Typical Chloe. I have ONE thing goin for meh and she has to make meh feel bad abou' it.

"Ah'm sorry, Clo, I already had plans with Finn. Why can't ya just ask Izzy ta go instead?"

"Fine. That's fine, Rae. Ah just though' tha' maybeh you'd grown a conscience between the last three times you've blown meh off and now. Guess not."

"Whateva."

"Whateva."

Rae slammed her locker and retreated to the girls' restroom. She walked straight into the disabled toilet , locked the door, and dropped her bag. She sunk down onto the toilet and bit her nails. Maybe Chloe was right to be upset but couldn't Rae be selfish for once? Chloe has everything. Rae just wants to enjoy her totally fit boyfriend before he comes to his senses and dumps her for a normal, demi-goddess who can match up to his pure sexiness.-She couldn't think about that now. She didn't need a full-blown anxiety attack before history.-Rae took a few deep breaths and, when the bell rang, she felt calm enough to go to class. She'd make up with Chloe later. As she opened the stall door, however, she heard the unwelcome click of heels and an unsettling harmony of skank talk.

Just keep ya head down. You aren't in the right mood to be dealin' with them.

But avoiding eye contact wasn't going to work. Just as she was almost out the door, Head Skank chimed, "Oh, look, it's Humungo Raemundo-quick! Hide ya lipstick before she mistakes it for a sausage roll! Yeh'll nevah see it again!"

The sycophantic cackles that followed rang in Rae's ears. She was finally getting used to the new diplomacy policy of Big G and the Green Lane Gang and she quite liked that no one other than herself had bullied her for awhile. At the start of sixth form, however, she found herself the target for a whole new team of tormentors: the Skank Squad. Today was not her day. She felt like she left her Rae armor at home but she did her best to muster up some kind of defense:

"Yeah, you'd bettah hold on ta that face paint or else you's lot might have ta resort to ya personalities ta get attention from a bloke and who knows how long it would take for one of you's to grow one of them? Ya exactly can't stuff 'em like yah bras."

She could clearly see by the looks on their flat faces that even her laziest insult would float right over the skanks' heads but not Head Skank. Head Skank's real name is Amanda and, last year, during Rae's astrangement from Chloe, she remembered seeing them a few times at the mall. Chloe and the Skank Squad flirting with the boys at the food court for free chips. Chloe had looked like such a child, twirling her hair and batting her eyelashes, while Amanda expertly manuevered her perky breasts and glossy lips. Rae had wished that she was there with Chloe, instead, actually paying for chips and maybe going to a Saturday matinee to make fun of whatever Hugh Grant chick flick was in. But things change. Chloe didn't need Rae anymore and Amanda was exactly the kind of girl Rae imagined she would lose Chloe to. She was fit, popular, demanding, and powerful. She preyed on the weak and always went in for the kill.

"Oh, yeah, ah'm sure that's how ya snatched Finn, huh? Ya sparklin' personaliteh? Funny, ah don't remember 'im spendin' too much time worryin' about tha' when he 'ad his tongue down my throat and his hand up my shirt last year."

Oh, GOD. Oh, NO.

She could feel the tears marching their way to meet her eyes and her mouth hanging open-she wasn't sure if she meant to say something or if her jaw needed some assistance in joining the rest of her face-what could she say to that? Rae knew Finn had more experience than she did-Hell, Mother Theresa had more experience than Rae-but the new couple hadn't ever felt the need to discuss it. Now, Rae was staring at the conequence of that decision: a living, breathing testament to how out-of-her-league her boyfriend really is with a smirk on her face that says she had won.

"Wha's goin' on?"

"Oh, hey Clo, ah was jus' lettin' Rae know who to thank for Finn's snogging technique."

Rae picked up her gaze from the floor to Chloe's face. She watched her friend's expression morph from what she thought was concern to something else. Chloe's eyes lit up with a look that Rae definitely knew. She was about to unleash a tongue-lashing. This was it. Rae deserved it. Chloe did have a right to be angry and now Rae would lose her best friend and her boyfriend to a proper girl. A girl who went shopping without concern of not finding something in the entire shop that was her size. A girl who could put on mascara without poking herself in the eye. A girl who would fit perfectly on the back of Finn's bike and look like an extra in a music video. A girl who could look in the mirror and tell herself, "It's fucking embarassing how good I look somedays," and mean it. Chloe snapped her head in Amanda's direction:

"Well, who's that? Because, from what ah heard, your little snog with Finn LAST YEAR lasted less than a minute and it was part of a game of truth or dare. And it was YOUR turn. Now, if ya jealous of Rae fa gettin' Finn ta kiss her without havin' ta dare him, believe me, I understand. OR if ya jealous of Rae because no mattah how many times ya've tried ta pull Archie this year, he ain't been interested since Rae turned HIM down over summer holiday, I understand that, too. But what YOU need ta understand is that, if you mess with Rae, ya messin' with meh."

Rae would definitely need some assistance getting her jaw to leave the floor. Amanda didn't seem to have a comeback either, she just glared and led her bitch army out of the bathroom. Chloe turned around to face Rae. Her cheeks were flushed but she smiled when she saw Rae's own smile greet her.

"Thanks."

"'S'not a problem. Nevah liked her anyway."

"Really? I thought ya used ta get on an' that."

"No way. We hung out a few times when, ya know, we weren't talkin' but ah nevah really liked her. She's just plain nasteh."

"Ah don't understand people like tha'. Ah mean, why does she 'ave ta pick on weak people?"

"Are ya kiddin' meh, Rae?"

Chloe looked incredulously into Rae's eyes to see if it was some kind of joke but Rae just stared blankly back at her and gave her a little shrug and a shake of her head.

"RACHEL EARL."

Bloody hell, no wonduh mah mum loves her so much.

"Wha'?"

"Ya not weak, Rae. She picks on ya because she's jealous. She's jealous becos ya clevah, she's jealous that ya don't need ta rely on ya looks to get attention from boys, she's jealous that ya've got Finn."

"Yeah, right."

"Believe meh! Ah know how tha' feels."

Rae felt so confused. "Wait, wha'?"

"Like ah really need ta tell ya that ah'm jealous of ya. Geez, Rae, for bein' much smarteh than meh, ya really can be thick."

Rae just shook her head, "Ah think maybeh ah'll tell Finn ta 'ave a lads' night this weekend. Ah've missed ya."

Chloe sighed, "Good. At least we've given her one more thing to be jealous of."

"Wha's tha'?"

"Ya best friend, moron! C'mon, we're late."