Spoiler! :
The bus smelt of fish and chips, making my stomach rumble. I looked to my left to see a couple tucking into their lunch on the seat across from me. I’d been at work since nine this morning and now, being half past one, I was starting to feel the effects of only eating a banana and a biscuit for breakfast. I was even beginning to regret declining the melted chocolate bar that Leanne had found at the bottom of her bag.
“Harriet!”
I jumped at the sound of Cassie’s voice. My hunger was taking over my brain and I’d forgotten to answer her question. Pushing the phone back towards me ear, I finally replied.
“Yes, Cass. I arm wrestled him.”
Cassie sighed. “Why? Are you mad?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. But he asked me, and it meant I got to hold his hand for a bit, so I thought ‘why not?’”
“Because he probably thinks you’re some macho bloke now, that’s why.” She sounded annoyed. “All that work I did, getting you a new hair cut and letting you borrow my dress when we went to The Rooster. I might as well have not bothered.”
“It’s not that bad,” I tried. “He was smiling at me all evening. I didn’t get home until half ten.”
“Why, were you discussing gym routines instead of flirting?”
I tutted. “No. We talked about music actually. You know, he likes the band that Zelda King’s boyfriend’s in.” I held my breath, hoping that by talking about Zelda, Cassie might ease up on me.
She sighed again, more dramatically than before. “Well, I guess that counts for something. But still, next time he asks you for an arm wrestle, ask for a snog instead.”
I could feel my cheeks warming up. “Cass!”
“What? You’re gonna have to do some serious point scoring to get him back on side.”
Cassie’s words bounced around my head for a moment, but I wasn’t focusing on them. All I could think about was the feel of Sonny’s skin on mine and the way he’d been talking to me. Just me, without adding anyone else into the conversation. I could feel a girly giggle bubbling up inside of me.
“Aiden doesn’t think I did bad at all. He thinks I did the right thing, by joining in, rather than just sitting on the outside.”
“And what does Aiden know?” Cassie sounded hurt. “He’s single, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” I replied. “But he’s a guy, Cass. He knows how guys think.” I heard Cassie scoff on the other end of the phone. “He’s working with you, not against.”
“I know, I know,” Cassie insisted. “It’s just that I like helping you. I don’t want him taking all the credit when you and Sonny start going out.”
My heart rate tripled. “You actually think it’s going to happen?”
“You and Sonny? Yeah. Hundred percent.”
I felt myself beaming like a crazy person until I noticed a little old lady watching me with concern. I turned to look out of the window at the grey clouds and busy high streets.
“Are you still going shopping with.” Cassie paused. “You know.”
“I’m on my way to meet her now,” I replied, suddenly feeling cautious. “You don’t mind, do you?” Cassie was quick to reassure me that she didn’t. “Good. Only I don’t want to upset you.”
“It’s fine,” Cassie added.
“What are you doing this afternoon?” I asked.
“Art homework probably. Although I might go online and check out Zelda’s blog, look through her pics.”
“You could have come shopping too,” I said. “Lara wouldn’t have minded.”
Cassie made a strangled noise. “No thanks. I’d probably end up punching her. Doesn’t it annoy you when she says ‘lovely’ every other sentence?”
I bit my lip. “I don’t really notice it anymore.”
“Anymore?”
My stomach plummeted to my feet. I’d meant, since I sat next to her in English for over a year. But Cassie didn’t know that. “You know what, Cass. My stop’s coming up. I better go.”
“Okay. Well, have fun and don’t buy anything I wouldn’t.”
I smiled. “I won’t.”
“Good.” She rung off just as I spotted the local precinct out of the window. Now I had to find Lara amongst the swarms of people.
***
“What do you reckon?” Lara held up a pale blue coat, an unsure expression on her face. “I don’t know if it’ll show dirt up easily.”
I nodded, not sure whether I was indicating I liked it or that I agreed with her about the dirt thing. To be honest, Cassie never really asked for my opinion. She hadn’t been shy about telling me that I dressed ‘boring’ so I guess it would never occur to her to have asked my opinion on whether she should get the bright pink, or the hot pink top. I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference though. With Lara, however, it felt like she actually cared about what I thought. I wasn’t used to having such pressure to make the right choice on my shoulders.
“Or it’s this one.” She pointed with a lilac painted fingernail to a coat that was exactly the same as the one she was holding, except this one was navy. It had been the one she’d been looking at when I’d spotted her through the shop window. Luckily, she’d only been in one of the stores opposite the bus stop, saving me trekking around the precinct like a lemon, “I’m not sure. What do you think?”
I felt myself biting my bottom lip in concentration. I wanted to help Lara make the right decision. “I think the navy one would go with more.” I was out on a whim here, but Lara nodded her head, seemingly agreeing with me.
“Yeah, you’re right. I guess it’s the navy one then. Lovely.” She gave me a grin. “I’d have been here for hours if you hadn’t have been here. I’m so indecisive.”
I was just glad that we hadn’t been in here for hours. The speakers were pumping out annoying cheesy pop songs and I was tired of moving out of the way of squeeing girls who were so excited to see a coat on sale that I was waiting for one of them to pass out with shock.
“Have you seen anything you want?” Lara asked. “There’s a lovely green jacket over there.”
I shook my head. “I’m trying to save up.” That was a lie. I had plenty of money in the bank. Enough to get me by for a few months at least, but at the back of my mind I kept thinking about the dance competition that Maddi had shown me. The fee to enter had been twenty pounds. I had no idea whether this was expensive or not, being a competition novice, but I didn’t want to spend all of my money on a coat that I’d probably only ever wear once, when I might need the money for the contest. Not that I was sure whether I was entering or not yet. I was still weighing up the pros and cons.
“Do you mind if I pay for this now then? We can get going to another shop after.”
“Not at all,” I replied, following Lara towards the huge line at the tills. It seemed that everyone knew that there was a sale on coats. I sighed and glanced at my watch. It was just gone two and I could feel my stomach rumbling more than it had been on the bus. My mouth watered as I pictured the old couple eating their fish and chips.
***
It wasn’t until we were in the changing rooms of the fourth shop, where Lara was trying on a pair of jeans, that I finally plucked up the courage to ask her if we could grab some lunch. I was surprised she hadn’t heard my stomach rumbling outside the cubicle curtain. Though the sound was probably drowned out by the kids screaming and throwing clothes all over the floor. I gave the stressed out mother a sympathetic look as she passed me, picking up the items that her children had decorated the flooring with.
I wasn’t nervous about asking Lara if we could stop for food. It was just that she kept saying what a great time she was having and I didn’t want to be the one to ruin it. If I’d have been with Cassie, then I would have asked before we’d hit the shops. But it was different with Cassie. In a way, I missed her company today. It was weird not being around her. I liked hanging out with Lara, but it wasn’t the same as shopping with Cassie. I hadn’t been made to try on half the shop for starters.
I heard the curtain being pulled back and turned around to see Lara standing with the jeans draped over her arm.
“They fit lovely.” She grinned. “I’ll just pay for them and then you can get something to eat.”
I nodded. “Sure. Are you getting anything?”
“Mum cooked me lunch before I left.” She swatted me on the arm playfully. “You really should have told me you hadn’t eaten anything. I feel mean now.”
“Don’t feel bad,” I insisted. “I’m not starving or anything.” Almost.
“Good. You can go on if you want.” Her gaze moved to the massive queue at the tills. “Looks like I’m going to be here for a while.”
“Only if you don’t mind,” I replied. “I mean, I don’t wanna just ditch you.”
Lara shook her head, wafting different scents my way. She’d tried practically the whole perfume shop on before deciding that she was in fact going to buy the same one that Cassie wore. “Go. I’ll catch you up.”
I smiled a thanks at her before heading towards the door. I spotted a rail of sale items by the exit but the thought of eating soon kept me moving across the road and over to the bakery. This one didn’t sell chocolate brownies like Keke’s, but the smell of cakes and pasties was so delicious that I didn’t mind.
The queue wasn’t that long at all and I passed the time by devouring all of the freshly baked goodies with my eyes. Custard tarts. Sausage rolls. Jam doughnuts. I couldn’t decide what I was going to have and part of me was even wishing the line would move more slowly, so I’d have time to really think my decision through.
I was still stuck between having a sausage roll or a pasty, when the girl in front of me stepped up to the counter. She ordered a cheese and ham bake, crippling my ability to choose even more. There was too much choice when I was in the mood where I could eat everything in the shop. My eyes were on the menu board as the guy behind the counter called, ‘next please.’
I shuffled forwards, biting my lip in thought.
“Hang on a second.” I looked to the counter to see a guy with red hair smiling at me. “It’s my break. Someone should be along in a moment.”
I nodded absentmindedly, pleased that I had more time to pick my lunch. What about a cheese roll? I shook my head, dismissing my thought, before realising that I probably looked crazy. I cleared my throat and hoped no-one would notice me disagreeing with myself.
“Next please!”
I jumped at the loud, optimistic voice. “Can I have a sausage roll, please?”
“Coming right up, Harriet.”
My stomach dropped to my feet and I suddenly didn’t feel so hungry anymore. “Hi Brandon.”
He smiled at my words and I watched him using the metal tongs to grab my order. “Anything else for you?”
“Just a jam doughnut.” My stomach grumbled. “And a cupcake. The one with the pink icing.” I wasn’t hungry now, but as soon as I was away from Brandon, I knew my appetite would return.
“Hungry?” He sounded annoying upbeat again.
I nodded and drew my purse out of my bag. The quicker I pay him, the sooner I can leave. I watched him adding up my items on the till. “I’ve only just finished work.”
“You work in Retro Shack, right?”
I made a mental note to kill Lance later. “Yep.”
“And you came here to get your lunch?” He looked pleased, like he thought I knew he worked here and I’d intentionally come all the way across town to see him.
“I’m shopping with a friend,” I replied.
“Oh.” A frown appeared on his face. “Aiden?”
His assumption surprised me. “No. Lara.”
His expression lightened. “Right. Cool. So did you go to the cinema last night?”
“Uh, course.” I was praying that I wasn’t blushing at lying to his face. “Why?”
He rubbed his jaw through the rubber gloves he was wearing. “I didn’t see you, that’s all.”
My stomach dropped to my feet. “You went too?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I went with Lance.”
I could hear the customers groaning behind me and I glanced at the till, seeing what I owed him. “Oh cool. Well, we were there.”
“What screening did you go to?”
I could feel my cheeks burning. “Uh. The evening one.”
“We went to the same one then.” He looked confused. “I wonder why we didn’t bump into each other?”
I shrugged, handing out my money to him.
“Where did you sit?”
I rolled my eyes. “In the middle part.”
“Where in the middle part?”
The sound of muttering made me drop my money onto the counter instead of waiting for him to take it. “The middle part of the middle part.”
Brandon frowned again. “That’s where we were.”
“Well it was dark,” I said, picking up my lunch from the counter and stuffing it into my bag. “Everyone looks the same in the dark.”
“I suppose,” he replied, although he didn’t look convinced. “It’s just weird, that’s all.”
“Yep.” I took a step backwards. “Well, I have to go. Bye!”
I’d never left a shop so fast in my life. I was on such a mission to get as far away from Brandon’s questioning as possible that I almost didn’t spot Lara waiting just outside the door.
“What did you get?”
“A grilling,” I muttered. “Uh, a sausage roll and two cakes. Which do you want? The doughnut or the cupcake?”
Lara’s grin was so wide it stretched the width of her face. “You’re so lovely!”
“The cupcake has pink icing,” I added.
***
“How did shopping with Lovely Lara go?” Cassie was lounging on my bed, munching on a packet of crisps and spilling crumbs all over my duvet. “Was it lovely?”
I rolled my eyes, but refused to take the bait. I wasn’t going to bad mouth Lara, just because that’s what Cassie wanted to hear. “She’s nice,” I replied. “We had a nice time.”
“Only nice?” Cassie sat up and wiped her fingers on her trousers. “Not lovely?”
I frowned. “You know, if you’re not careful, I will leave you and become best friends with her. At least then I’d always have a lovely time.”
“Oh not you, too. Her loveliness is contagious.” She wrinkled her nose and got up to stand behind where I was sitting at my desk.
“I said it once, Cass. Not every other sentence.”
Cassie smiled. “So you did notice how much she says it?”
“Yes. No.” I sighed. “Why don’t you just give her a chance?”
“I was willing to,” she replied. “But then she had to go and steal Mike from me.” Cassie glowered at me. “Is she really that much more lovely than me?” She was giving me a pleading look and my insides squirmed.
“You’re both great,” I said, careful not to say the word ‘lovely’ in my response. “It’s just that, you can be a little.” I hesitated. “Intense.”
“But that’s a good thing, right? I mean, intense is way better than boring.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but sometimes it can be a tad annoying. Not all the time. But sometimes.”
Cassie looked at me with a blank expression for a moment, before suddenly returning to sit down on my bed. I held my breath and waited for her to argue her point like always, but she didn’t.
“Are you going to do this dance contest thing then?”
Surprised by the change in subject, it took me a moment to respond. “Uh, I’m not sure. I’m still thinking about it.”
“Have you asked Leanne about it? You two always share everything with each other.”
I shook my head.
“Why not?”
“I haven’t had the chance,” I replied. “Besides, it’s not that big a deal.”
Cassie raised her eyebrows. “H, you love to dance. You have to tell Leanne. This is like her not telling you about a gig.”
Cassie’s point seemed to make sense, which was strange enough, but when she jumped up and ran to my bedroom door, I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Where are you going?” I asked, watching her warily.
“We’re going to go downstairs and see Leanne,” she replied.
“Now?”
Cassie nodded. “Why not?”
I swallowed hard. “Because it’s Sunday afternoon and like every other Sunday afternoon, the band are downstairs chatting about music and stuff.”
Cassie stared at me with a blank expression.
“That means Sonny will be there. You know, the same Sonny that I have a massive crush on.”
“So?” Cassie asked, her hand on the door handle. “You can ask him too.”
I shook my head hard. “No, Cass. I’ll ask her later, promise.”
The door opened without a sound and a huge grin appeared on her face. “Oops.”
“Cass,” I hissed. “Don’t do this to me!”
“Oh stop being a baby,” Cassie whispered over her shoulder as she started towards the stairs. “It’s not like I’m asking you to declare your love for him. He should be pleased that you’re asking him for advice. You know, he might even take you up on the offer to join you at your dance class.” She took a step back towards me and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “You’d have one on one time with him.”
I sprang up from my chair and raced after her. “He was only joking when he said that.”
“How do you know?” Cassie asked as she pulled me down the stairs.
“Because there’s no way he’d be interested in watching me dance.”
We reached the hallway and she span around to face me. “And why not? All you two seem to have in common at the moment is music. What if he decides that he really likes watching you dance? You’d have something else in common then.”
Once again, Cassie seemed to be making more sense that usual, which was still weird. “Okay fine. But let me do the talking. I don’t want you getting all up in his face and making him feel like he has to come.”
She bit her lip in thought before nodding as she pushed the lounge door open.
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