Falling Fast - L.S

4

I got more and more nervous as the day went on. By the time Taylor, Gigi, Camille and I got on the bus to go to
St Cletus's that afternoon, my stomach was twisted into a big knot.

"No school minibus today, then," Taylor said bitterly. "You'd think they'd send cars for us, seeing as we're helping them out by being in their stupid play."

For some reason Taylor was pretending to find the whole thing a massive drag. She said she'd even considered turning down the part of Juliet. "All those lines," she groaned. "And I didn't fancy any of the boys we saw the other day."

My heart leaped at this. If Tay didn't intend to get her claws into Harry, I'd have more chance to talk to him. I was trying to think how to encourage her to pull out of the play altogether, when Hailee peered round at us.

"There'll be other boys, Tay," she smiled. "Loads in the rest of the cast, then all the ones who help backstage."

Taylor's eyes brightened. "True," she said. "And what with you being with Joe and that Camille Rowe..." she lowered her voice "... looking like she's totally up her own backside, there'll be loads to loads to choose from for me and Louis." She grinned. "Hope we don't both go for the same guy, Lou."

I gritted my teeth.

~

We'd been given permission to skip the last period of school in order to get to St Cletus's by the end of their school day. The bell was ringing as we walked into the big, stone entry hall and found the bursar's office on the left. The secretary told us to wait outside while she buzzed the staffroom for Mr Nichols.

We lolled self-conciously against the office door as streams of boys of various ages and sizes stumbled past, wide-eyed and gawping.

There was a lot of pushing and shoving and pointing, though none of them actually came over and talked to us.

"God, you'd think they'd never seen a girl before," Taylor whispered to me.

I swallowed, remembering what Mum had said this morning. Still, none of these boys were Harry.

After a few minutes the entry hall started to clear. Niall Horan came bumbling over, a big grin on his slightly flushed face.

"Hi," he said, to Taylor's left arm. "I'm supposed to take you to the rehearsal room."

I rolled my eyes Gigi. She smiled back. That was the good thing about the way me and Taylor and Gigi were friends. Whenever something was happening to one of us, the other two were always there to share it.

My heart was pounding by the time we reached the rehearsal room. It was another classroom. Bigger that the one we'd used before, with all the desks pushed back against the walls.

It was distinctly shabby too - with a few posters and bits of coursework pinned up on peeling wallpaper and a large, cracked whiteboard propped next to the door.

I looked swiftly round the room. My heart beat fast. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but i knew i was looking for Harry.

There were at least ten boys lounging against the desks by the walls. Most of them were watching Taylor - who had dragged a blushing Gigi into the middle of the room and was chatting to her ultra-casually, pouting her lips and raking back her hair as she talked.

I looked along the row of boys. Harry wasn't here.

How could he not be here? He had the main part. I had a sudden terrifying thought. Suppose something awful had happened to him and he'd pulled out of the play?

"You okay?" Niall had sidled up to me, unnoticed.

"Mmmmn," i said. "Fine."

"Er ... your name's ... er ... Louis, isn't it?" Niall said.