‘This is turning out easier than expected,’ Ryan whispered in my ear as we queued up for fruit punch. ‘Let’s see if we can keep him dancing until eleven.’
I took a plastic cup of the red punch and gulped it down.
Ryan took his mobile out of his jacket pocket and tapped in a number.
‘If you’d like a little punch to your punch, follow us,’ Matt murmured with a sly wink.
‘I’m just going to step outside to phone Cass and tell her to leave my car by the harbour beach,’ Ryan whispered in my ear. ‘There’s no reception in here. Stay with him. In fact, encourage him to drink. Then he won’t be able to focus.’
Connor, Megan and I followed Matt and Amy down the corridor and behind a bank of lockers by the dance studio. The high slit in Amy’s dress was a practical as well as stylish choice: she opened the slit to reveal the garter and bottle of vodka. Hurriedly, she unscrewed the cap and poured a large splash in everyone’s cups, except mine.
‘Still recovering from Thursday?’ asked Matt.
I shrugged.
Amy pushed the half-empty bottle back in its hiding place. ‘Right, back to the dance.’
‘Actually,’ said Connor. ‘Megan and I will join you in a few minutes. We’re just going to get some air.’
‘I could do with some air myself,’ I said. ‘I’ll come with you.’
Connor shook his head. ‘Why don’t you go and get some air with Ryan?’
‘He’s making a phone call,’ I said. ‘I’ll just tag along with you guys.’
Connor slipped his arm around Megan’s waist. ‘I don’t want you to tag along with us.’
‘Connor, don’t be mean,’ said Megan, looking embarrassed.
Connor continued to glare at me. I remembered what Ryan had said about not falling into an argument with Connor. I was going to have to follow him, out of sight.
‘Oh, I get it,’ I said. ‘I’ll see you in a few minutes.’
I stood and watched as Megan and Connor walked along the corridor, away from the drama hall. As soon as they turned the corner, I followed them. I started to run, but my shoes made a loud clip-clop on the tiled flooring and they would have heard me a mile away. I pulled off my shoes and ran along the corridor, reaching the corner just as they got to the end of the next corridor and began to go up the stairs. I waited a few seconds and then ran along the next corridor to the stairwell. Above me I could hear Megan’s high-pitched giggle. Connor said something in a low voice and then she giggled again. Although the classrooms and corridors away from the drama studio were in darkness, the stairwell was brightly lit. Probably some health and safety thing. Keeping close to the wall, I crept up the stairs behind them, praying that they wouldn’t look down and see me creeping up behind them like some perverted stalker.
There were four floors to the building. The ground floor held the drama hall and the dance studio. The first floor held the maths classrooms and the two floors above them held the science labs. Why on earth would Connor want to take Megan to one of the classrooms? Unless he really did like her and bringing her to the ball had nothing to do with making me jealous or making do. Ryan had convinced me of my importance in Connor’s life to the extent that I had begun to believe that he’d never be able to get over me and move on. Yet here he was, at the ball, dancing with Megan, stealing off to a classroom for some alone-time with her. Her giggle echoed down to me. I cringed. I really didn’t want to spy on Connor and Megan making out in one of the classrooms.
They reached the top of the stairwell and began walking along the third-floor corridor. I crept along behind them, working out where I could hide if either of them turned around. There was nothing much to hide behind, but the corridor was dark and shadowy and I could duck into a doorway if I needed. Far below us I could hear the bass of some song throbbing up through the building.
When they reached the lab at the end, Connor took a key out of his jacket pocket and unlocked the door. I waited until they had both gone inside and then padded along the corridor in my bare feet as quickly as I could. They had closed the door behind them, but every door in the school had a narrow glass panel running down the middle of it. I crouched down in front of the door and lifted my eyes high enough to peer through the panel. At first I could see nothing. And then the overhead fluorescent light flickered on. There were rows of high desks with stools tucked under them. A table of microscopes. Bunsen burners. A life-size human skeleton.
And a telescope.
How had we overlooked the possibility of Connor coming up to the science lab? Of course, the classrooms were always locked outside of lessons. But somehow he had obtained a key. I wished I had brought my phone so I could call Ryan, but it had been too bulky to fit inside my tiny clutch bag. I glanced at my watch: ten forty-five. The ball wouldn’t end for another fifteen minutes. Eden was still visible.
Connor unlocked the glass door that led from the classroom to the flat roof outside. It was where the school astronomy club held its viewing nights. My heart pounding, I crossed my fingers and hoped that Connor had brought Megan up to the roof because he wanted to kiss her away from the rest of us. The presence of a key made it look like he had planned this. I watched through the glass panel as he took Megan by the hand and switched off the light. The room plunged back into darkness.
I waited a few seconds and pushed open the door to the lab. The door swung shut behind me with a bang. I crouched behind one of the lab tables, holding my breath. Connor and Megan didn’t come back inside. Either they hadn’t heard or they didn’t care. I stood up and tiptoed towards the glass door. They were standing on the edge of the roof terrace, gazing down at the garden below. Connor was standing very close to Megan, their shoulders brushed, but he hadn’t touched her. He said something and she threw her head back with laughter. Above them, all around them, a million stars were twinkling. But the telescope was still inside.
I fixed my eyes on the sky, trying to locate a familiar constellation. I quickly found the w-shape of Cassiopeia. From there, I located Perseus, just as Ryan had taught me a few weeks earlier. Looking back down, my eyes reached Connor just as he spun around, facing the classroom. I pulled back from the window, but the shock in his expression told me that he’d seen me.
I stayed where I was, flat against the wall, my heart thudding in my chest. Perhaps he couldn’t tell that it was me. He might think it was a teacher. After all, the lab was in darkness. I didn’t move.
The glass door slid open and Connor stepped inside.
‘Eden,’ he said, his voice grim. ‘What are you doing here?’
Megan joined him in the doorway.
‘I came up here to get some air,’ I said.
‘You followed us.’
‘I had no idea you were here. I just needed some air and thought I would head up to the roof terrace.’
‘What an odd coincidence,’ said Connor. ‘You must have known the classroom and the door to the roof terrace would be locked, but you decided to come here anyway.’
I shrugged helplessly.
‘I don’t get you, Eden. You don’t want me. But you don’t want Megan to be with me either?’
‘That’s not true.’
‘This is weird, Eden,’ said Megan.
‘Were you spying on us?’ asked Connor, his voice rising in irritation.
‘No.’
The door banged open and the overhead lights flickered on. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. Mr Chinn.
‘OK, kids, hand over your booze and don’t make a fuss.’
‘We don’t have any booze,’ said Connor.
‘Connor? Is that you? What are you doing up here? Dare I ask?’