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“Ooh, see if he wants to go on a date,” Claire added. “Oh, oh, you can get dressed here.”

“I’ve sent it,” I said, dropping my phone down on the bed.

Snatching up my phone, Lizzie read through my messages before narrowing her eyes at me. “Hi, Johnny,” she announced. “That’s what you sent?”

I shrugged and clasped my hands together. “That’s okay, right?”

“If you’re four,” Lizzie grumbled. “No kiss at the end?”

I shrugged again, feeling at a loss. “Is that bad?”

“Not if you’re texting your brother,” Claire offered with a sympathetic smile.

“Oh my god, switch it off,” I groaned, feeling sick. “Turn the phone off.”

Ping.

“Ah, he texted you back,” Claire squealed, snatching the phone out of Lizzie’s hand and climbing off the bed.

“‘Hi, baby,’” she began to read, only to stop and clutch her chest. “Oh sweet Jesus, he called herbaby!” Flopping back down on the bed, she added, “And he gave her two kisses at the end.” She sighed in contentment. “I thinkIjust had an orgasm.”

“Give me that,” Lizzie grumbled, swiping the phone back from Claire. “Hi, baby, how are you doing? Can I call you later tonight? Kiss, kiss.”

My heart galloped wildly. “Tell him that he can call me,” I said as I watched Lizzie type back a message. “Did you tell him he can?” I asked when she set down the phone on her thigh. “Liz?”

Lizzie opened her mouth to respond but the phone pinged again before she could respond. Glancing down at the screen, she grinned deviously.

“Oh my god.” A shiver of unease rolled through me. “What did you do?”

“I told him that instead of calling you tonight, he could pick you up from here.” She winked before adding, “He’ll be here at eight, so you better get ready.”

“Wait!” Pressing my fingers to my temples, I forced myself to breathe slowly and not panic. “Just…give me a minute.” I inhaled several deep, calming breaths before asking, “Is this a date?”

Claire nodded her head vigorously. Meanwhile, Lizzie looked at me like I was a brand-new species of human. “I don’t understand you, Shan.” She sighed. “He’s your boyfriend. You spend half of lunch every day with his tongue down your throat. You’re meeting up with him on a Saturday night.Of courseit’s a date.”

“Should I…get him something?” I asked, feeling my heart rate spike.

“No,” Lizzie shot back, appalled. “Why would you?”

“I don’t know!” I flailed anxiously. “I’m just panicking, okay? What if he takes me somewhere? I don’t have any money.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It does,” I choked out. “It matters to me.”

“You could make him a mixtape?” Claire offered. “Or a mix CD for his car—if you wanted to give him something.”

“That’s a good idea,” Lizzie mused. “What are you going to put on it?”

“I don’t know.” Leaning back against the pillows, I sighed. “Maybe it’s a bad idea?”

“No.” Walking over to her desk, Claire grabbed her laptop. “It’s a great idea,” she assured me, inserting a disk into the slot on the side of her laptop. “Now do it.”

“Do boys even like that sort of thing?” I asked, fingers hovering over the keys. “Aoife’s always making mix CDs for Joey and he never listens to them.”

“Well, Gerard makes them for me and I love them,” Claire replied. “Give him your thoughts, Shan. Find your feelings in songs and reveal them to him.”

“Is that what you do?” Lizzie asked flatly.

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