The Look of Love (5 page)

“Do you think I
should stay away from Victoria, too?” she asked Angela.

“No!” Angela
replied firmly. “If you ask me, Tori would be far better off with a
friend like you than she is with that scumbag, Zach! So don’t
listen to Chrissy. Tori needs someone sensible for a friend, so if
you want to be friends with her, you go get her. But being friends
with her won’t be easy! Like Chrissy said, if you’re not careful,
Tori will have you making her breakfast each morning!”

As they
recovered their bags from their lockers and headed back to class,
Louise looked closely at Angela. Some of the things she had said
could have had more than one meaning. Did she know? But how could
she know? Was it that obvious? Louise thought about what Sam had
told her. But even the thought of telling Angela made her feel
ashamed. She quickly shrugged the feeling off. Sam was right; there
was no reason to feel that way. Angela was her best friend at Uni;
she had a right to know. And if she was a true friend, she would be
alright about it. Like Sam had said, it wasn’t fair keeping it from
her. But was now the right time to tell her?

While Louise
was confused about whether or not to tell Angela, the moment
passed, and it was too late. They had reached the class and Jo and
Chrissy were already there. They started to chat with Angela, and a
moment later everyone else started to turn up for the afternoon
class. And right on cue, just as the lecturer had started talking,
Victoria turned up.

Louise stared
at her in surprise. She was wearing a far less tatty and much
cleaner pair of jeans, and a Calvin Klein tee-shirt that had
absolutely no extra holes. Her blonde hair was all fluffy and
shiny, and fell over her shoulders like a mane. She was bright-eyed
and bushy-tailed, and as Louise stared at her, Victoria gave her
that grin, and winked.

Victoria was
now fully equipped with pens, paper and files, which she pulled out
of a new looking hold-all. She sat behind Louise and Angela, and
all through the lecture, Louise was conscious of her presence. She
could smell the shower-gel. It made Louise smile. This must be the
first time that she had seen Victoria when she was clean.

After the
lecture, Louise couldn’t help being amazed. “How do you do it?” she
asked Victoria. “How can you be in such a mess one minute, and look
so wonderful the next?”

Louise realised
almost immediately she had spoken that her choice of words could
have been better. But Victoria didn’t seem to notice. She smiled
brightly. “Practice!”

Jo and Chrissy
came over, and Chrissy still looked upset.

“You better be
good tonight,” she said to Victoria.

“I’m always
good!” Victoria replied mischievously.

“You know what
I mean!” Chrissy’s words were unexpectedly harsh. “If you mess up
again, if you get us into trouble, I’m finished with you!”

Victoria looked
genuinely hurt. “Oh, Chrissy! Don’t say that!”

“I mean it! You
always mess everything up! We want to have a good time tonight.
Even Louise is coming. So behave! Remember it was Jo that asked
you, not me! If it was my choice I’d leave you behind!”

“Why are you
being rotten to me?”

“Because I know
you too well! Jo and Angie might still think its fun, but I can see
through your little games! And I don’t think it’s funny at
all!”

There was an
uncomfortable silence. Then Jo said, “Oh stop fighting you two.
You’re making a scene! If you’re going to be like this tonight we
might as well all go to the library and revise all night!”

“Yeah! Pack it
in!” Angela added.

Victoria smiled
half-heartedly at Chrissy. She held up her hand as if swearing an
oath and said, “I promise to be good, alright?”

Louise could
have hugged her right then and there, but all Chrissy did was
shrug.

“Huh! We’ll
see!” she said finally, and walked away.

Jo shook her
head in exasperation and hurried after her.

Victoria turned
to Angela and Louise and said, “I better go after her, too. Chrissy
will calm down by tonight. I’ll get round her, you’ll see. I always
do!” She quickly stuffed all her things back into her hold-all,
said, “I’ll see you both tonight!” then before Louise could say
anything, she hurried off as well.

The rest of the
class soon dispersed, and once again Louise was left alone with
Angela as they packed away their things. After what Chrissy had
said, Louise was having second thoughts about their evening
out.

“Will
everything be alright tonight?” she asked Angela.

“Yes, don’t
worry! Tori’s right. By tonight, Chrissy will be fine, you’ll see!”
Angela saw the expression on Louise’s face and became more serious.
“You are still coming, aren’t you?”

Louise had to
think for a moment before replying. There was so much going on in
her mind, it was all too confusing. But there was one thing she had
to get out of the way before tonight. And now that they were alone
in the empty classroom, Louise knew that she wouldn’t get a better
chance.

“Angie,” Louise
began slowly. “You know how you’ve asked me to go out with you,
Chrissy and Jo before, and I’ve always said no?”

“Yeah? So?
You’re a stick in the mud, so what?”

“It’s not as
simple as that. There’s a reason why I always said no. And before I
decide to come tonight, there’s something I have to tell you.”

“You’re a
dyke,” Angela said very bluntly.

Louise stared
at her, her eyes wide. “You know?”

“Of course I
know! I’m not stupid! Look, Louise, it doesn’t bother me. I know
you don’t fancy me, I’ve seen how you go all gooey-eyed whenever
you see Tori to know that! And I think you’re okay! I like you. And
Jo and Chrissy will get to like you too, if you let them. All you
have to remember is that the three of us are all into boys, so if
that doesn’t bother you, I don’t see why your idea of an ideal date
should bother us. Okay?”

Louise was
completely stunned. But she wasn’t to be so easily convinced. “You
can’t be so sure they won’t be upset. People take things
differently–” Louise stopped abruptly when all of Angela’s words
finally sunk in. “What do you mean, I go gooey-eyed over Tori–I
mean Victoria! Oh God!” She held her hands over her face to hide
her embarrassment. “Is it that obvious?”

Angela began
laughing. “It’s as clear as day –to me, anyway! I think it’s
cute!”

“Oh, no! I feel
so embarrassed!”

Angela
continued to laugh as she pulled Louise’s hands from in front of
her face. “It’s not that bad,” she said. “I’m sure I’m the only one
that’s noticed. Anyway, it’s Tori you have to tell, not me!”

Louise stared
at Angela in despair. “But what happens if I tell her and she hates
me for it? I like her lots, Angie! You said so yourself, I go all
gooey-eyed! I’m a fool I know, but if I tell her, and she hates me,
I’ll feel awful!”

“She won’t hate
you! She might be a wreck most of the time, but Tori’s not like
that! You’ll see tonight. And if you tell her and she does say no,
then you’ll get over it. So stop worrying.”

“How can you be
so confident? And why are you almost pushing me into this?”

“Because Zach’s
a scumbag!” Angela looked as if just saying his name brought a bad
taste to her mouth. “I hate him. Everybody hates him. Only Tori
likes him, and that’s only because he gets her the booze when she
needs it. He’s slowly turning her into an alcoholic. He’s always
getting her drunk and in a mess. I think he likes it that way. If
you can get rid of him, you’ll be the best thing that’s happened to
Tori in years! So, are you coming, or not?”

Louise didn’t
hesitate. “What time are we meeting?”

“Are you really
sure about this?” Rosanna asked as Louise looked at herself in the
mirror.

“No,” Louise
admitted. “But I’m going anyway!”

Rosanna had
helped Louise with her hair and then waited while she got dressed.
Louise was wearing almost sheer tights, heels, and a low cut,
sleeveless blue dress that stopped just above the knee. Her hair
was up, and with her make-up carefully applied and a couple of
items of favourite jewellery to set it all off, Louise was all
ready.

Rosanna sighed.
“Well, I hope she likes you. Because if she doesn’t, all the boys
will be queuing up to take her place.”

“Rosie!” Louise
exclaimed, not impressed with the idea.

“It’s true! You
look really lovely. It’s such a waste!”

“Stop it!
You’ll be telling me your cousin’s such a nice boy next, and
setting up the introductions!”

“I would if I
had a decent cousin!”

“You know how I
feel,” Louise said more seriously as she turned towards
Rosanna.

“I know! But
you can’t blame me for trying! But you do look lovely!”

They smiled at
one another. There was the sound of a car horn.

“That’s my
taxi!” Louise said. She grabbed her coat and put it on. “Will you
lock up after me?”

“Yes, don’t
worry! And don’t forget your bag!”

“Oh, yes!”
Louise quickly picked up her handbag.

Rosanna hugged
her when they got to the door. “Be good,” she said. “And remember,
you’re much better than all them sluts!”

“Rosie! You’re
terrible!”

Louise made her
way down-stairs and trotted to the front door. In a few moments she
was in the taxi and on her way.

Louise was
smiling and full of anticipation all the way to town. But nagging
inside, she was just as anxious as always. Would Victoria like her?
Would she even be interested? Would she even turn up? Or would
Victoria hate her? That thought worried her the most. She hardly
knew Victoria, and the only things she did know about her suggested
that she was straight. The more she thought about it, the more
Louise realised that this was all a mistake. She was going to make
a fool of herself, she knew it. But she couldn’t stop herself.

Louise had
promised herself one thing. No matter what happened tonight, she
was going to tell Victoria her feelings. Sam had been right.
Everything had to be out in the open. Angela already knew, and they
were still friends. And Louise couldn’t be happier about it. She
felt relieved, and more relaxed. Victoria had to be next. And if
Victoria hated her, then that would be that. At least it would all
be over with. She wasn’t going to be silly anymore.

The taxi
dropped her off in Piccadilly, and Louise made her way to Edward’s
Bar. She could see through the large windows that it was already
full. It didn’t take long for Louise to realise that she was over
dressed. If a gnat had sneezed in the bar, the blast would have
unclothed most of the girls there. Yes, there were a few dressed
like herself, but the vast majority appeared to have come out in
their nighties, or worse, their underwear. There was a lot of skin
and legs in sight. Louise sighed. At least she would be in for a
good view. She went inside.

It was hot and
very noisy in the bar. There was music, and the babble of many
people talking and laughing. It was also full of smoke. It caught
at the back of Louise’s throat and stung her eyes. It made her
realise just how long it had been since she had been out on the
town like this.

She spotted Jo
first. Like all the other girls in the place, she was scantily clad
in a low cut and extremely short dress. She was chatting and
laughing with a young man by the bar. Then Louise noticed Chrissy
standing with another man nearby. Her hair was down and she was
wearing tight silvery pants and a very small top. The outfit
revealed an awful lot of her stomach and chest, but at least she
was wearing a jacket that protected her back and shoulders.
Compared to the other girls in the bar, the overall effect was very
sophisticated and grown up.

The man with
Chrissy seemed to be trying to chat her up. Chrissy didn’t look
impressed, she kept shaking her head. Her hair was thick and wavy,
and Louise couldn’t help staring at her. She hadn’t realised at Uni
just how beautiful Chrissy was. But Chrissy always wore such baggy
outfits, it wasn’t surprising, really. Louise was just admiring her
shapely body and legs when Chrissy turned away from the man she was
talking to, saw her and waved. Louise waved back and quickly
hurried forward. The man moved away, looking disappointed.

“Hi! You made
it, then?” Chrissy said with a smile.

“Yes! But I
don’t half feel old!”

“Oh, I know!
It’s terrible to think like that when we’re only just old enough to
vote, isn’t it? But I’m sure the average age of the girls in here
must be sixteen!”

Jo turned and
stopped chatting with the young man she was with just long enough
to say, “You’re only as old as the boy you feel!”

Both Louise and
Chrissy groaned, and Chrissy said, “Now that’s dead old!” She
pointed to the bar and asked Louise, “Do you want a drink?”

Louise nodded.
And the young man with Jo quickly said, “I’ll get these!”

Jo glared at
him, stroking his face with her fingers. “Oh, I see! One girl not
good enough for you, now? You want all three, do you?”

“I only offered
to buy them a drink!” he protested.

Chrissy said,
“Leave the poor man alone! If he wants to throw his money about,
let him! Mine’s a vodka and tonic!”

The man turned
to Louise, waiting for her to state her choice. For a moment she
didn’t respond, temporarily distracted by Jo’s long blue
fingernails. Then she realised and quickly said, “Oh, just an
orange juice for me!”

Jo raised her
eyebrows and exclaimed, “Wow! There’s going to be no holding you
back tonight!”

Louise felt
embarrassed, but then Chrissy said, “If she says she wants an
orange juice, then get her an orange juice! We’re going to find a
table.”