Chapter One

It was the first day of a new school term, known as doomsday to all school kids around the world. It’s like that Monday morning feeling, when the whole week is stretched out before you and the weekend seems so far away. Only it’s ten times worse. Because instead of five days stretched out before me it was six weeks, and the distance between that morning and the October half term seemed like a lifetime. Six weeks full of assignments, tests, homework and detentions. I knew it would be six weeks of hell.

Still, it wasn’t supposed to be as bad this time around. We’d all taken our GCSE’s the previous June - and thankfully all passed - and were about to embark on a life as sixth form students. We were making the leap from childhood to becoming young adults. No more school uniform, that had to be a big plus. More freedom from teachers breathing down our necks at every opportunity. And more – what were they called – oh yeah, "study periods". Those slots on the timetable where you were supposed to be researching for your coursework, but would inevitably be spent in the local pub. Sixth form did sound like an attractive prospect, but it didn’t really change the fact that at the end of the day, we were still in school.

And as usual, I was running late.

Although, to be fair, it wasn’t entirely my fault. We’d had a late one the night before. You know how it is the night before you go back to school, you always have the best intentions for getting an early night. So we’d decided that we wouldn’t have a big night out, just something low key, pizza and vids at Lucy’s house. And one or two drinks. I don’t remember what time I got to bed in all honesty, but I knew it was pretty late. We’d stayed up into the wee small hours talking about the year that lay ahead of us, our hopes, our dreams…but most importantly making a pact that whatever happened, we’d always remain true friends.

Not surprisingly I had very little enthusiasm when my alarm clock went off at seven that morning. In fact, I hit the snooze button, rolled over, and went back to sleep again. It was a great plan…until my mum came knocking on my door at eight o’clock to see if I was ready to leave.

"Why aren’t you out of bed yet?" she asked, eyes wide open in horror.

I feigned ignorance. "But it’s Sunday, isn’t it mum?"

She glowered down at me. "You know full well it’s Monday morning and you’re due to go back to school today!" She threw the curtains wide open, revealing the brightest shaft of sunlight I had ever seen. "I knew you should’ve stayed in last night."

I groaned as I pulled the duvet up over my head. "I wasn’t out that late last night…"

I was hoping she wouldn’t have heard me from under the covers.

"You came crawling in at about 3am! That’s hardly enough sleep for someone who’s starting a new school year."

She dragged the duvet off me, leaving me feeling exposed in my underwear (well, it had been very late when I’d got in, and I hadn’t had the energy to change into my pyjamas!)

"Right, come on, chop chop, into the shower and I’ll drive you to school. I’ll make you some toast to eat on the way."

And with that she had breezed out of the room. How did mothers manage to do that? Be up at the crack of dawn to get their kids up, and act like it was the most natural thing in the world? Maybe it just happens the day you give birth, you suddenly wake up with the ability to be cheerful every single morning and make your kids feel guilty if they don’t act the same…

I rolled out of bed and landed with a thud on the floor. I was so tired that I didn’t actually register the pain. I managed to drag myself along the hallway to the bathroom, and somehow worked out how to turn the shower on…god knows how I was awake enough to do that! The person who’d been in before me had left it on a really cold setting (that’d be my dad then!), and the water hit me like a million pin pricks piercing my skin. I let out a yelp.

It did the trick though…all of a sudden I was wide-awake, all thoughts of my lovely warm bed had been replaced with a warm glow as I thought about seeing my mates. It didn’t matter what happened at school, what those torturous teachers threw at us, as long as we were together we could handle anything!

It felt kinda weird not having to put on a school uniform. I’d already laid out what I was going to wear – in fact, I’d decided about a week ago. Well, a girl’s gotta make a good impression, hasn’t she? I’d decided on my fave jeans and my maroon fitted top. Casual, but still looking like I’d made an effort. Although I didn’t know why I was bothering, it wasn’t like I had anybody to impress. I’d spent the past four years with these people. Unless any of the guys’d had plastic surgery over the summer and come back looking like studs, there was little chance of me getting any action this year.

The journey to school was a short one, but glancing down at my watch as I munched my last bit of toast I could see I was going to be late. Great. That’s all I needed. If there was one thing I hated it was walking into class late…the way everyone turned round and stared at you was so embarrassing! What if I didn’t get a seat next to the others? What if I had to sit in a corner all by myself? The traumas of being a sixth former were already beginning to creep in…

I leapt out of the car without even giving my mum a backward glance, raced across the car park to the front entrance of the school, and flung the door open. I suddenly stopped.

Right, I thought, straightening myself up. Calm down, act cool. I can’t go running around the school acting like I’m bothered about being late. Don’t want to walk into class looking all red in the face and out of breath. But still, I don’t want to be late to class.

I sped up so I was walking fast. I could handle this! I could get to class in time and still retain my dignity. I could do it with my eyes closed if I wanted.

Thud.

I’d been so engrossed in my "keep cool" thoughts that I’d walked slap-bang into somebody. Or rather, they’d walked slap-bang into me.

"Oi!" I yelled, bringing my eyes up to meet the enemy. "Watch where you’re…"

My voice trailed off as I locked eyes with the guy in front of me. Oh my God, I’d walked right into an angel!

He was about six feet tall, tanned, and his short brown hair was slightly spiked on top. His baby blues were locked on mine, a slight smile playing around his lips.

"I’m really sorry," he apologised. "I didn’t see you there."

I was speechless. I don’t know what came over me, but it was like all of a sudden my life made sense. It was the strangest sensation. All the answers to my problems were right there, in this stranger’s eyes.

Not only that, but I could see right through into his mind too, and I knew he was feeling exactly the same. I really didn’t want anything to break this moment…and then he spoke again.

"I…er…I’m looking for the office. It’s my first day you see…"

I could feel myself grinning at him, and knew I must’ve looked like a complete idiot.

"Sure…it’s just at the end of the corridor, turn left, and it’s on the right."

I was amazed at my own ability to string a sentence together. We stood for a while again, just gazing, as though this was the first time we’d ever seen another human being. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me! It had to be love at first sight…I’d spent all of ten seconds with this guy, and already I was having visions of our wedding, and how many kids we were going to have.

The bell for first class rang, and I was shaken back to reality.

"That’s the bell."

"Yeah, it is."

"I’d better be getting to class."

"I’d better be getting to the office."

Our eyes still didn’t move an inch.

"Well…it was nice bumping into you…"

"You too."

I could feel my feet moving now, although I didn’t know how. I wasn’t consciously making them move, they had suddenly gained a mind of their own. Maybe I was just floating on air…

I quickly turned back round to him.

"I’m Sophie by the way."

He grinned. "I’m Ben. I’ll maybe see you at lunch time?"

"That’d be nice."

And at that moment I knew…this was the guy I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.