If Paige gave the girls any more free drinks, Jonny was going to start docking her pay. But she was just so happy to have them back. From the moment they’d started messaging to say they were on their way home after Christmas, Paige had felt almost giddy. It was sickening. She’d actually had a moment of wondering if she had a crush on one of them – Liane, maybe? Or Lou? – but she didn’t think that was it. It was all of them. And it was a friend-crush. She hadn’t experienced anything quite like it for years. It was disconcerting. She’d faffed around the house so much that she’d given up and come into work, even though she wasn’t strictly needed – Jonny was there and so was Raimy, the other barmaid – but it was surprisingly busy and Jonny had been pleased to see her. But not nearly as pleased as Paige had been to see the girls.
She’d told them she was at work, and was surprised that they’d just dropped their stuff off and come straight over. Liane first, then Lou, Issey, and finally Ella. Paige was glad she was trapped behind the bar or she’d have been hugging them all. And she’d never really thought of herself as much of a hugger before.
But Christmas had been so … She’d expected it to be lonely. And sad. But she hadn’t expected it to be quite so soul-destroying. First Sharda making it perfectly clear that Paige was basically a booty call and nothing more. And then her dad – when she finally spoke to him on Christmas Day he’d been drunk and unpleasant. It had all just been utterly grim. She never wanted to experience anything like it ever again.
‘My sisters drove me fucking nuts,’ Issey said. ‘But I made them all watch the Bang! documentary, so that was something.’
‘There’s a documentary?’ Liane asked, one eyebrow arching.
‘Yeah, it was a bonus thing with their last album,’ Issey said. ‘It’s only short. But it’s hilarious. And cute. Ugh, I love them. Arseholes. We’ll have to watch it one night! There’s a drinking game that goes with it, I saw it on Tumblr.’
‘No fucking drinking games,’ Lou said. ‘I got so pissed on Boxing Day. I ended up talking about porn with my uncles and my dad’s mates from work. I can never look any of them in the eye again, dirty bastards. And then we tried to get a cab and we couldn’t, so we started walking, but it was freezing and no cabs came and … You know when you have one of those dreams when you’re trying to get somewhere and you just can’t? It keeps getting further away or your legs aren’t moving or whatever? It was like that. I felt like it took years to get home. And I couldn’t feel my feet. And when I woke up in the morning I had to make myself sick before I could even get out of bed. Grim.’
‘How was your Christmas, Ella?’ Liane asked Ella, who had been staring down at her phone all the way through Lou’s story.
‘Oh, Nick!’ Lou said, in an exaggerated high voice. ‘I can’t wait to see you! I just need to get away from my lovely friends who I haven’t seen for aaaaaages and then we can be alone at last!’
‘Shut up,’ Ella said, putting her phone face-down on the table. ‘He was just saying he’s not back ’til tomorrow. I’m meeting him for brunch.’
‘So that’s it for you, then?’ Liane said. ‘You’re ticking “bookseller” off the list and retiring from competition?’
Ella shook her fringe out of her eyes. ‘I think … yeah. Probably. I hope so, anyway.’
‘So much for focussing on your studies,’ Lou said. ‘What happened to “all work, all the time” and “boys are a distraction”?’
‘I know,’ Ella said, picking up her Corona. ‘I just didn’t expect …’
‘To fall in love?’ Lou finished. ‘Are you in love with him? Seriously?’
‘No!’ Ella said, clinging to her beer. ‘It’s too soon. I just … I feel like I could be. Maybe.’
‘Fuck me,’ Issey said. ‘That’s amazing. Tell him we’re all coming to brunch. We can grill him and ask him about his intentions.’
‘That,’ Ella said, ‘is the absolute last thing I’m going to do.’
‘We’re going out tonight though, right?’ Lou said. ‘All of us?’ She leaned up over the bar to get Paige’s attention.
‘If it’s free entry, I can come,’ Paige said.
‘And if it’s not, I’ll pay you in,’ Lou told her. ‘You’re in, yes?’
‘Yes.’
‘Excellent,’ Lou said. ‘Go home. Get changed. Go out.’
‘I’m going to puke,’ Issey said, standing stock-still in the middle of the Seal Street.
‘You’re not,’ Liane said, holding on to her elbow and swaying slightly. ‘You’re fine. Come on.’
‘I need to lie down,’ Issey said.
‘Come on!’ Paige yelled. ‘I want to GO HOME.’
Issey started to bend down towards the road.
‘Oh no,’ Lou said. ‘Iz. You can’t sleep here. It’s an actual road. You’ll get run over! Or sweet-streeped!’
‘Sweet-streeped?’ Ella said, already laughing almost uncontrollably. ‘Have I got my coat?’
‘You’re wearing it!’ Paige yelled. ‘COME ON.’
A group of lads piled out of Wetherspoons, yelling and singing and staggering into the road. Issey was still standing at a half crouch and one of the boys hooked his arm around her, underneath her arms, and picked her up.
‘Fucking put her down!’ Liane said.
‘He can carry me home,’ Issey said, eyes closed. ‘Can you carry me home?’
‘Is it far?’ he asked. He’d swung his other arm up under her legs now and Issey rested her face against his shoulder.
‘Just round the corner,’ she murmured.
‘Jesus Christ,’ Paige said. She’d walked back down to meet the rest of them. ‘Why aren’t we home yet? I’m dying for a piss.’
‘All right, chubs,’ one of the other boys said.
Paige rolled her eyes. ‘Good one.’
‘You shut the fuck up,’ Ella told him.
They turned off Bold Street and onto Seal Street.
‘You can put her down now,’ Lou told the guy carrying Issey.
‘Can’t he take me up to bed?’ Issey mumbled.
‘I can, yeah,’ the guy said.
‘No you can’t,’ Liane told him. ‘Put her down.’
He put her down gently and she immediately curled around Liane.
‘Thanks,’ Ella told him.
He gave her a thumbs-up and then the three of them joined the queue to get into the club opposite.
‘This key had better fucking work,’ Lou said, shoving it into the lock. It turned straight away. She bumped the door open with her hip and all five of them tumbled inside the house.
‘Are you holding my hair?’ Issey asked, turning to try to look at Liane.
‘Yes. I think you got a bit of sick in it anyway,’ Liane said. ‘But I’m holding it now.’
Issey retched and lurched over the toilet bowl again. ‘I hate being sick.’
‘I don’t think anyone likes it,’ Liane said. She moved to put her hand on Issey’s forehead, but pulled it back at the last second. ‘Are you nearly done?’
‘I think so,’ Issey said. She sat back on her heels, bracing herself against the sink. ‘I feel like shit.’
‘I’m not surprised.’ Liane was far from sober too, but Issey had drunk so much more.
‘You’d do the same for me.’
‘I don’t think I would,’ Issey said. ‘I think I’d leave you to get on with it. Oh fuck. I think there’s more.’ She lurched over the loo again and Liane held her hair back from her face.
Once she’d finished vomiting, Issey sat down on the tile floor, her back against the side of the bath.
‘Did you have a good night though?’ Liane asked, shuffling along the floor to sit next to her. Issey’s bare arm was cold against hers. Liane thought about moving it away, but she was determined they were going to carry on as they’d been before. Neither of them had mentioned the kiss. Liane was trying hard to never think about the kiss.
‘Come on, get up,’ Liane said. ‘You’re freezing.’
‘Can I sleep with you?’ Issey asked, dropping her forehead down on Liane’s shoulder. ‘I’m really cold.’
Liane stared at the wall. She didn’t want to look at Issey. ‘I think you’re better off in your own room. You might vom.’
Issey nodded. ‘Yeah. OK.’