to give a second glance at a bloke who looks your age. Not here.”
I pass portraits and old paintings as I walk the dim hall to the quote, unquote back room. It’s all so comforting, the charming antiquey feel, the stately old architecture. When I press into the back room, things are decidedly rowdier. This is what I imagine college bars to be. People yelling over the music, standing in big clusters. Giant beers in hand. I wonder if any of these are Americans, taking in their newfound ability to drink legally. I want to fit in, but even for me this isn’t legal. I’m still too young.
I sigh, but I catch Pierce’s eye from across the pub and all the air in the room shoots back into me. He arches his eyebrows, flexes a quick smile, then goes back to his friends. His friends and my cousin.
But I notice Shane’s not really talking with anyone. He just sips his pint (he’s not legal either!) and listens to Pierce dominate every conversation. I wonder what it’d be like to be Pierce. To always have every eye on you. Does his throat ever get sore just from talking?
“You didn’t get far.” Sophie nudges me in the shoulder and offers me a pint. “I got you cider—that okay?”
I start to pull some pounds out of my pocket, and she forces the cider into my free hand. “You’re good, mate. You can get me back later.”
I stare into the golden liquid filling the glass to the brim. This is a big moment in my life. Drinking alcohol. Years of volunteering with the substance abuse groups in high school, coming down to this. It feels a little hypocritical.
To be fair, I never felt strongly either way. Skye used to hang out at parties and get drunk, but one too many hangovers led to one too many botched tests, which led to summer school. And that’s when he decided to hang out with us. His B-group.
“You all right? You don’t have to drink; I just assumed since everyone else here seems to.”
“No, no, I’m fine. I’ll at least try it.”
I take a gulp of the cider, and it tastes like I thought it would—tart, sweet, and perfectly cold. I read that Brits drink some beer at room temp, which sounds even worse than cold beer, so I’m glad this one’s refreshing.
“One of the saxes has a table at the back—want to find them?”
I look up to Sophie and shake my head. “You said Pierce and Rio are super cliquey, right?”
“Yeah.”
I take a breath, and pretend Megan’s just given me her trademark pep talk. This time, I pull Sophie along. “Let’s put an end to that.”
My cheeks are on fire; my ears must be bright red. Thank god it’s dark in here. They stand at the table, with just enough room for two at the end.
It’s uncomfortable, at first. You could cut the confusion, the tension, with a knife. But though there are a million tiny things that make me uncomfortable and panicked and stressed, I won’t let this be one of them.
“Hiya, Marty! And Sophie,” Pierce says, and gives a quick smile. His eyes dart back and forth between us. “Marty, you’ve met everyone already, haven’t you?”
They still haven’t offered us a seat, but I take one anyway, and make room for Sophie. Dani and Shane are at the table too, so I give them a quick nod.
Shane jumps in. “Marty, this is Ajay.” He gestures to a guy with deep tan skin who’s got his arm around Dani. His smile is as immaculate as his undercut. We shake hands.
“And Rio.”
She’s a bit too far away for physical contact, so I send a curt wave her way. She nods, not exactly smiling. She’s glowing, though—her red hair seems to reflect the dingy yellow light. It falls past her shoulders and complements her ivory skin, light clothes, and green eye shadow. I can see Sophie tense up beside me.
“Welcome to the UK, mate,” Ajay says.
“You should hear him play,” Dani responds, then looks to me. “You’re such a strong sight reader. So confident too—I’d love to hear you play a solo sometime; it’s a shame you’re not in the academy.”
“Confident?” I say, blushing. “I … well, I think that’s a first.”
“Don’t be humble.” She smirks. “You know you’ve got talent.”
Her accent is complex, with the lilt of Arabic. Her hair is thick and wavy, and her clothing is on point, and I can’t believe this girl