It's a freezing cold day in January, one of those grey wintry days when the sun never seems to make it quite high enough into the sky. But I don't care, because I'm meeting Rose Tames in the woods after school.
She's been giving me these looks for weeks. At first it was just a quick glance in the corridor, or a smile across the canteen. I'd glance behind me, to check she wasn't aiming them at anyone else, but quickly I realised they were meant for me. And then they got longer, more seductive. The other morning she full-on licked her lips at me. In lessons she's been making excuses to talk to me. Asking to borrow my stationary and stuff, brushing her fingers against mine for a bit too long as I pass her an endless stream of pens and rulers. I've never really fancied Rose in particular, no more than any other girl at school. But over the past few weeks I've begun to notice how nice her bum looks in her tight school skirt, spotted the lacy outline of her bra peeking through her blouse, thought about what it might be like to kiss her. For a bit she was Aspen Leger's girlfriend, but they've been off for months now. She's got a reputation for being a bit wild. There's this rumour about her and one of the teachers, and another one about her and Maxon Schreave on the overnight school trip to Denmark... My sister Nienke reckons Rose is a slut. But then that's Nienke's standard opinion on anyone she doesn't like.
Anyway, yesterday I was walking to math when Rose appeared from nowhere and dragged me into this little alcove by the art rooms. She full-on pressed her body against mine, her tits rubbing against my chest, her cheap perfume filling my nose, making me dizzy.
'Meet me after school tomorrow,' she said breathlessly.
'Where?'
'The woods. Four o'clock.'
'But, why?'
She smiled this insanely sexy smile.
'Come meet me and I'll show you why.'
Then she was gone.
