Page 7 of Unapologetic Love Story

Pepper’s eyes narrowed but she smirked. ‘How. Was. Your. School. Visit. Raina?’

Raina grinned. ‘Eventful.’

The girls had quickly moved from quizzing her about former employers to asking about relationships and sex.

‘So, I learned the hard way that posh schools get a bit shirty if you say “condoms”,’ she informed Pepper.

‘Why were you talking about condoms? I thought you were there to do your neurodiversity spiel. Do you suddenly have a special interest in contraception?’

Raina fought a smile. ‘I was there to talk about work. But they started asking about sex, so I told them to always use protection, never bow to pressure. And refuse to give your number to lurkers. I think it’s important. No one talked to us about it.’

‘That’s not true,’ Pepper said derisively. ‘My mother handed me a chocolate bar and told me boys only like the ones that haven’t been unwrapped.’

‘Well, that’s completely disgusting.’

‘They probably get super-duper sex education these days,’ Pepper pointed out, snatching a cucumber from the fridge and caressing it in a way that made Raina roll her eyes and let out a snort of amusement. ‘Gone are the days of passing around one of these and—’

‘You had cucumber in your sex-ed lessons?’

‘Most teachers would use a banana, but let’s be honest, the curve on them is disconcerting.’

‘And misleading. I didn’t use fruit or veg today; I just told the truth.’

‘Look at you, almost thirty and the perfect role model,’ Pepper mused. ‘Anything exciting happen? Did a teacher rugby tackle you for going off-book?’

‘Oh, they had one for the hall of fame today.’

‘Uh oh. How bad?’

‘Pepper,’ Raina said cheerfully, snatching a piece of newly sliced cucumber and biting into it with a satisfying crunch. ‘Did you know, neurodivergent people can’t feel actual human emotions?’

‘I heard,’ Pepper said darkly, ‘they can see in the dark.’

‘I heard they drink blood.’

‘I heard they sneak into your house after midnight and reorganize your bathroom cupboards.’

They laughed.

‘I don’t get it,’ Raina added, growing a little more serious. ‘They never think people like me are in the room. They talk on and on about us, and it makes me feel like the person in a paranormal film who’s trying to hide the fact that they’re a vampire.’

‘What a charming comparison.’

‘Well, that’s how it makes me feel. I have to just sit there and grimace. “Yes, kids, she’s talking about people like me. Possibly some of you.” Like we’re not human. Like we’re not . . . I don’t know.’

It suddenly didn’t feel very funny any more.

Pepper didn’t notice her friend’s change in demeanour. ‘So, how did it go from this other person saying you’re an alien freak with no heart to you talking about sex? Showing off?’

‘I wasn’t talking about sex; I was just answering their questions. I got up and basically tried to undo all of the propaganda she’d been spouting. Mrs Horn – oh fuck, you should have heard her. Anyway. Some of the girls knew the podcast.’

It had been nice to see. She was getting close to half a million listeners a month and growing more and more by the day.

‘Well, there you go,’ Pepper said admiringly. Smug pride rouging her cheeks. ‘You thought no one would listen and now you’ve got teenagers asking you inappropriate questions while their teachers think, Who the fuck did we actually invite here today?’

‘It’s a dream come true.’ The remark was dry and laced with irony but Raina did feel a strange sort of vindication. ‘I’ve always wanted to lead people down the path of great sex, self-love and saying a big fuck-you to anyone who thinks Rain Man is the be-all and end-all of talking about autism.’

‘No toothpick-counting from you. By the way, we need to get ready, like, now. The car’s coming at quarter to eight.’