It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Alex Ryan when she finds herself falling head over heels for Connie O’Reilly. How could she not? There isn’t a person alive who wouldn’t be drawn to the irresistibly beautiful and charming Connie. It seems impossible she could reciprocate -- not when Alex is so awkward, so timid, so very much a girl -- until what starts as a sweet friendship blossoms into something so much more than Alex could have dreamed of. Alex knows what they have is a momentary thing, not enough to be called forever. Connie’s the most popular girl in the school, wealthy and admired. She’s going to go to Trinity, maybe marry a lawyer. She’s going to have everything Alex could never give her. She isn’t stupid, after all. Status and reputation might mean nothing to Alex, but to Connie they are everything. The only out-lesbian they know is ridiculed by everyone she meets, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before Connie lets that be her. But when rumours spark and new faces enter the picture, they’re both set to discover that, while it may be easy to walk away, it’s a lot harder to move on.

The Night Belongs to Us

“Next week? When did you decide this?”


“It’s been an abstract plan for a while but now…I decided the other day that it’s time to just do it. You know that I’ve planned on leaving here ever since I was a child.”


“They do. Orla’s planned a trip in August and I think Molly’s gonna join her.”


“And what are you planning on doing? In London?”


“An old friend of Claire’s owns a record shop in Camden. She called him up last week, explained she has a daughter who just finished school. He was happy to offer me a job there.”


“You’re not going to go to college?”


“I’ve looked into part-time courses I can do at the weekend, in Journalism. You know I’ve never been mad about going to college. Claire is happy to give me the bit of money she was saving up for me to go, to use for rent. I’ve found a flat near the shop. It’s small, obviously. Probably a bleeding kip. But…I just wanna get out of here. Not waste four years on some stupid degree.”


Chapter 71