The chances were that Imogen would refuse to even speak to her, but Heidi and Magz had no reason to hate Sinead. Or had they all banded together, united in hatred of their former friend? Only a couple of months ago, Sinead would have considered that an impossibility, an absurdity, but a lot had happened since then, and Sinead instinctively knew that things would never be the same again. Even so, this was one favour that needed to be asked. What was that old saying? A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Sinead pressed the doorbell on her old home and heard the familiar chimes. Expecting the door to be opened and then swiftly slammed in her face, she started biting her now immaculately-filed nails. She plunged her hands into her jacket pockets to hide the nervousness. She stared at the front door and remembered that she still had the keys somewhere. Not that she would use them if she had them on her. The girls didn’t need another reason to hate her.
Sinead rapped the letter box’s metal flap. She looked up at the house’s darkened windows. Either someone had seen her from the window and was waiting for her to fuck off, or they had all gone out. She checked the time on her phone. It was already half six. They must have headed straight down the pub for Friday night drinks. And there was still nothing back from Dylan. She considered calling him, but the battery was down to seven per cent. Besides, if he was actually standing her up, she couldn’t handle hearing his excuses. She’d probably do something she’d regret like shout at him. Or cry.
***
The pub she eventually found them in was packed with regulars as well as the football crowd, and at first Sinead couldn’t see the girls. The queue at the bar was four or five people deep. Groups of drinkers were clustered around the bar area, blocking off space. Sinead attempted to make her way through the crowd, searching the room as she went. Through a gap between people’s heads, she spotted Magz down at the end of the bar, buying a round of drinks. Sinead tapped a short woman on the shoulder.
‘Can I get by, please?’
The short woman nudged the man next to her and he turned round, clocked Sinead and then stepped back. The rest of the group followed suit and Sinead hobbled through.
‘Thanks.’
Sinead navigated her way past obstacles of crowded tables and bags on the floor, arriving just after the barman had served the drinks. Magz clocked Sinead and immediately made herself look preoccupied by putting away her bank card.
Sinead said, ‘Hey. I thought I might find you down here.’
‘Yeah. Just having a quiet drink.’ Magz shot her a hostile look.
Sinead ignored the cold front. ‘I tried looking for you in the Constitutional. But yeah, anyway. So how’s things? It’s been a while.’
Magz looked over to a far corner table. Heidi was sitting there with a chubby bloke whom Sinead presumed was Tim. Magz waved Heidi over. Sinead saw Heidi whisper something to Tim before she stood up. Tim looked in Sinead’s direction. Sinead turned back.
‘Magz?’
‘This is so not cool, all right. Seriously.’ Her usual laidback attitude had vanished; Magz was gathering up the glasses, refusing to make eye contact, trying to get away from the bar in a hurry. Sinead lightly touched Magz’s forearm and she flinched, as though Sinead’s finger was a wasp.
Heidi had pushed her way through the crowd to join them. Scowling, she stopped in front of Sinead. She said, ‘What are you doing here?’
‘It’s nice to see you too. Jesus.’
‘What d’you want, Sinead?’
‘I wanted to ask a favour, but seeing as you’re both giving me the full bitch treatment, I don’t think I’ll bother.’ Sinead was jostled by a man moving through the queue. ‘Hey!’ The man glanced dispassionately at her as he passed by. ‘I’m on crutches, aren’t I?’ She turned back to the girls and caught them sharing a disapproving look. ‘A bike accident, since you ask – yeah, thanks for your concern.’
Magz passed a couple of drinks to Heidi before picking up the other two. Sinead glared at Heidi.
Heidi said, ‘Over there.’
They moved away from the throng and Sinead followed as quickly as she was able. The girls reconvened in front of the fifty-five-inch wall-mounted television that was screening a football match for some of the regulars.
‘Imogen’s gone to the loo. She’ll be out any minute,’ said Heidi.
‘So what?’
‘So you need to go,’ said Magz.
‘Why are you being like this?’
‘Don’t pretend like you don’t know. Stop putting on this act, okay? It’s pathetic,’ Heidi said.
‘It’s kinda creepy, Sinead. Proper psycho stuff.’
Sinead sensed this was some kind of loaded comment. ‘Why am I a psycho?’
Magz said, ‘I dunno. Smashing some girl’s head into a wall, for a start.’
Sinead immediately turned to Heidi; until recently the only person she’d ever confided in about that regrettable incident. Heidi quickly looked away, cheeks flushing.
‘What the fuck have I done to any of you?!’ Sinead demanded.
‘No, nothing,’ said Magz. ‘Wait a minute, there was one little thing. Yeah, you fucked your mate’s fiancé.’
‘Excuse me?!’ Sinead’s eyes widened.
‘And you did it in her bed, man,’ Magz said. ‘So dark.’
Sinead was stunned. As usual, the truth had no bearing on a juicy bit of gossip. Behind them, a group of football fans were getting increasingly annoyed with the girls blocking the TV; they shifted around in their chairs, mumbling complaints and gesturing them to move out the way. As Sinead tried to think of the right response, Heidi started on her again.
‘Haven’t you done enough already? Imogen’s a complete mess. What the hell’s wrong with you, coming down here? Leave her alone.’ Heidi nodded at Magz and they headed back to their table. Sinead went after them as the footie fans cheered their departure.
Heidi and Magz plonked down their drinks, splashing booze onto the table. Moments later, Sinead caught up with them and grabbed Heidi’s elbow.
‘Nothing happened – I told you that, didn’t I? I told you the truth.’
‘We’re tired of hearing your lies, Sinead.’ Heidi raised her eyebrows and gave her a condescending look. ‘Imogen found your dirty knickers underneath their bed.’
‘My dirty knickers?’ Sinead scoffed. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘And an empty Durex wrapper,’ said Magz.
‘Listen to me, okay. I don’t know where this bullshit’s coming from. Because we did not have sex, all right?’ She noticed Tim looking very uncomfortable.
‘I bet you left them there on purpose. Dirty cow.’ Magz knocked back some IPA. A drunken Neanderthal at another table overheard and guffawed loudly.
‘Fuck off, Magz. Seriously.’
‘Are you really going to keep on lying to us? Do you think we’re stupid?’ Heidi was getting wound up. ‘I actually felt bad before. I thought maybe Joel was slut-shaming you. Until Imogen found your fuck me pants on the floor.’
‘They’re not mine! They could be anyone’s.’
Magz said, ‘They’re blatantly yours. The red lacy ones. I’ve seen them drying on the radiator enough times.’
‘I was with you when you bought them in the sales!’ said Heidi.
Sinead was about to respond when suddenly she realised that Magz and Heidi were now staring past her. Sinead glanced over her shoulder and saw Imogen standing behind her. Sinead froze, momentarily speechless. She hadn’t seen Imogen for several weeks and the change in her appearance was startling. Imogen looked terrible: puffy-eyed, gaunt and pale.