Everything to Nothing (56 page)

‘Thank you
Sally. That means a lot to me.’

‘Right,
shopping to celebrate! My treat and no limit to what we spend!

‘Sounds
good!’

‘Let’s go!’

With that Sally
ran out of the room waving her arms and whooping in delight. She
found Alfred and ordered a car to take them into the city to
celebrate her friend’s love and new engagement.

*

After the trip
to New York David’s life was never the same. His work varied from
being his new boss’s administration assistant to attending high
level business meetings, all the while he watched and learned from
Mr. Gallagher.

Sally and
Michelle both studied at Oxford, Michelle reading Law, Sally
studying Physics. Both of them kept their respective relationships
strong through hard work from all parties. When Michelle was not
studying, she was planning her wedding which was due to take place
in the summer of their graduation year, and when they both
graduated with Firsts their excitement built. Sally had obtained a
position with an airline on a pilot scheme and Michelle had gained
a position at a top law firm. Both were due to start in the autumn
of that year so that meant they had a full summer to relax and
enjoy their time together.

Sally was now
twenty-one and her beauty was at its zenith. That summer she looked
radiant. Her life was perfect. She had a handsome boyfriend, her
best friend was due to be married in the summer and she had landed
a modelling contract with one of the best agencies in the
country.

At first her
modelling jobs were mainly adverts in the body of some of the
magazines, but then she started to get cover work. It was not too
long before her natural beauty was recognised and she was soon on
the front cover of Cosmopolitan and Vogue. And the offers of work
kept flowing in. She was offered large amounts of money to do
catwalk modelling, television commercials and even a few movie
offers, but she did not want the hassle or the fame.

Instead she did
the occasional shoot for the magazines just to give herself a small
feeling of independence from her father. Any money she did earn she
invested so she could contribute to her own wedding and university
fees for her children. David had not yet asked her to marry him but
her twenty-first birthday ball was approaching and she thought
something would happen then. If it did not, she would have to start
dropping more unsubtle hints.

Life had rolled
on perfectly for all of them, until the summer of Sally’s
twenty-first birthday.

Chapter 41

It was a
beautifully perfect day that summer when the four of them met in
the city centre for the final fitting of their outfits for the
wedding. Sally and David were maid of honour and best man
respectively and they were fitted out for the last time in one of
the top wedding shops in the city. Michelle and Simon had to attend
separately of course so Simon did not see the dress. After he had
visited the exclusive wedding shop he waited in a bar with David
while Sally attended with Michelle.

‘Do you know
who that druggie is who keeps staring at us?’ David asked of
Simon.

‘Nope mate.
Never seen her before in my life.’

Simon had
though, but her drug ravaged body and face had changed so much
since the day he last saw her when she was being escorted out of a
department store.

‘Well I think
she knows us. She hasn’t taken her eyes off us since we sat
down.’

‘Ignore her
mate. I’m sure she’ll crawl back to whatever sewer she crawled out
of.’

‘How do they
get the money to come and sit in a bar and drink?’ David
queried.

‘I have no
idea.’

Sarah was not
there to drink though. She had been walking out of an alley when
she saw Michelle walk past with another woman by her side and then
they were greeted by two handsome men who had stepped out of a
wedding shop. She darted back into the alley, peering around the
wall, and saw the two women walk into the wedding shop and the two
men walk into a bar. Thinking that this was too much of an
opportunity to miss, she knew she would not be welcome in the shop
though, so she followed the men into the bar, guessing correctly
that the women would follow shortly.

‘Here they are!
My beautiful bride to be and her maid of honour!’After curtseying
Michelle sat down next to Simon, taking his hand in hers, and Sally
sat next to David giving him a kiss in welcome.

‘How’s the
dress?’ Simon asked.

‘It’s perfect!
It fits like a dream!’ Sally replied eagerly.

‘It doesn’t! I
look fat!’

‘You don’t look
fat, you look amazing!’

‘I can’t wait
to see you. I can’t believe it is only one week away now.’ Simon
shook his head in seeming bewilderment. ‘The time has gone by so
quickly…’

‘You getting
married then Michelle?’

Everyone jumped
and turned to look at the woman that stood next to their table.

‘Do you know
her Michelle?’ asked Simon to which she shook her head firmly in
the negative. ‘I’m sorry, do we know you?’

‘You don’t
recognise me Michelle, your so called friend?’

‘No sorry, I
don’t.’

‘How about if I
said, Michelle, you are a fat little porker who used to waddle
around school. Bring back any memories?’

‘Now I don’t
know who the hell you think you are…’

‘It’s okay
Simon. I’ll handle this.’

For a few more
moments she studied the face in front of her. She looked about
forty, at least. Her face was wrinkled, like old tree bark. When
she spoke, Michelle had noticed that she had barely any teeth, and
those that were still present were black and rotting. It was the
eyes that got Michelle though, those haunted drug taker’s eyes,
with bags and black circles underneath them and it was the eyes
that finally triggered a memory in her mind. It had been years
since she had seen her last, and the woman who stood before her now
was a shell of the woman she had known then. ‘Sarah, is that
you?’

‘Bingo! We have
a winner! And here’s your prize, a bacon sandwich and a lump of
lard to add to the lard you carry around in your knickers
everyday!’

‘My God Sarah,
what happened to you?’

‘Why? What’s
up? Do you not think I’m pretty?’

‘You’re pretty
sick,’ muttered Simon.

‘So who’s the
lucky guy who’s going to be sticking his cock into this lump of fat
for the rest of his life?’

‘Right, that’s
it…’

Simon made to
stand but Michelle lightly placed a hand on his arm to stop him.
‘Simon, please. We don’t need to lower ourselves to her level.
That’s what she wants. Sarah, what do you want? Do you want some
cash? I’m sure we could scrape together the cost of a few hits of
heroin for you if you like?’

‘Oh no
Michelle. H is old school. Crystal meth is the new black now
Michelle. I’m a meth addict and look what it’s done to me. Do you
not think it has made me pretty?’

‘No, not really
Sarah. I think it has made you evil. I think you need help. Why
don’t you come with me now and I’ll get you booked into a
rehabilitation clinic…’

‘You will do
nothing of the sort!’

‘Simon, please
be quiet. What do you think Sarah? I’ll help you to help
yourself.’

‘I’d prefer to
be taken into the toilets and given a good hard fucking by your
friend there. Who is he? He’s gorgeous!’

Sarah made to
sit down next to David but with a firm hand Simon pushed her away.
‘Go away before something happens that you will regret.’

But Sarah was
not listening. Her eyes had fallen onto Sally who had remained
motionless and silent in the corner of the seats, mentally
restraining herself from intervening, knowing too well that
Michelle could handle whatever this vile creature threw at her. ‘I
know you. I’ve seen your face, recently too. I know I’m gorgeous,
but you make even me look like a hippo! Fuck me. That’s it! Front
cover of Vogue last week! Well look at me! Little Sarah is in the
presence of modelling royalty! Can you get me some work there? I
could easily go on the front cover. Get me some work,
pleeeaaassseee!’

‘The only work
you’d get is licking the sewers clean,’ retorted Sally.

‘Fuck you slag.
Can I shag your gorgeous boyfriend, fiancé perhaps? He hasn’t been
able to keep his eyes off me since I walked in. He wants his cock
to slide into my tight vagina don’t you honey?’

‘Right, that
really is IT!’

With speed
Simon was up from his seat and he grabbed Sarah by one of her arms
and twisted it up her back. Sarah though had lived on the street
quite long enough now to deal with such an assault, so as quick and
as lithe as a snake she had twisted out of Simon’s grip and
launched her own attack.

Her hands
rained down towards Simon’s face, trying to get her nails to scrape
at his flesh. One or two of the blows landed, but they had no
power, and after a few moments David had grabbed hold of both her
arms. The women had also got up to help but for a split second
Sarah got one hand free, and without anyone noticing slipped a
translucent substance into David’s drink.

Quickly she was
brought back under control by the two men and they dragged her
kicking and screaming to the door of the bar. Unceremoniously
between them they swung her up in the air and dumped her in the
gutter.

With a scream
she leapt to her feet and ran at them with arms swinging and legs
kicking but with ease the two men pushed her away. She lost her
footing and with a hard fall she crashed back into the gutter but
this time she did not get up because the wind had been knocked out
of her.

For the first
and last time in his life Simon spat at another human being as she
lay on the floor, wheezing and gasping, and then they both turned
to re-enter the bar.

‘I think we’d
better go,’ stated Simon to the women. ‘She’s out of it now but I
don’t think she will be for long. Let’s go out the back way.’

They all nodded
their agreement and quickly finished their drinks. By the time
David had got back to his drink the substance had totally
dissolved. None the wiser he knocked his cola back in one.

*

They went for
another drink in another bar to calm their nerves and they stayed
there for a while, Michelle explaining to them what she knew about
how Sarah’s life had gone so badly wrong. With a sigh she said
she’d had enough for today and wanted to go home but instead Sally
invited them to her house for a meal and more drinks.

‘You can stay
over if you like? Let’s not let that wicked woman ruin our
day!’

‘We’ll come for
the meal, but we’ll see about staying over. Right now, I don’t
really feel in the mood. What happened to her?!’

‘Michelle,’
Simon took her hand and stroked it, ‘don’t worry about it. There is
nothing you can do now, and there is nothing you could have done
then. I remember her now and she was nothing but trouble back then.
I remember she disappeared from college but I didn’t give it much
thought at the time. I thought good riddance and you should think
that too. You’ve worked so hard; we all have, to have what we have
now, to be so happy. If she’d done the same then who knows what she
could have made of her life. Instead, she’ll be dead in a couple of
years whereas we have our lives stretching in front of us. Forget
about her, and forget about her forever.’

‘I suppose
you’re right. Thank you, Simon. Everything you say makes sense all
the time, that’s why I love you!’ She kissed him, passionately.
‘Shall we go then?’

‘Come with me
Simon. I’ll show you what my new car can do!’

‘Okay David.
See you there then ladies!’

‘Yeah, be
careful.’

They walked to
the cars and the women got in Sally’s while the men got in David’s
new Audi. Through the city Sally followed David along the crowded
streets, but once they reached the country roads that led to
Sally’s mansion, David pulled away quickly.

‘Crikey. He’s
gone off quickly.’

‘Don’t worry.’
replied Sally. ‘He knows this road and he always drives
quickly.’

‘Yeah, but,
he’s out of sight already.’

‘They’ll be
fine.’

‘I hope so. He
was going bloody quickly’

David indeed
did know the road and he wanted to impress Simon with his new car.
Simon was used to David driving fast, but today he seemed to be
taking it to the extreme. Not once did he change gear below the red
line and the Audi was literally screaming along the road. About a
mile before a pair of s-bends that David intended to take at speed
he suddenly started to feel very strange. As quick as a flash a
cold sweat broke out of his forehead and his hands started
shaking.

The drug that
Sarah had slipped into his coke had taken its time to start to
affect his body because he had orally ingested it, but when it did
start to affect him the chemicals rushed through his body to his
brain and took their hold before he was able to react.

His eyes rolled
back in their sockets and he slumped over the steering wheel.
Before Simon could grab the wheel they were off the road at the
first right corner of the first s-bend. They bounced over a small
grass verge and down the other side. Simon made a frantic grasp at
the wheel but missed, and by then it was too late. With David
unable to press the brakes the car hit a large, old oak tree at a
tremendous speed.

*

‘Sally, what’s
that up ahead?’ Sally was taking her time with the drive and she
was fiddling with the radio while Michelle was speaking. ‘It looks
like there’s debris in the road.’

Sally grunted
in acknowledgement and started to pay more attention expecting to
find that something had fallen off one of the many farm tractors
that used these roads. As they got closer though it was clear that
it was debris off a car. Slowing down to a stop they both got out
of the vehicle and saw the fresh tyre tracks going over the verge.
Without saying anything, they both took a few steps up the verge
and looked down the other side.