Chapter 4
ALEX
A familiar voice called out my name from behind me.
I spun around, already smiling before I even saw her. Rachel Young threw her arms around me, squeezing tight, the smell of coconuts flooding my nose from her hair. It was stupid how comforting that smell was.
“I literally haven’t seen you all summer, where have you been?”
“Hi, Rach,” I said, hugging her back.
A student bumped into us as they rushed past.
“Watch where you’re going!” Rach snapped, breaking away from me instantly. Her temper was legendary - short fuse, loud explosion. Classic Rachel.
She looked… well, like Rach. Which meant she somehow made the school uniform look like it belonged on a runway.
Black stomper boots, obviously. She never wore anything else.
Her style was this perfect mix of goth and chic - edgy but still pretty.
Today her eyeliner wings were smaller than usual, but she’d made up for it with two space buns perched on top of her head, pink highlights streaking through her black hair.
She looked cool. Effortlessly cool. And I looked like… me.
“Seriously,” she said, eyes narrowing as she looked me up and down. “Where have you been hiding? I thought you died or something.”
I laughed under my breath. “Just… busy.”
Busy surviving.
Busy working.
Busy keeping Connor from exploding.
Busy pretending everything was fine.
But I didn’t say any of that.
“I do have a job now, remember.”
“Oh, I forgot you’re a working boy now.” She rolled her eyes. “God forbid when we leave school, I’ll never see you again.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “You know I can’t live without you.”
I batted my eyelashes dramatically, and Rach snorted before pulling me into another hug.
“You’re such an idiot,” she laughed into my shoulder, but she squeezed me tighter anyway.
When she pulled back, she flicked one of my curls. “Seriously though, you vanish for six weeks and expect me not to file a missing person’s report?”
“You wouldn’t,” I retorted, brows raised. “And you’re so dramatic. It’s not like we didn’t text.”
“Oh, I absolutely would,” she said, linking her arm through mine again. “I’d have had posters printed. ‘Have you seen this boy? Answers to Alex, looks permanently stressed, probably hiding in a supermarket stockroom.’”
I groaned. “I don’t look permanently stressed.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Alex, you look like you’ve been living on black coffee and zero sleep.”
“Pretty sure that’s just my face.” I laughed, brushing it off even though she was spot on.
Rach softened a little, nudging me with her shoulder. “I’m just happy to see you.”
“I bet you say that to everyone.”
“Nope,” she said, popping the ‘p’. “Just you. Everyone else is replaceable.”
I shook my head, but the warmth in my chest was real. Rachel had this way of making everything feel lighter, even when nothing in my life actually was.
“Come on,” she mused, tugging me down the corridor. “Don’t you want to know what I got up to this summer?” Her eyebrows wiggled with so much intrigue it was almost suspicious.
“By the look on your face, I’m guessing it has something to do with a guy.” I smirked, falling into step beside her. “Am I warm?”
“Boiling.” She squealed - actually squealed - loud enough that half the corridor turned to stare.
“Shhh,” I laughed, covering my face.
“Oh, fuck ‘em.” She waved a hand dramatically, then leaned in to whisper. “So, Dan came into the shop again. He ordered the same thing he always does - caramel whip with bubblegum sauce-”
“Ugh.” I wrinkled my nose. “That sounds confused.”
“I thought so too, but it’s actually really good. Anyway-” She grabbed my arm, eyes wide. “He finally got the courage to ask for my number and we’ve been hanging out all summer.”
“Isn’t he like thirty?” I questioned, trying not to judge her.
“He’s twenty-one,” she corrected, rolling her eyes. “And you would love him. Plus, older guys really know what they’re doing… and he thinks I’m nineteen.” She said the last part under her breath.
“Oh my God, Rach, you’re seventeen.”
“I know that!” she hissed. “But he doesn’t, and if I told him, he’d probably run for the hills.” She sighed, turning to me briefly. “I really like him. And it’s not like it’s a forever thing, it’s just a bit of fun.”
“Until he ends up on the register.” I joked, though there was some truth to it.
“I’m almost eighteen,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Key word there - almost .” I waved a finger at her.
She smacked my shoulder - lightly, but with enough drama to make her space buns wobble. “Will you just meet him, please? I told him you’re really cool.”
“What did you tell him that for?” I groaned. “Now he’ll know you’re lying to him.”
“You are cool.” She said as if it were a fact the whole world knew.
I snorted. “No, I’m… me.”
“Exactly,” she said, bumping her hip into mine. “That’s why you’re cool. And he might just have a friend who’s single and into guys.” She nudged me again, eyebrows practically dancing.
I let out a long, dramatic sigh. “No. I won’t let you set me up again. Not after last time.”
“Come on. It wasn’t that bad. My second cousin still talks about you now-”
“All he did was talk,” I interrupted. “I couldn’t get a word in edgeways.”
“Come on, please. This will be the last time. For me.” Her eyes widened, full doe-mode activated. “Please.”
I groaned. “No. Not happening. I will not be involved in any of your sex crimes.”
“You’re no fun.” Her face dropped back to normal.
“Anyway, how do you know I’m not seeing someone else?” I asked, raising a brow.
She blinked. “You’re not… are you?”
I made her wait, just enough to keep her on edge. “It’s been a long summer.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Spill.”
“Okay, so there might be a guy at work,” I said with as much nonchalance as I could.
Her eyes lit up instantly. “A supermarket slut. I love it.”
“He’s not-” I rubbed the back of my neck. “His name’s Alfie. He goes to Westley. And he seems really nice. We’ve had a few moments but… I don’t know if he’s out.”
“Well, why don’t you ask him out and see?” she said, practically vibrating.
“What?”
“You and supermarket slut, me and Dan. It’s perfect!” She linked her arm through mine like she’d already planned the wedding.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. Alfie was nice.
And he liked me - or at least I thought he did.
But I wasn’t sure I wanted to get into anything like that.
Relationships were complicated. At least for me, they were.
I’d never had a boyfriend before. Hell, I’d never even been kissed.
And the one guy I actually thought I liked turned out to be a catfish.
So no, I don’t have the best track record with guys.
And Alfie… he was sweet, but he wasn’t exactly my type. Not that I even knew what my type was.
Still, he was a distraction - and maybe that was the point. A distraction could be good
“Look, the worst he can say is no. And he doesn’t even have to know it’s a date. Just come by the shop. We’ll get ice cream and walk the pier. It’ll be nice.”
It did sound nice.
“Okay, fine,” I said. “But if Dan asks how old I am, I’m not lying.”
“That’s okay, as long as you don’t tell him my age.” She said, chewing her gum, like it was an exercise.
“Don’t you think he’ll wonder what you’re doing with a sixteen-year-old?” The thought was reasonable. What nineteen- year-old wants to hang around with a scrawny sixteen-year-old boy?
“No. I already told him you were my neighbour.” She winked like she’d just solved world peace. “And our mums are best friends.”
I stared at her. “Do you just lie, like… permanently?”
“Only when I breathe,” she said with a laugh.
I shook my head, but I couldn’t help smiling.
That was Rach - chaos wrapped in coconut-scented hair and stomper boots.
The bell rang, breaking up our laughter as students spilled into the corridor around us.
“What class do you have next?” she asked, slinging her bag over one shoulder as she started walking.
“History. You?” I matched her pace, nudging the door open with my elbow.
“You chose History.” Her eyes rolled dramatically as she stepped into the hallway.
“I’m good at it.” I chuckled, adjusting the strap of my backpack.
“Snooze fest.” She fake-yawned, stretching her arms above her head as we moved through the crowd. “What else did you choose?”
“Computer studies and Biology.” I shifted my books in my hands, trying not to drop them.
“Ugh, you’re so smart it’s annoying.” She rolled her eyes again, bumping her shoulder lightly into mine.
“I’m not smart.” I sighed, pushing open the stairwell door for her. “They were literally the three subjects I did well in at GCSE. And I’m retaking English because my grades were so bad.”
“Ah, well, who needs English anyway? We already speak the language.” She snorted.
“That may be true, but I don’t speak Macbeth.” I drawled, pushing another double door open. “And anyway, you’re smart.” I glanced at her as we descended another set of steps.
She looked at me like I’d just told her the sky was purple, her eyebrows lifting in disbelief as she tightened her grip on the railing.
“You are,” I insisted.
“And you’re a bad liar.” She pulled me into a quick hug. “See you at lunch?”
“I’ll find you,” I said before heading in the opposite direction.
“You better.” She called out. “Six weeks without you was long enough.” Her voice travelled down the hall, and I couldn’t help the smile that turned up my lips.
I would.
Rach was my only friend. I didn’t know if she knew it or not, but she was.
I hadn’t known her for long - just two years - but it felt like she’d been stitched into my life way before that.
We’d sat next to each other in form, both bored out of our minds, and somehow that tiny moment had turned into… this.
…Us.
A friendship that actually made sense.