Time After Time: A heart-warming novel about love, loss and second chances. Hannah McKinnon Mary

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       CHAPTER 5

       1988

       It was Genius

      What Genius lacked in class and style it certainly made up for in fun, and in 1988 it was one of the coolest clubs in Ealing. Located in the basement of a Victorian property on one of the main streets, it hosted alcohol-free discos every Saturday afternoon from one o’clock until five o’clock. The under twenties came in their droves to dance, pose and pretend they were grown-ups, and this Saturday in October was no exception.

      When Hayley and Ellen arrived they were greeted by the thick air, already full of the smell of sweat. A machine in the corner blew out a steady pffffffft of smoke that mixed with the strobe lights and made funky spider web patterns on the walls. Thirty or so bodies moved on the dance floor at the centre of the room to Kylie Minogue’s ‘I Should Be So Lucky’. Hayley hated the song – she felt as if it had been written about her love-life. Or lack of it.

      They dumped their coats in the make-shift cloakroom at the bottom of the stairs and got a couple of fizzy drinks from the bar.

      Hayley looked at Ellen, dressed in a black and green rah-rah skirt, red tank top and stilettos. She’d topped off her look with twenty bangles on each arm and a couple of long, multi-coloured necklaces. Her thick, blonde hair was bunched up and tied together with a bow, à la Madonna meets The Bangles. The flawless make-up – smoky eyes, big pink lips – accentuated her cheek bones and perfected her pout.

      Hayley wished she looked as good.

       Fat chance.

      She’d planned on wearing her white drainpipe trousers, but, in typical Hapless Hayley fashion, she’d dropped her mascara, which had left a huge black splodge behind that no amount of rubbing, blotting or praying to the God of Rimmel would ever remove.

      ‘I look like sodding Minnie Mouse with these white boots and black trousers,’ Hayley shouted over the music. ‘And my stupid hair. I look like a sheep. If a farmer walks in he’ll pull out the shears.’

      ‘The boots are great, the trousers fine and your hair’s not frizzy,’ Ellen said.

      ‘Really?’ Hayley touched the bird’s nest on top of her head.

      ‘Really. Everyone’s getting perms these days and you don’t have to. And your skin’s looking much better too. You look ace.’

      Hayley managed a smile. Being called Zitty Pimpleson at school hadn’t helped her confidence, and trying to be the smartest one in the class had backfired.

       Good move, Hayley. They still call you Spotty Swotty.

      She shrugged. ‘Thanks, but it doesn’t matter. Nobody’s going to notice me anyway.’

      ‘Will you stop it? There are tons of boys here. You never know. You might meet the love of your life today.’

      ‘Hah. Love of my life? Yeah, right. But speaking of… is he here yet?’

      ‘Who?’

      Hayley grinned. ‘Oh give over. You know exactly –’

      ‘Wotcha!’ A head popped up between their shoulders and Hayley felt an arm being draped over her shoulder. ‘Great to see you both. How are you?’

      ‘Oh, hi Mark,’ Ellen said and flicked her hair. ‘We’re cool.’

      Hayley could tell the aloofness was as genuine as the Ray-Bans she’d bought at the market for three quid. Mark was the reason why Ellen insisted on going back to Genius in the first place.

      ‘He’s nineteen,’ Ellen had gushed last week after she’d danced with him for over an hour. ‘Only two years older than us. He’s studying finance at university. And he plays guitar in a rock band called The Bruised Bananas. He’s so cool.’

      Hayley looked at Mark from under her fringe. She could see why Ellen fancied him. When he smiled it accentuated the dimples in his cheeks, and his red Mötley Crüe Theatre of Pain T-shirt hung loosely on his frame. Ellen had already told Hayley that his mullet would have to go. Lucky for him Ellen had taken a job as a hairdresser trainee after her O-levels.

      Hayley suppressed a sigh and tried not to pout.

       They fancy the pants off each other. Great. I feel as welcome as a T-Rex at a vegan party.

      ‘I’m going to the loo,’ Hayley said, leaning in so they could hear. ‘Back in a sec.’

       Or in an hour, more like.

      She walked past a group of guys with her head down. She’d always felt awkward around boys – whether she found them attractive or not – and never knew what to say. Even with her braces out, her teeth straight and her metal smile gone, she felt, well, awkward. In comparison to Ellen, Hayley usually ended up standing in a corner, fiddling with her drink and chewing on a straw. At least she couldn’t say anything stupid with a full gob.

      As she made her way through the crowded room she tripped over a handbag, stumbled into the guy in front of her and fell down sideways. The guy she’d bumped into turned round and, seeing Hayley СКАЧАТЬ