Jessica smiled for the passengers as they disembarked the plane, stretching their tired muscles after the long flight from Madrid.

“Thank you for flying with Soixante-Trois Airlines,” Jessica gushed in her practised overly-saccharine ‘stewardess’s voice’. “Enjoy your stay in London!”

“I live here, you dumb valley girl,” one of the passengers snorted as he passed Jessica with a backward glance.

I gently lower myself into one of the sofas in Charlotte’s vast ‘main room’, taking the weight off my aching feet before slipping off my stiletto heels and massaging the soles of my feet.

“Don’t let Hannah ever catch you doing that,” Viks giggles as she sits down next to me. “Unless you plan on going on Strictly yourself next year…”

“If they’ll have me,” I say, making Viks giggle.

“Why are you over here, anyway, and not with Sarah?” Viks asks. “Still falling out over what you were talking about yesterday?”

“Three cheers for the college girls!” Charlotte announces. “Hip hip-“

“Hooray!” The modest number of partygoers cheer.

“Hip hip-“ Charlotte repeats.

“Hooray!” The partygoers again reply.

“Hip hip-“ Charlotte yells at the top of her voice.

“Hooray!” The party goers again cheer as Sarah, Katie and Lauren stand at the front of the room, their cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Extend,” Miss Fullerton advises. “Really stretch your leg out, see how it feels.” I comply, extending my leg to its fullest as my foot stretches downward, supporting my entire weight on the tips of my toes. Nicole, Harriet, Megan, Priya and Suriya all giggle as they watch me switch to my other foot, eventually standing en pointe on both feet in the brand-new shiny satin shoes.

“These still feel a little loose around my heel,” I say, earning groans from my friends- not to mention the gaggle of parents that are accompanying us- but an understanding nod from our ballet teacher.

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief as she peeled her clingy blue skirt from her glistering, nylon-covered legs and carefully placed it in the locker to be washed ahead of the following day’s flight. After stripping off the rest of her uniform and changing back into her tight, chic pencil dress, Jessica elegantly lowered herself onto the bench in front of her locker and took her smartphone from her handbag, switching it on to check her messages.

"Come on, stop fading away," dad chastises me as I rest my head on the back of the sofa. "We haven't seen you in weeks, don't want to watch you sleep all through your visit!"

"Sorry," I mumble, blinking to try to keep my eyes open.

"Honestly, Steve," mum says, handing me a much-appreciated cup of tea. "Why don't you just take a week off and come back here, put your feet up, play on your Xbox and recharge your batteries? You don't know how many people I see everyday who works themselves to the point of exhaustion, some as young as you."

“Mmm,” I moan as the image of Sarah in her wedding dress fades and my brain starts swimming back to reality. I blink my eyes twice, turning my sore head to shield my sensitive eyes from the bright light streaming through the window.

“Morning, beautiful,” Sarah says, giving me a quick kiss on my forehead.

I take a deep sigh as I step out of the small clinic, my face tingling from the lasers that had swept their way over it mere minutes earlier. Despite my face being make-up free- and covered with a very patchy 5 o'clock shadow- no one gives me a second look as I head down to the tube train that ferries me to my next destination. Well, that's not strictly true, people ARE giving me a second look, but not because of the hair on my face, but because of the pink tights covering my legs, visible underneath my extra-short denim skirt.

“Jamie?” I ask as I open the door. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here,” Jamie says breathlessly, “because I love you, Stuart.” My legs start to wobble as I hear the words I’ve longed to hear, but in my head, I know what I’m hearing is too good to be true. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, steadying my nerves before replying.

“You love me… but?” I ask.

“I am the resurrection and the life,' says the Lord. 'Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” I take a deep breath through my nose and stare over at my mother’s tear-stained face as the priest continues speaking.

"I should get going," I sigh as I watch the clock tick over to 9pm. "Flatmates get kinda paranoid about leaving the front door unlocked this late..."

"Well, that makes me feel all the better about you travelling on the tube this late," mum sighs as I grab my backpack and head to the front door. "Are you SURE you don't want to stay over tonight, Steve?" I sigh again as I catch a glance of my make-up free, unshaven face in the hallway mirror.

"Nah... Need to be up early tomorrow," I say.

Jessica took a deep breath as she tried to relax in the aeroplane’s plush, comfortable seats- though the discomfort her clothes were causing and the stares she was receiving from the other passengers weren’t making the task of relaxing any easier. Next to her, her Scottish lover was suffering from the same levels of discomfort as she fidgeted in her seat.

“Feel like everyone’s staring,” Paige whispered to Jessica as the aeroplane’s safety briefing continued in both English and French.

“Oh whatever, let them stare,” Jessica snorted. “There’s nothing any of them can do.”

“Double turn!” The teacher yells, and I comply, pirouetting twice on my right leg. “Point your back leg… And pose!” I throw my arms up in the air and grin widely as the music finishes, earning- alone with Nicole on my left, and Suriya on my right- a rapturous round of applause from the assembled students.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” I say happily, clinking my wine glass with that of the sexy guy opposite me. I’m dressed in a short, slinky black dress, translucent seamed stockings and extra-high heels (much to my boyfriend’s chagrin), whilst the handsome man opposite me is wearing a smart suit with a bright white shirt and a plain grey tie.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Stuart says, sipping his wine with one hand whilst his other hand links his fingers with mine. “This is absolutely PERFECT.”

“I shall see you on Tuesday!” Hannah giggles as she drops me off outside my former college. “Give my love to the rest of the ‘Teen Angels’. Oh- and enjoy your long, loooong weekend!”

“Will do!” I laugh, straightening my short skirt and opaque black tights as I step out of the car and stride into the dining hall of the large building. I breathe a sigh of relief that my work is over for another week- not that I don’t still enjoy it, of course, but it IS hard work, and I’m REALLY looking forward to three free days to spend with my friends… Especially Sarah.

“Stop crying!” The middle-aged man barks as the electric clippers shear my head clean of the hair I’d been growing over the last twelve months. I gulp and blink my eyes, but as lock after lock of light blonde hair tumbles in front of my face, I can’t control my emotions. My life, just my hair, is tumbling down in front of me.

Once the haircut is complete, I look at myself in the mirror and I want to scream. Looking back at me is undoubtedly the face of a pre-teen boy. A pre-teen boy with a cute face, but a boy nonetheless.

“Project more!” Mrs. Ingram urges me. “We want to be able to hear you all the way at the back of the class!”

“I will never let you manipulate me into taking a stand against my own father!” I say in a loud, forceful voice to the girl stood opposite me. “No matter how much you threaten me!”

“I hope you’ve all enjoyed your first term,” Mrs. Houghton announces to the whole of the year as the bell rings, signifying not only the end of the school day, but the end of school entirely for the next two and a half weeks. “I hope you all have a happy Christmas, and I look forward to seeing you back here in January, refreshed and raring to go for another term!” With the assembly ‘dismissed’, we all file out of the hall in neat columns, though once we reach the car park outside the school, we become a lot LESS orderly!

“To Viks!” The five of us toast, clinking our glasses of champagne (or in Charlotte’s case, non-alcoholic champagne) together.

“Seriously, you guys,” Viks complains, “my birthday isn’t until tomorrow!”

“Yeah, but we’ve got to share you with a BOY tomorrow,” Hannah giggles. “Tonight it’s all girls, girls, girls!”

“And on that topic,” Mary giggles, “Jamie, where the hell did you get those amazing nails?” I laugh as I wave my extra-long fingernails for the girls, highlighting the shiny black polish that’s been applied to each one.

I straighten my short black pencil skirt and my clingy, translucent tights as I jump in the back of the pink London cab. I slip my stiletto heels off and stretch my tired toes, satisfied that a hard day’s work is complete.

“Don’t let those toes get too comfortable,” Viks teases as she gets in the driver’s seat. “Aren’t they going to be supporting your entire bodyweight later tonight?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I mock-groan. “I mean, it’s not that I DON’T like ballet, it’s just- haven’t I worked hard enough today?”

As the classical music reaches its crescendo, I lower myself from pointe and dip into a perfect ballerina’s curtsey, spreading my voluminous tutu beneath me as the crowd roars with rapturous applause.

“Three cheers for the birthday girl!” Stuart yells from the audience, making me blush as I stand back up.

“Hip hip!” Stuart yells.

“Hooray!” The crowd enthusiastically responds.

"Who needs BOYS anyway?" Krystie- my ex-girlfriend- yells over the noise of the crowded Parisian nightclub she, Jamie and myself have found ourselves in.

"I'll try not to take that personally!" I yell back, handing the two girls their drinks and escorting them back to their table in the club's VIP area where Krystie immediately raises a toast.

"To being single!" The tall, attractive woman says. Jamie, Krystie and I clink our glasses together, but I can't help but comment on the surrealism of the scene.

“Ugh,” I moan as my alarm clock wakes me at 7am for what feels like the millionth consecutive day.

“Morning babe,” Sarah tiredly moans, wrapping her arms around my naked body and giving me a slow, soft kiss on my neck.

“Hey,” I reply, blinking the tiredness out of my eyes. “Looking forward to today?”

“Been looking forward to it since I left in June,” Sarah giggles. “Just wish you were coming with me…”

“I know,” I sigh. “Kinda wish I was coming too…”

“No you don’t,” Sarah says, giving me a playful push. “You know EVERYONE would kill to have your job!”

"...And that's about it for this half of the term!" Mrs. Ford says, prompting everyone in the class to whisper excitedly and put away their textbooks. "See you all in a week!"

"So cool!" Nicole enthuses as we leave the classroom.