Omg I am so sorry. I was planning to have this chapter up by Thursday but I've been so distracted...

It's been like six whole days. I'm so sorry! :'(

It was funny how most girls would do anything to get a boy to ask them to the school dance everyone seemed to be talking about.

It was also funny how since the minute the posters were up, Irene had been asked by no less than twelve different boys.

It was getting tiring.

She was running out of new and original ways to reject them. She had even said yes to one or two of them- just for fun.

Irene was the 'it' girl. The one all the boys were fighting over, trying to impress, thanks to the reputation she'd worked so hard to build up for herself.

There was only one person she had any interest in going with, however, but he was (unfortunately) unavailable.

But this wasn't about her. She'd probably end up finding a date at the last minute. It didn't matter.

What did matter, though, was the plan. And getting all the little pieces of the puzzle in place, so that she could mess it all up.

It was what she was best at. It was what she had always done. And it was what she needed to do.

"Why would you want to do that?"

They just didn't get it. They just didn't.

"Because everyone else is."

"Doesn't mean you have to..."

Molly's parents weren't exactly strict. She had a reasonable amount of independence and freedom.

They just... didn't understand. They just didn't seem to realise that their little girl wasn't a little girl anymore.

"Molly, you're not like all the other girls."

She knew. She knew it all too well. And she hated it.

"Mum, I've already made plans." Molly argued.

"Plans? You've got a date?"

"No!"

She hadn't told her parents about Sherlock. As far as they were concerned, the two of them were friends. Very close friends.

Because Molly's parents just didn't get it. Didn't understand what it was like being a teenage girl. After all, the '80s were years and years ago...

"No." Molly lied, trying to calm herself down, "I don't have a boyfriend. But some of the girls in my biology class... well, we arranged to meet up there. I just thought it might be fun. Make some friends."

It worked. Of course it worked. Even if they didn't understand her, they still wanted the best for their little girl. And the thought of her having social life, having actual friends (other than that strange curly-haired boy who came round a lot) convinced them to agree.

"But what has this got to do with taking you to the mall tomorrow?" Molly's mother enquired.

"I need something to wear."

"You've got that nice purple skirt I bought you the other day. You've never worn that one before."

Maybe there was a reason for that.

Molly shook her head.

"Or the lovely yellow dress you wore to your grandmother's house last summer."

"Mum, I can't wear that in public!"

"There's also the white one with the flowers on it..."

"It's stained."

"I could bleach it for you..."

"Mum!" Molly snapped, "I'm fifteen years old. This is a big event. I want something nice to wear."

Then came the lecture on 'changing who you are to impress others'. Molly had expected that.

But in the end, her mother gave in.

Success. Again.

Things were slowly falling into place.

Again, I'm so sorry. It's really short. I know. And I'm sorry. But I didn't want to wait another day before posting. I will try to update faster next time, however. I'm just... missing the freedom of summer holidays.

thank you all for reviewing. And please don't hate me for being so lazy these past few days... I know I deserve it... But I will improve. I'm going to start writing the next one tonight. I will make up for it. I will.

I hate Sunday afternoons.