The Sweet Life (9 page)
A suddenly awkward silence fell over the table as Celia and Janey gathered up their things to leave.
When Janey rolled out of bed late on Saturday morning in her tatty Mr Happy shortie PJs, she was astonished to find Freddy in the kitchen, wearing a blinged-up Victoria’s Secret pink hoodie and matching sweatpants, preparing a mouthwatering hot brunch.
Freddy looked her up and down, but not in an unfriendly way. ‘Sorry I haven’t been around. Mum’s out –
as usual
– so I thought I’d make us something to eat.’
Janey looked down at the plate that Freddy was sliding across the table at her. ‘Poached eggs, smoked salmon, spinach and rosti,’ Freddy smiled. ‘A girl’s gotta eat! Knives and forks are over there. Help yourself to coffee.’
She’s just trying to be friends
, Janey told herself as she found some cutlery and a mug, even though part of her was unsure why. Janey’s first impressions of people were usually spot on, and her first impression of Freddy hadn’t screamed
potential
bestie
. More like:
here’s a super style queen who probably wouldn’t
be caught dead being seen with me, even in a parallel universe
.
The two girls dug into their meals, silently eyeing each other over the marble benchtop with curiosity.
‘You know, your hair’s such a great colour. You could do so much more with it,’ Freddy commented finally. Her own hair, of course, was rippling in perfectly styled waves down her back even though she’d just gotten out of bed.
Janey wrinkled her nose. ‘Tell that to my straightener.’
‘You’ve got to show it who’s boss,’ Freddy laughed. ‘You should’ve seen me when I got my first one! A good dose of anti-frizz serum and styling solution helps as well. I’ll show you after we eat.’
After the two girls finished up in the kitchen, with Freddy doing the washing and Janey drying, Freddy was as good as her word. She took Janey down the hall to her over-the-top double bedroom, which looked like something out of a Versace homewares catalogue, and ordered Janey to sit down at the huge 1930s dressing table covered in designer-label cosmetics and shopping bags.
‘Clean hair is a must,’ said Freddy knowledgeably, ‘and it goes without saying that you need
the best
thermal protection spray and anti-frizz serum you can find, like these ones.’ Freddy smeared solution out of some brightly coloured bottles all over Janey’s hair and then sectioned it into workable chunks, using ibis clips to keep each bit separate. ‘And a
ghd
styler is the only way to go, in my opinion,’ Freddy added. ‘Anything else just
won’t
give you the same results.’
Janey listened politely as Freddy twisted her hair into neat sections. As Freddy was doing her best to be friendly, Janey didn’t bother telling her that a
ghd
styler was something her pocket money had never stretched to, let alone the name brand serums Freddy was lavishly working into her hair from root to tip.
‘For sleek and straight, really concentrate on the front sections,’ Freddy continued, pulling her styling iron through one section of Janey’s hair at a time. ‘It’s all about initial impact. For BIG hair you need to work in volumiser and hairspray as well
before
you start styling each section
away
from your scalp. Finish with shine serum and there you have it.’ Freddy’s eyes met Janey’s in the mirror. ‘International hair like mine.’
She stared at Janey’s reflection. ‘Well, not exactly like mine. You’re right, your hair really
is
impossible.’
‘It won’t do what it’s told,’ Janey responded, smiling. ‘But it looks heaps better than it does usually. Thanks.’ She gave her hair a little shake and watched as it rippled about her shoulders. It would probably frizz up in about five seconds, but for a moment, she looked kind of
hot
.
‘It’s as bad as Mum’s hair,’ Freddy grinned in agreement. ‘I’m
so
happy I missed out on that unfortunate bit of the Gordon gene pool.’
Janey stiffened at the comment, trying not to appear hurt.
Freddy could use a serious crash course at charm school
, she thought,
but she means well
.
She refocused on her glossy new hairdo and found Freddy staring at her again in the mirror. ‘There’s a rave party tonight at the Circo Massimo,’ said Freddy. ‘The Circus Maximus to non-Italians. Everyone I know is going to be there and it kicks off at ten. Wanna come? It’ll be a
blast
. It’s probably not your bag . . .’
Janey tried not to look startled. ‘Uh,’ she replied. She’d never been to a dance party. None of her friends were into that scene back home, and even if they’d wanted to, their parents wouldn’t have let them anywhere near it! Sleepovers and pool parties were more their thing.
‘You know,
a rave
,’ Freddy explained patiently, when Janey didn’t say
yes
immediately. ‘A big dance party with electronica, lights, dry ice, VJs, lasers, techno, happy hardcore, trance, Old Skool beats, drum ‘n’ bass, house. The Circus Maximus has got to be
the
best rave venue in the world. You can fit thousands of people into this huge space that used to be used by the ancient Romans for chariot racing. So do you want to come? It’s the
biggest
trip.’
‘Uh, yeah, I guess,’ said Janey, blinking, as the idea that she, Janey Gordon, would be going to a
rave
slowly sank in. ‘That sounds kind of fantastic.’
‘It will be wilder than you could ever imagine!’ said Freddy. ‘It’ll
blow
your little mind. There ’ll be at least five different arenas. It’ll be massive! My girls are meeting us there. Paolo can’t make it tonight though, pity . . .’
Great
, thought Janey, who hadn’t fancied partying with that creep.
‘. . . but Brandon’s coming after midnight. He’s got another party to go to beforehand.’
Janey blushed a little at the mention of Brandon’s name, her heartbeat kicking up a notch. Freddy smiled again. ‘Like him, do you? Luz says he’s
way
too hot for you, but you never know.
I
think she’s just jealous, because I could’ve sworn I noticed some definite two-way chemistry when he pulled you into that clinch!’ She ran a brush through Janey’s shining, still perfectly obedient hair, and winked.
Janey grinned, but didn’t reply. Obviously, Brandon hadn’t bothered to update his social set on his secret, sort-of date with her at the Café de Paris. Or the fact that he’d given Janey his mobile number and she already had it programmed into her phone. Janey hugged the knowledge to herself, hoping the afternoon they’d spent together had been just as special to him as it had been to her.
‘Luz is probably right,’ Janey agreed, wondering what else Freddy’s snobby friend had said about her behind her back. ‘He’s way,
way
too hot for me. But, yes, I’d love to go to the rave.’ Getting up and backing out of Freddy’s room, she said, ‘I’ll just go and see what I have to wear.’
Excitement levels rising, Janey headed back to her bedroom and studied the clothes she had, wondering what would work best for a rave. She almost screamed as she brought the beautiful vintage shift Ness had lent her out of the wardrobe and found Freddy standing just behind her, frowning.
‘I didn’t even hear you come in!’ Janey gasped as Freddy examined the shift and shook her head.
‘You can’t wear
that
to the rave!’ Freddy exclaimed. ‘Not if you want to make Brandon sit up and take notice, and Luz eat her words.’
She stepped around her taller cousin and flicked through every piece of clothing hanging in Janey’s wardrobe as though she were an A-list Hollywood stylist on a last-minute awards night makeover mission.
‘No, no, no,
definitely
no, and
absolutely
no.’ Freddy fingered the wrap dress as if it were something that had died and begun to smell. ‘It’s not a
tea party
, Janey. You’re aiming for “drive him wild”, not polite indifference.’
‘What do you suggest then?’ Janey said a touch desperately, as Freddy reached the end of her borrowed wardrobe with a look of concern.
‘I’ll style you for the rave from my own stuff.’ Freddy spun on her heel and fixed Janey with her dark, level gaze. ‘Everything you’ve brought along to wear is
so
wrong for tonight. Let me help! I’ve got tonnes of clothes – we’re sure to find something that’ll cause a sensation.’
‘Uh, okay,’ said Janey hesitantly, as Freddy grabbed her by the hem of her very uncool PJs and dragged her back down the hallway.
It took almost all afternoon for Freddy to be satisfied with both their reflections in the full-length mirrors flanking the entry-way to her spacious walk-in wardrobe.
Of course, Freddy looked catwalk-ready in a navy sequined mini-shift and towering gladiator sandals that showed off her long, honey-coloured limbs and ‘international’ hair to perfection.
Janey though, wasn’t so sure about how she looked. She
did
like the way that Freddy had done her make-up – giving her dramatic, smoky eyes and a strong lip in a glittery bronze-based palette that really brought out her features. Thanks also to Freddy’s earlier efforts, her hair still looked fantastically sleek. And Freddy had finally deemed her a knockout! But Janey still wasn’t completely sold on her overall silhouette. For one thing, the tiny, red, frayed-hem mini she was wearing just made her freckly white legs look even longer and more pale and freckly than they did already. And her leopard print baby-doll top made her usually flat chest look
enormous
. Her whole upper half seemed so, well,
spotty
.
‘You don’t think this whole thing makes me look, erm, fat?’ She twisted around and saw that her back view was just as lollipop-like as her front.
‘You? Little Miss Pencil Legs?
Fat?
’ Freddy shrieked in disbelief. They grinned at each other.
‘I’ve given you some
volume
,’ said Freddy. ‘You totally needed it!
Now
you look great, very jet set Euro princess.
Everyone
is doing animal print at the moment. Now slip these on your feet and we ’re good to go.’ She handed Janey a pair of skyscraping peep-toe Louboutin heels, with their signature hot red soles. They were at least half a size too tight, but Janey squeezed into them anyway.
‘These have to be at least, um, eight inches high!’ she exclaimed. With the heels on, she was well over six feet tall. ‘I’m not going to be able to dance very well in these,’ she said apologetically, reaching to take them off.
Freddy waved at her to keep them on. ‘What’s important is the overall
package
,’ she said fiercely. ‘Play to your strengths – those mile-high legs for starters. You look like a model now – so totally couture. And we ’re meeting the others at the Goa trance arena, which will mostly involve ambient music that you’ll only have to stand and wave your arms to. No shuffling required. You’ll be fine. Now let’s
go
. Luca’s meeting us downstairs, like,
yesterday
.’ Freddy sounded pretty impatient to see Luca herself.
Janey tried not to break into a dippy grin at the thought of Luca waiting for them at the bottom of the building. It was the perfect start to her night out. Janey felt excitement building in the pit of her stomach at the thought of hitting a real dance party.
