Page 31 of So Thrilled For You

I was about to nod my head furiously but was beaten to it by Lauren. ‘Hell yes. I’m on a corridor with goths. Me!’ She gestured down to her outfit made entirely out of primary colours. ‘They’re very friendly goths, but, as you can imagine, we don’t have a huge amount in common. They wouldn’t go to any Freshers’ Week stuff and instead spent the whole time dragging me to these music venues where people scream down the microphone.’

Steffi started laughing. ‘How didyouend up in a corridor with goths?’

Lauren took a sip of her drink, leaving a red lip print on the rim of the glass. Even after five rounds, she was dutifully and perfectly reapplying her statement lip. ‘We’ve all asked ourselves the same question. We think it’s because of the ‘activities and interests’ questionnaire they got us to fillin for housing. We all wrote our favourite book wasAlice in Wonderland.’

‘Uh oh,’ Steffi said. ‘Well, that explains it.’

‘What’s wrong withAlice In Wonderland?’

‘Nothing, but it’s, like, the goth bible. They time-share between Alice andThe Nightmare Before Christmas.’

Lauren nodded. ‘That explains many of their tattoos.’

We all laughed again. Nicki, noticing we were running dry, pointed to each of us. ‘Another round?’

I’d nodded, squiffy. I would stay until all these women were my best friends for life, I’d decided. It was fate. And, if I had to do a tactical vomit to keep up with their drinking with my tiny body, then that’s what the universe demands.

‘What about you?’ Lauren asked, as Nicki went to get another round in. I watched as she got served easily. Nicki was very pretty in a very girl-next-door way, and all the boys seemed to look at her.

‘What about me?’ I parroted, aware my voice was sludgy and too loud, even with the music blaring from the speakers.

‘All OK on your corridor?’

‘Oh no, not at all.’ I tried to slurp up non-existent cocktail from the bottom of my empty glass. ‘My flatmates call me The Martian because I don’t want to take MDMA. I do worry about their teeth, you know? They’re really going to wear down their enamel if they keep gurning like that and enamel can’t be regrown. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. But they think that’s hilarious.’ I sighed. ‘They think everything I say and do is hilarious but I’m not trying to be funny.’

Lauren patted me on the shoulder with a hefty whack of someone equally intoxicated. ‘They don’t understand your energy,’ she explained to me, while my heart wentding ding ding.Energywas in my top ten favourite words and she’d just used it.

Nicki returned with another tray and we all applauded.

‘And what about you?’ Nicki asked Steffi. ‘Are you in corridor hell?’

Steffi shook her dark hair. ‘No, they’re all great,’ she admitted, almost sheepishly. Steffi, I’d soon learn, was able to get along with pretty much anyone. It’s what made her such a great agent. ‘But I like you girls a lot better.’

We’d smiled at one another, all of us acknowledging The Moment occurring. I really loveMoments. The word is also in my top ten. And, that was it. University experience rescued. The Little Women formed. Uni became enjoyable as well as survivable, especially as Lauren let me share her bed most nights. By the time we all got a house together in second year, I really was havingThe Time Of My Life, like the world promised me I would.

Now, here we are, over ten years later, and still the best of friends.

‘We must get a photo,’ I stand up, overcome by the urge. ‘Before everybody else arrives.’

The others groan.

‘You are always thankful for my photos when enough history has passed,’ I remind them. ‘Charlotte, do you mind sending those pics through that you took today? Charlotte, do you have those snaps of us from when we did fancy dress as Bananas in Pyjamas?’

‘OK, OK,’ Nicki stands slowly and carefully removes the yoga ball from beneath her. ‘Let us at least pretend we’re not clinically vain.’

‘Come on,’ I pull Steffi up off the sofa, only to reveal the phone she’s carefully concealed, screen on, in her lap. It clatters to the bleached-wood floor and she dives down, darting alook at Nicki. Luckily, Nicki’s too busy helping wrestle Woody out of Lauren’s arms to notice.

‘Shall we use the flower wall as the background?’ Nicki asks, carrying the baby over.

I shake my head. ‘No, we used that for the family portraits earlier. You want variety. How about under the balloon arch?’

I lead them out into the sweltering heat. Nicki starts fanning herself. ‘Oh God, I’m too pregnant for this. Why is God doing this to me in my third trimester?’

‘Let’s make it a quick photo. Hang on . . . I’ll just set my phone up.’

‘Umm, Charlotte?’ Lauren asks, taking Woody off Nicki so she can fan herself with both hands. ‘Is that aselfie stickyou’re using?’

‘Yes.’ I screw my phone onto the end of it.

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