Love Bomb by Jenny McLachlan

singing then looked away quite quickly.
    3.   Thursday, he called me ‘The T-Dog’s one and only B-Cakes’ in front of Kat, and after rehearsal held my finger (OK, he kind of grabbed it to stop me touching his new guitar, but he didn’t have to keep hold of it for as long as he did).
    4.   Friday, he said Saturday would be ‘wicked hanging with my mates and the B-Cake’.

    ‘Mates’ turns out to be ‘mate’ and his name is Nat. We meet him in the Lanes and Toby does a complicated handshake-punching thing with him, before saying, ‘This is Betty,’ and nodding in my direction.
    ‘Hi,’ I say, giving a wave. Nat is like a blond version of Toby. They’re both wearing low-slung skinny jeans, shirts and Diesel jackets. And they’re both tall. Standing next to them, in my panda hat, cut-offs and DMs, I feel like their scruffy little sister.
    ‘Alright,’ says Nat, then he grabs Toby round the neck and rubs his knuckles into his scalp. ‘I missed you, T-Dog!’
    ‘C’mon,’ says Toby, shaking him off, ‘I need some trainers.’
    We spend the next hour wandering around looking for the perfect pair of trainers for Toby. I love shopping in Brighton, and Bill and I come whenever he’s not windsurfing and one of us has some money. We always do the same thing: go to Dave’s Comics (best comic shop in the world), drift around the second-hand shops and find funny objects, go and play with Lego in the Lego shop, then buy a doughnut from The Mock Turtle. They’re massive – the size of a baby’s face.
    Today, we walk straight past Dave’s Comics, but I don’t mind. I’m just happy being seen next to Toby. At one point, as we cross the road, I catch our reflection in a shop window. In slow-mo, I see him drop his arm across my shoulders and leave it there for a couple of seconds. I get double electric shocks because I see it happen before I feel it. My reflection grins and I look like one happy panda.
    Toby drags us round a series of shoe shops, and it’s only when I glance at my phone and realise it’s twelve that I start to worry about missing Bollie’s dance. It was supposed to start at midday. I find Toby by the hi-tops. ‘Can we go to Churchill Square now?’ I ask.
    ‘Betty’s friends are dancing there,’ Toby tells Nat. ‘They do, like, ballroom.’ He starts walking up and down the shop in a pair of grey Nikes. They’re really expensive, but his mum gave him a little wad of notes as we got out of the car so I guess he can afford them. ‘Nat, do I look like a chav?’
    ‘Nah, mate,’ says Nat.
    ‘It’s jive,’ I tell Nat. ‘And some of my friends are going to watch. I said I’d meet them there.’
    ‘Sure,’ says Nat, ‘Burger King’s that way.’
    ‘I’m just gonna try these in blue,’ says Toby. I glance at my phone. I’ve got a message from Bill: They’re on … where are you?
    ‘Can I meet you there?’ Suddenly I really want to see my friends, especially as I know they’re only a few minutes away.
    ‘Chillax, B-Cakes. We’ll see you there in five.’
    ‘Don’t miss it,’ I say as I head for the door. ‘They’re really good.’
    ‘Five minutes,’ he says, taking a pair of Vans off the shelf.

    I leg it up the hill and hear the music before I see the crowd. There are so many people I can’t see any dancers, so I squeeze my way to the front and just manage to catch the last minute of Bea and Ollie’s dance. Bea is wearing a red spotty dress. I can’t take my eyes off her as she bounces, spins and twirls. Neither can the audience. Ollie’s clearly the perfect partner because everything he does just shows off Bea’s amazing dancing. They finish with Bea rolling over Ollie’s back and popping back up through hislegs. Then the applause starts, and Bea’s in Ollie’s arms, eyes shining.
    The music starts again and they join the other dancers, going round the audience and encouraging everyone to join in.
    That’s when I spot Bill and Kat. They’re sitting on a