Tick Tock - Time's Running Out

Tick Tock (19)

Chapter Nineteen

Tiffany

This was the test. Everything had been building up to this moment. This was the party that would make or break Jamie. The summer had passed by uneventfully. Peter Pan had gone off without a hitch and Robbie and I were still really happy.

But he was off to university in a matter of days. He was going to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD). It was one of the most prestious acting schools in Britain – definitely number one in Scotland. I was supposed to be happy then, because getting into RSAMD meant that he was only about an hour away, just in Glasgow. It was better than him moving down to the South of England. We’d spoken in length about our relationship and about how we were going to manage to continue it. We briefly mentioned if we were going to continue it, but after two minutes of consideration, we both decided we couldn’t stand it, and we had to go through a timely make out session just to get over the horror of breaking up.

Darren was going to the University of Aberdeen to study Scottish History, which had apparently been a passion of his for some time now. Jamie was upset about this. She really didn’t want him to go so far away – it was almost three hours by car away. I told her there were things like Skype, so she’d still be able to talk to him, and see him over webcam.

“Yes, that’s all very well,” she had snapped, “but the problem is, I can’t really give a good reason why we should do that, seeing as we aren’t in a relationship and we only saw so much of each other because of Robbie and Darren being friends. I’m not sure Darren would even class me as one of his mates!”

“That’s not true!” I had replied, outraged, “he’s invited you to his farewell party, hasn’t he? So you must be his friend.”

“Tiff,” Jamie had responded in a tone similar to one you would use if explaining something really confusing to a small child. “It’s Darren and Robbie’s joint farewell party. I’ve been invited because I’m family, and basically the whole of the senior half of school have been invited. It’s not as much as a privilege as you think it is.”

“It is for me,” I said in a light tone, “because I’m Robbie’s girlfriend,” I sighed dreamily. I loved the way that sounded – ‘Tiffany Gold is Robbie Black’s girlfriend’.

So tonight was the night of the party. Everyone would be there, and it was the first party Jamie was attending as the new Jamie Black when Darren was present. Many boys had approached her throughout summer, enquiring whether Jamie had a date to this party, and whether she’d be interested in going with them. She let them all down very easily and kindly, almost as if she’d been doing it all her life.

I knew she was still flattered by all the attention she was getting and it would take a while for her to get used to it.

“Tiffany Alexia Gold,” said a stern voice, “will you listen to me when I’m talking to you about such an important topic!”

“Yes, Mum,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes at Jamie. “What is it?”

“My hair looks too slutty.”

How can a hairstyle look slutty? I looked at her, bamboozled. She was wearing a short light pink strapless dress. It was corseted at the back with black ribbon. She wore a collection of mismatched bracelets and bands on her wrists and a short black leather jacket. On her feet were a pair of black suede platform heels. She had decided not to wear any tights, and braved the night in her bare legs, which were considerably more tanned compared to the last party we attended where Robbie ended up getting together with Amy. I put the tan down to the surprisingly summery Scottish weather over the summer holidays. Her make-up was quite dark – black eye shadow with heavily applied pencil eyeliner as well as liquid eyeliner. A faint pink lip gloss coated her lips, and her face was made absolutely flawless with the added help of foundation and powder. Her hair was left in its natural curls with her fringe straightened and some hair from her left side dragged up and pinned in place.