Garrett was conspicuous only in his absence over the next few days.
Despite feeling a sense of trepidation every time I opened the door to the lecture hall, Garrett’s usual seat, next to my usual seat, was empty. I adopted a new place, next to Millie who, as Ruby had promised, was lovely. She came from Bristol and had a soft Somerset accent. Combined with her silver-grey hair and multiple piercings, she was as far from Garrett as a friend could be. With no question as to why, she welcomed me into her circle of friends, ensuring I now had someone to be with in lectures, seminars and all of the times in between if I wanted.
Mickey was something else entirely. As Ruby had warned, he was the most effeminate guy I had ever met. And I loved him from the moment he greeted me with a bear hug outside the lecture hall.
“It felt like a blind date, so I thought I’d better carry something so you’d know who I was,” he laughed, holding out a single red rose. I took a sniff of its perfume and smiled.
“Why, thank you, kind sir. You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.” I fluttered my eyelashes, enjoying the playfulness.
“Oh, I’m just going to love being your BFF,” Mickey declared before making us walk in to the lecture, arm in arm. He moved with the confidence of one who has had to earn it and I knew, without him telling me, that he had probably had a rough time at school because of his sexuality.
Over lunch, he admitted he had first noticed me in the cafeteria, not in class. Well, he had noticed Garrett and then me. It was hardly surprising; even I couldn’t deny that Garrett was ridiculously attractive. I found myself opening up and telling Mickey the whole sorry story of how I came to be friendless and loveless after a month at university.
“That’s just because it’s taken you a month to find me, honey. Now, are you going to the Vamps and Pussy party tomorrow?”
I almost choked on my drink. “The what?”
“The Vamps and Pussy party. It’s for Halloween; you know, vampires and cats. Witches are probably welcome, too, if that’s what floats your boat. Ruby’s going, with that badass girlfriend of hers.” Smiling at his oh-so-accurate description of Kema, I thought about it. Why not?
“I’m in. What are you going as?” His smile became huge.
“Oh, babe, that’s fabulous. I was thinking of going as a vampire, but one of the sparkling Twilight ones, not the ‘I vant to drink your blood’ type. Ooh, ooh, how about being my Bella?” As he rattled on about cheap wigs and coordinating outfits, I smiled at his enthusiasm. A party could be just what I needed.
The next night, I buzzed Mickey in and he joined Ruby, Kema and I in the kitchen, where we were drinking a cheap bottle of sparkling wine. He hadn’t been joking about going for the sparkly look; every millimetre of skin was covered in a glistening powder, giving him an ethereal glow at odds with his size.
Mickey and I had visited countless charity shops that afternoon, searching for the perfect outfits to match our characters. We had ended up going with the wedding day look after finding him a tuxedo jacket and bow tie. By some miracle of coincidence, we had also found a 1920s-style wedding dress which, after I had cut it to mid-thigh length, fit me perfectly and looked a lot less grandmotherly. I had managed to coax a cheap black wig into something like waves and had kept my makeup super pale, other than for smoky eyes.
“Here you go, honey. Just in case they don’t realise who we are.” Mickey handed over an ID card-size badge of the book’s famous cover, pinning an identical badge onto his lapel. I smiled; it wasn’t just to help others identify us, it meant I wasn’t alone. I was with someone. After giving him a huge kiss, I pinned my badge onto the shoulder of my dress.
The beep of a horn made us down the remains of our plastic beakers before running downstairs to the cab.
“Seventh Heaven, please,” Kema told the driver as he laughed at our outfits. “You’re going to love it there, Neve. Have you ever been to a gay bar?” Gay bar? My face was all the answer she needed and she roared with laughter. “Oh, you’re in for an eye-opening experience!” The others all nodded in agreement and shared stories of their respective first times. I was sure they were winding me up with some of their tales. But, if they weren’t, I felt safe in the company of this motley crew who had quickly become my friends.
After paying our entrance fee at the door, we were shepherded into a dim hallway, our only guide the thumping music coming from a room on the other side of a double doorway at its end. When we reached the doors, Kema flashed us all a huge smile.