Bad For Me (3 page)

Chapter 4

“Come on Megs. Pleeaaasee. Just for me.” Julie begged.

“You know it’s not my scene.”

“It’s my birthday. You have to come.”

“It was your birthday two weeks ago.”

“That was my real birthday. This is my official one.”

“Like the Queen?”

“Yeah—she nicked the idea off me.”

Julie had been trying all day to persuade me to go out with her. I'd put her off because she insisted she wanted to go clubbing. I hated clubs—I hated everything about them. They're noisy, sweaty and full of drunken idiots. All in all, they are my idea of hell.

“I hate clubbing.”

“It’s only one night. Please!”

“Will JJ be there?” I definitely wasn't going if ‘Mr full of himself’ was going to be there.

“No. JJ hates clubs too.”

At least we had something in common.

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Okay. But I'm not staying too late though.”

“Great!!! Thanks Megs.” Julie threw her arms around me.

My wardrobe was pretty basic. I liked to pretend it was because I was picky and only bought quality. The truth was that I was broke most of the time. I decided to recycle the outfit I’d bought for our Christmas night out. What a disaster that had been, but that’s another story. The black dress was an inch shorter than I would have liked and revealed more cleavage than I usually showed (which was  none).

Julie had decided she wanted to try Dandy's—a new club that had only opened a few weeks before. The club might have been new, but it was the same as every other club I'd ever visited. I was counting the minutes until I could sneak away. Julie had bumped into a couple of her friends. The three of them had been throwing back shots for over an hour, so I figured it wouldn’t be long before I could leave without her noticing.

“You're looking hot tonight, Megan.”

Why did my heart race whenever I heard his voice? What the hell was wrong with me? I was going to kill Julie. She'd promised JJ wouldn’t be at the club. His smile made me want to thump him and kiss him in equal measure.

“Thanks.” I decided I should be polite for Julie’s sake.

“Do you want to dance?” He flashed that same old smile.

“No thanks.”

“Don't you dance?”

“Not with you I don't.” So much for being polite—he brought the worst out of me.

“Ouch. What’s wrong with me?”

“So many things.”

“You really know how to make a guy feel special.”

“What are you doing here anyway? Julie said you hated clubs.”

“So, you’ve been asking about me—that’s nice. Am I beginning to wear you down?”

“I wasn’t asking about you.” This man's arrogance knew no bounds.

“Don't worry. It's perfectly understandable that you should find me irresistible.”

“I can resist you just fine thanks.”

“Julie's right. I do hate clubs. I only came tonight, so I could see you again.”

Before I could react, Julie staggered over and stood between us. “I need a drink.”

“Looks like you've had enough,” JJ said.

“Don't be daft,” Julie slurred. “Buy me a G and T.”

“I'm not buying you anything else to drink,” he said. 

“You're a spoilsport. I'll get my own.”

“Julie... ” JJ grabbed her arm.

“Fuck off JJ. I've not seen you in like forever. You can't tell me what to do. I'm not a kid.”

Julie shook off his hand, and staggered away.

“She's changed,” JJ said. “Do you two often go out together?”

“Occasionally.”

“And do you always let her get hammered?”

“Hold on. Julie's a big girl. She makes her own decisions.”

“Bad decisions since she has been in that flat.”

“Since I moved in with her you mean?”

“I don't want her drinking like this.”

“Why are you telling me? Tell Julie. Maybe if you hadn't disappeared for a year you could have kept a better eye on your baby sister.”

“What are you two arguing about?” Julie had returned.

“Nothing,” I snapped.

“You've had enough to drink.” JJ was in Julie's face. “I'm taking you back to my place.”

“I'm not leaving. I'm having fun. Remember fun JJ? You used to be fun—what happened? Did you have a fun lobitom, liboti...?”

“Lobotomy?” I suggested.

“Yeah—what she said. I'm staying here, and then I'm going home with my bestest friend in all the world.” She put her arm around my waist.

JJ shook his head; his face was red with rage, but he wasn't looking at Julie. His anger appeared to be directed at me.

“Your brother is a fucking idiot!” I said after he'd disappeared out of the club.

“I'll drink to that.”

Chapter 5

“There must be something you can do.” I was mightily pissed off.

Mr Jackson, the senior tutor on my course, had pulled me to one side after the last lesson of the day. As part of the course, students were required to do a two week placement to gain practical experience. The placement was mandatory—no placement, no pass. We had been assigned to our respective employers almost a month before, and were due to start in just under a week’s time. I'd booked time off from the coffee bar. Mr Jackson had just told me that D&R Engineering, the company where I was scheduled to do my placement, had gone into liquidation. That left me, and two other students, without a placement. Mr Jackson said he might still be able to arrange for me to go somewhere else, but that it might not be for the same two weeks. That was just great. I’d had enough trouble arranging time off—there was no guarantee the coffee shop would allow me to swap my weeks.

“I’m sorry, Megan. I’ll do what I can,” Mr Jackson said.

“Fanbloodytastic.”

“You look like you’ve just lost a fiver.”  A voice from behind me said.

Great—it was Dan Mason—just what I needed.

“What’s up, Megan? Are you missing me?”

“Sod off, Dan.” At that moment, I needed him like I needed a hole in the head.

“Why don’t I take you for a coffee, and you can tell me all about it?”

Dan Mason was on the same course as me.  A few months back, he'd asked me out. I was kind of flattered, and was going to say yes. That was until, later that same day, I'd caught him pinning Lizzy Whelan to the wall behind the lockers.

“I’d rather chew glass than go anywhere with you.”

“I’ll take that as a maybe.” He laughed and walked away.

I had a talent for attracting losers.

********************

As soon as I walked into the flat, I saw the cake—a large bun really—with a single candle. A word had been iced in red onto the white icing—'SORRY'.

Julie stepped out of her bedroom. She'd been in bed when I'd left that morning. I couldn't imagine what kind of hangover she must have woken up with.

“Sorry,” she said rather sheepishly.

“What for?”

“Last night. I shouldn't have dragged you to Dandy's.”

“Forget it. Just don't ask me to go to any more clubs with you.”

“I won't. Cross my heart.”

“The cake's a bit over the top isn't it. An apology would've done.”

“I didn't buy it.” She stepped aside.

“I bought the cake,” JJ said.

“What are you doing here?” I spat the words.

“I owe you an apology.”

“I don't want your apologies.”

“JJ didn't... ”Julie began.

“Keep out of this Julie. This is between me and your brother.”

“I shouldn't have said the things I did,” JJ said. “I realise now that none of that was your fault. I didn't know about your mum...”

I turned my glare onto Julie.

“You told him about my mum? You've got no right to... Oh, you know what? Forget it! You can both keep your fucking cake!”

Neither of them followed me into my bedroom—they had that much sense at least.

********************

“Megs? Are you asleep?” Julie asked.

“What?” I had been asleep until she spoke. I felt her sit on the bed. My back was to her.

“We're both really sorry.”

“Is JJ still here?”

“No. He left ages ago. You've been asleep for hours.”

“You shouldn't have told him about my mum.”

“I know, but it was the only way I could convince him that you weren't a bad influence on me.”

“Me? A bad influence on you? That’s rich.”

“I know.” Julie sniggered. “I told him it was the other way around. I had to make him understand that you'd never drink. That's why I mentioned your mum.”

“I wish you hadn't.”

“I'm sorry. I don’t want us to fall out over this.”

For a moment I thought Julie was about to cry.

“It’s okay.” I pulled myself up into a sitting position. “I’m not mad with you.”

“Friends?”

“Friends.” We hugged. How could I stay angry at her? She looked like a scolded puppy. “Just one thing.”

“Anything.”

“Warn me the next time your brother is coming over. I don’t want to be here.”

“Okay. He’s not really so bad though.”

“He’s worse. Promise you will warn me?”

“I promise.”

********************

When I arrived home from work the next day, Julie was still in full-on grovel mode. She insisted on making a fry-up—my favourite. It was a nice, but terrifying gesture—Julie was a disaster in the kitchen.

“What are you going to do about your placement?” Julie said, as she dropped the egg—shell and all—into the frying pan.

“Here let me.” I nudged her away from the cooker before she set the place on fire. “I'll take it from here.”

“Will they be able to get you a placement somewhere else?”

“They said they'd try to organise something, but there's hardly any time. Unless they can arrange something for the same two weeks, I'm screwed. I'll never get time off. I don't want to think about it—it's too depressing. Let's talk about something else. What's happening with you? You've been walking around with a stupid smile on your face ever since I came in.”

“Nothing.” Julie said. The smile spread across her face.

"You’re a terrible liar. I can see you’re bursting to tell me, so you may as well get on with it.”

“Okay.” Julie laughed. “Alan Rhodes has asked me to go out with him.

“Is he the guy that you said you had no chance with?”

“That’s him.”

“So what changed?”

It was only the previous week Julie had complained that Alan Rhodes didn't know she existed.

“I got talking to him at lunchtime. He’s really nice.” Julie stared into the middle distance.

“Earth to Julie.”

“Sorry. I was on my way back to class, and he asked if I wanted to go to a party with him. Just like that—out of the blue.”

“Whose party?”

“I don’t know. I think he might have told me, but I was in shock.”

“Do you remember when it is?”

“Saturday night. What do you think I should wear?”

Why Julie asked me about clothes was beyond me. Our tastes were so different, she might as well have asked the guy who emptied our bins, and he was the wrong side of sixty.  Julie was a girly girl with her pretty dresses—I was much more comfortable in jeans and a tee shirt—the night out at Dandy's had been the first time I'd worn a dress since Christmas (same dress!). It didn’t matter anyway because she wasn’t listening to a word I said—she was on planet Alan Rhodes.

Although I say it myself, I make a mean fry-up. I'd just begun to wash the pots when someone knocked at the door.

“Julie! Are you expecting anyone?”

No response. She was in the bedroom working her way through her wardrobe trying to decide what she would wear for her date with Alan Rhodes.

“I’ll get it then, shall I?” I looked for the towel, but it was nowhere to be seen, so I dried my hands on my jeans.

It was smiling boy. I was going to kill Julie—she'd promised to warn me when JJ was coming over.

“I didn't hear the intercom,” I said.

“I didn’t need it. Someone was coming out of the front door just as I arrived.”

“You should have used the intercom.”

“So you could talk dirty to me?”

“For security.”

“Shall I go back downstairs, let myself out, and buzz you on the intercom?”

“Do you ever stop being a smart arse?”

“Not often.” He glanced down at my jeans.

“Looks like you're pleased to see me.”

“I was washing the pots.” I hated the way he could make me blush. “I couldn't find the towel.”

“Hmmm. If you say so.”

“You'd better come in. Julie is planning her outfit for Saturday. She has a date.”

“I know. She telephoned to tell me all about it.”

I didn’t want to make small talk, so I went back to washing the pots.

“Are you still mad at me?” He followed me into the kitchen.

Before I could answer, Julie walked in. “What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, sis.”

“You know I’m always pleased to see you.”

“I actually came to see Megs, but I think she's still pissed with me.”

“For fuck’s sake. How many times do I have to tell you two? My name isn’t Megs. It’s FUCKING Megan!”

I stormed out of the kitchen, into my bedroom, and slammed the door closed behind me. No over-reaction there then. So much for my resolve to ignore him.

********************

They didn't follow me. I'd probably put the fear of God into them—I can be a scary bitch when I lose it. If I'm honest, I was still seething about the placement—JJ calling me 'Megs' for the millionth time had pushed me over the edge.

An hour later, I needed a pee, but I didn’t want to face either of them. I lay on the bed, and intended to wait until I heard JJ leave. At least that had been the plan. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the dark.  I'd been asleep for almost two hours, and now I was absolutely bursting for the loo. I listened at the door; I couldn’t hear any voices. I cracked it open a few inches. The coast was clear; there was no sign of either of them. I’d never been more relieved to have a pee.

I was on my way to the kitchen for a lump of cheese when Julie intercepted me.

“Has he gone?” I said.

“JJ?”

“Who else?”

“Yeah. He went not long after you threw a hissy fit.”