Chapter 2

"Hmmm." Polly sighed, resting her chin in her hands and gazing distractedly out of her window. Outside was quiet – all of the students were in lectures or studying in their rooms or in one of Cambridge's many libraries. She shook herself. What is wrong with me? For the two years that she had been at St. Trinian's, she had longed for the intense study that silence affords. I was so sure that this was what I wanted. And yet…yet… now that she had the silence, Polly found that she missed the uproar and anarchy of her old school. And I thought I'd never miss that. She sighed again, and turned resolutely back to her laptop, clicking on the Facebook icon now sat firmly at the top of her desktop.

After so long, the quiet market-town of Cambridge had come as a shock to her system, and more and more, Polly longed for some sort of excitement.

xXx

On Harley Street, Islington, Taylor flopped down on her desk chair. She was utterly bored. Her shop – "BOUTIQUE, dimwit," – selling knock off (and sometimes genuinely fake) designer gear was not doing as well as she had hoped. In fact, renting the shop, a dingy little place in Islington high street, was costing more then what she was earning. She hadn't had a customer for days now.

"I miss Kelly." She sighed to herself. "Hell, I even miss old Ghost Face." Her mind drifted to her memories of school, and she smiled as she thought of the girls and Camilla still locked up in the mouldy building. She switched n her laptop almost absently, and immediately found her way to Facebook. Typing rapidly, she clicked Kelly's profile, and began to flick through the photo albums stored there.

She and Kelly chucking Andrea in the sea, Rea dumping a bucket of sand on Taylor's head – 'I still haven't paid her back for that!'-, the three of them in a club in Tenerife, she with her arm around some guy whose name she couldn't remember…

"Damn Kelly Jones and her stupid career." Taylor was about to slam the laptop closed, when a bar began to blink orange at the bottom of her screen. She clicked it open, and stared in amazement. Polly Cole was talking to her. If truth be told, Taylor had been positive that she would never see or hear from Polly ever again after the A-Level results day. And yet…

POLLY: Hey Taylor
TAYLOR: Pol?
POLLY: How's it hangin'?
TAYLOR: Dnt evr try 2 use slang agen, Geek girl.
POLLY: So, how are you then? I hear you opened a shop?
TAYLOR: yeh…wot's it 2 u???
POLLY: Bet you're rolling in the money now then?
TAYLOR: yeh, obvs.
TAYLOR: actually, no. sucks, man.
POLLY: Tell me about it. I thought Cambridge would be fab.
TAYLOR: u dnt lke it?
POLLY: No, I do…it's just a bit…dull
POLLY: I miss St. T's. I do miss you, Taylor. I know we weren't the best of friends but…
TAYLOR: I no, man. I miss st ts 2. I fort itd b boss runin my own biz, bt its kinda crud.
POLLY: I need excitement…just something to happen. Want to come visit?
TAYLOR: nah man. Wudnt catch me cam. An I gt shp n evryfin.
POLLY: You know who I haven't heard from for ages? Kelly
TAYLOR: me eiva.
POLLY: Kinda funny, though… didn't think she'd do that.
POLLY: I have an idea.
TAYLOR: o yeh???
POLLY: You want money, right?
TAYLOR: yeh?????????
POLLY: And I want some excitement, which I'm never gonna get here…
TAYLOR: wot u tryin 2 sai gkgrl?
POLLY: I have an idea that's gonna satisfy both of our needs and get us back in touch with the other girls. Did you hear about Chloe, by the way?
TAYLOR: LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I new shed end up a sun grl.
POLLY: Anyway, are you still in touch with Andrea?

***

"Andrea? Andrea? Did you borrow my Gucci dress?"Andrea looked up from her novel with a sigh. She was trying to read 'Great Expectations' for her seminar the next day, and was nowhere near done.

She had accepted Peaches' offer of a room – Peaches was letting her stay there for nothing in return for Andrea doing the cleaning, which, Andrea had to admit, was a rather brilliant deal. She was finding it tough though; she and Peaches had never seen eye to eye over anything, and the other girl's constant interruptions made it hard for her to study. Though, Andrea had to admit, Peaches had at least made a concession in her usual tastes for decorating the flat. The look of the place was a mixture of modish and arty, in blacks, whites, greys and reds. It was, as Andrea had commented a few times before, a departure from her usual shades of pink, but Peaches had reasoned that she wasn't a high school girl anymore.

Besides which, this look was 'totally in.'

At Peaches' last question, Andrea looked up, vaguely amused, and rather glad of the break from the 'dreadful Dickens'. "Like I could get into one of your dresses." The Emo called back as she headed into the kitchen. "More likely Chloe's got it."

"Nope, not me." Chloe looked up from the plasma television set on which a rather skimpily clad Cheryl Cole – 'oh hang on, Tweedy,' Andrea mentally corrected herself before Chloe could - was instructing her audience how to 'get those fem-abs'. Andrea rolled her eyes and continued to the kitchen. Since Chloe had moved in with them, there were a lot more wine bottles littering every available surface of the flat.

"Why do you want that dress, anyway?" Andrea asked, pouring herself a glass of water. "I thought you said it made you look, 'like totally hideous'."

"Andrea, honey, we've been through this." Peaches danced into the kitchen in her frilly pink Agent Provocateur underwear. Andrea grimaced. She still hadn't got used to the way in which Peaches and Chloe had no problem with wandering round in very little clothing. As it was, Peaches threw her arm around Andrea's waist. "Nothing makes me look bad. Looking bad is only for normal people, like you. Which is why I thought you might have it - my gold Donna Karen, I mean. To try to look good."

Andrea stared at her. Blinking airhead. Peaches hadn't even noticed what she had said. Just two more years, Re. Two more years… Andrea sighed. Let's hope I find a better deal before I turn into one of them.

"Well, I don't have your dress." The Emo growled, pushing past Peaches and heading to her bedroom. Peaches followed her into the living room, and watched the Emo's door bang shut. She turned to Chloe, who had paused mid work out to snack on crackers, and was also watching Andrea's retreat. Peaches reached out, fondling her best friend's hair.

"I am so glad you're living here too!"

***

Back in her room, Andrea was totally fed up. Fed up with Peaches and Chloe, fed up with the prospect of cleaning, fed up with frikkin' stuck up Pip – ugh. She chucked her copy of 'Great Expectations' across the room. "Why the hell would anyone wanna try and fit in with a bunch of snobs?" she grumbled half under her breath.

Bloody hell, Re, look around ya. She sighed. Cannot wait to get back to reality. She sighed, glancing at the photos that adorned her walls. Her and Kelly on their first day at St. Trinian's – so young, so innocent. Well, looking innocent at any rate. We were way worse than the twins ever were. Her glance moved across to more recent pictures. Her and Kelly on holiday with Taylor in Tenerife, lounging around the pool, splashing –harrumph – in the sea, stood in a club at night. She sighed again, her eyes moving round her room, finally coming to rest on her phone.

"Wish she'd ring, just once in a while. Damn Kelly Jones and her stupid career." She stared, willing the phone to ring. Suddenly, 'Teenagers' blasted out, and Andrea's jaw dropped open. Diving across her room, she grabbed her phone. She pushed up the cover, her fingers shaking in excitement and disbelief. "Kelly?" Her voice was hopeful, breathless, a smile already on her lips. But instead of Kelly's cool reply, Andrea was met with a gale of laughter.

"Good God, Morticia, why the 'ell would Kelly phone you?"

"Taylor?"

"Nah, 's'other Chav you know. Get wiv it, Ghost Face."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Taylor? It's been three months." Three months since the argument and Kelly's mysterious disappearance.

"No one's found 'er yet, 'ave they?" Taylor's voice was cautious now.

Andrea shrugged, before remembering that Taylor couldn't see her. "No news is good news. Means that she's not definitely dead." Her voice was strangely guarded. There was an uncomfortable pause. "Look, Taylor, what do you want?" Andrea finally snapped.

"Was jus' wonderin' 'ow you are, Tish. Man, don' bite me 'ead off." Taylor sounded offended.

Andrea took a deep breath and slumped back onto her bed. "Sorry, Taylor. I'm just…stressed. Uni's a lot of work, and living with Peaches and Chloe isn't exactly a picnic, you know?"

"Can't believe you three are livin' togeva." Taylor guffawed.

"Oh shut up. How's the shop?"

There was a pause. "'S'alright." Taylor answered.

"It's crap, isn't it? Oh goodness, tell me you're having as bad a time as me." The Emo could hardly suppress the glee from her voice.

"No need to sound so frikkin' pleased, Tish." Taylor grumbled. "Can't all be frikkin' 'ot-shots at university. Speakin' of who, you know who I 'eard from?"

"I'm not a mind reader, Taylor."

"Shut up. Polly."

"Polly?"

"Yeah, that's who I was talkin' to. 'Ave you 'eard from 'er?"

"Not since she went all snobby about Cambridge. Don't think I wanna to be honest."

"She 'ates it."

"What?" Andrea snorted. "Polly hates Cambridge? As if. What the hell have you been smoking, Taylor?"

"Oy, that's you with the frikkin' dope."

"That was one time. That was a mistake. You said –"

"Keep yer rat on, Tish. Was a joke man. Do you wanna 'ear what Polly said or not?"

"Not really." Andrea closed her eyes. Polly Cole was one of the last people she wanted to hear about right then.

"Gonna tell ya anyway."

"Why ask then?" Andrea was exasperated.

"Well, she was sayin' that she were like mega bored, an' that Cambridge was a bi' of a dump, and she misses St. Trinian's. An' she came up wiv a plan."

"Go on…" Andrea's curiosity got the better of her.

"Wot if we stir up a bi' of trouble?"

"Trouble?"

"Like the old days, y'know? Nick a few bobs from a couple of lords, an' Bob's ya uncle."

"What?" Andrea sat bolt upright, hitting her head on the sloping ceiling above her head. "Ow."

"'Sup?"

"Nothing" Andrea rubbed her head, staring ruefully at the ceiling. "Taylor, we can't steal."

"What? Why not?" Taylor demanded.

"Because it's wrong. We could get arrested."

"And? That never stopped us before."

"We're not at school any more, Taylor. We don't have Miss Fritton to watch our backs."

"We can watch our own. Come on, Tish. Where's your spirit gone? You need the money." Andrea looked sadly over at the pile of bank statements in the corner of her room and sighed. Having a student loan didn't mean that she saw any of the money – her father used it as his new 'gambling fund'. Is stealing really so bad?

"It's wrong, Tay." Andrea's voice was tinged with regret.

On the other end of the phone, Taylor smiled. She knew she could convince her friend now… It was just a matter of time.