Chapter Text
‘Elle, stop laughing at me and give me some advice please!’ I’m desperate and whiny but my friends are not being helpful right now.
‘I’m sorry Charlie, I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal that you’ve never kissed a boy before.’ Elle shrugs like my world isn’t collapsing around me.
We went to a party last night and we played spin the bottle. I was fully prepared to take a dare but no, they all pushed for a truth.
A truth.
My worst nightmare honestly. I wasn’t prepared. I had no back up stories in place.
‘So Charlie, who was your first kiss?’ Darcy had asked.
Innocent enough.
But no, that caused an internal melt down. I could feel my cheeks heat up immediately, my eyes began to burn, my palms turned clammy.
‘Oh, uh— well,’ I stuttered. Argh, why did I stutter.
‘Oh my god!’ Imogen shrieked. The popular girl, of course . ‘You’ve never kissed anyone!’ She pointed at me—dead in the face.
Of course everyone stared. Straight at me.
Bitch .
But yeah. You heard that right.
I’m 14 and I’ve never kissed anyone.
Now, it may not be a big deal to everybody , but to me? It makes me want to die .
‘I—huh, um—’
‘So what!’ Elle shouted, loud enough to cut through the noise. But it was too late. Imogen and her little posse were already sniggering behind their hands, giggling like it was the most hilarious thing they'd ever heard.
I scanned the group. My eyes locked with Darcy’s. They looked… guilty. Their face said it all: oh shit .
I took a deep breath.
It’s okay. Not a big deal. They’ll forget in like, two seconds.
But then I heard it.
That snorty, exaggerated laugh.
I turned towards the door.
Harry Green. Ew.
And then—
Fuck.
Nick Nelson.
They were standing right there.
They’d heard .
Nick was looking straight at me. I couldn’t read his face. Maybe confused. Maybe amused.
He probably wanted to laugh too.
That was it.
My eyes started to burn and I just knew I had to get out of there.
Before I could even decide what to do, my legs kicked into gear and I was running— bolting —out of the room.
‘ Charlie! ’ someone shouted behind me. Elle? Darcy? I couldn’t tell.
I shoved past Nick Nelson and Harry Green.
Stupid, dumb rugby lads.
Harry was practically pissing himself laughing.
And Nick? He just stared .
Probably not surprised that nobody had ever wanted to kiss me.
He sits next to me in form. He tries to talk to me sometimes. But I know it’s just him being polite. Just Nick Nelson doing what Nick Nelson does—being nice to the weird, nerdy kids. Like it's a performance or charitable gesture of some kind.
I tore through the kitchen, the blood pounding in my ears louder than the party around me.
I sprinted past Tao. He reached out for me—tried to stop me—but I dodged his grip. He shouted my name, started to run after me, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
I’m a fast runner. Nobody could catch me. Thank god .
I just sprinted.
All the way home.
And the moment I crossed the threshold and shut the front door behind me, I dropped to my knees and sobbed.
‘Right— Mission: Kiss a Boy is officially activated!’ I declare, puffing out my chest and sweeping my hands through the air like I’ve just made a grand revelation.
Elle gives me a look. The kind that says you're ridiculous but I love you anyway.
‘Charlie, it’s honestly okay. Everyone moves at their own pace. Don’t stress about it. Last night was just—’
‘Humiliating? Horrific? Life-ending ?’
‘Life-ending?’ she repeats, raising an eyebrow.
Okay, she’s clearly not impressed with my melodramacity .
‘Yes, Elle. Life-ending. ’
She huffs. Which is good. Huffing usually means she’s caving.
‘ Fine! ’ she sighs, hands in the air. ‘I’ll help you kiss a boy. Not because I think you need to rush into anything, but because I know you’ll never shut up about it otherwise.’
I shriek and launch myself at her, hugging her tight and bouncing on the spot.
Victory! I always get my way.
‘You’re the best! ’ I beam.
She shoves me back, hands firm on my shoulders, eyes scanning me like I’m a dishevelled Pinterest board in desperate need of curating.
‘It’s makeover time.’
Oh no.
‘What, now ?’ I blink. This was not on my agenda.
‘Yep. You want to kiss a boy? Then you need to put some effort in.’
‘Makeover how?’
‘Right—I’m thinking, skincare, a proper hair routine, and we need to pluck these sluggy eyebrows.’
Ouch.
I immediately bolt to the mirror.
‘Sluggy?’ I mutter, poking at the cluster of hairs above my eyes. ‘They’re not that bad, surely?’
Then I check the bit in between.
Oh.
Monobrow.
Okay… maybe they need a little attention.
Elle’s already rummaging in her bag like she’s been preparing for this her entire life . Way to boost my confidence, bestie.
We’re midway through the makeover. She won’t let me look in the mirror. Apparently the work-in-progress version of me is too tragic for public viewing. I’m not sure if I should be offended or scared.
‘So, what boy would you like to kiss?’ she asks, brows furrowed in concentration. The tip of her tongue is pressed to the side of her mouth as she goes to town on my eyebrows. Cute.
‘In real life or in my dreams?’
‘Mmm, both,’ she says casually, right before ripping out another hair. Ouch.
‘Okay, dreams? Nick Nelson.’ I say it fast, like ripping off a plaster. ‘In real life… I guess I’d go for his mate Ben. I heard a rumour he’s bisexual.’
Elle freezes mid-pluck.
‘ Ben Hope? Bisexual?’
She full-on shudders .
To be fair, Ben doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. We’ve all heard he’s a bit of a slag.
‘Yeah, I know. I was shocked too,’ I say with a shrug. ‘It’s slim pickings at Truham. I’ll take what I can get at this point.’
Elle gives me a look. One of those are you actually kidding me right now looks.
‘So what makes you think you can’t get Nick Nelson?’ she asks, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
She says it like Nick Nelson is totally within my reach.
‘Oh, Elle. Come on. I know you love me, but let’s be realistic.’
I carry on—
‘Firstly, he’s straight. Which should honestly be the only point. You can’t just go around turning people gay.’
I tick off points on my fingers.
‘Secondly, I sit next to him in form. He talks to me sometimes, yeah—but he stutters and looks away like I’m so nerdy he might catch it .’
Now I’m spiralling . Ugh. Why does he have to be the fittest person in school?
‘Thirdly—he’s going out with tarty Tara .’
Elle raises an eyebrow. ‘I thought that was just a rumour?’
‘Nope. I sit next to him in form, remember? I see him texting her. Loads of heart emojis. It’s disgusting.’
She finishes my makeover— after we’ve slagged off half the school—and then I send her packing before she can start berating me about my Converse.
I may be a desperate little bitch right now, but my Converse are sacred and will not be sacrificed.
I missed my bus this morning.
So now, not only am I running late—I also have to walk past the hanger-on rugby lads loitering by the benches, because obviously they’re too cool to get to form on time.
‘ Look who it is—Charlie Spring! ’ Dickhead Harry, of course. Oh, have a fucking day off.
But I don’t have a death wish, so I put my head down and keep walking.
I hear my name again, but I ignore it and walk faster.
Then—
A weight lands on my shoulder.
I flinch and pull back slightly. Brilliant. My morning just keeps getting better. What insult am I in for now?
I turn around.
Oh.
It’s Nick Nelson.
Great.
‘ What? ’ I snap, sharper than I mean to be. I’m just so sick of the popular lads thinking they can say whatever they like, whenever they feel like it.
Nick blinks.
‘I—I just thought we could walk to form together,’ he says, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘If you don’t mind, of course.’
Urgh. Why does this boy look like a golden retriever?
‘Fine,’ I mutter, and we walk—awkwardly, side by side.
We shuffle into the classroom and I plonk my bag on the desk, pulling out my books because, well, I might as well get some homework done.
‘Excuse me, boys,’ Mr. Lange says, voice sharp. ‘Do you think you can just stroll in here whenever you like?’
Of course he chooses today to be a dick.
Here we go.
I look up sheepishly. He’s actually not a bad teacher, and I’m shy as fuck , so I open my mouth to stutter out an apology—
But I get beaten to it.
‘I had to go to the sports department, Sir. Important captain duties for the rugby team. But Charlie popped by to chat about joining, so it’s my fault we’re both late—I got a bit carried away with the chit-chat.’
I blink.
What.
‘Oh, well. In that case, it’s fine,’ Mr. Lange says, clearly impressed. ‘You know I support all extracurricular activities this school has to offer. Use them or lose them —that’s my motto!’
His lips twitch into a pleased smile and now I feel awful .
Even though I didn’t choose to lie, Nick bloody Nelson just did it for me.
Stupidly gorgeous Nick Nelson.
The class simmers down into gentle chatter after the register’s called, and I turn to Nick, teeth clenched.
‘What was that ?’ I hiss.
‘A thank you would be nice,’ he says, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
Then I notice his eyes roaming—slowly, deliberately—over my face.
His brow furrows.
‘Uh, you look—’ Here we go. He’s stuttering again. Probably winding up for an insult.
‘You look, uh… different.’
‘ Different? ’ I ask, jaw tight. Defensive. Ready to snap.
‘Um… good different.’ He swallows. ‘You look… nice.’
‘Thanks,’ I mumble, then turn back to my book and drop my head. That was a surprise.
The muscles in my face betray me. They twitch at the corners, threatening a smile.
But I’ll be damned if I’m going to grin because of this big, dumb rugby idiot.
‘I can’t believe he lied . To a teacher ,’ Tao says, shaking his head like Nick committed a war crime.
‘I know , right? I didn’t even ask him to lie,’ I say, all high and mighty—like I wasn’t two seconds away from shitting myself at the thought of getting told off in front of everyone.
‘What a dick,’ Tao agrees solemnly.
‘Am I hearing this right?’ Elle chimes in, sounding far too amused.
We’re at my house. Sleepover night. It’s Friday, and Tao, Elle, and Isaac are all staying over—it’s tradition.
We usually watch films, normally boring ones Tao picks. But I’d never tell him that. It’d hurt his feelings. He’s a sensitive guy, would you believe?
‘Yeah?’ I say, baffled. What isn’t Elle getting? Nick Nelson lied to a teacher. And implicated me in the crime.
‘He helped you out, Charlie, and you’re moaning about him,’ she says, sounding both shocked and annoyingly reasonable. Not that I’d ever admit it.
‘He’s a bully, Elle. Charlie can moan all he likes,’ Tao cuts in, arms crossed.
Elle glares at him.
Oh no.
‘Isaac, please help me out here with these idiots ,’ she groans.
Isaac doesn’t say anything. Not straight away. He just lowers his book, eyes us both over the top of it… and raises a single eyebrow.
We crack immediately.
Well—I do.
Tao takes more pressure to fold.
‘ Urgh , alright,’ I huff. ‘He was being nice . Happy now?’
I sink back into my blanket, arms folded. I hate being wrong.
And yeah, what Nick did today was… decent. I should’ve said thanks. But you’ve got to keep people like that at arm’s length.
People who can wreck your whole day just by asking to walk to form with you.
It doesn’t take long for the conversation to circle back to my dilemma.
Of course it did— I brought it up.
Because if you can’t enlist the help of your friends in your most dramatic hour of need, then honestly, what’s the point in having them?
‘So let me get this straight,’ Tao says slowly, eyebrows raised. ‘You want to kiss Ben Hope ?’
‘Well… anyone really,’ I shrug. ‘But Ben seems like the most likely option.’
‘Because he’s a player , Charlie. Do you not see him bouncing from girl to girl at the school gates?’
‘Exactly! Which is why it works in my favour. He won’t care, it won’t be a thing —I just need to kiss somebody so I don’t have to lie the next time we play spin the bottle.’
Elle groans.
‘Well I believe in romance,’ Isaac says, not even looking up from his book. ‘I think you should keep your first kiss sacred. Give your lip virginity to someone who actually deserves it.’
I stare at him.
‘So wholesome, Isaac,’ I say, rolling my eyes dramatically.
I love my friends, but they just don’t get it .
Elle and Tao snogged once as a dare, so they’ve technically had their first kiss. They fancy each other but keep pretending they don’t. So classically them , insert one of my classic eye rolls here.
It’s honestly exhausting.
And Isaac—well, Isaac doesn’t care about this kind of stuff. He just floats above it all, perfectly content doing his own thing.
But not me.
I can’t be like that. I don’t fit in enough as it is , so… Mission: Kiss Anyone is officially a thing.
And it will remain a thing until someone has locked lips with me.
‘Well, I didn’t want to say anything because I know how you get about these things, but—’
I sit up instantly.
‘Spit it out, Elle—’
‘Urgh, this is so boring. Change the subject, please,’ Tao groans.
I will kill him if I have to.
My spidey senses tell me Elle has an idea.
‘So, I overheard Imogen Heany.’
Urgh , that bitch.
‘She said she’s going to Harry Greene’s party, and that everyone’s going to be there. So, I assume that means Ben Hope and possibly Nick Nelson too.’
‘Oh, great,’ I huff. ‘Another party I’m not invited to.’
I know Elle didn’t mean it like that, but it still stings. I’m never invited to any of the cool parties.
‘Charlie, use some common sense please.’ She says with a giggle.
‘Why is it relevant? Harry will never give me an invite.’ I sigh with frustration.
She eye rolls me again, like she’s sick of my attitude. I don’t blame her but I also don’t have time to dwell.
‘You sit next to Nick Nelson in form…’
I widen my eyes, and?
‘You could ask him for an invite to the party… then speak to Ben in real life rather than scheming in secret.’
Oh.
The penny dropped.
‘Elle, you beautiful, beautiful genius!’ I screech, launching myself at her and pulling her into a massive hug.
My friends are the best.
Well—Elle is, right now . Tao… not so much.
(Just kidding. I love them all. Even if Tao’s being a whiny little drama queen.)
Mission: Get Invited to Harry Green’s Party is officially a go.
I groomed myself into oblivion before school this morning. Setting my alarm half an hour earlier than usual, even though it physically pained me.
But it was worth it. I look good.
And if Nick just so happens to drop another compliment my way? Well… that’s on him.
I walk into form, head held high.
Today’s mission: charm the pants off Nick Nelson and get myself invited to that party.
I’m not totally sure how that’s going to go—but Nick doesn’t seem as nerd-averse as I originally thought. So… I’m sure I can wangle my way in somehow .
‘Hi,’ I say, giving a casual little wave as I sit down next to him.
He’s already here. It looks like he got to form early too.
The “hi” comes out more breathily than I intended, but—never mind.
Damage is done. We move on.
‘Hi,’ Nick says back. His cheeks are kissed with a barely-there blush.
Adorable, actually.
But okay, focus . We cannot get sidetracked.
‘How are you?’ I ask. That’s a normal question, right? But it startles him. He blinks and stumbles over his words like I asked him to explain quantum physics.
Okay, maybe he’s back on his “I don’t talk to geeks” hype. Cool, cool .
‘Uh—um—yeah, I’m good, thank you. How about you?’ he finally manages.
‘Fine, thanks.’ I lean in slightly. Time to go in for the kill. ‘So, the weekend—you up to much?’
It’s bold. But I have a goal. And a good outfit. So.
‘Oh.’ His cheeks are definitely pinker now. And it’s not hot in here. ‘I’m going to Harry Greene’s party. It’s in some big mansion apparently.’
‘Oh, nice. I’ve never been to a Year 11 party before. Bet it’s cool.’
I throw the bait. He probably won’t take it. But a guy can try.
‘Really? You can come with me if you like.’
I blink. That was too easy.
‘You wouldn’t want me tagging along. I’m a bit of a nerd.’
Okay, I know I was angling for this, but now I’m the one blushing. It sounds like he’s asking me on a date. Even though I know that’s just wishful thinking.
‘A bit?’ he teases, then giggles .
Giggles.
Calm down , rugby lad, you're looking way too human .
I bat his arm playfully. It’s rock hard. Pure muscle, I assume.
I try very, very hard not to drool on the desk. Now that would be a disaster.
The rest is history. We make it a date. Not a date, date. But you know—
Nevermind. You get the picture.
We leave form and I immediately scurry into the toilets. There is no way in hell I'm getting my phone taken off me today—so toilet stall it is. I need to text the group chat, like, yesterday.
The Chaos Coven 🧹
Charlie: ok bitches guess who got an invite to harry greene’s party?
Tao: well i hope it’s you charlie because if it’s me… i’m not going
Elle: 🙄
Isaac: 🤮 yay for unromantic kissing
Charlie: loving the support guys 🙄 kiss virginity about to be gone, pls send thoughts and lip balm