Will was digging hungrily into his fried chicken sandwich in the school cafeteria during lunch one day when Chloe came up and sat across the table from him. She put her elbows on the table and leaned in close to him, her long silky golden hair hovering dangerously close to his sandwich.

"Hey Will!" she said in a sunny voice. "Would you like to go on a date?"

Will blinked at her. His mind struggled to process that question. He thought she said "date" but her presence might have befuddled him. Maybe she had just asked him if he would like some cake. "What?" he stammered.

Chloe smiled a dazzling smile. The expression on her face was like one which people usually gave small children who did not understand what was going on. "Would you like to go on a date?" she repeated slowly.

"With you?" Will asked in surprise.

Chloe laughed. "Bless. But, no. I actually meant Hannah," she said.

Hannah was another one of the girls in Will's year. She was also beautiful, with shiny chestnut brown hair that cascaded in curls over her shoulders. She had been dating one of the school's football players. It had been rumoured that the two had recently split, though no one was certain why. But the only thing the blokes cared about was that this gorgeous specimen of the female sex was currently single and available.

Will's eyebrows shot up so high that they almost disappeared into his hair. "Why would she want to go on a date with me?" he asked.

"You know how she dumped that jerk last week?" Chloe began. "Well, she thought she should try dating guys that may not quite be her type. You know, the 'opposites attract' thing. So instead of going for the loud, popular guys, she wants to go the opposite. You know, guys who are... well, guys who are like you."

"Are you saying I'm quiet and unpopular?" Will asked indignantly. "I'm not quiet. And I'm very popular!"

Chloe's expression turned into one of amusement. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Will, but you're really quiet. And you're sitting here by yourself. Alone. At lunchtime."

"Shut up," Will said, feeling hurt. He frowned and looked down at his sandwich.

"Will, I'm sorry. I did try to be delicate," Chloe apologised. "And I didn't mean it that way. I meant the guys who are a bit quieter, who don't usually hog the spotlight. You know? The ones who are more modest and humble, but also nice and sweet. I thought you fit the bill. That's why I immediately thought of you."

Will grudgingly accepted this explanation. "Thanks, I guess," he said.

"So, do you want to go on a date with Hannah or not?" Chloe repeated her original question.

Will shook his head. He had never really been interested in Hannah, since she had never given him a second look and probably didn't even know he was alive.

Chloe sighed. She scanned the cafeteria. "Who else do you think is suitable?" she asked conversationally.

That was when an idea sparked in Will's head. "I have the perfect person in mind," he said. "He's a real gentleman."

A week later, on a Saturday, he and Jem stood at Waterloo train station, waiting for the girls. It was the day before Will's birthday. He had decided to take a day trip out to Twickenham to visit Strawberry Hill House. It was a gothic revival villa that was the inspiration for one of Will's favourite books – The Castle of Otranto. He told Jem that he wanted to visit the house as a birthday treat and Jem gamely agreed to accompany him. At the train station, Will mentioned that some friends from school would also be going with them.

"Who are your friends, again?" Jem asked as they stared at the passing crowd.

"You know about Chloe. And the other is another girl in my class, Hannah," Will said. Besides springing the girls on Jem at the last minute, he had also conveniently neglected to tell him that he was being set up for a blind date, knowing that Jem would probably refuse if he knew.

"Isn't it a little awkward? I don't know either of them," Jem said nervously.

"Jem, relax, they're nice people," Will assured him, crossing his fingers that Hannah would be nice. Chloe had already promised to be on her best behaviour so as not to scare Jem. "Anyway, it'd do you good to make more friends."

Jem smiled crookedly, like he did when he was unsure.

Will checked his watch. The girls were late. There were only four trains an hour going out to Strawberry Hill, and train would be leaving shortly. Finally, he spotted the pair hurrying through the crowd. They were both dressed alike, in capri pants, tank tops and jackets. Chloe carried a small backpack while Hannah had a purse.

Will did quick introductions, then grabbed Chloe's hand and led the way to the platform, forcing Jem and Hannah to team up immediately to avoid getting lost in the crowd. In the train, he made sure the pair sat together as well.

"What do you think?" Will whispered to Chloe, nodding at Jem and Hannah, when they were about 10 minutes into their journey. They were sitting across the aisle and about two rows behind the pair.

"Too soon to tell yet," Chloe assessed. "But Jem seems really darling. I want to give him a hug and pet his head."

Will rolled his eyes. "He's not a dog," he reminded her.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Chloe fired back. She leaned over to the aisle to try and see what was going on. So far, all she could tell was that Jem had gallantly offered Hannah the window seat, and the pair were talking. However, they were too far away to make out what they were talking about.

It was a 10-minute walk from Strawberry Hill station to the house. As they walked, Will and Chloe again made sure there was plenty of opportunity for Jem and Hannah to talk and interact. Inside the house, there were few visitors, which meant they could linger in the rooms as long as they liked. Will was an excellent guide, using both the self-guide brochure and rattling off excerpts from The Castle of Otranto to entertain them all.

After exploring the house, they went to the Cloister Coffee House for lunch. As Will and Jem queued to order the food, Will asked: "What do you think of Hannah, Jem?"

Jem smiled. "She's nice," he said.

"That's it?" Will prompted.

"Very nice?" Jem tried again.

"Ah, love. It makes poets of us all," Will joked.

Jem rolled his eyes. "You're mad," he said.

"Do you like her?" Will asked.

"Sure," Jem said. "She's nice."

Will shook his head. He thought it unlikely that he would get any more adjectives out of Jem for the time being. He focused on ordering the food and bringing it back to the table. The girls started giggling when they returned.

"Something funny?" Will asked.

"Nope, nothing," Chloe said innocently. Hannah caught Jem's eye and caused the boy to blush.

In the afternoon, they wandered around the gardens. It was a large and rambling estate and was currently hosting an exhibition of contemporary art sculptures. It was like walking through a bizarre Alice in Wonderland dreamscape.

Unfortunately, the April showers caught up with them, and the four had to make a dash back to the house for shelter. Jem began coughing a little but managed to stop before the girls got too concerned. They returned to the station to catch the train back London when the rain stopped.

"Well, thanks for the lovely time, Will," Chloe said when they left the train platform in London. "It was way better than that weird place you took me to last time." Will blushed hard at that. "Thanks for introducing Jem too. I hope they work out. They're so sweet together."

Will looked over to Jem and Hannah. The girl was currently giving him a hug. Jem was awkward and looked like he did not know what to do with his hands. She let go and chucked him under the chin. Jem turned bright red at that. Hannah laughed, took his hand and walked over to Will and Chloe.

"I guess we should be going then," Chloe said, taking Hannah's hand. "Bye Will, bye Jem!"

With that, the two girls disappeared into the crowd.


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