Girl Online Read Free

like using a sweet treat as motivation!
    3. Do the hard questions first
    Wiki’s top tip! He says to focus on the questions that are worth the most marks first of all so you don’t get stuck at the end and have to scribble down nonsense for your big essay.
    4. Coffee
    I don’t even like coffee, but, according to my brother, it helps. I did try it, but every time I took a sip it made me cringe, and I ended up staying awake all night, plagued by anxious shivers. So maybe that’s not such a good tip after all . . .
    5. Dream of summer
    Remember that there is life after exams! This is basically what got me through. The knowledge that, very soon, I’ll be with Brooklyn Boy again . . .
    Girl Offline . . . never going online xxx

Chapter Two
    All the way home, my excitement levels have been growing—so much so that I practically waltz into the kitchen. It seems like a pretty apt thing to do because Mum is dressed in a full-blown Strictly Come Dancing glitter outfit, twirling as she and Elliot dance a mean salsa across the black-and-white tiles. Elliot’s boyfriend, Alex, is sitting on a stool by the island, shouting out scores in the flamboyant manner of Bruno Tonioli. “Seven!”
    Just an average afternoon at the Porters’.
    â€œPenny darling, you’re home!” Mum says, between steps. “You never told me Elliot was such a good dancer.”
    â€œHe’s a man of many talents!”
    They finish off with an elaborate dip—of Elliot, by Mum.
    Alex and I break into spontaneous and enthusiastic applause.
    â€œUpstairs?” I say to Elliot and Alex. They nod in almost perfect synchronization.
    Seeing them sends a familiar pang through my heart. Elliot and Alex are the perfect couple—and they don’t have tocontend with my and Noah’s long-distance woes. They’re able to be together whenever they want, without having to worry about time zones or whether there’s enough Wi-Fi to Skype properly. They’re completely relaxed in each other’s presence.
    In fact, they spend so much time together that my family has even given them their own portmanteau nickname, like Brangelina or Kimye. They’re Alexiot.
    â€œAre Alexiot staying for dinner?” Mum calls to us before we disappear upstairs.
    â€œNo, we’re going to grab burgers at GBK before the concert!” I shout back.
    â€œWe are?” Elliot asks, raising an eyebrow.
    I cringe. “Kira invited us. Is that OK?”
    Alexiot exchange a look but seem to come to an agreement. “No problem, Pennylicious,” says Elliot. He reaches back and grabs Alex’s hand, and I smile.
    I remember the day they met, not long before Valentine’s Day. Elliot had dragged me to a vintage-clothing store in an obscure part of the Brighton Lanes, even though we’d just been in there the day before and we both knew they weren’t going to have anything different in stock. But then I’d seen a new guy slouched behind the counter. It took me a few seconds, but I recognized him.
    â€œOh my god, Penny, he is so cute!” Elliot had pulled me behind a rail of clothing and covered himself with an enormous feather boa.
    â€œThat’s Alex Shepherd,” I said. “He’s in sixth form at our school.” Of course I knew him, but mostly because Kira had a massive crush on him. I lowered my voice. “Are you sure he’s gay?”
    Elliot rolled his eyes at me. “You think I would bring you in here if I wasn’t sure? We’ve been eye-flirting since he started working here two weeks ago.”
    â€œYou eye-flirt with everyone,” I said, elbowing him in the ribs.
    â€œNot like this.” He gave me an exaggerated wink that made me giggle.
    â€œSo why haven’t you made a move yet?”
    â€œI will. Just . . . give me time.”
    Kira would be devastated to find out Alex plays for the other team,