"Please remind me why you've dragged me along to Matalan at 10 in the morning," said Everett with a yawn.
"Because you have excellent fashion sense and you know how to attract the ladies," replied Marty.
"I have attracted one lady, not several."
"Exactly – one more lady than I have! I need all the help I can get, Ev. Please?"
Everett sighed. "Fine. What are we looking for: trousers, shirts, shoes?"
"Anything that looks super cool. My sixth form wardrobe basically has nothing but polo shirts and chinos."
"That's because smart casual wear is just polo shirts and chinos. Unless... oh dear..."
Marty grinned, mischief written all over his face like dick doodles all over the whiteboard in PE class on Friday. "Since when have I cared about breaking the rules?"
Having established their goal, Everett and Marty looked through rows and rows of clothes, grimacing at grotesque designs and assessing potential purchases with several disputes. Everett kept encouraging Marty to get a tartan shirt, but Marty insisted it wasn't his style. Meanwhile, Marty picked up shirts that his friend declared boring. Many minutes passed in this fashion.
"Since it's nearly winter, it doesn't even matter what shirt you wear. No one will see it," said Everett.
"That's a good point. Let's look at the jackets!"
Their success was almost instant. Marty found a well-crafted denim jacket on a rail affixed to the wall; Everett gazed upon it with a mix of awe and envy. Next, the boys moved on to the trousers section. Marty compared his jacket to the hue of several pairs of jeans, trying to find something with a similar colour. While he did this, Everett glanced over the display of jeans and picked out a pair that was the perfect colour.
"Now we just have to find some shoes," said Marty. "Speaking of shoes, aren't your sixth form shoes getting a little old now? I swear you've had the same ones since year 10."
"Yes, but they still fit. I don't need new shoes."
Marty looked at Everett incredulously. "You're a size 10, right? What size are your sixth form shoes?"
"Eight and a half. But shoes grow with your feet, so it's fine."
"Shoes don't grow that much. Come on, I'll find you new ones!" As Marty perused the selection of smart shoes, Everett looked up at the ceiling, clenching and unclenching his fists subconsciously.
"How about these ones? They look like your current ones, only bigger. Come try them on!"
Sighing, Everett took off his trainers and placed his feet in the shoes. There was no denying it – they were a perfect fit. They didn't pinch or cause his feet to ache like his current shoes. They were comfortable, shiny, new. He wanted them so badly –
"I can't buy these," he said shortly, bending down to untie the laces.
"Why not? They're perfect, and they're only like £35!"
On hearing the price, Everett winced. That was a lot of money for a kid who got most of his shoes from boot sales and charity shops. "I do want them – I just can't afford them."
"I can pay for them if you like. I honestly don't mind."
"No, you can't do that! Don't you get it?" Now back in his trainers, Everett stood up and faced his friend, trembling with anger. "I don't want to rely on other people for things! Me and my parents should be able to afford things, but the rent payments are so bloody high that we can't. My mum's credit card is in the red despite her trying to save every penny – I can't make things worse, I just can't-"
"Hey, Ev. Hey, I get it. Just... please don't get mad at me if I make another suggestion. You know I didn't get you a birthday present? Maybe I could buy these shoes for you as a belated birthday present."
Everett bit his lip, his face still tense and tinted red. After a moment of deliberation, he nodded. "Okay. It can be a birthday present."
"Or I could make it into a Christmas present," said Marty with a teasing smile. He laughed at Everett's indignant glare. "Just kidding. I'll sneak you some pigs-in-blankets for Christmas. Or maybe pigs-without-blankets since Jewish sausages don't have blankets."
Everett nudged Marty forcefully in irritation, which only made Marty laugh more. Man, he loved winding up his best friend.
*
Monday was the ideal day to try out his new outfit, Marty decided. The first day of the sixth form week was always depressing, the atmosphere in the classrooms like a prison as its inmates contemplated their sentence to five long days of study. What better way to break free from the chains of boredom than to contravene the dress code?
Denim jacket, skinny jeans, converse shoes. A debonair smirk. This was what greeted two hundred stunned sixth formers and teachers as Marty strode into morning assembly. Everett broke into a beaming grin; Jade hid a smile behind her academic planner; Hassan shook his head tiredly. Lucy, who his eyes flicked over to like she was a firefly in the night, was staring at him with a look of approval that made him dizzy with delight. The other popular kids were more vocal, hollering "Atta boy, Marty!" and "Double denim, dude!".
Unfortunately, the teachers were vocal too.
"Marty Pocock, your attire does not align with our sixth form standards. Go home and change into something more suitable," said Mr Porter coldly. Any other student would have submitted to the Head of Sixth Form's authority – but not Marty.
"What, you think I should miss out on valuable education time to go home and put on different clothes? I thought you cared about our education."
There was a collective gasp in the assembly hall; Mr Porter reddened. "You know very well that your education is my greatest priority. Wearing smart casual wear is part of that education, teaching you to take pride in your appearance and prepare for the world of-"
"Can't I take pride in my appearance whether I wear something smart or not?" interjected Marty.
"Well, yes, but-"
"And my clothes don't impact my ability to learn, so I don't see why I need to change them."
Marty thought he'd made an astute point, and was very pleased with himself. He went to take a seat at the back –
"I have some spare uniform in my office that should fit. As clothes don't impact your ability to learn, as you said, you shouldn't have a problem with me telling you to change into them."
Damn. His logic had backfired on him. Desperately racking his brains for a way out, he stuttered, "But – but it'll be too small for me - the uniform only goes up to year 11."
To Marty's surprise, Mr Porter grinned. "You were in year 11 only a few months ago, and you haven't grown much since then. I'm sure something will fit. Mr Sanchez will escort you to my office."
Thoroughly annoyed at this turn of events (and at his lack of growth spurt), Marty trudged up the stairs behind Mr Sanchez, regretting his decision to dress in double denim. He could have been wearing one of his comfy polo shirts and trousers that weren't too long, but now he would have to wear a school shirt and trousers that would probably not quite fit. He would be seen as a year 11, looked and laughed at, standing out like a traffic cone in all his classes. Then again, Lucy had noticed him. Lucy had smiled at him. Perhaps she had even thought that he was super hot. So he resolved to bear his burden like a martyr.
*
"Please, please can you give me your jacket?" Marty begged Everett. "I need something, anything, to cover up this stupid year 11 shirt that has a stupid missing button."
"Okay, it's yours!" said Everett. When Marty had put on his jacket, Everett ventured to ask a question. "Did your lessons go well?"
"Of course not! I was so self-conscious of my shirt and too-long trousers that I could barely take anything in. Not to mention the sniggers and whispers."
"People can be such dickheads," muttered Everett under his breath.
"I'm pretty sure Lucy was laughing at me - and flirting with Byron, too."
"I thought she liked Jayden..."
"Not anymore, I guess. Last time I talked to him, he said he never wanted to talk to Lucy again. Maybe something went wrong between them."
At this moment, Hassan and Jade came over to their table. No, wait, it wasn't Jade - Jade didn't wear a hijab - it was Habibah. The two were talking about various books they'd read.
"Hi, Habibah! How are you?" said Marty.
"I'm great, thanks. You?"
"I'm doing fine. What subjects are you studying? I'm sure Hassan told me at one point but I forgot."
And so the friends settled into a comfortable conversation. Everett and Marty shared a few surprised glances, awed that their shy friend had come out of his shell to make a new friend. Marty's mind went to his relationship predictions back in September. Maybe it wasn't too late for Hassan and Habibah to become a couple. Now that they shared a class, their love story could flourish like a cherry blossom in spring.