seem to mind when you kissed Miranda. Carl … did you kiss her properly?’
‘As opposed to
im
properly?’
‘I mean, did you give her a proper kiss on thelips? You know, a real smoochy film-star-type kiss.’
‘Wasn’t that what we were supposed to do? Didn’t Andy kiss you then?’
‘Well, sort of. But no one was expecting you and Raj to have a proper
snog
.’
‘Look, he goes to my school. I’m not having him saying stuff. Do you understand now?’
‘Well. Not really,’ I said. ‘Hey, who’s this new friend of yours?’
‘What friend?’ said Carl.
‘Raj said you had this friend who plays football. You never told me about him.’
‘There’s nothing to tell,’ said Carl, and stalked off down the road.
I went running after him. ‘Don’t walk off and leave me!’
‘I’m not. I’m just stamping around a bit to get warm,’ said Carl. He reached out and took my hand. ‘God, your hand feels like ice. I’m sorry. Here, let me try and warm you up.’ He put my hands between his and rubbed them up and down.
‘Why are you so cross, Carl?’
‘I’m not cross with you, just your silly friends.’
‘You like Miranda.’
‘No, I don’t. She’s so needy, desperate to be the centre of attention all the time. She thinks she’s so outrageous when really she’s just pathetic.’
‘Is she pathetic at kissing?’
‘I don’t know. I haven’t had that much experience of kissing.’
‘Yes, but did you
like
kissing her?’
‘It was OK. Ish. It didn’t really do much for me if I’m honest.’
‘Well, maybe you should try kissing someone else as a comparison,’ I mumbled.
‘What? Someone like
Raj
?’
‘No!’ I took a deep breath. I didn’t feel quite drunk enough but I decided to go for it anyway. ‘Someone like me.’
Carl relaxed. He held onto my hands, leaned forward – and kissed my
nose
. ‘There! Happy now?’
‘Not my nose!’
‘You’ve got a nice nose, little and snubby and cute.’
‘Kiss me on my lips.’
‘Can’t risk it, Syl. We might get all inflamed and risk our beautiful friendship,’ Carl said, messing about.
I wriggled away from him, my feelings hurt. I didn’t want to joke about it. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to kiss me properly.
‘Sylvie? Don’t look such a saddo. Listen, I’m sorry I broke up the party. They were all just getting on my nerves. I don’t want to hang out with them. I want to be with you. Tell you what, let’s play Glassworld tomorrow.’
‘Really?’ I said. ‘You haven’t wanted to play for ages.’
‘Tomorrow afternoon, in the Glass Hut. Is it a date?’
‘You bet,’ I said.
JULES WAS SURPRISED to find us standing hand in hand by the kerb, ready and waiting for her at eleven.
‘I was rather hoping I could knock at the door and get asked in,’ she said. ‘What’s it like inside?’
‘Fabulous stained glass, an Eileen Gray red lacquer table in the hall, Clarice Cliff china in the cabinet … You’d love it, Mum,’ said Carl.
‘So what about this Miranda and her friends?’ Jules asked.
‘They don’t live up to the décor,’ said Carl.
‘What are they like?’ Jules asked anxiously.
‘Oh, Mum. You know. Spoiled. Silly. Rich.’
‘Sylvie,
you
tell me,’ said Jules.
I did my best. I described Miranda and Alice and Raj and Andy in detail. I gave Jules acensored account of our evening, leaving out the beer and the whisky drinking and the Snog Spin session.
I had to recite it all over again when I got home to
my
mum. She was in her nightie sitting at her computer in the living room, sipping a glass of supermarket wine. She was playing one of her old eighties compilations, Blondie and Yazz and Annie Lennox – all the girls she used to dance to in the long-ago days when she went clubbing.
I approached her warily, because she sometimes got all tearful. She gave me a surprisingly cheerful smile and asked me all about my night out. She switched off her computer but kept the CD
‘As opposed to
im
properly?’
‘I mean, did you give her a proper kiss on thelips? You know, a real smoochy film-star-type kiss.’
‘Wasn’t that what we were supposed to do? Didn’t Andy kiss you then?’
‘Well, sort of. But no one was expecting you and Raj to have a proper
snog
.’
‘Look, he goes to my school. I’m not having him saying stuff. Do you understand now?’
‘Well. Not really,’ I said. ‘Hey, who’s this new friend of yours?’
‘What friend?’ said Carl.
‘Raj said you had this friend who plays football. You never told me about him.’
‘There’s nothing to tell,’ said Carl, and stalked off down the road.
I went running after him. ‘Don’t walk off and leave me!’
‘I’m not. I’m just stamping around a bit to get warm,’ said Carl. He reached out and took my hand. ‘God, your hand feels like ice. I’m sorry. Here, let me try and warm you up.’ He put my hands between his and rubbed them up and down.
‘Why are you so cross, Carl?’
‘I’m not cross with you, just your silly friends.’
‘You like Miranda.’
‘No, I don’t. She’s so needy, desperate to be the centre of attention all the time. She thinks she’s so outrageous when really she’s just pathetic.’
‘Is she pathetic at kissing?’
‘I don’t know. I haven’t had that much experience of kissing.’
‘Yes, but did you
like
kissing her?’
‘It was OK. Ish. It didn’t really do much for me if I’m honest.’
‘Well, maybe you should try kissing someone else as a comparison,’ I mumbled.
‘What? Someone like
Raj
?’
‘No!’ I took a deep breath. I didn’t feel quite drunk enough but I decided to go for it anyway. ‘Someone like me.’
Carl relaxed. He held onto my hands, leaned forward – and kissed my
nose
. ‘There! Happy now?’
‘Not my nose!’
‘You’ve got a nice nose, little and snubby and cute.’
‘Kiss me on my lips.’
‘Can’t risk it, Syl. We might get all inflamed and risk our beautiful friendship,’ Carl said, messing about.
I wriggled away from him, my feelings hurt. I didn’t want to joke about it. I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to kiss me properly.
‘Sylvie? Don’t look such a saddo. Listen, I’m sorry I broke up the party. They were all just getting on my nerves. I don’t want to hang out with them. I want to be with you. Tell you what, let’s play Glassworld tomorrow.’
‘Really?’ I said. ‘You haven’t wanted to play for ages.’
‘Tomorrow afternoon, in the Glass Hut. Is it a date?’
‘You bet,’ I said.
JULES WAS SURPRISED to find us standing hand in hand by the kerb, ready and waiting for her at eleven.
‘I was rather hoping I could knock at the door and get asked in,’ she said. ‘What’s it like inside?’
‘Fabulous stained glass, an Eileen Gray red lacquer table in the hall, Clarice Cliff china in the cabinet … You’d love it, Mum,’ said Carl.
‘So what about this Miranda and her friends?’ Jules asked.
‘They don’t live up to the décor,’ said Carl.
‘What are they like?’ Jules asked anxiously.
‘Oh, Mum. You know. Spoiled. Silly. Rich.’
‘Sylvie,
you
tell me,’ said Jules.
I did my best. I described Miranda and Alice and Raj and Andy in detail. I gave Jules acensored account of our evening, leaving out the beer and the whisky drinking and the Snog Spin session.
I had to recite it all over again when I got home to
my
mum. She was in her nightie sitting at her computer in the living room, sipping a glass of supermarket wine. She was playing one of her old eighties compilations, Blondie and Yazz and Annie Lennox – all the girls she used to dance to in the long-ago days when she went clubbing.
I approached her warily, because she sometimes got all tearful. She gave me a surprisingly cheerful smile and asked me all about my night out. She switched off her computer but kept the CD
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