Out of Your League

Chapter 2

'Belle? Belle? Please come, I need to talk,' I muttered desperately into my phone as I sashayed down the street, my appearance portraying confidence that I wasn't feeling at that moment.

'Fine, I'll be there in ten.' She responded in a slightly miffed tone, no doubt I had interrupted her daily morning bubble bath. I heaved a sigh of relief and headed into our favorite coffee shop. Most mornings at about 11 me and Belle meet for brunch. She was my best friend, my harshest criticizer and my best influence and my worst influence – to most people she was only harsh, rude and judgmental, but I saw the other side of her as well. I ordered a cup of tea, my second this morning, I loved tea slightly too much and had a closer, longer relationship with it than I had ever had with any boy; I ordered a cherry Danish and enjoyed watching people walking past, some hurrying in suits with their heads down, others taking a gentle meander in summer clothes enjoying the last of the sun before autumn opened it's doors.

'C!' I glanced to my side to see that Belle has entered the cafe without me noticing. I stood up to hug her but she backed off and puts a hand in front of herself – she was wearing a matching baby pink plaid skirt and jacket set and apparently didn't want to crease it. She also ordered a tea, but no cherry Danish for her, instead she only had an apple – she was constantly avoiding sugar and high calorie things and telling me to do the same, but I couldn't help it – they tasted so good. As we drank our tea, I told her about my horrific date and my mother's obsessive perfecting of our house and she informed me that she still hasn't managed to find a full new wardrobe for going back to school:

'I was in Prada, trying my hardest to spend my money and they shoved it back in my face and told me that they couldn't deliver my shoes by the date I requested them. And then, when I went outside to continue my dismal shopping trip, the street was disgusting, it was covered in gum and litter and the people.' She made a disgusted face which I found mildly amusing, she couldn't accept anyone who didn't put her needs first or who didn't take pride in their appearance. 'It was like they had all come from a barn dance, they were all sweaty and their outfits were horrific. Anyway, I was shopping for 3 hours and found nothing. It was unacceptable. How will I maintain my status if I'm wearing last season's Gucci's? Why does no-one care about my social status?'

'It's fine Belle. Honestly. Calm down, no-one's going to try and overthrow you or take your queendom.'

'That's not true. Kate will, that bitch has always had it out for me.' I tried to console her and by the time we exit Beans, the coffee shop, she seemed slightly more cheerful, however she still demanded that I come with her to try and complete her wardrobe in time for us to go back to school. Belle hustled me down the street to a more reputable shopping street that apparently 'isn't covered in grime and contaminated with lower class'.

Throughout the rest of the day, Belle stalked from Gucci to Louis Vuitton, then from Tiffany's to Dolce & Gabbana. We only paused once in Belle's incessant shopping for a light lunch: this meant a pizza for me but only a side salad for her. Luckily for me, Belle found a few lovely pieces to finish her wardrobe which meant that by four I was free to stop the shopping. I loved shopping, don't get me wrong, but shopping with a stressed Belle was no fun at all, it was a constant stream of 'does this look good on me' and 'hurry up!'. I also managed to buy a perfect Ralph Lauren gown for the Truth and Lie Brigade dinner in the second week of term. And another faux leather jacket because no-one can have too many of those.

By the time we'd finished shopping, no surprise, I needed another cup of tea and snack, this time it was a homemade sandwich from luxury bakers. Belle had a rule, and one I abided by and agreed with, that food that came from chains and was mass produced was disgusting and unethical. No care was put into the food and the shops didn't appreciate your business. So, we always headed to small, independently owned shops for our food. They may be more expensive but, of course, that's not a problem for us.