"Oh, look who decided to show his face!" Dana murmured sarcastically as she saw Terry approaching. Dana, Max and Lark were sitting in the courtyard having lunch. "Excuse me." Dana said, getting up and walking over to meet Terry.

"Who is that?" Lark asked Max.

"Terry McGinnis." Max replied, biting down on her apple.

"Wow, he's really cute." Lark said, smiling.

"Don't go there." Max said. "Terry and Dana have been an item since before time began."

"They don't seem very happy about it." Lark observed, as she watched Dana berate Terry, who fought back.

"Yeah, well Terry has other priorities at the moment." Max said, brushing her fingers through her pink hair, as the conversation wasn't going in the right direction for her. "I don't think Dana likes being anything other than top on Terry's list."

"I see." Lark said. "I'm sorry I sounded so interested. If Dana is going out with Terry, then I'm really not interested."

"Don't sweat it." Max said. "You got a right to know. It's best that you do, so that you don't go and put your foot in it."

"Where were you last night?" Dana asked Terry when she reached him.

"Last night?" Terry asked, rubbing his eyes to rid them of sleep. He carried dark black bags under his eyes and his face was pale from lack of sleep.

"Our date?" Dana prompted him.

"Oh right." Terry said. "Dana I am so sorry, something came up."

"What came up?" Dana asked, when she saw Terry shake his head she finally let loose. "I've had enough of this Terry. I've tried to be a good girlfriend. But we never go out anymore, and if we do arrange something you cancel at the last minute, and never even give me a reason! You don't even have the courtesy to call me and tell me you can't come. I waited for you for an hour last night, avoiding the advances of other guys I might add, only to find that you have something more important to do!"

"Dana I'm sorry, but I had to be somewhere else." Terry protested.

"Somewhere that I couldn't be too?" Dana asked. "Where were you Terry? At least give me a valid excuse."

"I.I had to baby-sit my brother at short notice. My mum had to go out on urgent business." Terry lied.

"Really Terry? So how come when I phoned your house you mum answered and said that you had gone out?" Dana said shrewdly. "When I phoned your mobile she answered that too, you left it at home."

"You were checking up on me?" Terry asked.

"Obviously I need to." Dana said. "You breaking dates is bad enough, but now you are lying to me. I thought we agreed there shouldn't be any secrets between us?"

"Secrets, what secrets?" Terry asked.

"Who is she Terry?" Dana asked, tears coming to her eyes. "Do I know her? Is she pretty?"

"What? Dana there isn't anyone else." Terry insisted.

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Dana asked.

"Because I'm telling the truth." Terry said. "Give me one more chance. I'll take you out tonight, wherever you want to go. You name the place, the time and I'll be there."

"Really?" Dana asked. "Because I don't want to lose you Terry, but I have a feeling that I already have."

"Let me make it up to you." Terry said.

"Fine. Tonight, eight thirty at Horizon Club. If you stand me up Terry." Dana said as she walked back over to Max and Lark holding Terry's hand.

"I won't." He promised. They sat down with Max and Lark.

"Oh yeah. Terry this is Lark. She's new." Dana explained, peeling her banana.

"Hey." Terry said hollowly.

"Hi." Lark said, slightly put off by his lack of enthusiasm. At that moment the bell sounded for the next lesson. They got up and made their way into the hallway.

"What lesson have you got now?" Dana asked Lark. Lark consulted her timetable.

"History." She replied.

"You're in my class." Max said.

"We've got Economics." Dana said, indicating to herself and Terry. "Maybe we can meet you at the end of the day? We could go shopping or something."

"I'd like that." Lark said, smiling. She walked off with Max towards their history classroom. "They make a cute couple. I can't see why Terry would treat her so badly though."

"He doesn't." Max protested angrily.

"I didn't mean it like that." Lark said quickly. "I just meant that Dana is such a nice girl, I can't understand why she isn't his top priority. I mean, most guys treat a girl as if she is a queen, especially girls like Dana."

"Yeah, well Terry has a lot of his plate." Max said. "He does more than Dana knows, and he doesn't get a lot of time off."

"What, does he have a job or something?" Lark asked as they settled themselves at the back of the classroom.

"Sort of." Max replied. "He works unpredictable hours and for pittance in pay. But he likes responsibility."

The settled down to work when the teacher, Mrs Dickson, started lecturing them about the Suffragette Movement.