Forget Me Never

trying to make more of an effort recently. Not that Reece appeared to have noticed – he hadn’t said a thing when I’d started wearing make-up when we met up. I’d not been confident enough to wear anything out of the ordinary, but I’d tried a more sophisticated hairdo a couple of times, which I thought looked good.
    Did he really not notice how I looked, or did he pretend not to? Was I being too subtle? Maybe it was time I gave him a shock. Not that I’d be doing this for him – this was for me. To see if it made me feel that I fitted in better at Paloma’s party, and to have the satisfaction of seeing him realize I could make an effort after all.
    I’d arrived at the party late – more chance of Reece having got there before me. I’d texted him on my way over, but he hadn’t replied. Paloma lived in the nicer part of Hendon – her house was a semi-detached with fancy-shaped hedges in the garden. She acted like her place wasn’t a big deal, but compared to Julie’s it felt like a mansion.
    I had to psych myself up before stepping inside. I’d deliberately arrived without a coat to make more of an impact – I hadn’t come this far just to chicken out. While I felt comfortable enough in my denim skirt, it was my top that was making me nervous. It was turquoise and corsety, with ribbon lacing up the back and sequins on the front that I’d sewn on – not the kind of thing I normally felt confident carrying off. I’d only bought it from the charity shop on a whim. I’d tried it out in the safety of my bedroom, but as yet I’d never worn it out.
    Here goes, I thought.
    I could tell by the pounding beat that greeted me as I walked in that the party was in full swing. From the number of people in the hallway and sitting on the stairs it looked like Paloma had invited the entire year. I tracked her down to the kitchen, where she was mixing drinks. She shrieked when she saw me and crushed me in a hug.
    ‘Sophieeee! You look gorgeous! Wow! What a change!’
    I smiled self-consciously, giving my top a tug. ‘Is Reece here yet?’
    Paloma giggled and gave me a poke in the ribs. She was wearing a pink dress that looked a size too small. Her cheeks matched it. I wondered how she was still managing to breathe – still, as Paloma was so fond of saying, beauty was a pain. ‘You so obviously fancy him. I don’t know why you bother denying it.
    I wasn’t ready to admit anything so I just shrugged. Seeing she wasn’t going to get a reaction, Paloma said, ‘Haven’t seen him, but he might have come in while I wasn’t looking. Here.’ She shoved a plastic cup at me. ‘I made mojitos! Très sophisticated, eh? My parents had a bottle of Cuban rum in the cupboard. Edie found a recipe; think I’ve got it right.
    The mojito didn’t taste like anything I’d had before – minty and syrupy, with a crunch of sugar and a strong whack of lime. I wandered around the house looking for Reece, but he was nowhere to be seen. Not sure whether to be worried or annoyed, I finished the mojito and picked up another drink from the kitchen. Paloma had vanished. I was suddenly very aware that I didn’t really know the people surrounding me – they were all busy with their own friends and I’d never made the effort to get to know them. I sipped quickly, starting to feel out of place. I caught sight of Zoe Edwards out of the corner of my eye, standing by the patio doors and pointing and whispering to her friends. She was wearing a top very similar to mine and looked great – how embarrassing! Realizing she’d spotted me, I grabbed another drink and quickly left the kitchen. What was Zoe doing here anyway? I was fairly sure Paloma wouldn’t have invited her – her gang often took the mick out of Paloma for being big.
    I let myself out into the garden. Leaning against the wall, I breathed cool air. It seemed like the party had been going on ages – where was Reece? I’d been depending on him coming. I hadn’t replied to his texts after the play because he’d annoyed me that night, but it hadn’t crossed my mind that he might not show.
    Someone coughed. I realized I wasn’t alone. To my surprise, it was Finn Jones, evidently come out to have a cigarette. Finn wasn’t the kind of guy who was ever alone – he was one of the most popular people in our year, mainly because he looked a lot like a blond version of Robert Pattinson. Paloma had the hugest crush on him and I could kind of understand why. I turned away,