A Girl's Guide to Fairy Tales

Chapter Twelve (part 2)

While we waited for Issie, who had been held hostage at rehearsals, Maddie told us about her serendipitous meet-up with Jason, who was now a total pillock in our eyes, and Clare recounted her date with Rob, the car repair guy, in detail. It turned out he worked for supermarket guy, who Clare obviously had a huge crush on despite her insistence that she hadn’t.

It was here, sat at the round table at our local Wetherspoons drinking my third Mojito of the evening, that the name I had successfully kept at bay popped out of my mouth. ‘Tom collected some of his things the other day from the apartment while I was at school.’

‘As in like he’s moving out?’Clare asked immediately, trying to pull her already knee length dress down to her shins.

‘Must be,’ I shrugged trying to direct the straw into my mouth only to miss and it go straight up my nose. ‘I knew it wouldn’t be long until he moved in with her. But then again I suppose I pushed him away. But I had every right to, the cheating bastard.’

‘Hold on Soph, you can’t be sure he was actually cheating on you,’ Clare reasoned.

I dropped my head to look at yet another depleting glass. ‘I know,’ I said heavily. ‘I know I haven’t got any hard evidence but I just have this gut feeling. The fact he has left me is proof right?’

‘You kicked him out,’ Maddie added.

‘And he went willingly. Too willingly. He didn’t fight for me,’ I sulked.

‘Like you would have let him,’ said Maddie clocking the buff bartender collecting the empties. ‘We all know you never listen to anyone but yourself when you’re on one.’

‘Charming. I thought you guys were meant to be on my side. Not his.’

‘When you say Tom’s “collected some of his things” what do you mean? Clare asked to distract me.

I took a big slurp of my Mojito but it was almost pure alcohol and I spluttered. ‘Half his wardrobe, a number of toiletries etcetera.’

I was being purposely blasé.

Maddie sighed. ‘He’s just taken the things he needs to live day-to-day life seeing as you won’t answer any of his calls. Look, my sister’s friend is dating one of the sous-chefs at Eden and apparently Tom is really low. He says that there’s nothing going on with Tom and Michelle –’

‘Bitch Face,’ I interrupted.

‘Okay,’ Maddie said pausing to take a sip. ‘He said there is nothing going on between Tom and “Bitch Face” and there never has been. That’s not to say there hasn’t been some occasional harmless flirtation but –’

‘Harmless? Yes Maddie, what has happened has been completely innocuous and had no bearing on my life at all.’

‘Don’t you think you might have played a part in all this destruction?’

Clare stopped breathing, I bit the straw and Maddie sat patiently, waiting for an answer.

‘I’m the injured party Maddie,’ I professed.

‘So what is Tom?’  

‘A cheater?’

‘For fuck’s sake Sophie, you have no proof. It’s like you’ve seen what you wanted to see and why? You and Tom are perfect. You’re in love. Love conquers all right?’

‘Come on guys, this is meant to be a girls night out.’ Clare got to her feet. ‘Issie’s text me to say she’ll be another half hour, so one more round here and we’ll meet her at the club? You can even try your Zumba moves on the dance floor Soph.’