the place is so strange that I stop being me, Ellie, I’m this new cool clubber and I’m here to have fun. Magda and I have a quick tour round to see if we can spot Nadine but she’s not here yet. Magda takes me by the wrist and we get onto the dance floor. I’m not too bad at dancing but I generally worry in case anyone’s looking at me and noticing my fat bum but now I just get into the rhythm and leap around like part of the crowd. I
am
the crowd. We’re
all
the crowd and it’s truly fantastic.
Only we get tired eventually and go to get a drink. Magda orders two vodka and cranberry juices at the bar, but the barman tells her to dream on. So we have the juice without the vodka. It’s more refreshing that way.
Then this older guy comes up and starts hitting on Magda, leaning over and whispering in her ear. My heart starts hammering, because what am I going to do if she gets off with someone?—but then Magda shakes her head and he goes away.
“What was he saying?” I ask.
“Oh, he was pushing E and whizz and all that junk,” says Magda.
“Really?”
I say, staring after this real live drug pusher.
“It’s OK. I made it plain we’re not into drugs.”
There are lots of other kids who obviously
are
. As it gets later lots start crashing about, their eyes huge and staring. A girl near us suddenly sits on the floor and starts weeping.
I stare at her, wondering if she’s all right. Suddenly Seventh Heaven doesn’t seem quite such a glittery place after all. I still can’t see Nadine anywhere. Maybe she isn’t going to turn up.
Magda and I dance again, and I have to take my shoes off, but I don’t dare put them down in case they get kicked away so I dangle them by their straps, which is a bit awkward. I’m starting to get ever so tired. I think Magda is too.
Then way off at the other side of the club, right at the back, I think I see this blond head. My dream guy! Well, maybe not, I can’t see properly. Heaps of guys have that amazing fair hair, though I think it really
could
be him, only now there’s a whole load of other kids in front of him.
“Let’s go over the other side for a bit,” I suggest, trying to sound dead casual, though I have to yell in Magda’s ear before she can hear me above the music.
We’re edging our way over when we spot Nadine at last. She’s dancing wildly, her dark hair flying, her eyes very big, very black, very staring.
“What the hell is she on?” says Magda.
Liam is with her. It’s horrible the way he’s leering at her.
“Hey, Nadine!” Magda yells, charging over to her. “You look ever so hot. I think you maybe need a drink. Come to the ladies’ room, eh?”
Liam tells Magda to get lost. Magda takes no notice. “
Nadine
. Come on.” Magda takes hold of one arm, I take the other, and we pull her away.
I glance back once but I can’t see any blond head now. Maybe I was mistaken anyway.
Nadine is all sweaty and stares at us blearily, practically out of it.
“What has that pig got you to take, eh?” Magda says fiercely. “You’d better have a drink of water. Several. You’re dehydrated. Only not
too
much,” she says, as Nadine bends over the washbasin in the ladies’ and starts slurping straight from the tap. “Honestly! You’re like a baby. It’s a good job Ellie and I are here to keep an eye on you.”
Magda finds a paper cup and we give Nadine a couple of drinks. Then she staggers off to the loo.
A whole little gang of girls come into the ladies’.
“It’s OK, we’re not in the queue, we’re just waiting for our friend,” Magda tells them.
“She’s not the dark-haired girl with that Liam, is she?” says one of the girls.
“So?” says Magda.
“Well, she wants to keep clear of him. He used to hang round this girl at our school, really young, just in Year Eight, or maybe she’d just started Year Nine.”
Magda and I keep mum.
“He has this thing about really young girls. He says if you go with virgins you don’t
am
the crowd. We’re
all
the crowd and it’s truly fantastic.
Only we get tired eventually and go to get a drink. Magda orders two vodka and cranberry juices at the bar, but the barman tells her to dream on. So we have the juice without the vodka. It’s more refreshing that way.
Then this older guy comes up and starts hitting on Magda, leaning over and whispering in her ear. My heart starts hammering, because what am I going to do if she gets off with someone?—but then Magda shakes her head and he goes away.
“What was he saying?” I ask.
“Oh, he was pushing E and whizz and all that junk,” says Magda.
“Really?”
I say, staring after this real live drug pusher.
“It’s OK. I made it plain we’re not into drugs.”
There are lots of other kids who obviously
are
. As it gets later lots start crashing about, their eyes huge and staring. A girl near us suddenly sits on the floor and starts weeping.
I stare at her, wondering if she’s all right. Suddenly Seventh Heaven doesn’t seem quite such a glittery place after all. I still can’t see Nadine anywhere. Maybe she isn’t going to turn up.
Magda and I dance again, and I have to take my shoes off, but I don’t dare put them down in case they get kicked away so I dangle them by their straps, which is a bit awkward. I’m starting to get ever so tired. I think Magda is too.
Then way off at the other side of the club, right at the back, I think I see this blond head. My dream guy! Well, maybe not, I can’t see properly. Heaps of guys have that amazing fair hair, though I think it really
could
be him, only now there’s a whole load of other kids in front of him.
“Let’s go over the other side for a bit,” I suggest, trying to sound dead casual, though I have to yell in Magda’s ear before she can hear me above the music.
We’re edging our way over when we spot Nadine at last. She’s dancing wildly, her dark hair flying, her eyes very big, very black, very staring.
“What the hell is she on?” says Magda.
Liam is with her. It’s horrible the way he’s leering at her.
“Hey, Nadine!” Magda yells, charging over to her. “You look ever so hot. I think you maybe need a drink. Come to the ladies’ room, eh?”
Liam tells Magda to get lost. Magda takes no notice. “
Nadine
. Come on.” Magda takes hold of one arm, I take the other, and we pull her away.
I glance back once but I can’t see any blond head now. Maybe I was mistaken anyway.
Nadine is all sweaty and stares at us blearily, practically out of it.
“What has that pig got you to take, eh?” Magda says fiercely. “You’d better have a drink of water. Several. You’re dehydrated. Only not
too
much,” she says, as Nadine bends over the washbasin in the ladies’ and starts slurping straight from the tap. “Honestly! You’re like a baby. It’s a good job Ellie and I are here to keep an eye on you.”
Magda finds a paper cup and we give Nadine a couple of drinks. Then she staggers off to the loo.
A whole little gang of girls come into the ladies’.
“It’s OK, we’re not in the queue, we’re just waiting for our friend,” Magda tells them.
“She’s not the dark-haired girl with that Liam, is she?” says one of the girls.
“So?” says Magda.
“Well, she wants to keep clear of him. He used to hang round this girl at our school, really young, just in Year Eight, or maybe she’d just started Year Nine.”
Magda and I keep mum.
“He has this thing about really young girls. He says if you go with virgins you don’t
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