Okay but we know Josie is stoked, even if she’s nervous to actually text THE Edwina Sharma but Edwina is also VERY excited. She’s had a crush on Josie for three years, and pretty much everyone except Josie knows it. Even Kate.

“What’s new with you?” Kate asked over the phone from university.

Edwina sighed, leaning back against her pillows, “I’m going out with Josie Bagwell this weekend!”

Kate gasped, “You finally told her you’re in love with her?! How’d it go?!”

“Technically her brother yelled out across the cafeteria that she wanted my number but she’s been sending very cute texts since then.”

And pretty much from that weekend onwards, Josie and Edwina are inseparable. Josie waits outside school for Edwina to arrive and waves awkwardly to Mrs Sharma while Edwina wraps her arms around Josie before they walk in hand in hand. And they’re always sitting at lunch together, Frankie winking at Edwina’s friends while Josie and Edwina giggle over something.

Even the teachers are sighing about it when Josie walks past with Edwina on her shoulders.

“Josephine, please put her down before you drop her!” Mrs Smith turned to her colleague. “Actually they’re very sweet together.”

“They make me feel so fucking single.”

Frankie is just there to be his sister’s hype man tbh. He thinks she’s the best person in the entire world so absolutely he doesn’t see any reason why Josie thinks her crush on the most popular girl in their year is futile. Why would Edwina not want to date Josie? Josie’s funny and she’s smart and Edwina Sharma would be lucky to date her. Edwina Sharma should be thanking her lucky stars that Josie even looked in her direction as far as Frankie is concerned.

Which is why Frankie pulled Edwina aside at the end of that day. His hand catching her forearm as she left French and he left his art class, pulling her into an abandoned room.

“If Josie wants to know what kind of flowers I like: I’m allergic to most of them.” Edwina chuckled, perching herself on the desk.

“Noted but this is about something else.” Frankie crossed his arms over his chest. “I just want to make sure you know that Josie’s great.”

Edwina tilted her head, “Okay?”

“She’s… literally the best person I know and she’s really liked you for a while so if you’re just doing this because I put you on the spot and you wanted to make a show for your little fanclub: Don’t go out with her.”

“How long has she liked me for?”

Frankie blinked, “She told me about it a few months ago which means it’s probably been a lot longer than that. Look I’m not telling you this to inflate your ego any more than it already is-”

“Okay well, I’ve had a crush on her since we were 12 so she might be a little behind. You can ask any of my friends. That’s why they were laughing.” Edwina leapt off the desk sighing, “She’s so pretty. Thanks for this though, it was cute. Very scary. Terrified of you I promise. Don’t worry though. I like Josie and my parents know I’m gay, I think they knew before I figured it out. They’re not going to think Josie’s the devil or corrupted me or anything like it.”

Frankie relaxed a little, “Just don’t hurt her okay? She’s my favourite person.”

Edwina smiled at him, “Oh I have no intention of breaking her heart.”

Frankie and Josie are twins, there’s no one they’re closer to. Frankie was the first person Josie told that she was a little bit in love with a girl at their school who probably didn’t even know her name. And it was Frankie who rolled his eyes months later when Josie sighed as Edwina walked by and called across the lunchroom to where she’d just sat down with her gaggle of popular friends

“Oil! Sharma! Come here, I want your phone number!”

“What are you doing?!” Josie gasped, “She’s going to laugh at me!”

Edwina turned slowly towards him, her friends giggling ridiculously and tossed her hair while everyone watched, “Only if it’s for your sister!”

Frankie clapped Josie on the shoulder who was trying to disappear through the floor, “It is! Get over here!”

Edwina opened her backpack and pulled out a pen, walking calmly over to where they were sitting as the rest of the school jeered and cheered, calling out random things as she passed and Josie watched, her heart hammering in her chest as Edwina stopped in front of her. Her skirt was still swaying against her thighs with the movement and her long, glossy hair framed her face as she leaned down,

“I’ve been waiting for you to talk to me.”

Josie swallowed thickly as Edwina’s hand closed around hers, turning it over, “Um… I didn’t think you… knew who I was.”

Edwina chuckled, the pink ink of her pen gliding against Josie’s palm, “I know who you are.”

Josie stared at her, not really knowing what to say, “Okay.”

Edwina smiled at her again as she dropped her hand, “And you’re going to actually use this right? Because that would be really awkward for me now.”

“She’ll definitely use it!” Frankie cut in, “I’ll make sure of it.”

Edwina’s eyes didn’t even look in his direction, she just kept staring at Josie, “Thank you, Franklin. That’s very diligent of you. I’ll talk to you later, Josie.”

“right, yes.” Josie cleared her throat, “I’ll… talk to you… after school probably.”

“Can’t wait.”

Josie waited until Edwina turned around before she shoved her brother, “You fucking dickhead! That could have gone really badly.”

Frankie rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair, “And yet: It didn’t.”

“It could have!”

“You will not be saying that when she’s got you in the back of her mum’s car.”

Josie felt herself flush, “Just… Well, I wouldn’t hate that!”

“Josie, you dog!”

“Just… eat your sausage roll.”

Anthony gets along well with Frankie. Once he realises that he flirts with everyone, and he doesn’t actually want to date Kate. He’s just a flirt.

“Kate, when are you going to leave Anthony for me?” Frankie grins across the table one sunday, “No offence, Anthony. You know we’re buds.”

“None taken, Frankie.” Anthony sighed, “She’s seven months pregnant with my baby so I like my chances, though.”

“Never happening, Frankie.” Kate chuckled, “There is a new aide in my office though who I think might be just your type.”

Anthony standing in front of her like “Am I a joke to you?! I’ll do it! I’ll be such a good boyfriend, and if you want we can have babies! We’ll have very cute little curly haired babies! Date me! I don’t care what anyone says about me! I’m not scared or intimidated by you being a very important woman: I actually very much prefer it!”

And Kate’s just blinking at him like “… okay?”