“Ellie! Come in. Gemma’s in the lounge.”
“Thanks Louis.” I give him a peck on the cheek and enter their cozy little home. The smell of something baking fills the warm space.
“Gemma! I’m leaving love! I’ll see you later!” Louis turns to me, “Bye Ellie. Have fun.” He exits the flat and pulls the door closed as he goes.
“El! Get in here!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I mutter under my breath.
Gemma has become one of my closest friends, as close as Kate and I were in school. After I left James, I realized that my entire adult life centered around my job and my fiancé. I had nothing to call my very own, not even any friends. I fixed that right quick, and Gemma has turned out to be one of the best mates I could ever have.
“Hey! I’ve got cookies in the oven, chocolate chip.” Gemma is sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding a glass of ice water. “Have some water, it’s so hot out it’ll cool you off,” she says smiling.
I pour a glass from the pitcher on the coffee table and take a big sip.
“Thanks. It is really hot out, even for July.” I dramatically wipe my brow and sip the cold water. “Christ, that’s good.” I sink onto the couch next to her.
“So, what’s this problem you need help with? Is James begging you to get back with him, because I’m telling you El, I’m not going to allow it.”
“Gemma! No, I’m not getting back with James.” I give her a sour look. “You know I wouldn’t do that. Besides, it’s been over a year, I’m sure he doesn’t think about me anymore.” I put down my glass so I can chew on my thumbnail.
“Ellie, for God’s sake, stop doing that to your poor finger.” Gemma puts her glass on the table and takes my hands, wrapping hers around mine. “Now, stop stalling El. I know you’ve been a wreck for the past couple of months, tell me what the problem is.”
Gemma’s green eyes shine with concern, her perfectly plucked eyebrows are gathered in the center. I feel guilty for making my friend worry about me. I know I’ve been a mess lately, I just haven’t been able to discuss it with anyone until now.
“Alright, let me finish telling you everything before you freak out, okay?” I look at her warily, but she nods her head and waits for me to continue.
Where to begin?
“You know I’m from Shepherd’s Bush, right?”
“Yes, you’ve mentioned that.” She’s confused by my question.
“Well, when I started sixth form, my dad lost his job and the following year, when the money ran out we had to move to Hackney. Specifically Lower Clapton,” I take a deep breath, watching as confusion turns to curiosity. “I finished my last few months of school there.”
Gemma’s eyes widen from the revelation that I lived in such a crime-ridden area, though it’s cleaned up a lot since. I swallow down the lump in my throat and have to untangle my hands from Gemma’s to take a sip of my water. I lean down and drag my handbag over from where it sits on the floor.
“Sorry. Anyway, remember trivia night last winter, right before the holidays? I ran out after they read the final question?”
“Of course I remember, you scared the crap out of me,” she says without hesitation.
“Right. Okay. Well, the question, it was about… ummmm…” I suddenly feel overly warm, almost uncomfortably so.
“Ellie, calm down and tell me,” Gemma says in a soothing voice. “It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s not bad… it’s just hard to talk about,” I admit, dropping my gaze to focus on the patterned fabric of the couch.
“Well, whatever it is, I’ll help you.”
I take in a deep, cleansing breath and look back up at my friend. “The question about the school attended by the members of…”
“Oh! I remember! They asked where the members of Sphere of Irony went to school,” she squeals, then she slaps her hands over her mouth. “Sorry El! I promised not to interrupt.” Her voice is muffled from behind her hands.
I smile. “No worries. That was the question. I went to that school… with them.” I reach into my handbag and pull out an old photograph, one that Kate had taken of me and Adam leaning against the wall outside the DK after an afternoon rehearsal. Adam is grinning at me, the look on his face is one of reverence. The boy is clearly in love. I’m smiling at the camera, my arms wrapped tightly around Adam’s neck. We are both young and happy.
Gemma’s eyes get wider than I ever thought possible. I ca
n tell she’s bursting to ask me about the band, to find out what I know. She’s a huge fan of theirs, and talks about them non-stop whenever we discuss music, which I try hard to avoid doing.