Essex Girls. Laura Ziepe

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СКАЧАТЬ and Lisa’s were so strict they were a nightmare, so the girls had always stayed at Kelly’s house after nights out.

      ‘Lord McButterpants!’ Jade squealed happily, picking up the little dog who was wagging his tail frantically with excitement. She’d missed Kelly’s mum’s dog; he was utterly adorable. She remembered the first time Kelly told her what they had decided to name him and she thought it was a joke.

      ‘Don’t laugh, Lord McButterpants will hear you!’ Kelly said with a stern expression as she covered the dog’s ears.

      Jade had soon got used to the unusual name and had to admit, it actually suited him. Lord McButterpants was exceptionally confident and walked around the house with his head held high, full of self-importance. He went crazy over peanut butter treats, which is where the word ‘butter’ came from in his name. Jade thought his name was hilarious – and so did everyone else when Kelly called him in the park.

      Jade studied her best friend. She hadn’t altered one bit in three years. She had lovely blonde hair, which was thick and wavy, and the most amazingly large blue eyes she’d ever seen. Despite the fact she had long eyelashes anyway, she was never without her false ones and today was no exception. Her tan was clearly false as she hadn’t been away since the previous summer, but always flawless, even if it was too dark to be natural. Jade always got Kelly to do her tan, as she was a full-time beautician and a very good one too. If it was anyone else they would have been resentful of the extra work, as Jade used to have a fake tan every weekend they went out, but Kelly was so lovely natured and generous that she enjoyed making her friends happy.

      Jade had never met anyone else like Kelly. To look at you’d assume she was arrogant, because of her stunning looks, but that was far from the truth; she had a heart of gold. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the box, but she knew this, didn’t care and even made fun of herself. In fact, she often played up to it in front of men and they all seemed to love her. Whoever Kelly set her sights on she seemed to attract. She made it look so easy.

      Kelly turned to her, looked her up and down and smiled. ‘Hun, do you mind if I do you a tan and a make-over before we go out? I want to try this new instant tanning lotion I’ve just bought and I’m getting tested on make-up next week at college.’

      Jade eyed her suspiciously. ‘But you finished college years ago?’

      Kelly faltered. ‘Errr … yeah, but I’m doing this new evening course in make-up. Did I not mention it?’

      Jade shook her head. Kelly was definitely lying, she just knew it. Kelly couldn’t even look her in the eye, which was a sure sign that her friend had just made up a load of rubbish.

      ‘Kelly, tell me the truth. What’s wrong with my make-up?’

      ‘Nothing.’

      ‘Kelly …’ Jade folded her arms across her chest.

      Kelly hesitated, wondering whether to say it or not. ‘Okay, but promise you won’t take this the wrong way? I’m only saying this because I’m your best friend and I love you.’

      ‘No, I won’t take it the wrong way.’

      ‘You’re pale!’ Kelly blurted, as soon as Jade had finished her sentence. She took a deep breath. ‘And not just a little bit pale, we’re talking Vicky Jenkins pale.’

      Jade gasped in shock. Vicky Jenkins was a girl from their old school who everyone used to laugh at because she was so white and hated tans. The colour of the make-up she used to put on in the school playground was the colour of talcum powder! ‘I think that may be the worst thing you’ve ever said to me.’

      ‘It’s only because I care,’ Kelly smiled sweetly.

      ‘Okay, what else?’

      ‘You really want to know?’

      ‘Yes. I can handle it,’ Jade said bravely.

      ‘Your hair,’ Kelly shook her head looking at it. ‘It’s like the flattest hair in the whole of Essex. It’s almost stuck to your head! You need volume, waves, backcombing. You have hardly any make-up on. I don’t think I can even see any eyeshadow, your eyelashes are non-existent and don’t even get me started on your chipped red nails. Which, by the way, is so last season’s colour.’ Kelly exhaled a deep breath as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

      Jade was shocked. She’d actually made an effort today, and here was Kelly telling her she looked all wrong.

      Kelly was worried she’d upset her. ‘Babe, you’re stunning and you always look nice. But, come on, you’re not in Bath any more. You’re in Essex now, where you belong.’

      Jade sighed. ‘You’re right. I’m so used to Tom criticising me about wearing make-up and dressing up that I don’t remember what I used to be like before. Help me. Please?’

      Kelly beamed and practically danced round the room. ‘I’ve been dying to get my hands on you for the past two and a half years! Right, clothes off. You can’t have a spray tan seeing as we’re going out tonight and it takes hours to develop, but I have some really good instant tan we can use. I’ll run up to my room and get everything. We can use the mirror in the kitchen.’

      Five minutes later, Jade was standing in just her underwear while Kelly worked her magic, applying layers of thick brown tanning cream to her legs.

      ‘So how have you been feeling, babe?’ Kelly questioned.

      ‘Not the best, I won’t lie. Still really pissed off about the whole thing with Tom. I feel slightly better today though.’

      ‘I can’t believe what you did to him. How funny. I was telling loads of girls from my old beauty salon about it and we were all in stitches! I would’ve loved to have seen his face when he realised it was you and not her!’ Kelly smiled.

      ‘I know,’ Jade grinned. ‘It is pretty funny. He asked for it though.’

      The girls chatted about Tom, and Jade explained how he’d contacted her since they’d split up and how she’d told him to leave her alone.

      ‘It must be hard, hun,’ Kelly sympathised. ‘He seemed quite nice when he came to Essex. I don’t think he liked me though.’

      ‘Of course he liked you!’ Jade fibbed. ‘He was nice – when he wasn’t lying to me that is. Well, I thought he was anyway. I can see now that it’s for the best we’re not together. I loved him. But I never felt like I was good enough for him.’

      Kelly gave Jade a dressing gown to sit in while her tan dried, wiped her make-up off and applied some tanning lotion to her face. Then she got out her nail varnish case which was full of hundreds of glossy varnishes, in every colour of the rainbow.

      ‘I love that colour,’ Jade pointed to a deep red.

      ‘No babe, it’s all about pink for summer. Trust me; this is the colour for you,’ Kelly said pulling out a hot pink bottle of OPI varnish. ‘I’m going to bling your nails up too with some little crystals, because personally I think they look better with a bit of sparkle.’

      An hour later and Jade couldn’t believe her eyes when Kelly handed her the mirror.

      ‘See,’ Kelly said. ‘Much СКАЧАТЬ