“What is she wearing?” 

“She looks like a total tart.” 

“Guess that’s why they call her First Time Vivienne.” 

The gossip swirls in the air as Peggy approaches her friends, none of them have noticed her yet. In fact, Peggy could start belting Harry Styles in the middle of the corridor and no one would take their eyes off Vivienne Stock’s outfit. 

Vivienne lazily puts books into her locker, the faint clinking of metal can be heard as her safety pin necklace catches on the buttons of her oversized denim jacket. That’s not what’s got everyone talking though. It’s the ripped fishnets combined with the low cut top which has the hallway in scandal. 

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Peggy stood beside her friends. The shortest of the group she peered around their shoulders to catch another glimpse of Vivienne admiring her layering of denims. “It’s only an outfit, she should be able to wear what she wants.” 

“Peggy,” Alya shakes her head, gold earrings grazing against her bronze neck. “She’s sending a message to all the guys in this school. It’s disgusting.” 

“Well I’m wearing a crop top,” Motioning to her dandelion yellow shirt, Peggy then points to their friend Chole’s outfit. “And Chole is wearing a tube top. How is that any different?” 

“Don’t be so innocent Peggy. She’s wearing fishnets.” Leaning against her locker, Chole scowls at the comparison. “Everyone knows what kind of message fishnets paired with a top like that sends. She might as well have written easy on her forehead.”

“And look at her hair,” Bella twirls her own auburn locks as she points at Vivenne’s burgundy purple hair cut to below her angular jaw. “My mum would shave me in my sleep if I came home with hair like that.” 

Peggy rather liked Vivenne’s hair. She decided to keep that to herself. 

“Oi, Viv!” Dustin, a boy with a remarkably square head and a crooked grin, shouted. “Do you want some fries with that shake?” 

The locker slammed shut.

Shouldering a sagging bag Vivienne turned around, her eyeliner almost as sharp as her glare. Her boots squeaked on the vinyl floor and the stares followed her as she strolled through the corridor. Once parallel with Dustin she thrust her middle fingers into his face and kept walking. The door slammed closed and the rumours started. 

“I heard they made out last Friday.” Bertha Crawley declares from across the corridor. 

“No they didn’t, she gave him a quickie in the backseat of his dad’s car on Saturday.” 

“Bill on the rugby team says Dustin’s got a tattoo of her name on his ass.” 

The air is juicy with gossip and Peggy walks to class hoping none of the rumours are true.