"I'm home," I called out as I walked through the front door. The house was quiet, the whir of the lawnmower carrying through the house.
"Mum?" I called out, dumping my keys in the key-bowl as I passed through the kitchen.
There was a jingle and a panting and Bozo rounded the kitchen island, his tongue lolling and tail wagging. I bent down to ruffle his ears.
"Hey Bozo, where is everyone?" I cooed. He yawned in my face.
"Thanks, buddy. You were a great help," I replied with a pat on his head, then straightened up.
In the living room, the French doors were wide open, the gauzy white curtains billowing out in the slight breeze. I walked out to the back patio. Dad mowed the lawn as mum sat on the bench-swing reading, glasses on and her hair piled on the top of her head with a pencil stuck through the mass of curls. She always kept a pencil nearby, in case she wanted to scribble a note down about a new idea for a book format. She looked up as a panting Bozo barged his way past me, wet nose grazing my calves, down the steps and then flopped out on the grass to bask in the warmth of the sun.
"Hi honey, did you have a nice time?" Mum asked, moving a couple of mock-up books off the seat beside her for me to sit down.
"Yeah. Kind of. I got a milkshake so..." I smiled, taking the seat beside her before Bozo stole it.
"Connor texted. He said he saw you," She said.
"He did." I looked out further down the garden to the peach trees, where dad was attempting to manoeuvre the lawnmower around each one that had fallen to the ground.
"Did he tell you?" She asked me and I quirked an eyebrow.
"About the party?"
"What party?" She raised her eyebrows.
"Oh, I'm probably not going to go," I replied, waving my hand in dismissal, "but Victoria invited me and my friends to Jodie's summer party."
She sat back again. "Why not? It sounds like fun."
"Hmm. I'm not so sure. But I'll consider it."
She returned my smile and followed my gaze to the garden. It looked beautiful in the summer, all the bright violet and amber flower bushes in full bloom. Enough work went into it – the garden was dad's baby.
"So, what was it you thought Connor had told me?" I asked, blinking back to my mum.
She pressed her lips together and I tensed. That was her you're-not-going-to-like-this face. I braced myself.
"Connor's friend from Bath is going to be staying with us for the next few weeks." She gave me an apologetic smile. I let out a puff of relief.
"Jeez mum, I thought you were going to say something like 'you're going to summer camp' or something."
"You aren't mad?" Her eyebrows raised over her glasses.
"No? It doesn't really change anything right? They'll be staying in the guest room I'm assuming?"
"Well, I guess not. And yes, the guest room.
"Then I'm cool with it." She still looked surprised. "I'm a little offended you underestimate me so," I said in a melodramatic voice as I walked back inside and I could see the smile on her face as she shook her head.
"He arrives this evening!" She called out and I stuck a thumbs-up out the door.
Inside, I slid my phone from my back pocket and thumbed through to my recent calls and pressed on the picture of Beth with her eyes crossed and her tongue stuck out.
"Hey Beth," I said walking upstairs as she picked up.
"Sofia," I heard the 'ugh' as she landed on her stomach, "I must say, I know he's your brother, but God is he looking hot these days."
"Ew, Beth. Just, ew."
The second I stepped into my room, I threw open the windows, letting in the little breeze there was, and collapsed onto my bed.
"Is he still with his model girlfriend?" She asked and I snorted.
"Unluckily for you, yes."
She sighed dramatically, "Shame."
"Anyway, this is so not what I called you for," I said, turning onto my back. The sweet smell of freshly cut grass and jasmine was beginning to evade the room. "Victoria invited us to Jodie's party tonight and at first, I thought no way, but she's friends with Owen, right? So that means-"
"Wait, what?" Beth cut over me, her voice taking on a tone I knew meant trouble. "Sofia! This is perfect!"
I frowned. "It is?"
"You can hook up with someone to get over Owen!" She squealed, as though it was obvious.
"Um, that's not where I was-"
"Oh, come on, Sof!"
"There's no one I want to hook up with, B," I replied, picking at a loose thread on a cushion.
"Sof, please, just pick someone hot and get it over with! Do a Charlie for once. Slut it up a bit."
"Did you just-"
"At least 5 guys were pining over you the whole of last summer but you were too blinded by Owen fricking Myers to see that!"
"Like who?" I sat up startled.
"Like Jerry Benson." I relaxed against the pillows again.
"Not exactly selling it; Jerry was that kid that used to try and see through girls' shirts in year 10."
"Not my point, Sof. We are going," She affirmed and she used the voice I knew better than to argue with.
I puffed a breath out, "Fine. I'll call Charlie and Laura." Beth squealed.
"We'll have a great time, Sof. Have a little faith."
###
I was sat in front of the mirror, eyeliner in one hand, as Katy Perry blared through the Bluetooth speakers Beth had spent the last five minutes connecting to. Charlie was fluffing her blowout around her shoulders, already dressed in a tight, short red dress accompanied with stiletto heels and gold hooped earrings. Laura was nursing a bottle of red wine between singing the wrong lyrics to the song. Beth joined me in front of the mirror, coating her lips in a shiny pink gloss. I capped the eyeliner, both eyes winged with black and surveyed my appearance. I'd straightened my dark hair that fell to my shoulders and had my regular small hooped silver earrings in. My black shorts were high waisted, and my top cropped and low-cut, hugging the curves I'd had since I was thirteen. I layered on my necklaces and twisted the rings on my fingers the right way around.
"Jesus Laura, how much did you drink?" Charlie exclaimed, snatching the wine bottle from Laura's hands in the mirror reflection. Laura giggled as I turned and watched Charlie tilt the bottle. There was barely a glassful left.
"You are going to be so hungover tomorrow," I said, but I couldn't help but laugh as Laura offered us a dazed smile and a jaunty shrug of her narrow shoulders in her strapless black dress.
The doorbell rung from downstairs and I wandered towards the window as Beth whined that she'd wanted some of the wine. I peered down below. Whoever it was must have stepped under the roof of the front porch, because even with the window open, I couldn't make out a figure. But I could hear the male laughter as the door opened.
"Ooo spying out Connor's friend, huh?" Laura asked, making me jump as I turned to her.
"Shhh," I whispered, indicating to the open window.
She made a motion of zipping her lips and we both turned our attention back to the porch beneath us. We could hear two male voices talking but not enough to hear what they were saying, then the door slammed, and their voices were nothing but a rumble beneath the floor.
"Who's driving tonight by the way?" Laura called back into the room and I turned away from the window to see Beth pulling on a pair of heeled sandals that matched her clinging white dress and Charlie shouldering her clutch.
"Harry said he would," Beth said, "He'll be here any minute. Speaking of which," She turned to me, "Can you be my cover tonight? I told my parents I was staying over at yours but was planning on staying at Harry's?"
"Sure. You guys are still coming back after, right?" I asked Charlie and Laura. They both nodded.
It was 8:30 by the time we all bundled into Harry's coasting BMW, Beth in shotgun, me, Laura and Charlie in the back. Beth leaned across to peck Harry on the cheek, then pulled down the mirror to check her lip-gloss as we all belted in.
"Okay, so viable options for hookups – go," Charlie said as Harry pulled away from the curb and Harry groaned.
"Ryan Taylor is looking good this term," Laura commented, her fingertips brushing against the window, "I wouldn't mind knowing what his abs felt like."
"Laura!" Beth squealed and I laughed as Laura grinned more than a little drunkenly.
"I think I might try a bit of Luke Fallon," Charlie mused, "Harry, you do rugby with Luke don't you?"
"I do," Harry replied cautiously, his eyes glancing in the rear-view mirror.
Charlie's smile turned feline. "So, you've seen him in the changing rooms?"
I groaned, knowing where this was going.
"Uh, yeah, I guess," Harry said.
"How big is his dick?"
"Charlie!" Laura practically screamed as I burst into a fit of laughter, Beth joining in. Harry, needless to say, did not answer.
We turned into The Crescent, the private road that ran along the cliffside overlooking the beach. It was where the houses grew bigger, the streets turned neater and the cars turned from Volvos to Teslas. It was at the very end of this road, that the alabaster walls of the Pembrookes' house rose up before us. Even with the windows rolled up in Harry's car, we could feel the vibrations of the music and when Charlie unrolled her window, we could hear every lyric to Calvin Harris's This Is What You Came For. In the early evening darkness, it was lit up like a beacon, lights of green, blue and purple flashing through the windows, illuminating the people gathered on the lawn, the steps, the porch. The house oozed with life.
"Oh. My. God!" Beth squealed, turning around in her seat to clutch my hand, squeezing it tight.
"Second to that," I murmured back.
Harry pulled up out front along with all the other cars crowding the curb and the car became a commotion of clicking seatbelts and opening of doors.
"Come on guys. Let's go part-ay!" Laura yelled, slipping out of the leather seat and jumping down to the pavement. I cast a bemused glance at Charlie. She grinned.
"Let's go get our party on."