The Dates.

Now that the interviews were back in full swing and Jake was done sulking over Emma appearing, I felt more confident in this. I mean, it couldn't get any worse than Rebecca Grey's interview, right?

Gripping the clipboard, I scratched the pen over Rebecca's name, ridding her from the list forever. That was definitely an experience I didn't want to go through again.

"Hey you!" sang a high voice and I stared up to see Lucy Davies standing over me. She grinned down, revealing glittering teeth to me.

My eyes swept over her inappropriate clothing for school hours. The dress code was meant to be smart for sixth form students but she had turned up in a pair of skinny, grey jeans with a band t-shirt, completely disregarding that rule. Not to mention the hair, with its streaks of brilliant pink or her make up. Her eyelashes were covered in blue mascara and her lids had been smeared with pink eye shadow.

Jake shrugged, accepting anyone who didn't look like they were going to put him in hospital, and smiled warmly at Lucy. He gestured to the bench in front of us and she obeyed happily, sliding onto the seat and folding her arms on the top of the table waiting for us to continue. She seemed kind of jittery, like she couldn't keep still for long enough because she was just so full of energy.

"So, um, Luce...why are you here at the interview dates?" Jake asked, catching me eye and holding back a laugh.

“Well, I heard about this idea you had, right, and I thought it was just so amazing what you’re doing, fighting against the cruel reality of life to find true love.” she replied, looking me right in the eyes as she expressed how 'amazing' I was.

It was certainly different from Rebecca's response. Maybe a little bit creepy but still, a welcome change. That didn't mean I got what she was talking about, exactly.

"Right." Jake said, his eyes wide and his mouth puckered. I could tell he was trying not to burst into laughter and I couldn't even hit him to warn him not to because Lucy was watching my every move.

She carried on smiling at me, twirling a pink strand of hair between her fingers. I gulped nervously, uncomfortable with this much attention.

"Ah...what um, what's your idea of a perfect night out?" I blurted out, hearing Jake snicker in my ear.

"I don't know, what's the definition of perfection, exactly? Do we have to put a label on things, Andrew?" she questioned me, laying her palms against the edge of the table. I concentrated on the chipped black varnish she had coated her nails in. I hated it when girls nail varnish chipped away and they left it like it was. It looked...weird.

Jake, seeing I was having a potential OCD moment, took up the role of interviewer and coughed to grab Lucy's attention. Unwillingly, she looked away from me and glanced at Jake.

"Favourite colour's pink, I take it?" he said flippantly.

"How did you know?"

"Let's just say it was a wild guess." he told her, his eyes fixed on her coloured hair.

Lucy laughed and leaned in to whisper to us.

"People assume that because they see me as an emo, I'm going to be depressed all the time. That's so wrong and I chose bright pink because then they would think differently, right? How can someone be depressed if they like a colour as bright as pink."

That was pretty stupid. It sounded dumber than anything Jake had ever come out with. I agreed with what she said about how people saw her, how it was wrong to just pin a certain stereotype onto someone because of how they dressed but deliberately choosing a bright colour as her favourite because she thought it would make people think she wasn't depressed? It was a bit ridiculous. A colour couldn't tell someone what another person is feeling on the inside and it wouldn't change people's opinions.

"That's an interesting theory, Luce." Jake said, humouring her. I knew he thought it was just a stupid as I did.

"Yeah." I said, pretending to agree. "So um, back to the previous question. I guess I could rephrase it for you. What um, do you enjoy doing...socially?"

Lucy paused and bit her lower lip, thinking hard. "Well, I suppose I enjoy going to concerts. I like them a lot, actually. Music is my life!"

In my head, I was thinking that if music was her life, where would I be able to fit in as a potential boyfriend? Instead of telling her this, I just smiled and carried on with the interview.

"Yeah, I like music." I said. "Any hobbies?"

Her eyes lit up and she started pulling out a small book from her bag. She held it up to us and I moved in closer to read the title. On the front of the red cover, she had scribbled 'Lucy's Poems.' I immediately knew where this was heading.

"Do you want to hear one? I wrote a few about you." she said, eyes sparkling.

I gawped at her. This girl was bordering on stalker. I felt Jake wriggle beside me.

"I'd close your mouth, mate. Your gonna catch flies like that." he whispered, leaning back to face Lucy again.

She had started flicking through the book, her brow furrowed as she tried to find something in there. I was recovering from my shock and started to move my hand to stop her but she grabbed it and held it in her own.

"Here it is!" she said fiercely. "It's called 'My Science Partner.' and I really hope you like it."

Her science partner? That was about two years ago and I hadn't really spoken to her since. How long had this obsession been going on for?

She coughed, preparing to read out her poem. "A chance of a glance across the school science lab, a feeling of hope near the dissection slab."

"Whoaaaa, that's enough now Lucy. I um, I don't want to ruin it by hearing the end. It will give away your um, innermost thoughts that you should really keep to yourself forever." I interrupted, noting that Jake was convulsing with laughter beside me. I didn't even really know what I was saying to her; I just wanted her to stop.

Lucy stopped, looking hurt. "Don't you like it, Andrew?"

I backtracked and shook my head. "No, I like it a lot. It's just, it seems too personal to share with me while um, Jake is here."

She stopped and seemed thoughtful. After a minute, she nodded and slid the book back into her bag. "You are so right! I don't want to read it with other people. It should be private."

I exhaled with relief and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, totally. Maybe you can read it to me later some time." But I'd rather you not.

She was just about to reply when Jake cut across her.

"Well, that concludes this interview. We'll let you know if you've been successful, Luce. Thanks again for coming."

Lucy looked crestfallen but nodded all the same. She shook hands with Jake and then me, holding onto mine for a little longer than necessary. When she had crossed the quad, I turned to Jake.

"She is off the list!" I ordered and grabbed the clipboard from Jake's hands.

"Aww, but I thought she had real charisma. I mean, did you hear that poem about you. I wish I knew how it ended." he said with mock disappointment.

"Shut up." I murmured as I scribbled out Lucy's name.