Fix me

Chapter 14

I am washing up after dinner when the door goes. I don't know where Cheryl's disappeared to so I go to answer it, see Sarah at the door and spot the bottle of wine in her hand. 'Hey you!' she grins when I open the door.

'Get that alcohol out of my sight.'

Sarah just laughs and walks straight in. 'It's only one bottle! Anyway this is for you...' she hands me a tiny white envelope and goes through to the kitchen. 'Where's Chezza?'

'Not sure... what's this?'

'Open it and find out. How you doing anyway?'

'Great, why?'

'Just asking. You were hammered last time I saw you!'

'True. All recovered now, what about you?'

'Are you kidding me? They don't call me Hardcore Harding for nothing!'

'Hardcore Harding, that's brilliant.' I laugh.

'Open that bloody envelope will you you're driving me mad. I'm gonna find Chez.'

It turns out Sarah's given me an invite to her wedding, which is really nice considering we really hardly know each other. She comes back in the kitchen alone a few minutes later and starts uncorking the wine. 'Can't find her. Oh well it's her own fault if we finish the wine before she shows her face! So, you gonna come?' she adds, smiling and nodding at the invitation in my hand.

'We hardly know each other...'

'So what? I don't know loads of the people Tommy's invited.'

'Then I'd love to.' I smile nervously, taking the glass of wine she offers me.

'That's the spirit! So, have you found anywhere you'd fancy studying?'

'Sorry?'

'Has anywhere taken your fancy? For you to study for a degree?'

It clicks way too late, the lie Cheryl told about how we knew each other. Sarah smiles shrewdly. 'I knew it.' She grins over her wine glass. 'I bloody knew it!'

'Err... well, I...'

'You can't save it, Kim, forget it.' She cackles. 'I knew it was bullsh*t about you designing Cheryl's BRIT dress...'

'That part was true, actually.'

'Oh, really?'

'Yeah, really.'

'So what parts weren't true?' she laughs, making me sigh heavily.

'You're a lot cleverer than you look, aren't you Harding?'

'Yes, much. That's what's wrong with the world, Kim, they let the dumb blonde stereotype fool them!' She laughs again, and I am about to tell her how Cheryl and I really met, but she reaches across the table and puts her hand on mine.

'Look kidda, you don't have to say a word to me. It's not my business, yeah? I'm not nosying or anything, I'm not gonna interrogate you. I'm just looking out for Chez.'

'I know you are. Cheryl's fine, she's not in any trouble, she's not going to get hurt. Not from me, anyway, honestly. That's not what I'm about. I want to explain...'

'Don't.' Sarah says firmly. 'I don't need to know your life story honey.'

'I appreciate that.' I say sincerely. 'Oh, and I never said; the birthday present, you really shouldn't have you know...'

'Ah, whatever, couldn't have you empty handed on your birthday.'

'Yeah but--'

'Don't argue, missy, shut up and drink.' Sarah clinks her glass against mine, downs her drink and fills her glass again. 'Thank you.' I laugh.