Grace raised an eyebrow. “Says … Dasher the imaginary-reindeer-looking-after Elf Girl?”

“And your point is…”

“My point is you can’t write this guy off for keeping secrets, when you’ve been doing exactly the same.”

“But!” Eurgh. She did make a great point. And from the little grin on her face, she knew it. “But … mine was for a good reason.”

“It’s fine. I know how to fix this.” She held her hand out. “Phone?”

Grace was the only person I’d hand it over to unlocked. She tapped the screen.

HOLY JINGLE BELLS! SHE WAS VIDEO CALLING RU!!!

Grace jumped up on my bed and held my phone in the air.

“Say you’re coming to London and ask if he wants to meet.” I WAS VIDEO CALLING RU! AND I STILL HAD SLEEP DRIBBLE ON MY FACE AND YESTERDAY’S MASCARA ON!

“Grace!” I leapt up for the phone.

But she bounced off the bed, yanking it away.

With a wail like a banshee, I hurled myself at it. But it flew out of her hand and slid under Billy’s bed.

And it was still ringing.

We both looked at each other. Oops!

“Dash?”

Ru’s voice came from under Billy’s bed. I dived towards it.

“American accents are so hot…” Grace hissed, fanning herself. She was loving this. But I was flat on my front, scrambling around to find my phone. What was Ru seeing right now? What on earth must he think?!

“One sec, Ru!” I yelled, flinging rosettes and horse magazines and forgotten about My Little Ponies out behind me.

“You OK? Are you calling me from a cave?”

Where was the stupid phone? “No, no, I’m all good!”

“Asssk himmmm,” Grace whispered. She was sitting calmy on my bed, like this was totally normal and she wasn’t in the middle of a storm of flying plastic horses. “Or I will?”

Fine!

“I just wanted to ask…” Was I really asking my first ever person out by yelling at my little sister’s collection of grooming brushes? “If…”

“You’re cracking up a bit,” Ru said back, not knowing I really was, in more ways than one.

“Just do it!” Grace pummelled both her feet into my bum as I rummaged about on all fours. “Grow some Christmas baubles and DO IT.”

FINE!

“If you were free before the event in London?” Had I really said it?! “To meet up.” I didn’t have a second to even take in what I’d just done. But he answered straight away.

“One hundred per cent.”

And then the call broke up.

CHAPTER

16

TO DO:

•Email yurt place! DO NOT FORGET

•Google “ funny things to talk about on first dates”

•Book cinema tickets

•Buy dental floss, new mouthwash, chewing

•gum Make 69 snowflakes

•Persuade Mum to change Cara’s ham air freshener for … anything else

I stood back and glared at my wardrobe, Billy watching from her bed.

Yes, I’d once chosen all of these clothes, so how come I hated them all?

“You can borrow my reindeer dressing gown…” Billy wriggled out of it. It was ginormous and fluffy and had a light-up nose. And had never been washed. Not exactly the first date hot look I was hoping for. “I don’t mind not wearing it. For one day.”

“Bils, you’re the best.” I tried to look grateful. “But no one can rock it like you, so you better hang on to it.” But what could I wear for the date? Or for a meet that might be a date? HOW WAS I MEANT TO KNOW?! I’d never been on either?! And I only had seven hours to mentally prepare. I needed another fifteen years at least.

Grace had to intervene and choose my outfit over video call. Converse, black jeans and a red fluffy cardigan with gold tree-shaped buttons that she’d left at mine “in case”. Festive, but not too “walking decoration”.

Thanks to a pep talk from Grace last night I was ready to dip my toe into the festive water. Talking it through had been terrifying, but I had to accept I couldn’t hide things any more. Elf Girl was out of control. “Love Your Elf!” was in the top ten. My private profile was getting more and more tags every day. Even the old man in the Post Office had sung the song when I’d popped in to get loo roll.

So, we’d decided if Elf Girl was getting out of control, it was time I took control of Elf Girl.

No more hiding. It was time to live my best elf life – Christmas jumpers and all.

But … one small pointy-shoe step at a time. I wasn’t ready for the whole world to know, so I was starting with people who already did. First up – The POWR. I still hadn’t heard anything from them so I’d messaged Zaiynab to apologize for not telling them about the whole Brussel Shout situation and asking if I was still in the band. And … I hadn’t got a reply. Or a reply to my follow-up checking she got the message, even though we both knew she had.

I just had to hope Ru might be a bit more understanding. Grace was right. I couldn’t be cross about him not being that open about his life when I was doing the same. Today wasn’t just going to be about finding out who the real Ru was. Dragging him into the Christmas spirit with me. It wasn’t even about Grace’s suggestion (repeated suggestion) of engineering a Christmassy snog in Trafalgar Square by the tree.

Today was the day I came clean about my elfy truth. No more Dasher. No more hiding who I really was. It was time for Ru to meet Molly Bell. Lover of crisps and dogs in outfits.

My heart sped up just thinking about it. And if Ru didn’t want to see me again? I’d at least I know he was just a massive Simon after all. And have a big cry into my very absorbent Christmas jumper.