The Bad Girls' Club (15 page)

I shrugged. There was no point saying any more. This wasn
’t open for discussion. Imogen glared at me and I glared back. I wasn’t going to be the first to speak. Juliette looked from Imogen to me and then back again.

I sipped at the dregs of my coffee. Imogen fiddled with her spoon.

‘Fine then,’ said Imogen. ‘I’ve got to get going anyway.’

‘
What about Beth’s dare?’ asked Juliette.

‘
Screw it,’ said Imogen. ‘We’ll have a week off and think about it next time.’

***

A message was sitting on my desk when I got back from the management meeting. That damn meeting, it made my head throb just thinking about it.

We were getting a new manager. I
’d have to be on my toes for the next few months. It was always such hard work breaking in a new boss.

And bloody Pam, who knew she
’d come up with something like that plan to restructure the buyer presentations? She probably stole the idea off someone else anyway. In the whole five years I’d worked with her, she’d never had an original idea.

Oh Pam, that
’s so clever; that’s the kind of thinking we need, that’s real management thinking
. Yeah everyone
loves
Pam now. I’d like to restructure her with my stapler. Bloody cow. All I could do was sink down in my leather chair trying to find a flaw in her plan. But I couldn’t find a single fault. Damn her, lording it up at the end of the table with that smug smile on her face.

After that, the last thing I needed was a phone message from Poppy on my desk.

Please call back. Urgent.

Why couldn
’t she have stayed on her honeymoon? Forever.

There was no point delaying the moment. If Poppy wanted something, she
’d keep ringing until I answered, giving me no time to work on my list of brilliant ideas, a.k.a. the ‘Kill Pam Plan’. I grabbed a pen and flicked through Pam’s proposal while Poppy’s mobile rang.

Maybe I could find out who gave her the idea then get her on the not-being-a-team-player angle. Yeah, that could work. Stupid Imogen and Juliette, thinking I
’d do that dare. If they had any idea what my office was like, they’d never have even suggested it. I only needed make the slightest screw up and Pam would be broadcasting it though the company. I remember when Jenny from PR got sprung with the courier on the board table. She’d had to change jobs after that. No one could look at her without sniggering.

I could smell Opium; Mandy had to be around somewhere. I don
’t know if they still sold that stuff or if she’d just stocked up big time about 10 years ago, but she wafted around in a cloud of the stuff. She burst in the door, a big manila envelope jangling in her hand.

‘
Beth, we have to – oops, sorry.’ She covered her mouth then mimed drinking a cup of coffee. I pointed at myself and nodded my head as she tiptoed theatrically out the door. As if it mattered that she’d interrupted Poppy.

‘
Beth, finally,’ Poppy sighed as she answered the phone. ‘Where have you been all morning?’

What the hell? It was only 10.30. That was hardly all morning.

‘I’ve been in a meeting and –’

‘
Yes, well, whatever. Are you free Wednesday night?’ Wednesday night. The Bad Girls’ Club meeting.

‘
No, I’m not.’

‘
Nonsense. You can’t be busy. I’m having some people over. To see the photos of the wedding and the honeymoon. I’m sure you can make it.’

‘
Not really.’

‘
We had the best time, you should see my tan…’ Poppy said. I tuned her out and logged onto my PC. There were a couple of new emails. Work drinks next Saturday. Boring. As if I didn’t spend enough time with these people as it was. I deleted it then read down.

The next email was from Imogen.
Beware, Poppy organising mind bogglingly boring photo night on Wednesday.
Damn. Should have checked my emails before phoning.
Don’t tell her about the BGC.
As if I would. Poppy had a way of destroying things.

‘
Poppy,’ I said, interrupting her ramblings; I think she was onto day three of the honeymoon. ‘I told you. I’m busy. Can’t you make it another night?’

‘
No, Beth, I can’t. What do you have on anyway? Have you finally bagged yourself another loser?’

‘
No.’ But then again, maybe it would be better for her to think that. It would stop her asking awkward questions. ‘Well, maybe.’

‘
Who is he? What’s he like?’

I grunted, non-committally. Poppy rarely waited for an answer anyway.

‘Well, can’t you change it? I’m sure he’d understand if you made it another night. You aren’t being very supportive of me, you know. Getting married is a major event in my life and I thought you’d want to be around to help me celebrate these things.’

I had no idea why she
’d think that.

‘
No. I can’t change. Can’t you change your photo night?’

Yeah, as if Poppy would ever change plans for anyone else.

‘Maybe I’ll have to. Seems everyone is busy that night.’

Mandy was back. She poked her head around the doorway with the two foam cups in her hand.

‘Look, Poppy, I’ve got to rush. I’ve got someone in my office.’ I jabbed the button to cut her off before she could answer.

‘
So, what do you think? That was a surprise, wasn’t it?’

Mandy sat my coffee on my desk. I flipped the lid off and added a sachet of sugar. I needed a sugar hit after all that.

‘Pam,’ I said, rolling my eyes. ‘No way did she think of that herself.’

Mandy nodded.
‘No way. Did you see her when old Wilson was raving about how brilliant she was? She was bloody purring. Like she was going to roll over and let him stroke her belly. Blerk. She’s the pits. The old mole.’

‘
Mandy!’

‘
Well, she is an old mole. She thinks she’s hot shit too. I don’t know why she wears those short skirts when she has such dumpy legs. I wish I had her mirror. If it makes her think she’s hot then I’d look like a friggin’ porn star. She’d never think of anything that clever in a zillion years. This is Pam; she wouldn’t remember to breathe if she didn’t have an iPhone app for it.’

‘
Tell me about it. So who do you reckon came up with the idea? She’s got that new temp in her team. Maybe it was her?’

‘
Hardly. She’s as thick as two short planks. I was over there yesterday and she sat there, trying to look all efficient. Nearly shat herself when I snuck up behind her and told her to put the black ten on the red Jack.’

I laughed. I could just see Mandy doing that.

‘We’ve got to get to the bottom of this.’

Mandy nodded.
‘So, anyway, you going to the drinks on Saturday?’

I screwed up my nose.
‘Can’t really. I’ve got something on. A girl’s night out thing. You aren’t seriously thinking of going?’ Of course Mandy was going. I don’t think she’d missed a work function in the ten years she’d worked here.

‘
Yeah. Of course I’m going. Didn’t you read the email?’

‘
Yeah. Kind of.’

‘
So, new boss, huh.’

‘
What’s the word on him, anyway? You heard anything?’

‘
Well,’ Mandy said, and she leaned over my desk, ‘Kate reckons she knows him. He plays bowls with her dad. Therefore, old, crusty and probably as crazy as Bob.’

‘
Bowls? Great. I bet he wears a cardigan.’

‘
And one of those white Bonds singlets that you can see through his Target work shirt. That is always a good look. With grey chest hairs poking over the top.’ Mandy pretended to vomit.

‘
What’s the company policy on management anyway? They don’t seem to employ anyone under 60. This is the last stop before the retirement home.’

‘
I know. Why can’t we get a spunky bit of man meat to perv on? I wouldn’t mind a few lunch time meetings. Maybe being held back after work and reprimanded, if you know what I mean.’

‘
Mandy! You wouldn’t really get it on with the boss.’

‘
Get over it. What’s the big deal?’

‘
Come on. You’d never be taken seriously at work if word got out. It’d ruin you.’ Just like getting caught with a vibrator, for instance.

‘
Hey, might be the best thing.’ Mandy sipped her coffee for a minute. ‘I could marry him and quit this shithole. Pop out a few puppies and spend my days having lunch with the girls, getting my hair done and having tennis lessons. You know, all the important things in life.’

I rolled my eyes.

‘Talking of “spitting out puppies”, who’s the collection for this time? It’s been about four engagements, two weddings and eight babies so far this year. I think I should get married or knocked up or something just so that I can recoup some of my investment.’

‘
Oh, it’s for a farewell pressie for Bob. I think someone got the guilts about shipping him off so fast.’

‘
I guess I should donate something.’ I picked up my bag and rummaged through my wallet for some change. ‘He was a shit boss but I feel sorry for him. He was really losing it at the end, wasn’t he?’

Mandy nodded.
‘Oh yeah. Kate caught him in the stationary closet at one stage talking to the spiral bound notebooks. Seriously.’

‘
Yeah, well working with Pam would do that to anyone.’ I handed her a couple of dollars. ‘Maybe they should get him a bag of marbles, to replace the ones he lost.’

‘
Good one, Beth. Anyway, I’d better get back to it. And make sure you come along on Saturday. I need someone there for moral support.’

I
’d taken most of the food over to Poppy’s after work on Wednesday but I hadn’t had time to finish the cheesecake. Maybe I’m a sucker, but when she asked me to cook for her party, it was hard to say no. And it’s nice to be needed. Still, I hoped Beth and Imogen wouldn’t find out. I could just imagine what they’d have to say about it.

Craig called just before I left the house.

‘Can’t talk,’ I told him. ‘I’m on my way to Poppy’s.’

‘
Oh.’ He sounded disappointed.  ‘I thought she was on her honeymoon.’

‘
She’s back. And she’s having a photo night.’

‘
Oh. OK. You didn’t tell me about it.’

‘
It’s going to be really boring. Come on, Craig; don’t tell me you want to go along. You hate these things. You know you’d rather be with your Nintendo.’

‘
It’s not a Nintendo. It’s an X Box.’

‘
Whatever.’ I put on a final coat of lipstick and ran my hands over my belly. I’d bought a new pair of jeans – low cut and stomach-revealing. Not the sort of thing I’d normally buy but, after I saw those girls in their hipster jeans at the bar the other night, I decided to try a pair and, to be honest, they looked pretty good.

Shit, it was getting late. I
’d better get my butt, and my cheesecake, over to Poppy’s.

‘
Sorry, Craig. I’ve got to rush. I’ll call you later. We’ll do something on the weekend. Get a pizza and some movies or something.’

Poppy and her friend Helena were sprawled on the couch when I got to Poppy
’s. Erk, I hated Helena. She thought she was so hot after that nose job. Caitlin, who’d been Poppy’s other bridesmaid, sat in the big pink and green floral chair next to the heater. I looked around for Imogen and Beth but couldn’t see them.

A bunch of guys laughed in the kitchen – Daniel and his mates taking refuge from the frills and florals no doubt. I wondered how Daniel coped with Poppy
’s décor; he didn’t seem the type to curl up on the couch with piles of lace and chintz cushions. The place even smelt chintzy, with some fake floral air freshener that Poppy used. Probably to hide the smell of her cigarettes in case her mother popped in.

I
’d once thought having a girlie-girl apartment like Poppy’s would be the best but, after seeing Beth’s apartment, Poppy’s seemed cluttered and overdone. Yeah, when I left home I definitely wanted something simple and elegant like Beth’s.

Damn, who was I kidding? I wasn
’t planning on leaving home until Craig and I’d saved enough to buy a place of our own and I couldn’t imagine anything being simple and elegant around Craig. Well, elegant anyway.

As I walked past, Helena looked up and held out her hand.

‘Oh, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Helena.’

Weirdo. I couldn
’t shake her hand anyway with Tupperware cheesecake container in my hand, as well as my coat and handbag. I smiled and nodded.

‘
Don’t be stupid, Helena. That’s Juliette. You’ve met her heaps of times,’ said Poppy. Then she spun around on the couch. ‘Juliette, what the hell have you done to yourself?’

Suddenly, everyone in the room stared at me.

Helena whispered to Poppy: ‘That’s Juliette. You’re kidding? Has she had surgery?’

Poppy gave me a sweeping glance.
‘I’m not sure if I like that on you. Aren’t you worried about looking… cheap? You’ve actually got your belly showing.’

Cheap? It
’s not like it was one of those hooker-style outfits Poppy wore not so long ago. It’s a wonder she hadn’t got arrested in some of them. But then, come to think of it, she’d stopped dressing like that a while ago. Now, it was a pink angora jumper with tailored pants. Soon, she’d be in a twin set and pearls.

‘
Juliette, can you be a sweetie and grab another bottle of champs when you put that in the fridge.’ She nodded to indicate the cheesecake.

I couldn
’t help grinning as I walked into the kitchen, the expression on Poppy’s face had made my night. Then I looked up. Standing in the doorway was Satoshi.

Satoshi
.

Hot threesome sex action
Satoshi.

Shit. I had to get out of there. He had his back to the doorway, thank goodness, but he could
’ve turned around at any moment. I backed away quietly, not wanting to draw attention to myself. I’d almost made it when Daniel’s voice boomed from the other side of the room.

‘
Juliette. How are you?’

Damn. Everyone looked up, including
Satoshi. He’d definitely seen me now. I couldn’t move. I tried to smile and look normal but my face must have been glowing like a lighthouse.

Satoshi
grinned at me. ‘How are you?’ he said, as if he was just another social acquaintance. Like he was pleased to see me. What was he doing here? I’d thought he’d broken up with what’s-her-name.

‘
Er, hi,’ I managed to say, before bolting straight to the bathroom and locking the door behind me. Safe for the minute. I sat down the Tupperware container on the vanity unit. I had to escape. If Poppy didn’t live on the third floor, I could have climbed out the window. Actually, the possibility of breaking major limbs might be more appealing than going back out there.

What if
Satoshi had told Daniel and Daniel told Poppy? I’d have to move to some remote town where no one knew me. And she’d thought I looked cheap in these jeans.

No. He couldn
’t have. If Poppy knew, she’d have never kept quiet. She’d have been straight on the phone to me. And to everybody else.

I had to get out of there. And I had that stupid cheesecake to deal with. I
’d just leave it but Mum’d kill me if I got home without the Tupperware. It was vintage Tupperware, a wedding present. Maybe I could flush the cheesecake then throw the container out the window and collect it on the way out. But what if the cake wouldn’t flush? What if the toilet filled up with soggy cheesecake gunk? That would be embarrassing. People would think I had a disease or something. The kind of disease that slutty, threesome girls get. Hell. What could I do?

I sat on the edge of the toilet. Someone knocked on the door. Couldn
’t a girl even plan her escape in peace?

‘
Just a minute,’ I called out. It was Satoshi. He’d followed me. Nothing surer. The window looked more appealing. I shoved the cake container behind the toilet. Bugger Mum. I’d buy her a new one. I opened the window. There weren’t even any handy pipes or anything to climb down but the third floor isn’t that high.

‘
Hurry up,’ called Caitlin. I breathed again. She bashed on the door. ‘Come on. I’m busting.’

I looked down at the concrete below and thought maybe I
’d be better off just walking out. Walk out of the bathroom and keep walking. Straight to my car. I could do it. I flushed the toilet so Caitlin didn’t wonder what I was up to then ran some water and glanced at myself in the mirror. At home, I’d thought I looked good. Now I’d turned into a scared little mouse.

I opened the door and got halfway down the hallway when Caitlin called out to me.

‘Hey, you left this behind.’ She handed me the Tupperware container. I could see the question on her face and snatched it out of her hand.

If only I could get out without Poppy seeing me, I
’d be right. If only I didn’t have to go through the lounge room. If only.

It wasn
’t my lucky night. As I walked in the door, Poppy came straight up to me.

‘
Juliette, champagne?’

‘
No, thanks.’ I inched toward the door.

Poppy laughed.
‘No silly. Where’s the champs? You were supposed to get us a new bottle.’

‘
Oh, um… sorry. I forgot.’

Helena rolled her eyes at Poppy. I
’m sure she was thinking that the makeover had done nothing to change my dorky personality.

‘
God,’ said Poppy, shaking her head. ‘Do I have to do everything myself? Anyway take this.’ She hauled me over to the ottoman in the corner. There would be no escape unless I wanted to make a fuss. Maybe it was easier just to stay here, quiet in the corner. Well away from the kitchen. A few more people had turned up so hopefully I could remain inconspicuous. Poppy handed me a piece of paper on a clipboard with a pen attached. ‘This is so you can mark off the albums after you view them.’

I stared at her. Could this night get any worse? I bet she had some scheme to stop us from cheating too.

‘Beth, come here,’ Poppy called. I looked up and saw Beth pouring herself a drink. She must have arrived while I was in the bathroom. Beth came over and plonked herself down beside me while Poppy explained the album system.

‘
Yeah, whatever,’ said Beth. ‘I think Helena wants to tell you something.’

Beth laughed as Poppy walked off.

‘Is Imogen here yet?’

‘
Haven’t seen her. I haven’t been here long myself.’ I looked at the list in front of me. ‘I’m never going to get through all Poppy’s albums.’

She grabbed my clipboard and ticked off the entire list.

‘Beth! She’s going to know.’

Beth shrugged and laughed.
‘And what’s she going to do? Keep us in after school?’

Imogen walked into the lounge room, wearing the red top Beth had bought her. With her hair piled on her head and that big red flower at the side, I couldn
’t believe how stunning she looked. I waved and moved over to make some space. She sat down, grimacing at the clipboard in Beth’s hand.

‘
Sorry. Poppy made me do them at work this arvo.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘This is going to be the most gruesome night ever. Trust me.’

I groaned. Somebody walked through the kitchen door. I peeped out from behind Imogen, trying to see who it was – only Poppy, thank God. Imogen gave me a strange look.

‘You look great,’ I told her, quickly trying to cover up. ‘Beth was right about that red top.’

‘
You don’t think it makes me look too booby?’ She grabbed the neckline of the top and hoiked at it, to cover herself.

‘
No,’ said Beth, smoothing the top back down. ‘Shut up with the “too booby” thing. If you looked bad, I’d tell you. Trust me.’

‘
Yeah, that’s a fact.’ Imogen laughed then turned back to Beth. ‘But don’t you laugh. You owe us a dare. I haven’t forgotten.’

Unfortunately, Poppy noticed us sitting there. She stared at the three of us, laughing and joking around, and screwed up her face as through trying to work it out. Then she shook her head and dumped a thick book on my knee.

‘This is the first one. We’re doing them in sequential order,’ she said before sailing off to make sure that the albums were circulating properly.

My legs nearly buckled under the weight of the album.
‘There are 22 of these?’

‘
Yeah,’ said Imogen. ‘It’s all I’ve been doing at work this week. I’d like to force feed her albums until she shat photo corners. I am so bloody fed up with her. It isn’t just the photos either. We’re talking decorative borders and cute little stamps and
make sure it looks creative, Imogen
.’

She chucked the album onto the floor and pretended to stomp on it.

‘Just skip them. I told you, we don’t
have
to do this,’ said Beth. Her head swung around as two guys walked through the room. Poppy waved them into the kitchen. Beth’s gaze followed them then she picked up her glass. ‘I think I need a top up.’

‘
I think I’ll join you,’ said Imogen. ‘I wouldn’t mind a top up myself. Come on, Jules.’

‘
That’s okay. I’ll stay here.’ I picked up the album.

‘
Yeah, good one,’ said Imogen and grabbed my hand to pull me up.

I pulled my hand away.
‘No, you go. I’m fine.’

‘
You’re kidding?’ asked Beth. ‘No sane person
wants
to look at Poppy’s photos.’

‘
Seriously, I’m fine.’

As they walked off, I remembered the cheesecake I
’d stashed under the stool.

‘
Imogen. Can you put this in the fridge?’ I handed her the Tupperware container. She looked a little perplexed but I buried myself in wedding album #1 before she could ask questions. Maybe jumping out the bathroom window wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all.