Page 74 of Matched Up

‘Miss Ryan, are you awake?’

I jerked my eyes open to see Mrs Skillen staring at me.

‘Sorry, yeah, I just …’

‘Fell asleep?’she finished for me.

‘Yeah.Sorry.’

She held me behind after class.‘Alexandra, I’m worried about you.Your grades have slipped quite significantly and falling asleep in class?That’s not like you.Is everything OK?At home?’

Mrs Skillen was nice.One of those gentle teachers that most kids took advantage of.

‘I’m fine.Nothing’s wrong, I’ve just been doing a lot of football training lately,’ I said.And part of me wanted to leave it there so she’d think I was something special.Like I was Megan or something and a seriously big deal.

‘Maybe you should pull back on the training and try to concentrate on your schoolwork for a while?I don’t want you to fall behind, not just before your exams.’

‘I’m fine, promise.I can do it all,’ I said, standing up.

‘I’m here, Alexandra, if you want to talk,’ she said as I left the room.

At least I knew he wouldn’t be at training on Thursday.Then I could tell myself that I was just there for me, to show Sadie what I could do, so she wouldn’t regret her choice to play me on Saturday.

‘OK, girls, huge game on Saturday.A scout will be there to watch Megan, but you never know, stranger things have happened, maybe someone else will catch her eye.I want you all there for warm-up at eleven thirty.And I want you all to get early nights.We’re playing Barn United.They’re a good team and they’ll put up a fight, so be prepared for that.See you all on Saturday.’Then Sadie smiled.Well, as close as Sadie can come to a smile.

I went for a jog when the boys’ practice was on, even though Megan begged me not to.But I couldn’t stand there watching.Not when that was where I first saw him.Haunted by the night we met.

Mum and Dad left that evening.And as I stood there inthe hallway waving them off, I could see the doubt in Niall’s eyes, trying to decide whether he should out me or not.But he didn’t.He didn’t say anything at all.

Megan came over as soon as they’d left.She said she’d told her parents she was studying with me, even though they weren’t stupid and knew she was going out with Niall.

‘Thing is, if I keep talking at them about things, they get really irritated and just want me to leave, so that’s what I did.’Megan smiled.She was in my room, sitting on my bed, the way it used to be.Sort of.

‘They’ll miss you when you go to uni,’ I said quietly.

Megan looked at me like she didn’t know what to say.

‘I’llmiss you when you go to uni.You could have told me, you know …’

‘And this?’Megan waved her hand in front of my face.‘It makes me want to cry.I know I should have said, but I hate seeing you upset more than anything.Forgive me?’

She cocked an eyebrow and I laughed.‘Suppose so.But you need to promise that nothing will change between us again.’

She held out her little finger and I hooked mine round it.‘Promise.But on to more important things: what are you wearing tomorrow night?Something low-cut, best tits in Belfast?’

I laughed.‘Maybe.What are you wearing?’

‘I’m going all out.Little black dress.I’m so excited.’

‘Me too,’ I said, trying to convince myself.A tiny part of me wished I’d asked Mum to stay, and that the party wasn’t happening.

I couldn’t sleep that night.The smell of the ocean pulled me out of bed and outside under the glow of the moon.I started running, even though I was exhausted, and my muscles screamed for me to stop.I ran until I couldn’t think any more and Shane wasn’t haunting my thoughts.

The next day, school was insane.Every second person who talked to me was asking about the party, even people I didn’t know.But I didn’t care.All I cared about was the fact I wouldn’t have to think about Shane all night.

‘This is a mistake,’ Niall said on the way home.

‘It’ll be fine,’ replied Megan.‘We’ll get up early and clean the place and your mum and dad will never know!’

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