Sometimes

Chapter eight

Arriving at ‘The Rooster,’ I suddenly remembered why I’d never been to a club before.  I’d watched programs on the TV about what went on in them and as I scanned the crowds filling the pavements outside a building with flashing neon lights, I had doubts for the hundredth time that night.

    There were scantily dressed girls, who I assumed had come as pirates; they were wearing long stripy vest tops and little else.  Standing behind them were a second group of girls all wearing cat ears.  One turned to face me and I noticed that she had drawn whiskers on her face with eyeliner too.  I probably looked over dressed in my coat, but I was warm, unlike the majority of the patrons outside the club.  They all looked to be shivering with the cold, but I held back my smug smile.  They’d all be warm once they were inside, but I had no intention of taking off my coat; I’d already decided on the way here that I’d rather sweat to death than show the world the outfit that Cassie had allowed - no, make that forced - me to wear.

    The lacy tights were itchy against my legs and I really wanted to rip them off, but then everyone would be blinded by my lily white legs.  I frowned as we took another step closer to the doors.

   “I’m trying to do something nice for you,” Cassie said and I realised that she was staring at me from beneath a pair of stupidly long fake eyelashes.  “The least you could do is look happy.  You look like you’ve got a strop on.”

I bit my lip.  “I don’t want to be here.”

    “Harriet.”  Cassie sighed, her eyes now on her compact.  “We’re not going home.”

I pouted and folded my arms tight across my coat.  “Fine, but don’t expect me to have fun.”

Cassie shrugged as she scrunched her hair with her hands.  Her blonde mane had been coaxed into wild curls with hairspray and she’d backcombed it to give it even more volume.  I just hoped no-one lit a cigarette beside her for fear that her hair would go up in flames.

    I pawed a hand though my own hair.  Cassie had wanted to curl it too, but the most ambitious I’d allowed her to be was to plait a small lock of hair on the left of my head.  I fingered it anxiously as a gang of guys behind began laughing raucously and I hunched my shoulders to try and make myself invisible.  A couple of girls passed us, their heels clicking on the pavement, and the smell of cigarette smoke mingled with the already pungent smell of perfume that hung in the still night air.  I felt suddenly sick.

    “Won’t we need ID?” I asked as I spotted a guy twirling a card in his fingers.  “We might as well go home now if we do. There’s no point trying to fake it.”

Cassie looked up from where she’d been reapplying her red lipstick in her compact.  “No, H, we don’t need ID.  You only get asked for it at the bar if you want alcohol.”

I nodded as if doing so would steady my heartbeat.  The door was growing ever closer and I found it hard to move when it was our turn to take another step forward.

    “Do I look okay?” Cassie asked.

I peeled my eyes away from where I’d been watching the burly bouncer and nodded.  “You look hot.”

Cassie smiled smugly.  “I’d say the same for you, but you’re wearing that ugly coat at the moment.”

I’m wearing it all night actually.

    We seemed to be moving forwards at a snail’s pace but I wasn’t complaining.  I was warm in my coat.  Cassie, however, was now hanging onto my arm like her life depended on it.  She only let go to check her phone or re-do her make-up.  At this rate, I’d have no blood flow into my arm.