Girls, Muddy, Moody Yet Magnificent

by Sue Limb

  ‘Possibly,’ I replied evasively. I wasn’t thinking of Dave Cheng.

  ‘Just wait till you get over Oliver,’ said Chloe. ‘I bet you’ll fall for some new guy by the end of the week.’ I gave a kind of disbelieving smile, but it felt thin and false.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I said.

  Chloe threw herself back on to the sand and looked up at the sky. She gave a huge contented sigh.

  ‘Isn’t it absolutely brilliant being here?’ she said. ‘And everything’s sorted, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I agreed. Though to be honest, things seemed less sorted than they had ever been.

  If only I’d known two months ago what I knew now: that Oliver was a waste of time, and Beast was some kind of superhero. But I’d had my chance with Beast, and I’d blown it. How could I have rejected him in that foul way? If only I’d known then how adorable he really was!

  But might I have a chance with him, even at this late stage? Would Chloe buy it or would she be mysteriously furious? There was maybe just the tiniest chance … but I was going to have to transform myself utterly if any green shoots of love were to germinate.

  ‘Chloe … ?’ I ventured, ‘how about a nice little new project? I think I might try and reinvent myself, like, to be totally charismatic and stylish and grand. Unrecognisable, in fact.’

  Chloe grinned. She looked interested. ‘Let’s go for it!’ she agreed. ‘Girls to goddesses in seven days …’ I wasn’t sure it could be done in seven days. I wasn’t sure it could be done at all. But it was my last little shred of hope, and I was clinging to it. Girls to goddesses! Why not?