made me realise I was growing up. Sixteen now, I was in my final year of school and needed to study for my exams, not continue mooning around over my ex.
He certainly wasn't mooning around over me.
Now in the first year of sixth form, Noah was unrecognisable from the boy I'd shared a year of my life with. In body and in soul.
I'd see him with his friends as his college was only around eight minutes' walk away from school. He'd grown to over six feet tall and he looked so much older than most. I reluctantly had to admit to myself that he seemed far better suited to the red-haired woman I still occasionally saw him hanging around with than little old me.
My boobs were growing, but I remained five feet five. I’d never really bothered over my appearance, still didn't wear make-up, and now I kept my hair up in a messy knot. Wearing it down and long belonged to the old Stacey and I wasn't her anymore.
Noah now hung around with three other guys who he must have met at college because I'd not seen them around school.
They walked the streets like they were the fucking Beatles or something, having formed a band. No one had heard them play yet, but Rex Colton sauntered around with a drumstick in his hand all day, every day, and Noah now had a plectrum hanging from a chain around his neck. Zak would sing and hum to himself as they walked along and he could definitely hold a tune. The last one of them, Roman, remained the quieter of them and sometimes I'd catch him looking my way. He'd give me a sympathetic smile. That let me know that they all knew who I was—the ex-girlfriend. I ignored Roman, resisting the temptation to stick my middle finger up in his direction. It wasn't his fault his friend was a fucktard.
I knew far more about them all than I wanted to because they were all the girls in my year talked about now. If I heard 'your ex' one more time in a sentence I might strangle somebody.
Girls followed them around, giggling behind them and accidentally bumping into them. Occasionally, Noah would look my way, but I'd just turn my own gaze in a different direction. He just wasn't the guy I'd felt like I'd loved. I presumed puberty had hit him late and at times wished I had.
But today something different had happened. Last night The Para-not-normals had played their first gig at Rex's little sister's sweet sixteenth. A few of my classmates knew Paloma Carlton and had attended, and it was all I was hearing about.
"Oh my lord, they could really sing. Zak is so fit and he has the voice of an angel."
"But the body of a devil, right?"
"They're going to get famous; I just know it."
I wanted to put my hands over my ears, but not so much as when I heard, "Sonia says they're entering the Velvet Throat Lozenges, Voices of Tomorrow competition."
Anger coursed through my veins, burning acid coming up the back of my throat. He'd promised me we'd enter competitions together. As a duo. Now it was clear, though I'd known it as soon as I'd heard he was in a band—I'd been double dumped. Not good enough to be his girlfriend and not good enough to take over the charts.
Jack Brooks walked over to me while I was in the lunch queue waiting for my cheese flan, chips, and beans—my ultimate favourite food.
"Do you fancy going out tonight? We could go watch a film or something." He said, leaning in a little too close.
I wouldn't have ordinarily touched Jack with a ten-foot bargepole. In fact, I'd have rather touched a turd, but I knew he had a dislike of Noah, and for that fact I agreed to meet him later that night to grab pizza. Hopefully, the rumours wouldn't take long to get back to my ex. I hope they hurt, like he'd hurt me.
After school I met up with Fiona and we headed off into the city centre. In Primark after she'd insisted I bought a cute little jumpsuit for my date, she bumped into another couple of friends who started banging on about last night's concert. I made my excuses and left to go find the shop down the side street that I loved: Wiccan do it.
I loved the title. It was so kitsch.
Pushing open the door, a little bell rang