The Southern Belles, page 21
part #1 of Brighton Belles Series
“I’m not old enough to drink yet,” said Grace. “I hope I don’t end up doing that.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” said Nana, opening the book. “Shall we continue?”
“Oh, yes, please.”
Nana found the right page and began reading . . .
CHAPTER 10
“Where is she?” asked Olivia, packing her suitcase. “She should be here by now.”
Evelyn finished typing her twentieth text to Georgia that morning; she couldn’t be more furious with her if she’d tried. Having sent ten texts last night, she expected her brat sister to reply to at least one of her worried messages. But no, not her Georgia, not a word. “Don’t worry, she’ll be here,” she said to Olivia, not so convincingly. “Or I’ll throttle her,” she said under her breath, so Olivia couldn’t hear.
“Evey, it’s twenty to eleven now,” added Olivia, looking at her phone. “The taxi’s picking us up in twenty minutes to take us to the station.”
Managing to zip the rugby ball-shaped suitcase up for the second time since leaving their lovely home in Roedean, Evelyn tried to reassure her little sister. “She’ll be here, Livvy. Don’t worry. She’s not going to miss saying goodbye to you, is she?” She wasn’t so sure herself.
Evelyn knew how upset Olivia was at Georgia not having spent her last night at home with her, and she’d listened to Olivia crying herself to sleep. Sometimes she wondered why Olivia looked up to Georgia so; her middle sister could be such a bi . . . pain in the bum. When Georgia did show her face, she was going to give her a mouthful, although it wouldn’t be as foul-mouthed as Georgia’s possible retorts. “Come on, let’s get you ready to meet Jammy,” she suggested, trying to focus on the good, not the bad.
“Jammy . . .” said Olivia, completely forgetting Georgia for a moment. The smile didn’t last long, though. “She has to come, Evey.”
“Right, go and do your makeup in the bathroom,” she ordered, taking charge, “and I’ll finish up in here. We need to be outside waiting for the taxi at eleven, OK?”
Worrying about Georgia, trying to find her last night, and helping Olivia to pack, she hadn’t had time to process the fact that her youngest sister was leaving today – in under an hour, actually. She was determined not to cry, though. She didn’t want to set Olivia off again. But she knew she would come back to the bedsit and bawl her eyes out like a little girl. Now she knew how parents felt when their children left for university.
With Olivia out of the room, Evelyn dialled Georgia’s number and waited for her to pick up. It was almost eleven o’clock; she had to be up by now.
Georgia didn’t want to open her eyes. Her head was throbbing, and she could barely swallow, her mouth was so dry. She was face down in a pillow, but it wasn’t one of hers, she could tell by the smell. She felt movement next to her and turned her head. Finding the courage to look, she saw a hairy man next to her. She didn’t recognise him at first, but then a hazy memory surfaced of seeing Rough-looking-Dan last night. “Oh shit!”
“My sentiments exactly,” came Dan’s muffled reply – he too was face down in his pillow. “I feel like a badger’s died in my stomach. I think I’m dying.”
She suddenly realised she was naked under the duvet and, when she lifted it slightly, she could see Dan was too. “Oh no, did we?”
It took Dan a couple of moments to respond. “Are you kidding? I couldn’t have had I wanted to. I was so wasted.” There was a pause, and he added, “Not that I didn’t want to. I think we tried. I think I can feel a condom in the bed.”
It got worse. Georgia felt around under the duvet until she found it. It was a used condom . . . but when she picked it up, it was empty. “You didn’t try without it, did you?”
“I fell asleep,” he admitted.
Relief swept over her, briefly. At least she didn’t have to worry about buying a morning after pill, she thought, opening her other eye. “Where are we?”
“My flat,” he replied.
“I know it’s your flat, Dan,” she said irritably. “Where is it?”
“Oh! Kemptown,” he clarified, his face still in his pillow.
Slowly, Georgia pulled herself upright, her head throbbing even more after the effort. On top of feeling rougher than sandpaper covered with shards of glass, Georgia felt down. She remembered pushing Linda and cracking her head on the table; she could remember Nick shouting at her; and she remembered telling Olivia she should leave with Jamal. Not a good day, all in all, and, to top it off, she’d been so drunk she couldn’t even remember the gig. Then a memory reared its ugly head: jumping on Dan in front of Nick.
Georgia could feel that lump again. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of a deep, cavernous waterfall of tears, desperately paddling to avoid tipping in. She knew that if she did tip over the edge, she would surely drown. This was the lowest she’d ever felt.
“Hey, Georgie, what time is it?” asked Dan.
Her mobile was on the floor. She stretched her arm out and picked it up. Panic set in when she saw it was almost eleven o’clock. She had just under half an hour to get to the station. “Shit, shit, shit!” she cried, flying out of bed, ignoring her throbbing head. “I’ve got to see my sister off in less than half an hour.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost eleven,” she replied, pulling her clothes on. “Are you going to help me get to the station, or what?”
There was no answer from him. Her flip-flops were nowhere to be seen. “Dan, are you listening?”
She heard him grunt, not quite believing he had fallen asleep. “Do you have a car?” She leaned over the bed and shook him gently, followed by a harder shake. “Dan, have you got a car? I need a lift to the station.”
After another couple of seconds, she heard, “Yeah, I have a car, but there’s no way I’m driving this morning.”
“Thanks a lot,” she said, trying to figure out what to do. She’d already wasted five minutes dressing and getting nothing out of Dan. She was in no fit state to run, but she had no choice – it was too late to call a taxi.
Outside, she found herself on Burlington Street, which wasn’t far from the seafront. Georgia figured she could run along the marine parade until she found West Street, then all she had to do was follow the road up to the station. It was a long way. And there had to be a quicker way. But her head was hurting too much to think clearly.
Once on Marine Parade, and rather wobbly, she started running at full pace, or at least as full pace as her hungover legs would take her.
Evelyn sighed, clicking her seatbelt in place. She’d still not heard from Georgia and Olivia was getting more upset by the second. She didn’t want Jamal to have to take her hysterical sister on a two-hour train journey, the poor guy. This was always going to be a bitter-sweet moment for her, but not quite like this. Georgia would have a lot of explaining to do when she surfaced.
The taxi driver was a friendly Indian man in his early thirties, she estimated, although his big gut belied his age. Evelyn took her mobile out and checked for texts from Georgia. Nothing.
“I can’t leave without seeing Georgie,” said Olivia.
“She’s on her way, I’m sure,” she replied, keeping her phone in her hand. “She’s probably just realised what time it is, and is running there now. Don’t worry.”
“I hope you’re right, Evey,” replied Olivia. “I have to say goodbye to her.”
“And you will,” assured Evelyn. She reached her hand out and held Olivia’s. Trying to keep the tears at bay was going to be harder than she’d thought. She was minutes away from saying goodbye to her lovely, kind-hearted sister. She was going to miss Olivia so much. And she knew Georgia would too.
Sweating from being hungover and hot, Georgia had to cross Kings Road into West Street. Sunday traffic wasn’t as bad as Saturdays, but it was too busy for her to cross. Knowing she had limited seconds to spare, she saw a space and ran across one lane, only to have to stop at the next. In the middle of the road, her instincts were heightened. She ran in between two cars, where the gap wasn’t big, hearing a car horn behind her.
Georgia didn’t care; she was going to get to the station on time, no matter what. Deciding to run across the opposing road, she narrowly missed being hit by a blue BMW. She heard the driver shout an obscenity before she found herself outside Pryzm nightclub and the Odeon Cinema. All she had to do was run up West Street, to the clocktower, and into Queens Road to the station. Piece of cake!
It would have been easy, had her chest not felt like it was on fire. She felt every stride, every pound on the pavement. She was still hovering on that teary waterfall, too; still paddling to keep from falling in. That lump was still strangling her, which made running harder.
When a car stopped in front of her, instead of going around it she jumped over the bonnet, hearing an angry driver yell after her; she kept going, pounding the pavement towards the clocktower.
Jamal looked at the clock on the departures board: 11:18. He had his suitcase with him, which was so packed he’d had trouble closing it. When he arrived, he’d bought two single tickets to Windsor and Eton Riverside, which he had in his wallet. He had to admit to being nervous, worried whether Olivia would follow through with her promise to leave with him . . . after chasing Georgia last night, he thought she might have changed her mind.
Olivia was cutting it fine. They still had nine minutes to board the train, which was sat waiting on platform six, but he wanted to be on it with plenty of time to find a seat and get comfortable. He was stood by the side of the first gate with a green arrow, wanting to be as close as he could get to the gate as possible. The clock changed to 11:19. Come on, Liv, where are you?
On the way to the station he’d said to himself that if she didn’t arrive by 11:25, that he’d go on through the gate and stand in front of the train door, leaving it until the last possible moment to jump on board. He hoped he didn’t have to do it, though. Not having called, or messaged Olivia this morning, he didn’t know if Georgia had surfaced or not; he hoped, for Olivia’s sake that she had, as he didn’t want to spend the journey there trying to console her; he wanted the journey to be happy, the start of a big, exciting adventure.
The clock turned to 11:20. He listened to a young lad playing the piano, which the council, or whomever, had left in the middle of the station for all and sundry to play. He didn’t recognise the tune, not being a lover of classical music.
And there she was, as the clock changed to 11:21, with Evelyn. He waved, Olivia spotted him, but he didn’t see Georgia anywhere. That wasn’t good. Olivia was smiling, but she wouldn’t be for long if Georgia wasn’t there.
“Sorry we left it so late,” said Evelyn, dragging Olivia’s suitcase. “Traffic was a nightmare.”
Jamal hugged and kissed Olivia, took the handle of her suitcase from Evelyn and kissed his girlfriend’s older sister on her cheek. He’d only met her a few times, but he trusted and liked Evelyn. He liked Georgia, too, but knew she could be a handful. Through the smiles, he was still nervous. “Are you ready, baby?” he asked Olivia. “We need to get going.”
“Just two more minutes,” said Olivia, looking at the entrance, waiting for Georgia. “Please? She wouldn’t miss saying goodbye.”
He couldn’t refuse Olivia this, or anything for that matter. Her happiness was paramount for him. He couldn’t bear making her unhappy, which was why he’d told her last night that if she didn’t like it at the Regal Crown after six months, they’d move back to Brighton. He’d left on good terms with Yankee’s, and Michael had said he would hire him back if it didn’t work out. Jamal had thanked his former manager. “Alright, baby, until 11:23, OK?”
Running as fast as the crowded Queens Road would allow, Georgia could see the station up ahead. She didn’t have any idea what time it was, and she couldn’t read the clock above the entrance, either. Sweat was pouring down her face, and her chest and legs were burning. She had to avoid groups of pedestrians, which was slowing her down. “Out of the way,” she shouted to a group of teenagers, who were walking side by side, taking up the whole pavement, making her run into the road. “Thank you,” she shouted sarcastically as she past them.
“I’d better say goodbye to you now, Livvy,” said Evelyn, hugging her brave youngest sister so tight she might cut off her blood supply. “You’ll love it in Windsor, I’m sure.” She was trying to keep her voice calm, even poised. It sounded strained.
“Bye, Evey,” replied Olivia, tears streaming down her cheeks, “I’ll miss you so much.”
Relinquishing her grip, Evelyn wiped Olivia’s cheeks with her fingers. “You’ll do no such thing,” she said with a soft smile, tears clouding her vision. “You go and have a good time with your lovely boyfriend. I don’t want to hear that you’re missing us. This is your big adventure, Livvy, this is your time.”
“But I want you and Georgie with me,” said Olivia, in almost full meltdown. “You’ll come and visit us soon, won’t you?”
“You just try and stop us!” she said, smiling through the tears. “Do you think Georgie will pass up the opportunity for a spa?”
“Where is she?” asked Olivia. “She should be here.”
Evelyn turned and looked at the entrance, hoping for a last minute arrival from Georgia, which was just her style. She could be so infuriating sometimes. “You’re right, she should be here,” she said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice. “Go on through the gate, Livvy,” she suggested, nodding to Jamal, who was looking anxious. “Wait by the train.”
Reluctantly, Olivia walked through the gate after Jamal. Evelyn watched her sister slowly walk up to the first door and wait. “Where the hell are you, Georgie?” she said to herself.
She felt her mobile vibrate. Quickly picking it up, in the hope it was Georgia, Evelyn glanced at the caller: Henry Werner. It wasn’t great timing, but her daddy’s solicitor might have new information for her about the estate. “Hi Henry,” she said as calmly as she could through the tears. “This isn’t the best time.”
“Nor for me,” replied the kindly voice. “I’m not in the country. This is just a quick call to book a meeting. I’ve got some great news, some good news, and some not so good news. Can I see you next Thursday, the first of August?”
“Sure,” she replied.
“Oh, and Evelyn,” said Werner, “just you this time.”
“Sure, where and what time?” She should have stuck her neck out for Georgia, but with how she felt about her selfish middle sister right now, she could go jump. She listened to Werner’s suggestion, but instead suggested meeting at Bayley’s. Werner agreed.
As she ran towards the station entrance, Georgia looked up at the clock above the door: 11:26. She had one minute until the train was due to leave, and she instinctively knew the train wouldn’t be delayed; it was sod’s law. Weaving in and out of groups of travellers, she finally reached the foyer. Georgia knew that London-bound trains left from platform six, ordinarily.
She had to stop briefly to decide her next course of action, and she didn’t have time to walk up to the guards and explain the situation to them, to ask them to let her through. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, and her breath was coming in rasps.
“Georgie!” she heard. “Platform six. Go now!”
She saw Evelyn waving her over; she didn’t have time to speak to her sister. Still holding back those tears, she saw a five-foot reinforced plastic barrier next to the fifteen or so gates. Deciding on her course of action, she ran towards the barrier.
*
“We’ve got to board, Liv,” said an anxious Jamal, who’d already carried their suitcases on and had stored them in the luggage compartment. “I’m sorry Georgie couldn’t make it, but the doors are going to close any second.”
Olivia took one last look towards the gates; there was no sign of her. She turned to Jamal and nodded grimly. She was trying to hold back the waterworks that were sure to come. She was hurt that her normally lovely sister hadn’t made it to say goodbye. She loved Georgia so much, and just wanted to say farewell. She stepped on the train, but turned around and kept an eye on the gates.
Georgia pulled herself over the barrier, hearing a guard shout from a distance away. Once train-side, she found platform six and saw Olivia and Jamal stood in the open doorway. “Livvy!” she shouted at the top of her voice.
Evelyn watched Georgia running towards the train from her left. She could see one of the guards getting ready to go through and intervene. “Please, she’s just saying goodbye to her sister,” she said. “If you open the gate for me, I’ll bring her back.”
The guard eyed her for a second before nodding. Evelyn waited for the gate to open, then walked through. Georgia had almost reached the train, up ahead of her.
“No!” shouted Georgia, as she heard the door bleeping. When she heard a guard’s whistle, she knew she was too late. The doors closed as she reached the train. She could see Olivia and Jamal through the window. “I’m so sorry!” she yelled, her bottom lip quivering.
She heard Olivia shout, “It’s OK.” The train started moving. Georgia put her hand on the window, trying to keep it there for as long as the train wasn’t faster than she was. Olivia put her hand on the window too. “I love you, Livvy!” she yelled.
“I love you, too,” she heard faintly. “I’ll call you later.”
Her legs felt like they were on fire. It was no use, the train picked up speed and her hand pulled away from the window. Olivia was gone!
Stopping was the worst thing she could do, but she didn’t have a choice. Georgia watched the train leave, getting smaller with each passing second. An involuntary sob escaped her. Instead of teetering on the edge of that waterfall of tears, she fell in head first. She collapsed on the floor, with travellers walking past her, either getting off or on the train on platform five. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
