering over his head. It's obvious that something - or, more likely, someone - has pissed him off, and no one wants to be in the way of his infamous temper when he explodes.

He halts outside Room Nineteen, peering through the window. He spots them almost instantly, sitting by the window. His hand is on the door handle, ready to throw it open, storm inside and release the full extent of his wrath upon them, but something glues him to the spot.

Casey's smiling. Not only that, she's laughing. Tyler hasn't seen her look so happy in... he can't remember how long. A pang of jealousy stabs at his chest; he should be the one to make her smile, to make her laugh, to make her happy. Not that self-satisfied arsehole Reuben.

His eyes narrow, as the beginnings of an idea starts to appear in his mind. He releases the handle, spins on his heel and storms off, determination replacing his anger.

“Tyler!” a voice he recognises as Nicole’s calls. He pivots slowly to see her making her way through a gap in the crowds that appears to have opened up magically. “Hi,” she says when she joins him, a tad breathlessly.

“Hi,” he mutters. “You want something?”

Somehow, she manages to keep on smiling. “You didn’t text me back last night. I was just wondering-”

“What, Nicole? If I had something better to do than reply to a stupid text my girlfriend sent me?” He sounds casual, bored even. “Well, yeah. I did.”

She flinches, her calm mask slowly slipping. “Right. Well. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He glances around. “Look, Nic, I’d love to stay and chat but I’ve got things to do, yeah? See you at lunch or whatever.”

He strides away without another thought to Nicole. She gulps in a few breaths, trying desperately to stop herself from crying, before pasting on a painfully bright smile and striding off to her next lesson.

From her hiding place in a nook in the wall a few metres down, Georgia smiles with grim satisfaction. All is not well in paradise. Surely it’s only a matter of time before he realises what a drip Nicole is and dumps her.

A smile on her face, Georgia detaches herself from the wall and heads to her next lesson.

***

Casey slinks into Physics three and a half minutes late, making for her chair as surreptitiously as she can manage. It's Reuben's fault she's late; they were talking about something - she can't even remember what now - and they didn't hear the bell go.

"Casey!" Mrs. Edmondson barks, just as she reaches her seat. "Why are you late?"

"Didn't hear the bell go, Miss," Casey mumbles, her cheeks burning as she slides into her chair, all hopes of being unnoticed dashed.

"Hmm." Mrs. Edmondson isn't appeased. "Don't make this a habit."

She returns to her whiteboard, where she's writing up the learning objectives. Casey rummages in her bag for her books, sneaking a glance at Tyler. He catches her looking at him and smirks.

"So, you and Alcott." Trust him to come right out and say it. "How long's it been going on?"

"Not long," she replies evenly. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Well, considering that we're buddies, I'd say it is my business. How did you get together?"

"The traditional way. He asked me out. I said yes." She allows herself a small smirk. "Why do you care so much?"

"I don't," he replies quickly, but she can tell he's lying. Maybe Reuben was right about Tyler. "So are you going to the Halloween Disco together?"

She blanches. She'd forgotten about the annual discos held every half term. Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Summer and Year-End. Six more ways Tyler can squeeze money out of them all.

"I suppose," she replies, keeping her voice casual. "I'd forgotten about it. You going with anyone?" she asks, turning it on him this time.

"Nicole, probably," he says, flicking his hair arrogantly. "I haven't asked her yet, but I can’t see her saying no. We have been together for months now."

"Well, when you put it that way." Casey's voice is laced with sarcasm.

"Jealous?" Tyler mocks.

"Do you want the truth or the answer that will massage your ego?" she replies dryly.

He grins. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

She scowls at him. "You really are the most arrogant, egotistical, self-satisfied boy I have ever had the misfortune to be associated with."

"You know, Casey," he remarks, smiling, "no one can insult me quite like you."

"Good to know. Now will you shut up? I'm trying to listen to Mrs. Edmondson."

Tyler mimes zipping his mouth shut, and fixes his face into an innocent expression. He looks like a marble angel, complete with blonde hair and blue eyes. Shaking her head at him, Casey flips her exercise book open to the next free page and starts writing.

***

At lunch, Casey heads for her spot, shivering slightly. It's not really her spot, though, she muses, not any more. It's theirs. Hers and Reuben's. They're... sharing it. It feels strange, but not in an altogether bad way. It’s just different. It’s taking some getting used to, this friendship business.

Shaking her head to clear it, she squeezes into the space, not particularly surprised to see Reuben's already sat there.

"Hey Case," he greets her as she settles down.

"Hey," she mumbles in reply.

He frowns, knowing instantly that something's wrong by the look on her face. "What is it?"

She bites her lip, pulling her knees into her chest to try and stave off the cold. "Tyler was talking to me about us in Physics. He didn't sound too happy."

Reuben looks satisfied. "That's good though, right? That's what we want."

"Yeah," she echoes. "I suppose." She doesn't sound convinced.

He decides a hasty change of subject is in order. "So, you heard about that Halloween Disco this Thursday? Apparently you have to come in fancy dress." He chuckles. "Sounds like it would be a laugh."

"Yeah," she repeats, but she's not really listening.

Frowning, he leans forward and snaps his fingers in front of her face. She blinks, gives a start and smiles weakly. "Sorry," she says. "I was miles away."

He smiles. "That's okay. So, about the disco... you wanna go with me?"

"Yeah, why not?" she replies. "Not like I've got anything better to do on the day before we break up for half term."

"Alright then." He seems genuinely excited. "What are we going to wear?"

"Um… I hadn't really thought about it," she says uncertainly. "Clothes?"

He rolls his eyes. "I mean our costumes, idiot."

"Well I don't know," she mutters. "We could always go as ghosts. Pair of sheets - costume done."

"But that's boring," he complains. "How about wizards?"

"Too Harry Potter."

"Vampires?"

"Too Twilight."

"Werewolves?"

"Same as the above."

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're impossible, you are."

It's her turn to roll her eyes. "I can't be impossible, otherwise I wouldn't exist."

"Shut up, smarty-pants."

She gives him a look of incredulity. "'Smarty-pants'? Who even says that any more?"

"I do," is his childish response.

She lets her head fall to rest on his shoulder, and his arm curls around her as if on impulse.

"Seriously this time, what are we going to go as?" he says, skimming his fingers down her arm.

"Why are you so bothered?" she wonders. "It's just a school disco."

"I know, I just like dressing up," he admits, sounding somewhat sheepish. "Putting on costumes and masks, pretending to be someone else for a day. Don't you?"

"No," she replies bluntly. "I pretend enough as it is. My whole life is pretence. Sometimes, I don't even know who I am."

"I know who you are," Reuben says, his tone frank. "You're Casey. You're fifteen years old and you're a member of the fairer sex."

"It- It's more complicated than that."

"But why does it have to be?" he persists.

"People have... layers."

"What, like ogres?" he teases.

She glowers at him. "Laugh all you want. It's not as simple as you make it out to be. There's more to a person."

"Okay then. You like listening to music, reading books and hanging out with your pretend boyfriend. You hate pen-clicking, the baby-faced pimp and the school tyrant, Tyler. You're a bit quiet and irritable but once you get past that electric fence you keep around you, you're not all that bad," he finishes, absentmindedly stroking her arm.

She's taken aback for a second, but quickly regains her composure. "That doesn't take a genius to figure out."

He sighs impatiently. "What is your point, Casey? What are you trying to prove?"

"What are you trying to prove?" she retorts, uncomfortable with the spotlight being put on her.

"I'm trying to show you you're not as alone as you think," he replies, his voice gentle. "I know you, Case. Better than you think."

She opens her mouth to reply, only to find she has none. She closes it again, shifting to get more comfortable.

"About these outfits," she says slowly, "how about we go to town after school and have a look round the shops?"

His grin threatens to split his face as he says, "Whatever you say, sweetheart."