demanded Allegra, turning to Imogen.
Imogen nodded. She was wearing, at Romily’s instigation, a thick coating of glutinous night cream that made her look strange and ghostly. ‘I did. You’re right. She is an utter bitch.’
Romily tried to quell the nervous feeling in her stomach and said slowly, ‘She’s a bully, we know that. We’ve always known it.’
‘But didn’t you see poor Vanessa Hardy in the common room this afternoon when Sophie and Arabella were being so vile? It’s not her fault she’s got that dreadful skin. She does absolutely everything she can – her mother’s taken her to a Harley Street dermatologist, she’s on a special diet and hormone tablets and everything … The poor girl suffers enough. It’s just sheer cruelty to mock her for it!’
They had all been there: watching while Vanessa, scarlet and fighting back tears, had tried to ignore Sophie Harcourt and Arabella Balmer as they sat giggling, whispering and then calling teasing questions and nasty names across the common room. It had been agony – and yet no one had spoken up. No one had wanted to draw Sophie’s fire, not when she was in the mood for torturing someone. Allegra had leapt to her feet, about to say something, but Romily had jumped up, put a hand on her arm and said an urgent, ‘No!’ Allegra had clearly wrestled with herself and then turned on her heel and stalked out, her face flaming and her mouth set with the effort of keeping quiet.
‘I wanted to shout in her stupid face, tell everyone what a hypocrite she is,’ Allegra said, staring out furiously into the night sky. ‘That awful cow deserves it, you know she does.’
Romily looked over at Imogen and they swapped solemn glances. Imogen stared down hard at the floor and twisted her cigarette uneasily between her fingers.
Allegra turned back to the others and said tetchily, ‘Well? Don’t you think she deserves it?’
Romily took a drag on her Gauloise and released a long steady stream of heavy smoke, then said slowly, ‘You know, in France, we don’t much mind how people prefer to get their thrills as long as it’s all consenting. If two girls want to go to bed with each other, that’s fine.’
‘Very
sophistiqué
,’ retorted Allegra, flushing. ‘I don’t give a shit about that. She can fuck Myers with a giant purple dildo and whip her blue at the same time for all I care! The thing is, Romily, she’s a hypocrite – if it were someone else, she’d be the first to rip it out of them. That’s what I can’t stand. Besides, it’s against the rules.’
‘Come on, Allegra,’ Imogen said, in a light-hearted voice. ‘As if you care about that! You don’t take much notice of the rules.’
She looked at them both, stricken. ‘What’s wrong with you two?’ she demanded. ‘It sounds like you’re against me. Are you on Sophie’s side now or something?’
‘No, no, of course not,’ Imogen said hastily.
‘What about you?’ Allegra demanded, turning to Romily.
Romily met the navy blue gaze with her own. ‘Of course I’m with you,’ she said gravely. ‘We’re best friends, aren’t we? We’ll always stick together. The thing is, though, I don’t know if it’s wise to use what we know about Sophie against her.’
‘But can’t you see how she treats other people? Why shouldn’t she have a taste of it herself?’
Romily frowned, thinking hard.
After all, why shouldn’t we just punish Sophie? Hand back a little of what she’s been dishing out for years?
‘Because it’s so serious,’ she said at last. ‘It’s different, that’s all. I just don’t think we should tell anyone.’
‘I wasn’t going to!’ Allegra fired back. ‘I’m just talking about it, getting it off my chest, that’s all.’
But Romily knew that it would be hard for her to keep such a secret. They still had two years at Westfield, and that was a long time to keep quiet, especially in the face of Sophie’s constant provocation. Could Allegra
Imogen nodded. She was wearing, at Romily’s instigation, a thick coating of glutinous night cream that made her look strange and ghostly. ‘I did. You’re right. She is an utter bitch.’
Romily tried to quell the nervous feeling in her stomach and said slowly, ‘She’s a bully, we know that. We’ve always known it.’
‘But didn’t you see poor Vanessa Hardy in the common room this afternoon when Sophie and Arabella were being so vile? It’s not her fault she’s got that dreadful skin. She does absolutely everything she can – her mother’s taken her to a Harley Street dermatologist, she’s on a special diet and hormone tablets and everything … The poor girl suffers enough. It’s just sheer cruelty to mock her for it!’
They had all been there: watching while Vanessa, scarlet and fighting back tears, had tried to ignore Sophie Harcourt and Arabella Balmer as they sat giggling, whispering and then calling teasing questions and nasty names across the common room. It had been agony – and yet no one had spoken up. No one had wanted to draw Sophie’s fire, not when she was in the mood for torturing someone. Allegra had leapt to her feet, about to say something, but Romily had jumped up, put a hand on her arm and said an urgent, ‘No!’ Allegra had clearly wrestled with herself and then turned on her heel and stalked out, her face flaming and her mouth set with the effort of keeping quiet.
‘I wanted to shout in her stupid face, tell everyone what a hypocrite she is,’ Allegra said, staring out furiously into the night sky. ‘That awful cow deserves it, you know she does.’
Romily looked over at Imogen and they swapped solemn glances. Imogen stared down hard at the floor and twisted her cigarette uneasily between her fingers.
Allegra turned back to the others and said tetchily, ‘Well? Don’t you think she deserves it?’
Romily took a drag on her Gauloise and released a long steady stream of heavy smoke, then said slowly, ‘You know, in France, we don’t much mind how people prefer to get their thrills as long as it’s all consenting. If two girls want to go to bed with each other, that’s fine.’
‘Very
sophistiqué
,’ retorted Allegra, flushing. ‘I don’t give a shit about that. She can fuck Myers with a giant purple dildo and whip her blue at the same time for all I care! The thing is, Romily, she’s a hypocrite – if it were someone else, she’d be the first to rip it out of them. That’s what I can’t stand. Besides, it’s against the rules.’
‘Come on, Allegra,’ Imogen said, in a light-hearted voice. ‘As if you care about that! You don’t take much notice of the rules.’
She looked at them both, stricken. ‘What’s wrong with you two?’ she demanded. ‘It sounds like you’re against me. Are you on Sophie’s side now or something?’
‘No, no, of course not,’ Imogen said hastily.
‘What about you?’ Allegra demanded, turning to Romily.
Romily met the navy blue gaze with her own. ‘Of course I’m with you,’ she said gravely. ‘We’re best friends, aren’t we? We’ll always stick together. The thing is, though, I don’t know if it’s wise to use what we know about Sophie against her.’
‘But can’t you see how she treats other people? Why shouldn’t she have a taste of it herself?’
Romily frowned, thinking hard.
After all, why shouldn’t we just punish Sophie? Hand back a little of what she’s been dishing out for years?
‘Because it’s so serious,’ she said at last. ‘It’s different, that’s all. I just don’t think we should tell anyone.’
‘I wasn’t going to!’ Allegra fired back. ‘I’m just talking about it, getting it off my chest, that’s all.’
But Romily knew that it would be hard for her to keep such a secret. They still had two years at Westfield, and that was a long time to keep quiet, especially in the face of Sophie’s constant provocation. Could Allegra
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