Just Be You

November 2014: The Boyfriend Incident

"So have you guys decided what you're all wearing to the Snow Ball on Friday?" Rosie asked as we headed over to the regular lunch table.

"Yes I'm wearing this vintage 90's dress I picked up in a cute little shop while travelling over mid term break." Grace said, smiling.

" I can't decide between the blue velvet or this yellow lace dress my Mum ordered for me online! So many decisions!" Bella said as she took her carrot sticks and hummus out of her bag and glanced at my cheese sandwich in disgust.

"What about you Holly? Have you got your dress yet?" Penny piped up from across the table, looking out for me as usual.

"Me? Oh I'm not sure if I'm going yet." I said quietly, taking a bite of my sandwich nervously, aware that my presence at the table was clearly unwanted.

"Why wouldn't you go to the Snow Ball? Its the event we've all been wanting to go to since we started secondary school!" Rosie asked in shock.

It might have been the night of their dreams, but for me it seemed like pure hell. First of all I had nothing to wear because Margery, my stepmother was pregnant and out of work and my Dad's plumbing job was barely covering our weekly bills. There was no way they were going to give me £50 to splurge on a dress I'd wear once and never use again.

Second of all, I was only in this group because Penny, my childhood best friend had joined a Drama Group over the summer. She wanted to sit with her new friends at lunch and felt bad for excluding me so convinced the other girls to let me tag along. The Snow Ball would be a night where I would sit on a chair alone, or worse, crying in the bathroom because not only did I not have any other real friend except Penny, I was the only girl in the group without a boyfriend to dance with. Rosie, Grace and Bella always looked at me as if I was a piece of dirt on their shoe, mostly ignoring me in the hopes that I'd get the hint and go away. The Ball was not going to be any different, I knew they'd ditch me the moment we got there and they would drag Penny with them. I put my sandwich down and faked the confidence in my voice as I said:

"Well as much as I'd love to go to the Snow Ball, my boyfriend is actually coming to visit me for the weekend so I'm going to spend it with him."

The words just rolled out of my mouth before I could even realise what I was saying and in that moment I knew I had messed up big time.

All the girls eyes widened in surprise, except for Penny's who looked at me like I was insane because we told each other everything and she knew damn well that there was no secret boyfriend unless somehow I had managed to get my crush Jake Appleton to notice and fall in love with me overnight.

Followup questions were fired at me immediately and I had never had so much attention from those girls in all my life.

"What's his name?"

"Where's he from?"

"What does he look like?"

"How did you meet?"

My brain was on fire, spitting out the first answers that came to me,some not exactly being the most practical.

"His name's Ben, he's 19, we met on holiday, he's tall, blonde and he lives in London."

The interrogation went on until the bell rang for class and as I went to go to my locker, Penny pulled me aside.

"What the hell is wrong with you Holly! A fake boyfriend?" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"I'm sorry I didn't plan it! I just didn't know how to tell all your rich friends that I can't even afford to buy a new pair of jeans, let alone an expensive ballgown!" I said honestly, my eyes tearing up.