MADE IN ESSEX

by Laura Ziepe

  ‘Thanks anyway, Jade. See you soon.’

  Jade had felt dreadful as she watched Lisa walk off that day. Kelly had said that Lisa was now paying an old lady that lived in one of the flats in her building twelve pounds a day. It seemed like such a lot of money to waste and Jade had contemplated saying they’d look after Cupcake again, until she realised how spotless the office was without her.

  The website was finally ready to go live and Jade couldn’t wait for Tony to get back from his holiday so he could launch it. She’d composed a press release earlier that day, which they were going to send out to all their media contacts. She was relying on her notebook being at his house so they could send it across. Otherwise, they’d have to spend ages finding all the contacts again. It was so frustrating! When she got the notebook back, she was never going to put it down again.

  Her doorbell rang and Jade couldn’t help but smile, knowing it was Sam coming over for the evening.

  ‘Hello,’ she said, kissing him as he walked through the door.

  ‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Good day?’

  ‘Not bad. Let’s go upstairs.’ She led the way to her room and lay on the bed, pulling him towards her and kissing him.

  ‘So, how are things?’ he asked.

  ‘Better now I’m seeing you,’ Jade said, her face beatific. ‘Though I do have a bone to pick with you.’

  Jade frowned when she saw his horrified expression. Was she imagining it or could he not look her in the eye?

  ‘What?’ Sam asked, disconcerted.

  ‘Calm down, it was only a joke. I was just going to say that you didn’t text me back last night.’

  He visibly appeared relieved, and exhaled sharply. ‘Oh, that. Sorry. I fell asleep.’

  ‘Are you okay?’ Jade asked, narrowing her eyes. Why had he been acting so odd lately?

  ‘Yeah I’m fine,’ he replied tetchily.

  ‘Okay, sorry for asking,’ Jade said caustically, as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

  ‘I actually have a bit of a bone to pick with you,’ Sam said, his mouth a straight line. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Chloe modelling your bikinis?’

  ‘I forgot, sorry,’ Jade said, wondering if he was upset about it. ‘She’s great honestly, such a natural, you should see her.’

  ‘I’d rather not see my little sister, who’s only eighteen, modelling swimwear, thanks,’ Sam responded moodily. ‘I think you should have told me about it to be honest. I don’t really like the idea.’

  Jade sighed. ‘I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you, I honestly just forgot. Don’t be so dramatic. It’s not glamour modelling or anything and the poses aren’t sexy; it’s more like catalogue modelling.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Sam said, shaking his head, clearly not up for discussing it further. ‘Let’s just forget about it.’

  Jade rolled her eyes after a minute of silence. So far the night wasn’t going as planned. ‘Are you okay with me?’ she asked.

  He kissed her on the nose. ‘I promise I’m fine.’

  ‘Oh I forgot to tell you!’ Jade exploded, unable to believe she hadn’t already told him. ‘You’ll never guess who lives opposite Lisa and Nicola?’

  ‘Who?’ he asked, raising his eyebrows.

  ‘Adele! Lisa is gutted! Of all the people to live in the same building. Apparently she said she’ll go over to them so they can have girly nights. Can you believe it? I feel so sorry for Lisa.’ She watched Sam as his face froze. He was acting weird again and it was making her feel unsettled.

  ‘Oh well,’ he managed, looking the other way and searching for the remote control to turn the TV on with.

  ‘Is that all you’re going to say?’ Jade had expected more of a reaction from him. His mental ex-girlfriend lived opposite her best friend and the best he could come out with was ‘oh well’?

  ‘Well, what do you want me to say?’ he snapped.

  ‘Sam, seriously. What has gotten into you?’

  Sam fiddled with the remote control. ‘I’m tired. I had a hard day at work and you’re just talking to me about girly rubbish, which I don’t really care about. I don’t care about Adele and where she lives or what she’s doing. She’s a complete lying idiot and I don’t want to talk about her.’

  ‘You’re acting really strange,’ Jade retorted, baffled, her forehead wrinkling.

  He gave a theatrical sigh. ‘Jade, please stop saying that. Nothing is wrong, okay?’

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘Now come here and give me a cuddle and let’s just relax. I would rather talk about you.’

  Jade heaved a sigh. Things had just started to go well again, but she just knew that something was wrong with Sam and it was scaring her more than ever.

  *

  Adele was the most excited she’d been for ages. She was with Donna in Funky Mojoe nightclub in South Woodford, and she’d just heard a group of girls squawking about there being a Premiership footballer in there. Obviously, he’d have his own table in the VIP section somewhere, she acknowledged; she hoped their table was close by! The club wasn’t that big and Adele promised herself she would find him. She wasn’t leaving here until she had his number. Being with a footballer had always been a dream of hers. Who didn’t want to get treated like a princess and whisked off to the Caribbean and Dubai to stay in five-star hotels at every opportunity? She deserved this. She didn’t care what he looked like so long as he wasn’t too bad looking. She could handle a wonky nose or a bit of a monobrow for the right person. Slightly below average looks were acceptable when they were footballers, every girl knew that. It was fate that they had come to this club tonight! Adele was glad she was wearing her brand new Sass and Bide dress, which had been seen on several celebrities in the press recently; it made her feel special and important. She looked at Donna, who actually looked okay for once. She was wearing a slimming black lace one-shoulder dress with ginormous black open-toe Miu Miu heels, and her dark hair had been highlighted with gold and styled in a side bun, with sexy, wavy strands coming loose. Thank God she’s made an effort, Adele thought callously. For once it wasn’t that embarrassing going out with her.

  She’d been disappointed that Lisa and Nicola couldn’t make tonight. She’d gone over to their flat before she’d left and finally caught them when they were home. She’d tried every night that week, but they always seemed to be out. Lisa had answered, dressed up in an amazing gold dress; she simply had to borrow it one day. Nicola had been sitting there in the lounge with a bottle of wine. She hoped that they were going out just to a club or something and she could have convinced them to join her and Donna in Funky Mojoe, but apparently they were going to a friend’s private birthday party and couldn’t have invited her or they would have. That would have been nice, Adele considered, but she was glad she was here now seeing as a footballer was in the building. She’d gone to their flat anyway and joined them for a glass of wine as she waited for Donna to arrive. It was nice sitting there together and chatting; she’d have to go round there more often in future.

  Adele walked over to a member of staff in the club and asked where their table was. As she followed the lady directing them, she overheard a group of girls chatting.

  ‘So which one is it that plays for Fulham?’ one blonde girl asked her friend.

  ‘I’m not too sure. I think it’s the one in the blue shirt,’ came the dreamy reply. ‘He’s gorgeous.’

  Adele was over the moon! They were sitting dead opposite the man they were talking about with the blue shirt! They couldn’t have picked a more perfect spot!

  ‘So,’ Donna smirked as they sat down. ‘Any sign of the guy you know that likes me?’

  Adele’s face creased into a bewildered expression. ‘What? What guy?’ Then she remembered that she’d lied in order to get Donna to miss her aunt’s birthday. She waved her hand dismissively. ‘Oh, him. He texted me a while ago saying he was ill. Sorry, you’ll meet him another time.’

  Donna couldn’t hide her disappointment. She looked down at the floor. �
��That’s a shame. I was really looking forward to it. You made him sound … perfect.’

  Adele rolled her eyes. ‘Get over it. No man is perfect, don’t be so ridiculous. It’s really not a big deal; you’ll meet him some other time.’ She picked up the drinks menu, trying to change the subject quickly. ‘Now what champagne shall we buy? It’s on me.’ She flashed a credit card, hoping that would make up for it.

  ‘I really don’t mind,’ Donna said unenthusiastically.

  Adele ignored the sullen look on her face and called the waiter over. Donna was not ruining her night tonight because some made-up person wasn’t coming to Funky Mojoe! How desperate did she want to be for God’s sake?

  ‘Actually, I’m more up for vodka tonight,’ Adele decided, when the waiter appeared. She could see the guy in the blue shirt opposite had champagne, and when they got chatting she’d just get some from him.

  ‘So what was this person’s name that likes me anyway?’ Donna asked, eyeing Adele suspiciously.

  ‘Donna, there are tons of guys in here tonight. Some really fit ones! Why not worry about them instead? The man I know that likes you is called John,’ Adele lied scathingly. ‘But he’s not here, so just forget about it.’

  ‘John who?’ Donna pouted, clearly not believing her anymore.

  ‘John Smith. Okay? His name is John Smith.’ Adele changed the subject. ‘There are some hot guys opposite us actually. I like the one in the blue shirt.’

  Donna looked at them avidly. ‘I think they’re all nice!’ She grinned.

  Adele smirked. Donna clearly hadn’t heard the girls saying which one was the footballer, so she was none the wiser. She’d be able to chat to him easily now, while Donna chatted to the others without realising what she was up to. Donna was bound to want the footballer too if she knew which one he was. Luckily, she only knew he was in the club and not where he was sitting. Adele looked over, caught blue shirt guy’s eye and smiled seductively. He smiled back, making her heart flip. She was one step closer to becoming a WAG already!

  ‘Oh my God, he fancies you!’ Donna gasped, almost spluttering her drink in excitement.

  ‘Play it cool,’ Adele warned, running her fingers through her hair flirtatiously. ‘We can’t come across as bothered. We have to wait for them to ask us over.’

  Twenty minutes later, after lots of eye contact and smiling, to Adele’s delight, they were finally asked over to their table. After introducing themselves, Adele made a beeline for the man in the blue shirt, whose name was Neil, sitting down beside him. She wasn’t going to mention that she knew he was a footballer, he’d see straight through her. She would act all innocent and naïve when he told her. It was so much more attractive that way.

  ‘So, tell me about yourself,’ he said, gazing into her eyes.

  She swooshed her hair back over her shoulder sexily. ‘I live in Chigwell and run my own bikini business. I design them too.’

  ‘Bikinis,’ he said raising his eyebrows cheekily. ‘So how long have you been doing that?’

  She decided to lie. ‘Three years almost. It’s an extremely successful business, which I run alone. I’ve won awards and everything for businesswoman of the year.’

  ‘Impressive,’ he grinned as he filled up her champagne glass and then his own. He was a bit of a rebel, she realised; footballers weren’t supposed to drink alcohol, were they? Maybe he had some time off.

  He was average looking and certainly no oil painting. Never mind, Adele told herself, just think of his bank balance. She looked over at Donna who was deep in conversation with one of Neil’s friends who she thought had said he was called Aaron. Not bad at all for Donna, she realised, eyeing him up. At least she looked happy and wouldn’t whine about being left alone. She could chat to Neil in peace now.

  A few hours later, Adele was feeling drunk. She had cheekily snogged Neil already and made sure she had his number. This was turning out to be such a great night. She’d even seen Donna kissing Aaron a few times, which was the first time she’d ever seen her pull!

  ‘Come for a dance,’ Neil slid his hand into hers and pulled her up.

  Adele pouted sexily, following him to the dance floor. Everyone was watching them, she just knew it. Every girl was staring at her enviously because she was the one who had bagged the footballer. She’d have to get used to this, she thought and she wrapped her arms around his neck on the dance floor. She would be centre of attention if he became her boyfriend when they went out. Did Fulham footballers ever get papped? she wondered, hopefully. She’d search Google images tomorrow and find out. Besides, she imagined he would end up playing for a better team eventually; Chelsea or Manchester United or somewhere like that. She didn’t know much about football, but he looked fit enough and she imagined most players moved up the ranks in the end. Hopefully Neil would soon, she thought, kissing him passionately. She’d have to stop herself from asking him back to her flat tonight; that definitely wouldn’t be a good idea. She couldn’t be just another of his conquests. She had to be special and someone to stick around for. Sex was totally out of the question on the first night on this particular occasion.

  She made her way back to the others with Neil. Adele was so happy she felt as though she was floating. Donna also looked utterly euphoric sitting with Aaron, Adele noticed as she made her way over to her.

  ‘You okay?’ Adele asked.

  ‘Yes, couldn’t be better,’ Donna turned her back on Aaron to make sure he couldn’t hear and whispered, ‘they want us to go back to their place.’

  ‘Well we can’t, can we? We don’t want to look like slags, Donna. Don’t you know anything?’ Adele hissed.

  ‘Yes,’ Donna replied shamefacedly. ‘I suppose you’re right.’

  Adele shook her head. ‘When he asks you again, say no thank you, we need to be up early in the morning. Tell him we’ll go out with them one night in the week instead on a double date.’

  Donna perked up again. ‘Excellent idea! That will be so much fun.’

  An hour later they were waiting outside in the cab queue with the boys.

  ‘Are you sure you won’t come back? We’ve got so much booze at ours and we can all just chill out,’ Aaron suggested, putting his arm around Donna’s shoulder.

  ‘We’re sure. But we’ll go out in the week,’ Donna replied. She gave Adele a knowing glance and Adele smiled and nodded, indicating she’d said the right answer.

  ‘Okay,’ Aaron kissed Donna again on the lips. ‘I’ll call you. We’re going to stay at our mate’s and he only lives round the corner so we’re going to love you and leave you. We can walk from here.’

  Adele kissed Neil passionately. ‘We’ll go out soon, yeah?’

  ‘Definitely,’ he said, rubbing her cheek with his hand and staring at her happily.

  The boys walked off and Donna almost jumped around on the spot, excitedly. ‘Oh my God. I like him so much. I can’t believe tonight, I’ve had the best time!’

  ‘See, I told you not to go to that stupid birthday party! What a load of rubbish that would have been.’

  ‘Thanks for inviting me, Adele. Aaron is totally gorgeous.’

  Adele controlled herself from sniggering. He was attractive, yes, but he wasn’t a footballer like Neil! Donna looked elated. ‘Yes he’s actually quite good looking,’ Adele said.

  ‘So was Neil!’

  ‘Yes, about Neil. I know something about him. Something that’s going to shock you …’

  Before Donna could answer a rowdy group of men were walking past, talking loudly. ‘Yeah, it was definitely him. Just walked past us. That footballer that plays for Fulham. What’s his name again?’

  Adele smirked, excited to see the look on Donna’s face when she realised who Neil was.

  ‘Oh yeah, I know,’ another man answered. ‘It was that midfielder. Blinding little player. Aaron Bond!’

  Adele’s jaw almost hit the floor.

  ‘Oh. My. God! Did you hear that? It’s Aaron! He’s the one that plays for Fulham! Rememb
er those girls were saying in the queue on the way in that their friend had texted them saying there was a footballer in Funky Mojoe. I can’t believe it’s him! It’s Aaron!’ Donna was thrilled.

  ‘This can’t be right!’ Adele’s heart was galloping in anger. Please don’t say she’d wasted a whole evening snogging the face off a nobody when there was a Premiership footballer beside her getting it on with Donna! Adele was so furious she could feel the blood rushing to her face. She grabbed her phone, which finally had a signal, and Googled Aaron Bond. News stories about football matches filled the page as well as images of him. She wanted to scream! Maybe, just maybe, Neil was a footballer too? She typed in his full name in the search bar and when nothing came up she felt physically sick.

  ‘Oh my God! He’s texted me already as well,’ Donna said happily.

  Resisting the urge to either throttle her or throw her phone under the next taxi, Adele took deep breaths and tried to remain calm. So fatty had bagged a footballer had she? The sly little cow. ‘How did you know he was the footballer?’ Adele demanded, her eyes flashing in fury.

  Donna’s face was blank. ‘I didn’t.’

  ‘Oh come on,’ Adele said hastily, giving her a sinister look. ‘Do you really expect me to believe that? Tell the truth!’

  ‘Adele, I had no idea! What are you talking about?’

  Adele was livid. She’d gone for the wrong man. The wrong one. If she ever saw those thick airhead girls that said Neil was the footballer she would kill them. This wasn’t right! She was meant to get with the footballer. She was meant to be the WAG getting papped in the Seychelles, not Donna! ‘Oh whatever,’ she replied at last. ‘He was ugly anyway.’

  ‘But you just said you thought he was good looking?’

  ‘I lied,’ Adele answered, folding her arms imperiously.

  ‘Well it doesn’t matter to me anyway. I like him,’ Donna beamed. ‘I don’t even care if he’s a footballer either. None of that matters to me.’

  ‘Oh please!’ Adele retorted, getting in the taxi.

  ‘I’m being serious!’ Donna said, affronted.