Charlotte, Part 7 free porn video

SIX WEEKS LATER I blink my eyes awake and roll over in bed, only to be stopped by an unexpected face full of blonde hair that isn't my own. Turning my head to the other side, another long mop of blonde hair- again, not my own- blocks my view. Once I've blinked the early morning tiredness- and a moderate hangover- out of my eyes, the previous night's events return to my memory. "Kris," I whisper, gently nudging the sleeping woman on my left-hand side. "Han, wake up!" I whisper to the slumbering figure on my right. "Ugh," Hannah moans, stirring under my constant prodding. "The whole point of a sleepover party is that we get to sleep at some point!" "It's your fault for sandwiching me in the middle of my bed!" I tease, climbing over my newest best friend despite her protests and heading to my bedroom door dressed only in my nightie, carefully sidestepping the other two girls on the floor in their sleeping bags. "On three," Krystie says evilly. "Three!" As one, all four girls immediately sit up and hurl their pillows in my direction as I shriek and cower under the bombardment, eventually laughing along with my four best friends. I sigh as I eventually free myself from the pillows and head along the landing to my bathroom, taking care not to wake my parents along the way. It's been six weeks since I moved back in with my parents, and they have been six of the most content weeks of my life. Whilst I've been content, I've certainly not been lazy- Joshua's stayed true to his promise to keep me in work, and whilst I'm not constantly travelling to all corners of the country like I was a couple of months ago, I'm still seen and heard from often enough to keep me in the public consciousness (a string of interview after the fight certainly didn't hurt there). I've even started to do more modelling work, too- since Charlotte's 'fall from grace' many famous brands have been looking around for new 'faces', and whilst Joshua hasn't been able to get me into all of them, I have my fingers in enough pies to keep my bank balance nice and healthy. I even found time last month to shoot my 2014 calendar, which already has thousands of orders from eager retailers, despite my 2012 and professionally-produced 2013 editions bombing (though gratifyingly, both now fetch a lot of money on eBay!). My additional spare time has allowed me to catch up with my university studies, too- even though we're now nearly at the end of July, I'm still playing catch-up on my coursework, and may end up graduating a little later than I thought. Fortunately, my tutors are all big supporters of mine, and very understanding of my other career. My parents, however, have been my biggest supporters- even more so than my friends. Despite the intrusion in their life (we haven't been doorstepped by paparazzi again, fortunately) they both greet me every morning with a smile and a hug, and both take a genuine interest in the work that I do. They've already filled three scrapbooks with newspaper and magazine clippings that feature me, and occasionally those that only feature my friends (somewhat understandably, they're both huge fans of Krystie & Mary). I've kept my promise to find TV work for Mary- and for Krystie and Hannah, too- even if it is just the occasional 'standing on TV looking sexy whilst wearing a dress' work. Ever since Mary agreed to sign with Joshua last month, the four of us have been closer than ever, and (much to Joshua's delight and approval) treated increasingly as a 'posse' by the national media. Whilst I'm seen as the de facto 'leader' of this so-called posse, I've gone out of my way to ensure that the other girls get all the recognition they deserve, even if Krystie's modelling work has taken a back seat to her increasingly-successful ballet school, and Mary's work will be tailing off once she starts university in September. Hannah, however, has had virtually all of the work we'd have taken dumped on her 20 year old shoulders, and seems to be coping with it brilliantly. It was- unsurprisingly- Joshua's suggestion that the three of us take her out on one of our now-legendary girls' nights, and she gelled so smoothly with the rest of us we were kicking ourselves that we hadn't added her to our 'posse' earlier- though how she'd have got on with Charlotte is anybody's guess, given that Hannah has a similar (though nowhere near as extreme) 'alpha female' mentality combined with a playful cheekiness that sometimes puts even Krystie in the shade! You will have no doubt noticed, however, that there were four other girls in the slumber party, not just three. In addition to Hannah, her oldest school friend, Victoria, has been hanging around with the three of us a lot and is currently in one of the sleeping bags on my bedroom floor. Whilst she, like the rest of us, is a lover of all things girly, she's not actually a model (despite Joshua's constant job offers whenever she picks Hannah up from work), and is very (and unjustifiably) self-conscious about her own body. She's good fun to be around- always up for a night out- but at times it feels like she's deliberately pushing herself into the background. Being the only dark- haired girl out of the five of us (Krystie having FINALLY settled on blonde) certainly doesn't help her self-consciousness, nor does her refusal to join in our ballet lessons despite the fact that she's had plenty of dance experience herself AND still owns a perfectly useable pair of pointe shoes. And as for Charlotte? Not a peep from her since I confronted her on her doorstep all those weeks ago. Neither Krystie nor Mary have spoken to her- not that they told me about, anyway- and when I do feel the urge to watch any of her television appearances, she's always very professional, almost as if the fight- and, for that matter, myself- had never happened. Spencer and Hall have seemingly kept true to their word of trying to 'rehabilitate' her. ...On a purely selfish note, though, it was very gratifying when her debut single, 'Drop Dead Red', completely failed to even make the top 100 in the charts. Oddly enough, there have been no further peeps from anyone in 'Team Charlotte' about any future musical releases... So, that's been life post-Charlotte. Probably the only thing I've missed about that life were the random no-reason costume parties, but our regular girls' nights out (and slumber parties in!) have helped ease those withdrawal symptoms- and it is Krystie's 21st on Thursday, with our planned Nutcracker-themed party taking place the following Saturday! As I re-enter my bedroom I brace myself for another barrage of pillows, but instead am greeted with the shock of my life when Krystie grabs me from behind and- despite my struggles- dumps me on the now-empty bed. "Come on, this isn't fair!" I complain, dreading what's coming next. "I'm your host! Show a little respect!" "We are!" Hannah laughs, helping to hold me down. "You've never had a proper slumber party before, so we're doing all the things girls do at proper slumber parties!" "And that includes..." Krystie says, laughing evilly. "No, no, no!" I plead, desperately trying to wriggle out of my predicament. "...A tickle fight!" Krystie yells manically, driving her fingers into my ribs. I've always been unbelievably ticklish- to the point where I even forbade Paul from tickling me and he- even he- actually obeyed- so when the four girls take turns tickling every inch of my helpless body, I'm quickly driven into a state of sheer panic. I can't tell how long I'm 'tortured' like this, but when I'm released, I'm drenched in sweat and panting heavily. "I. WILL. HAVE. REVENGE." I state darkly to the four giggling women, before breaking into a giggling fit of my own. "I seriously can't believe this is your first slumber party," Mary laughs. "I mean, I know you, you know, haven't been a girl your whole life, but even before then, you didn't-?" "Nope," I say, still catching my breath from the tickling assault. "You know the type of knuckle-draggers I hung around with at school. If it didn't involve fighting or pot they weren't interested." "Ugh," Hannah spits. "Can't stand potheads. You never- you know, you never yourself- did anything similar, um, did you?" I giggle a little at the awkwardness with which Hannah asks her question, earning myself a frown from my new friend. "What?" Hannah asks, slightly offended. "I dunno," I say apologetically. "I just think it's funny that me taking pot is a more sensitive subject than me having previously been a boy." Much to my relief, Hannah giggles at the revelation. "You know, that is kinda funny," the tall blonde woman agrees. "And for the record, no I didn't," I say, earning a sigh of relief from all of my strongly anti-drug friends. "Now can we change the subject, please?" "With pleasure," Krystie says with a smile. "Viks, you going to come to my class tomorrow?" Victoria simply smiles and rolls her eyes as Krystie's almost Joshua-like attempts at persuasion. "I'll come along to watch," the timid girl replies. "When I go back to uni in September I won't even be able to come along to do that, you know." "All the more reason to get what dancing you can in now!" Krystie says to universal agreement. "...And if you don't have any suitable leotards," I interject, "I've still got over fifty that I haven't even tried on yet!" Viks sighs- she's clearly giving it serious thought, but is obviously too self- conscious, even though she knows she'd be amongst friends. "Yeah, but you're a size 8, I'm a size 12," Viks complains. "I'd feel silly in a skin-tight leotard!" "You'd look sexy in a skin-tight leotard!" Hannah says, giving her best friend a playful shove. "They're still in a box in the spare bedroom," I say. "How about you try them on, see what you think?" Viks sighs, knowing she's got no logical way out of this. "Okay," she finally concedes to cheers from the four of us. "AFTER breakfast. And you're making it!" "Fair enough!" I say happily, holding my hands up and leading 'my posse' out of my bedroom and downstairs into the kitchen. "AND you're all wearing one too when I am!" Viks orders. "Hardly seems like too much of a hardship," Mary laughs. Sure enough, after a light breakfast, during which my parents came downstairs to reprimand us for the noise (despite it being 9:45am), me, Krystie, Hannah and Mary are all stood at the top of the stairs wearing nothing but multicoloured tank leotards (and in my case, a vagina panty 'just in case'), waiting for the fifth member of our group to emerge from the spare bedroom. Naturally, Krystie's also taken the opportunity to tie all of our hair up into severe ballerina buns! "Okay," Viks sighs, opening the spare bedroom door. "Here I come..." Viks steps out of the bedroom to awed gasps from the four of us. She's wearing a very plain purple tank leotard, but it hugs all of her curves beautifully and shows off plenty of her usually-amazing cleavage. "See? What did I tell you," Hannah says, giving her best friend a quick hug. "DAMNED sexy." Viks smiles, putting one hand on her hip and admiring herself in the mirror we set up on the landing. "Yeah," she says, smiling confidently. "Still can't help but feel out of place, though." "Just let me at your hair, I'll fix that for you!" Krystie jokes, fiddling with Viks's hair once the raven-haired girl has nodded her consent. Less than two minutes later, Viks's hair is tied up into the same style of bun as the rest of us. "Now grab the banister!" Smiling, Viks complies and turns her feet out into a perfect first position. "And pli?," Krystie commands, smiling as Viks drops into a perfect dip. "And releve." Viks rises smoothly back up, earning herself a round of applause from the rest of us. "Kinda wish I had my pointes with me now," Viks says with a laugh. "Then bring them along tomorrow!" Mary laughs. Viks sighs happily. "Okay," she finally concedes. "Just this once, and as you twisted my arm, I get this lesson for free. Deal?" Krystie cheers and hugs her newest student. "Deal!" Krystie says. "This is going to be so awesome!" We stay in our leotards for the rest of the morning as Krystie gives Viks an impromptu ballet 'crash course'- which Mary, Hannah and I take the opportunity to muck about in something rotten- before untying our buns, throwing on the loose sundresses we were wearing yesterday and heading downstairs, crashing on the sofa and the floor, much to the bemusement of my parents. "Aw, my little girl's first ever slumber party!" Mum coos, much to my embarrassment. "Mum!" I reprimand. "Less of the 'little girl', please?" "I dunno," Krystie jokes, stroking my hair playfully, "it's kinda cute! I've got two younger brothers so I NEVER get called 'little girl' anymore!" "I've got four older brothers and sisters," Mary interjects. "You get tired of it REALLY quick!" "Just let your father and I have this, please?" Mum pleads as I continue blushing with embarrassment. "You were never our little girl when you were growing up and we've still got so much to catch up on! I really wish we'd known about 'Jamie-Lee' when you were still living with us." Yeah, I wish I'd known about her too... I self-pityingly think to myself. "Okay," I sigh. "But the whole point of 'catching up' is that we, you know, catch up as soon as possible?" "Aww," Hannah moans, giving me a short, playful cuddle. "Does this mean no more sleepovers?" "...Maybe one or two," I reply, to mass cheers from the girls. We while away the rest of the afternoon talking about work, clothes, ballet and make-up- and pointedly NOT talking about boys! "This was so awesome," Krystie says, giving me a hug before getting into Mary's car. "I haven't had a proper slumber party in AGES. I just wish the insurance company at the studio wasn't such a pain, it'd be SO awesome to have one there!" "Meh, we'll just have to settle for our usual Monday morning lessons," I joke, before Hannah greets me with another hug. "I'm SO glad I've got you as a friend," Hannah sighs into my shoulder. "This has been SO much fun." "I'm so lucky to have you as a friend," I reciprocate. "You AND Viks. I've always thought that it doesn't matter what you do to have fun, it's who you do it with that's most important." After Hannah releases me, Viks bids me farewell with a quick hug before climbing in her car and driving herself and Hannah away. "I really, really like your friends," dad says with a smile as I crash onto my sofa. "Are you sure you should be saying that about four girls in their early twenties?" I joke, earning myself a tut from my father. "You know what I mean!" Dad says defensively. "They all seem to genuinely love being around you, even that Victoria girl seems less shy when she's hanging around with you." "Yeah, she's cool," I say. "Even if she doesn't quite want to admit it." "I'm so glad you at least have that consistency in your life," mum says with a happy sigh as she hands me a cup of tea. My mother is, of course, one hundred per cent correct. Even if I still had a boyfriend, even if I still had my so-called BFF rooting for me, my life wouldn't be nearly as happy if I didn't have the girls in it. Even as I slide into bed at 10:30, I'm still chatting with the girls on Facebook messenger, talking about trivial matters but hanging on every word like my life depended on it. My alarm wakes me at 7:45am the following morning and I run through the morning routine which has quickly become second nature to me. After showering, taking my pills and pulling on a fresh vagina panty, I pick out my outfit for the day. It's Monday morning, and even though we're no longer being taught by Ellen, it's still ballet class, so I skip a pair of panties and instead pull on a pair of soft, pink dance tights, followed by a tight navy blue tank leotard from my new 'collection'. Technically, as it's summer, I could wear the tights outside the leotard, but I prefer it this way as it allows me to roll the leg holes of the leotard higher, and I have a feeling I'll be changing before the end of class anyway! After fixing my make-up- just a light layer, given how much effort the class usually takes- and repainting my nails a cute shade of pink, I scrape my hair back into a tight ponytail, pull on a floaty, short-sleeved minidress and slip my feet into a pair of black closed-toe wedges before heading downstairs to my car, making sure to give my mum a quick kiss goodbye before departing! As I drive to class I can't help but muse on how much I've missed Ellen- not just as a teacher, but as a friend and a surrogate mother figure. She was technically the first person to know 'my secret', even before Charlotte, and in the early days, I could always turn to her whenever I had a problem. Now, with my 'secret' no longer a secret, my real mother very active in my life, it's like I no longer have any need for her, and that makes me sad. Sure, I still have her as a friend on Facebook and I'll still like her photos and status updates- but with her still teaching Charlotte privately (I assume she still is, anyway) it's almost like she's siding with the enemy, as silly as that sounds. As I sit in the early-morning London traffic, I make a mental note to contact her, even if it is just to say 'hi'. I arrive at the class just before 8:50am and am unsurprised to run into Hannah and a very nervous-looking Victoria in the foyer, both dressed similar to me with their light summer dresses and pink tights, and both clutching pink dance bags. "Hello, fellow bunheads," I joke, despite my hair still being down (unlike Hannah & Victoria's very professional-looking buns). "God, I don't know why I'm this nervous," Victoria giggles, clutching her dance bag for support. "I mean, it's just going to be the five of us, right?" Hannah and I both nod- even after we stopped taking tuition from Ellen, Krystie was always careful to keep Monday mornings restricted to just our 'gang', even though it did cost her a little in the way of profit. "Ready when you are, ladies!" Krystie announces, poking her head around the door to the studio. Grinning widely, Hannah, Viks & myself head to the nearby sofa and quickly swap our street shoes for soft satin ballet slippers before stripping off our dresses and heading into the studio, where Mary and Krystie are already waiting for us at the barre. After tying my ponytail into a tight bun (much to the delight of the other girls) and showing Viks the age-old trick of rolling the leg holes of her leotard higher to make her legs look longer, Krystie officially gets the lesson underway with our usual exercises, which Viks quickly slips back into the routine of. "It's the big day on Saturday," Krystie announces after we've all warmed up and stretched our joints and muscles into dancing shape, "so you know what that means, right?" I grin- my suspicions when I was getting dressed this morning have been confirmed "Dress rehearsal!!" Hannah yells, bouncing up and down excitedly, before suddenly becoming conscious of the shy girl standing next to her. "No, it's okay," Viks says with a twinge of disappointment in her voice. "Krys has already said she'll work with me this lesson whilst you three practice." I can't help but be unable to return Viks's gaze- and I can tell that Hannah and Mary feel the same way. Krystie, however, still has a smile on her face. "Well it's my class," Krystie announces with her hands on her hips, "and I say that ALL of my friends will get to dance in the dress rehearsal. ALL of them." Viks smiles at the revelation, but immediately points out a small flaw in Krystie's logic. "I... kinda don't have a costume," Viks says, nervously picking at a loose seam on her leotard. This time, it's my turn to smile knowingly. "Oh really?" I rhetorically ask as I and Krystie head into the storage closet and return with five large, gorgeous tutus in our arms. "This costume has the letters 'VEB' on it... Who do we know who has those initials?" Viks, in a state of near shock, clasps her hands to her mouth before gingerly taking the costume from me and admiring it. "You- you made one for me anyway?" Viks asks, awestruck by the tutu. "Of COURSE we did!" Krystie replies, giving Viks a quick hug (but taking care not to squash the tutu!). "I want all my friends to celebrate my birthday with me, do you really think I'd leave you out?" Nearly crying, Viks quickly fans herself with her hands. "Can I try it on now?" Viks asks excitedly. "Well that's what we're all doing, no reason you can't too!" Krystie says, taking her own costume from me and stripping out of her leotard right there in the studio. The rest of us quickly follow suit. As always, I feel a little self-conscious being topless in front of the other girls (and am glad I'm wearing the vagina panty under my tights), but once I'm laced into the amazing pink tutu, I feel like the princess I know I am, deep down inside. What I can't help but chuckle about, though, is how comfortable Viks is stripping off. For a girl who yesterday was self-conscious wearing a leotard in front of her friends, she's suddenly become very confident going topless in front of them! "Okay, my first class today isn't until 12:30," Krystie explains as she pulls a fairly large make-up set out of her massive dance bag. "Ordinarily I'd say that means we can't waste time, but it is a DRESS rehearsal, and technically that does include make-up..." Laughing giddily, the four of us line up to have our faces suitably decorated by Krystie's expert hands- with the no-longer timid Viks right at the front of the queue! With us all looking the part (myself and Mary taking responsibility for Krystie's own make-up), myself, Mary and Hannah start practising our own steps whilst Krystie puts Viks through her paces. By 12pm we're all utterly exhausted. Despite the studio having ample air conditioning, it's still a hot July day, and our feet are killing us from dancing en pointe all morning. Before we're allowed to change back into our loose, cool summer dresses, though, Krystie insists on running us through the routine one last time- with Viks joining our little 'troupe' for the first time. Krystie may not be as talented a choreographer as Ellen, but she's more than capable of putting together an elegant routine for five people- with her, as the birthday girl, as the star attraction, of course! The routine goes well, for the most part, even if Krystie did have to call out a few of Viks's steps as she obviously hasn't had time to memorise them all yet. As we all carefully hang our tutus back up in the closet (after having taken a few snaps for Instagram, of course), the four of us, now back in our summer dresses (with the exception of Krystie, who obviously has a class to teach, so is wearing her dancewear again), are eager for Saturday to come so we can dance the routine for real! "Ugh," Viks complains, "my feet are killing me." "First time en pointe in a while?" I ask as I grab a pair of flats out of my dance bag, opting for them instead of the suddenly-unappealing wedges. "I... May have done some pointe exercises over the last few weeks," Viks admits as she blushes, once again the shy, unassuming girl she was before she put on her tutu. "Well you're a natural," I say confidently as we head out into the foyer where Krystie's first class- young girls who all look like they're aged between 5 and 8- are waiting, all dressed in their own ballet outfits. In a way, I can't help but be reminded of my mum's words from yesterday, and how I wish I'd known about Jamie-Lee earlier. When I was 8, I'd probably have tried to punch anyone who suggested I try ballet, and yet now, at 21, I find myself wishing that I could just turn back time and be one of the girls now going into this class- as long as I had 8 year old versions of Krystie, Mary, Hannah and Viks to accompany me, of course! "You up to much this afternoon?" Viks asks, snapping me out of my trance. "Nah, not much," I say as I head back to my car, Viks following closely behind. "Need to write my column for next week's mag, got to be careful not to fall too far behind." "Do you- do you need a hand?" Viks asks. "Mary's going to be hanging out with Dan all day, Hannah's going round Martin's..." "Viks," I sigh with a smile on my face, "if you want to hang out with me, just ask." "Do you wanna hang out this afternoon?" Viks asks with a cheeky smile that suits her face so perfectly. "I'd love that," I answer with a wide grin- even if I don't need the distraction whilst trying to work. "Do you still have those foot spa things?" Viks asks as she slides into my Clio's passenger seat, making us both giggle as we set off home. "Mum, I'm home," I yell as I lead Viks through my front door. "I've got company, I hope that's okay?" "Of course it is!" Mum says happily. "Hello Victoria! Did you both have a good class?" "Good, yes," Viks says. "Exhausting though, and painful!" I nod in agreement as we slip off our flats and head through to the kitchen to cool down our poor feet. "Well if you're going to use those foot spas, use them in the kitchen," mum commands. "God knows what your dad would say if you spilled water all over the living room carpet!" "Will do!" We both giggle as I head upstairs to grab the foot spas and my laptop. Needless to say, five minutes later, myself and Viks are sat at the kitchen table, relaxing as the warm, bubbly water soothes our feet and toes. "I've got to admit," Viks muses as I type my latest column, "I'd forgotten just how much I loved ballet, the dressing up, the dancing, the expression..." "Why did you stop in the first place?" I ask, desperately trying to evenly divide my attention between my work and my friend. "Because all the girls who went to my class were 5' 9" supermodels, like Hannah," Viks sighs. "I just felt out of place, being 5' 5" and chubby." "CURVY," I firmly correct my self-conscious friend. "You're several dozen pounds away from being anything even remotely resembling 'chubby'! And as for out of place, remember who you're talking to!" "I know, I know," Viks says, "but at least you look the part." "Only because I had two years of tuition from the best teacher in the country, if not the world," I explain. "Believe me, when I started I was tripping over my own feet most days, AND I had to watch Charlotte dance like she was Darcey Bussell at the end of every lesson." Viks giggles and relaxes back in her chair as I remember my earlier mental note to talk to Ellen. "I know this is a sensitive subject," Viks begins hesitantly, "but I kinda wish I'd had the opportunity to meet her, to see what the fuss was all about." I giggle and roll my eyes. "Believe me, she's overrated," I say, feeling a little embarrassed about being so catty. "You've got the four best friends in the world as it is. So have I, actually!" Viks smiles at her compliment. "What's your column about?" Viks asks. "Uhh, just the usual crap," I moan. "How to overcome obstacles when you're transgendered, etc etc." "Some of those obstacles are difficult even if you're NOT transgendered," Viks muses. "You know your agent is constantly offering me representation, right? I drop Hannah off for a meeting and he practically shoves a contract in my face." I giggle- that is SO Joshua. "What's stopping you from accepting?" I ask. "It's good money, you can fit the work around your uni, you know Joshua won't ask you to do anything you're not comfortable with, and you'd be great at it!" "I'm not comfortable with ANY of it," Viks sighs. "I mean, yes, I consider myself to be a girly girl, you know how much I love fashion and make-up and dressing up for nights out..." "You were like a completely different girl when you were in your tutu today," I remind Viks, who simply smiles. "But doing it professionally, putting myself out there for the whole world to see?" Viks says. "That's... different." "I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do," I say, pausing from my typing for a second. "But I'd like to think I'm a good judge of character and I know there's a part of you that thinks 'yeah, maybe this'd be fun'." "I just... don't want to be seen as 'Jamie-Lee Burke's fat friend'," Viks sighs. "For the last time, you are not fat!" I exclaim. "Yes, you don't have exactly the same body shape as me or the rest of the girls, but that doesn't make you any less sexy! If you went in front of the cameras you'd see that." "What about..." Viks begins, "if I do a shoot, but it's just, like, the five of us, private photos that wouldn't get published publicly?" I chuckle a little, confusing Viks. "Umm, you do know that's how Joshua 'interviews' prospective models, right?" I say. "He drags them down to his studio and takes photos of them wearing the clothes they showed up to the office in?" Viks giggles at this news- she clearly knows Joshua's character just as well as I do. "Okay then," Viks says. "If you're SURE I'll enjoy it, and you're SURE it'll improve my confidence..." "Cross my heart," I say with a smile, before making a mental note to email both Ellen AND Joshua... I eventually do get my column finished, showing it to Viks and earning her 'seal of approval' before she departs just after 5. After dinner- during which mum predictably probes me for information about the dress rehearsal- I head up to my room and grab my iPad, opening Facebook and browsing to Ellen's profile. Taking a deep breath, I type out a quick message. 'Hi,' I simply say. When I don't receive an immediate reply, I sigh and type out an email to Joshua, asking him if he can 'interview' Viks at some point this week. Five minutes after I send the email, my iPad's new message notification bleeps- but it's the noise of a new Facebook message rather than a new email. 'Hi, sorry for the delay in responding, was busy,' Ellen's message reads. I criticise myself for feeling so nervous about talking to her- after all, she is one of my oldest friends and I haven't fallen out with HER at any point. Nonetheless, I'm apprehensive as I type my next message. 'How's things?' I type. 'Been a while since we last spoke.' 'Pretty good,' Ellen replies. 'Are you being taught by Krystie now? I do hope you haven't given up on ballet, you were so good at it after all.' I smile- Ellen is as professional as ever. 'Yeah, Krystie's a great teacher,' I reply. 'She's got loads of students already of all ages. Think people are impressed you were her teacher, even if it was only for six months.' 'You're welcome,' Ellen replies with a smiley face. 'To answer what will inevitably be your next question, yes, I am still teaching Charlotte, though she hasn't renewed her credit contract yet for September.' 'So you think she's only getting what she's already paid for?' I ask, regretting the catty tone of the message as soon as I send it. 'Possibly,' Ellen replies. 'I actually think she misses doing it with you, and the other girls, even though she goes out of her way not to say it.' My breath catches in my mouth as I type the next message, a question I've wanted to ask for the last seven weeks but never had the courage to do so. 'Does she talk about me?' I ask, almost physically shaking as Ellen types her response. 'No,' she bluntly says. 'Though I think that's just her being stubborn. She's lonely, Jamie. Even though she still has Keith I know she misses her friends, especially you. Just call it a mother's instinct.' 'I miss her,' I confess. 'Even though in my head I know I shouldn't, after what she said and did, in my heart I'd give anything just to have one more night out with her and the girls.' My eyes go wide as I hastily type the next message. 'Obviously, you can't tell her that! Please?' 'Lol,' Ellen simply replies. 'I know better than to get involved here! I promise I won't mention this conversation when I see her on Thursday.' 'Why did she move her lesson from Monday?' I ask, confused by the normally ritualistic Charlotte's change of routine. 'It's only for this week,' Ellen explains. 'Clash with work, I think.' 'Hmm, okay,' I muse. Obviously Spencer & Hall are working her harder than I thought... 'It's been good talking to you Jamie, but I need to go now,' Ellen types. 'You take care of yourself.' 'You too,' I type as Ellen goes offline and leaves me alone with my thoughts. I head to bed at 9:30pm- an early night under normal circumstances, but I've been booked in for a TV appearance in the morning so will need to be up early tomorrow- and am asleep very quickly following the day's exertions. Not that that helps me wake up any easier when my alarm goes off at 6:30am, mind you. "Morning, sleepyhead!" Dad jokes as we both exit our bedrooms at the same time. "Sometimes I forget just how much you hate mornings!" "I don't mind mornings," I moan, "it's just the bit before 9:30 that I don't like!" Dad laughs as he quickly ensures he gets into the bathroom before me, leaving me to trudge downstairs, dressed in just my nightie, and plonk myself down at the kitchen table. "Oh cheer up," mum says, shoving a sweet-smelling cup of coffee under my nose. "When you have kids of your own you won't be allowed to hate mornings!" I smile at my mum's optimism. "I've told you before," I remind my mother, "I won't be able to bear any children myself as I don't, and won't, have a uterus, and the hormones sterilised by boy parts a long time ago." "Doesn't mean you can't adopt," mum says firmly. "And I for one still intend to be a Grandma some day!" I sigh as I drink my coffee, willing the caffeine into my veins. "I'm only 21, I'm too young to be thinking about kids!" I complain as dad sits down next to me. "Well hurry up and get older," dad jokes. "You're our only child and I want to be a granddad someday, even if you do have to adopt!" I grin tiredly as I finish my coffee and head up to the bathroom to get ready. I was warned before I started my hormone treatments that I wouldn't be able to have children, and at the time it didn't seem like a big deal- even when Charlotte offered to pay to have some of my sperm frozen, I declined without a second thought- but now that I once again have a family, I can't help but think about one day becoming a mother. Unlike Krystie or Mary, I'm not the most comfortable person in the world around children, but the idea of raising a child as my own, watching them grow into a young man or woman... Sometimes I catch myself staring at young couples with infant children, and sometimes I think that yes, I do want that someday. Someday, but not today, not when I'm still young and still have so much to experience! After I've showered, dealt with any body hair and taken my pills, I head into my bedroom to get dressed. After donning a tiny bra & thong set, I pull on a frilly, sleeveless blouse and a black pencil mini skirt with matching stiletto pumps. It's a very simple look- fun, but not too casual- and works perfectly for television, especially in warmer months. I apply a subtle layer of make-up- not too much eye shadow, but a liberal amount of red lipstick- touch up my nail polish, put on my favourite jewellery and spray on some perfume before grabbing my bag and keys and heading downstairs. After saying goodbye to both parents with hugs, I hop into my car and head to my latest date with the general public. I arrive at the small studio in Docklands with an hour to spare before I'm on screen, and I'm quickly drilled by the researcher on what to expect. It's about as basic as TV spots get- I'm just reviewing lingerie sets I modelled a couple of months ago (though obviously won't be modelling today), giving them all the thumbs up in accordance with my contract with the manufacturer- who in return, keep me in a seemingly endless supply of sexy undies! After introducing myself to the four young women who'll be modelling the lingerie sets- and who all ask me for selfies- I head onto the set to begin my piece. Thirty minutes later, I'm heading out of the studio, my segment having been a complete success. Naturally, I switch my phone back on and immediately redial the number that left the first voicemail for me. "Hi mum!" I say excitedly, before being 'treated' to the shock of my life. "Boo!" A young female voice- clearly not my mothers'- squeals down the phone at me. "Whoa!" I squeal, jumping and nearly dropping my phone before realising the prank. After double-checking that I'd dialled the correct number, I sigh and hold the phone back to my ear. "Hannah," I say suspiciously, "what are you doing in my house?" From the laughing on the other side of the line, I can tell she's not alone. "Helping prep Viks for her interview," Hannah explains. "You know that email you sent to Joshua?" "The email he hadn't replied to?" I ask, still calming myself down from Hannah's 'surprise'. "He called Viks directly this morning and summoned her in for an interview today," Hannah explains. "...That still doesn't explain why you're at MY house," I muse. "Who better to back Viks up than Joshua's superstar model?" Hannah asks warmly. I grin at the unexpected- and somewhat unwarranted- compliment. "I'm pretty sure you've overtaken me there," I laugh as I head back to my car. "Oh please," Hannah snorts. "You're the big TV star and you always will be." "I dunno," I tease. "I'm sure I once heard Joshua mention you name in the same sentence as the phrase 'Spencer and Hall'..." "Now unless that sentence included the phrase 'never in a million years', I KNOW you're teasing me," Hannah laughs. After years of Charlotte's ego, sometimes I'm amazed that a woman as beautiful and outgoing as her can have such comparatively low self-esteem. "I'm just getting into my car so I'll see you at home," I say with a smile, clicking off my phone. I have a smile on my face as I open my front door- prank calls or not, it's always a genuine pleasure to have an unexpected visit from my friends. "Hi mum, hi guys," I say. "Just give me chance to get- whoa!" My smile is immediately replaced a look of shocked awe when I see the vision of feminine beauty standing before me. The normal Viks- the black-haired, pale-skinned girl in the loose-fitting skirts and dresses- is gone, and in her place is a smoking hot, tanned brunette in a form-fitting little black dress that shows off plenty of enviable curves and AMAZING cleavage, sheer black stockings containing legs that seem to go on forever and that end in 6" heeled platform stiletto pumps. Her face is immaculately made up, the envy of any cosmetics model, and her long, slender fingers end in long, scarlet nails. "I-" Viks starts, stammering with nerves. "If that sentence ends in 'feel silly' I swear I'll smack you," I joke, looking the gorgeous girl over before giving her a quick hug, taking care not to mess up any part of her immaculate look! "I was going to say 'hate this corset'," Viks jokes, placing her hands on her taken-in waist. "Oh please," Hannah says dismissively, "you've worn tighter corsets AND shorter dresses on nights out." "Yeah, nights out when the only thing on my mind is having fun," Viks retorts. "Job interviews aren't my idea of fun! I still can't believe I let you talk me into this..." "But you're glad we did, right?" I ask, worried that we might be pushing Viks just a little TOO hard. "...I'll tell you AFTER the interview," Viks jokes. "Now go and get changed before I change my mind!" Giggling, I quickly kick off my heels and skip up the stairs to pick out an outfit to meet my agent. Hannah's wearing a very simple blue-grey skirt suit with matching stilettos and nude hose, so I need to aim for the same sort of look. I start by stripping off my skirt & blouse and pulling on a waist cincher of my own, tightening it just a couple of inches to give myself some curves- though none that rival Viks's! After attaching a pair of barely black stockings to the cincher's garters, I pick out a dark blue suit from my wardrobe and quickly pull it on. The skirt is short- barely longer than this morning's miniskirt- and is short than I'd usually wear when meeting Joshua, but in addition to Viks's curves, I'm also competing with Hannah's amazing legs, so I need to have as much of mine on show as possible! After exchanging my gold studs for danglier, more outlandish earrings, I slip my feet into a pair of flats (for driving), grab the 5"-heeled stilettos that match my suit and head downstairs. "Bye mum!" I yell to my bemused parent as I lead Hannah & Viks out of the house and into my car. The drive to Joshua's doesn't take long, and after parking my car- swapping my flats for my sexy stilettos, of course- Hannah and I lead the terrified Viks up the stairs into the office. "Hi Ella," I say confidently to the new work experience girl. "Is Joshua in?" "All ready and waiting," the skinny, dark-haired girl answers. Sure enough, the door to his office swings open, and our agent's bright, smiling face immediately make its presence known. "Jamie! Hannah!" Joshua booms, giving myself and Hannah quick handshakes. "Always a wonderful morning when my two all-time favourite models drop by! And who," Joshua exclaims, greeting Viks with a handshake and a quick hug, "is this most perfect woman?" "This is Victoria," Hannah says smugly. "Victoria Brooks is a shy student who hides behind her own hair!" Joshua retorts, making Viks giggle nervously. "This woman before me is a goddess!" "Nope, it's still me," Viks says, smiling despite her nerves. "I'd like to try out, if I may, please?" "No trial!" Joshua booms, before laughing happily. "You don't need a trial! Ella, forward me a draft contract! I need to get this beauty on my books now before anyone else snaps her up!" Hannah and I exchange smug glances- our plan worked brilliantly, even if- and I'm speaking only for myself here- I feel a little jealous that Viks got signed to Joshua without an interview, especially as he's fast becoming one of the most prestigious agencies in the country! "Oh my god," Viks exclaims happily, the 'shy student' shining through her glamorous exterior. "Thank you so much!" "No, thank YOU for finally coming to your sense and letting me make you lots of money!" Joshua exclaims as he leads us into his office and starts typing on his computer. "Though I am surprised that you've made yourself up so much- you know when I offered you a job, it was the shy student that I actually wanted?" "I told you!" Viks chastises Hannah as Joshua laughs. "Sorry," Hannah cringes. "You can't tell me you don't feel great though, right? Corset excepted, of course." "Well, okay, maybe," Viks concedes. "Okay, I DO feel great. Corset INCLUDED." "So now maybe you'll feel better in future when you're NOT dressed up like this?" I ask. "Well," Viks mumbles, prompting a tut from Joshua. "Listen to Jamie!" Joshua says authoritatively. "You look beautiful dressed like this but you look beautiful when you don't! Why do you think I kept offering you representation before?" "...You were being polite?" Viks asks, prompting slightly cruel sniggers from myself and Hannah and a loud, booming laugh from Joshua that makes Viks blush through her extra-thick make-up. "I know talent when I see it," Joshua insists. "I already have several jobs in mind that you'd be perfect for- both as the shy student and the glamorous goddess!" "And I don't mind losing weight, I really don't," Viks stutters. "Don't you dare lose a pound!" Joshua orders. "Millions of women around the world will kill for your curves!" "I- I'm sorry, this is so weird," Viks laughs nervously, holding her voluminous hair out of her face. "I'm not really comfortable being the centre of attention..." "It's always difficult at first," I say, trying to comfort the terrified young woman. "I'll make sure one of the girls will be free to go with you to your first few shoots," Joshua says comfortingly. "I know this was a big decision for you, but you must believe me when I say you will make a perfect model!" Within five minutes, Joshua had retrieved the contract from his printer and Viks had signed it, making her officially a model represented by Joshua Benedict Talent- the same as Krystie, Mary, Hannah and myself. As we exit the agency and head back to my car, it's clear that Viks is having difficulty catching her breath- and not just because of the corset! "Oh my god, I almost can't believe this!" Viks exclaims. "I mean me, a model? An actual, proper model?" "I- I'm sorry if we've pushed you too hard," I say, worried that I might be guilty of the same peer pressure I was a victim of- and that nearly destroyed my life- at school. "No," Viks sighs. "You're always telling me how much fun your job is, now I get to find out for myself! And who knows, maybe a few months from now, I'll be getting my own TV spots?" I giggle at Viks's sudden confidence- I can tell 'sexy model Victoria' will be just as much fun to be around as 'shy student Victoria'. "The REAL question is," Hannah interrupts, "how do we celebrate Miss Brooks's new job?" "Honestly, it doesn't need celebrating," Viks insists. "Honestly, it DOES," Hannah retorts. "You know," I say with a smile, "before I had my big bust-up with she- who-must-not-be-named, we were planning a weekend away, just the two of us, a proper girls weekend." "...Aaaand?" Hannah asks. "...Aaaand I think a girl's weekend works much better the more girls there are," I answer. "If you had, say, five girls, 2 days, one beach and a ton of booze?" "I like your thinking!" Hannah says. "And I'm assuming this holiday will be 'no boys allowed'?" "Of course!" I say happily. "What do you say, Viks?" "I've never been on a girls-only holiday before," Viks giggles. "Oh, we are SO doing this," Hannah states. "When you get home, pick out your sexiest bikinis, you'll need them!" "...Can I wear a one piece instead?" Viks asks, before giggling, seemingly knowing what the answer will be. "NO!" The three of us say in unison, laughing our heads off with excitement at our upcoming holiday. After dropping Hannah & Viks off at Hannah's flat, I head home and quickly strip out of my hot- in more than one sense of the word- suit and stockings and pull on a comfortable blue tank top and ruffled black miniskirt. After grabbing my iPad, I happily head downstairs and crash on the sofa, much to the amusement of my mother. "Someone's got a spring in her step today!" Mum jokes. "Did it all go well with Joshua?" "Yep," I say. "He offered Viks a contract right there on the spot, didn't even interview her!" "Good," mum says. "Hopefully now she'll stop feeling so left out among you girls. It's great that all five of you work for the same company now!" "It is," I agree. "Personally I reckon Joshua will try to make some big deal of it, god I hope I don't end up on 'The Only Way is Joshua Benedict Talent'!" "Well," mum laughs, "at least you and the other girls will actually have TALENT, unlike most of the people on those shows!" "And because me and Viks are at uni, and Mary's starting in September," I muse, "they can't call us all airhead bimbos either!" "Exactly!" Mum says. "What are you looking for on your iPad?" "We're having a girl's weekend next month," I answer excitedly. "To celebrate Viks's new job. Just the five of us, sun, sand & spirits!" I can't help but wither slightly under mum's disapproving gaze. "Okay, but just because we're not bimbos it doesn't mean we can't have fun, right?" "Just as long as you make sure you're safe," mum sighs, knowing better than to try to dissuade me. Having taken a look at a few locations in Spain & Greece, I take a quick break to catch up on the headlines in the celebrity gossip websites- still chuckling inwardly at the 'not a bimbo' comments- and the first headline I see nearly makes me drop my iPad in shock. "Oh my god," I say quietly. "Oh my god!" "What?" Mum asks, panicked. "What is it?" In a state of shock, I hold up my iPad to show the headline to my mum, who gasps in shock. 'CHARLOTTE THE HARLOT', reads the headline. 'Supermodel Hutchinson sneaks around with Premiership footballer behind her long-term boyfriend's back' "I thought- I thought she was besotted with her boyfriend," mum muses. "She was," I confirm. "She was absolutely devoted to him, I can't believe this! I've got to tell the girls!" Almost without thinking, I copy the web address of the headline into a Facebook message and send it to Krystie, Mary, Hannah and Viks along with the message 'OMG!!!!!!!!' Within seconds, Mary has replied to the message. 'OMFG!' Mary's message reads. 'Surely some mistake, right?' 'It looks legit,' I reply, my fingers still shaking from seeing my former friend so thoroughly eviscerated by the tabloid press. 'OMG, that's a harsh article!' Hannah types. 'How long was she going out with her bf?' '7 years,' I answer. 'TTBOMK he never proposed but they were co- habiting and practically married anyway, he was utterly devoted to her!' 'Jesus H Christ,' Viks types. 'Is this for real?' 'Looks that way,' I type, before feeling slightly guilty- I haven't even let Krystie or Mary know about Viks's new job yet- let alone the holiday I'd only just started to plan- and here we all are gossiping about Charlotte. Only she can make herself the centre of attention when she hasn't even spoken to any of us in weeks! 'Viks,' I type, 'don't you have happier news for us?' 'Hardly seems important now!' Viks replies, making me roll my eyes. 'It's a damn sight more important than who's sticking what in Charlotte!' I joke. 'Ooh,' Mary types, 'are the fab five now all represented by the same agent?' '...Maybe...' Viks replies with a smiley face. 'OMG!!!!!!!' Mary types, following it up with seemingly hundreds of smiley faces. 'So awesome!!!!!!! Let me see your interview pics!' 'Miss Brooks didn't even need an interview,' Hannah writes, prompting an embarrassed face smiley from Viks. 'Didn't mean I didn't take some anyway!' Almost instantly, pictures of Viks in her LBD from the interview appear in the chat window, eliciting highly impressed comments from Mary. As the girls coo over the new, sexy Viks, I quietly open up another chat window and send a quick message to Keith. 'Hey Keith,' I type nervously. 'You okay?' I wait for a minute, but when there's no response, I move to the next person on my friends list. 'Hi Stu,' I type to the transman who has quickly become one of Keith's closest friends- and who I've found myself drifting further and further from over the last few weeks, especially since his separation from Krystie. "Hi Jamie,' Stuart replies almost immediately, to my intense relief. 'Have you seen the news?' I type. 'Seen it?' Stuart replies. 'I got it straight from the horse's mouth. And yes, I am referring to Charlotte as a horse.' 'Lol,' I reply. 'How's Keith? Is he okay?' 'Here I am thinking it was me you wanted to talk to,' Stuart jokes. 'But seriously, I haven't spoken to him today, he's not answering his phone.' 'Is he still at Charlotte's?' I ask. 'HELL no,' Stuart replies. 'He walked out as soon as Charlotte confessed to him. From what he said yesterday he probably thinks she'd never have come clean if she hadn't been caught out by the press.' 'Doesn't surprise me,' I spitefully type. 'I'm worried about him- you know how devoted he was to Charlotte.' I type the same words to Stuart that I typed to the girls, and yet I can't help but be reminded of Keith's own words less than two months ago- 'maybe I'm dating the wrong girl'... 'I'll keep trying to reach him,' Stuart replies. 'Make sure he's okay. In the meantime, you take care of yourself.' 'Me? I'm fine,' I reply. 'Yeah,' Stuart types, 'but think about it- Charlotte's mum's dead, her dad's in prison, she's got no other immediate family and now she's cut herself off from her boyfriend & his family. She doesn't have anyone to turn to.' 'I'll take care of myself,' I type, but Stuart's word resonate with me- back in the old days, when I'd just started to be Jamie-Lee, Charlotte (and, when she was available, Ellen) was my only confidante, and I can't even begin to work out how much I confided in her. Even though we haven't spoken in almost two months, she's still one of the closest friends I've ever had. Part of me almost wants Charlotte to reach out to me, but if she does, I have no idea what I'd say... I while away the rest of the evening chatting with Stuart and the girls on Facebook, gossiping about Charlotte, cooing over Viks's photos and offering her advice in her new career, and planning our upcoming holiday. As I climb into bed at 10:30pm though, my iPad (and its almost dead battery) still in hand, I can't help but obsess over Stuart's words. Right now, Charlotte will be alone, frightened and hounded by the press. I wouldn't wish that sort of hostility on my worst enemy, even if Charlotte is happy to fill that role. Silently cursing myself for my soft-heartedness, I open Facebook back up and browse to Charlotte's profile and type out a message. 'Are you okay?' I type, hesitating before finally hitting the 'send button'. The message goes through immediately, but when no reply comes through after 2 minutes I put my iPad down and try desperately to get to sleep. Fortunately I'm not working on Wednesday, so as the day dawns I can roll over in my bed and relax, knowing that nothing will force me out of my comfy, snuggly bed unless I specifically want it to. Almost immediately as I get settled, however, a knock comes from my front door, and as I try to dismiss it as the postman, a call comes from downstairs. "Jamie!" Mum yells. "Come down here!" Sighing, I swing my bare legs out of bed and pull on a pink dressing gown before heading downstairs, where I find myself face-to-face with Charlotte, stood on my front doorstep. An eternity passes we stare slack-jawed at each other, neither of us sure how to react to the girl who was once our best-ever- friend, but who became the fiercest of enemies. "Charlotte," I say softly. Almost immediately, Charlotte starts bawling her eyes out, shaking uncontrollably as the emotion is released. My BFF instincts automatically take over and I rush forward, hugging Charlotte tightly and letting her cry herself out. Five minutes later, after Charlotte's had a chance to dry her eyes- and despite my mum's protests- we're sat together on the sofa. I have a million things I want to say to this girl, but every time I try to form a sentence in my head, the words won't make anything even remotely satisfactory. "I-" I begin, but as hard as I try, the words just won't come. "I-" "I'm sorry," Charlotte blubs, interrupting me. "I'm sorry for everything. Everything I did, everything I said... I wish I was dead." "NO!" I say forcefully, leaning forward and giving Charlotte another long hug. "Don't you ever DARE wish that!" "I've lost everything," Charlotte moans. "And it's my fault. Spencer & Hall have suspended me, Keith's left me... The only thing I have in my life is you, and I don't even deserve to have you after what I did..." I bristle as Charlotte says these words. "You DON'T have me in your life," I remind the distraught girl. "You went to great lengths to ensure that last month." Charlotte pauses and stares at me, her mouth agape. "But- but the Facebook message..." Charlotte whines. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," I say coldly. "It doesn't mean I'm ready to pick up where we left off like nothing happened." Charlotte's bottom lip begins to quiver again as I speak my mind. "What you did wasn't just bad, it was damned near criminal," I say. "And all because you have this pathological need not just to be better than everyone else, but to have everyone else acknowledge just how much better you are. You're a sociopath, Charlotte, and I'm just kicking myself that it took me two years to realise it!" "But- but I gave you everything," Charlotte whines. "Yes," I concede. "And when I started going out and making my own opportunities you took it as a personal insult, almost as if in your mind it's impossible for me to succeed on my own! I'm not saying I'm better than you- but you need to accept that I'm more than just your hanger-on!" I brace myself for the inevitable atomic backlash, but much to my surprise, Charlotte simply breaks down again. I instinctively give her another hug before getting out my phone and summoning the girls to my house. Less than twenty minutes, Mary & Hannah are on my front doorstep. "Hi!" Hannah says happily. "Viks is busy today and obviously Krystie's at work, so it's just going to be the three of us today!" "What's so important that you dragged us out of bed this early?" Mary faux-complains. "Because today..." I say hesitantly, leading the girls into the living room, "...it's going to be four of us." "Is- is that who I think it is?" Hannah asks nervously. "What the fuck is she doing here?" Mary asks. "Hi Mary," Charlotte says, her normally-confident voice suddenly sounding extremely small and quiet. "Hi, I- I'm Charlotte," the terrified young woman says to Hannah. "I know," Hannah says warily. "I'm Hannah, Hannah Dexter. Nice to meet you." "Would you like to try answering my question now?" Mary asks, still clearly angry about the presence of her former friend. "Charlotte doesn't have anywhere to go," I say stoically, sitting down next to my BFF. "She has a massive five-bedroom house," Mary says coldly. "She could try going there." Seeing that Charlotte is about to burst into tears again, I place a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Please," I say quietly. "I think she needs us." "You have more reason than anyone to hate her," Mary muses. "And I'm saying we should give her another chance." I motion to Mary to sit down next to Charlotte, which the Irish girl carefully does. "What you did was despicable," Mary says to Charlotte's face. "But if Jamie can forgive you... So can I." Mary gives Charlotte a cautious hug that Charlotte eagerly reciprocates. "Thank you," Charlotte whispers, still blinking tears out of her eyes. "Have I told you that I'm now signed with Joshua?" Mary says, her cheeky Irish twang returning to her voice. "Oh my god, really?" Charlotte asks, smiling for the first time since she entered the house. "So all three of you are now represented by the same guy?" "Cough cough?" Hannah jokes. "Sorry, sorry," Charlotte laughs, "all four of you? Stupid me, I should've known you were a model the second I met you!" Hannah grins at the unexpected compliment- especially unexpected when coming from Charlotte. "All FIVE of us, actually," Mary says smugly. Charlotte simply sighs and rolls her eyes. "I have a LOT to catch up on," Charlotte says. The four of us spend the next few hours catching up, with Mary filling Charlotte in about her upcoming university, Hannah and Charlotte getting to know each other, and Charlotte grilling me about my media appearances. We decide to head out for lunch just after 12- with me of course changing into a cute blue summer dress and a pair of cork wedges first- but before we depart, mum drags me into the kitchen for a private word. "Are you SURE you can trust her again?" Mum asks. "Everything's going so well for you right now, and you know how destructive an influence she can be." "I really do think she's changed," I say. "You saw how she listened to Mary about her uni, she didn't judge her, she didn't make any snide or sarcastic comments... I really do think this 'trial by fire' the media's put her through has made her a better person." "You just be careful," mum says, giving me a quick hug. "You are the most precious thing in the universe, I can't bear to see you hurting again." "I'll be fine," I laugh reassuringly. "It's not 'Charlotte's gang' any more. I think she realises that now." "You just make sure you don't take her place and become like her!" Mum jokes. After lunch- during which Charlotte and Hannah quickly become firm friends, and we fortunately evade the paparazzi- we decide to head to Krystie's dance studio to surprise her. Charlotte is understandably wary- Krystie's probably the only person we know who can be as strong- willed as her- but after Mary and I offer to talk to Krystie to calm her down, she nervously agrees to come with us. When we step in the studio, much to our chagrin, it's full of adult students waiting to go into their class. Most of the women are older than us, but a couple are younger, in their late teens, meaning we get the inevitable whispered comments of 'oh my god is that Charlotte' and 'oh my god is that Jamie-Lee Burke' as we sit down and wait for our friend. "This place looks really nice," Charlotte comments. "Kinda wish I had my leotard and my pointes with me..." "Oh, I'm sure Krystie will let you sign up, provided you have your credit card with you," Hannah jokes, making Charlotte laugh, much to my relief. "Ballet's boring when you're doing it by yourself," Charlotte complains. Before we can agree, the doors to the studio open and Krystie's students- young teenagers in standard ballet uniforms and pointe shoes- spill out, closely followed by their teacher. "Hey Krys!" Mary says, approaching the slightly startled girl. "Mary?" Krystie asks. "What are you doing here?" "Got someone who might want to sign up for your class," Mary jokes, leading Krystie over to the three of us. When Krystie sees who's sat between myself and Hannah, her eyes go as wide as sinner plates. "You!?" Krystie asks angrily. "Hi Krystie," Charlotte says nervously. "Love what you've done with the studio." Shaking her head, Krystie drags Charlotte into the studio- insisting that she remove her stilettos first, of course- and the three of us follow, also taking care to remove our street shoes. "Let me guess- after Keith chucked you, you decided that we'd just take you back like nothing happened, right?" Krystie asks angrily. "Krystie," I say quietly, trying to defuse the situation. "I've lost everything," Charlotte begs. "Spencer and Hall aren't returning my calls..." "And whose fault is that?" Krystie asks smugly, adopting far more of Charlotte's mannerisms than any of us are comfortable with. "Mine," Charlotte confesses. "100% mine. I was bossy, I was monstrous, I was a selfish bitch and if I could turn back time I'd do everything differently. But I can't. All I can do is apologise and beg for your forgiveness." By now, Charlotte is slowly weeping, and I can see the hardness visibly drain from Krystie's face. Without saying another word, the tall ballet teacher steps forward and hugs the stricken girl tightly, a hug that the rest of us happily join in with. "Didn't you say there was a fifth girl to your group?" Charlotte asks after the hug ends, triggering a mass giggle! After leaving Krystie to her class (and earning more whispers from the teenagers as we left), the 'Charlotte Comeback Tour' hopped in Mary's car- with Charlotte uncharacteristically sitting in the back, next to Hannah- and drove to Viks's parents' house. After exiting the car, Hannah rings the doorbell- giggling excitedly about the prank she was about to play on her friend- whilst Charlotte hides out of sight. "Oh, hi Hannah," Viks's mother says when she sees the tall blonde girl on her doorstep. "I'll just go and get Vicky." Still giggling, Hannah and Charlotte quickly swap places, and when Viks comes to the door, her eyes go as wide as Krystie's had earlier. "Hi," Charlotte says, professionally extending her hand for a handshake. "I'm Charlotte Hutchinson, and everything you've heard about me is probably true." Smiling wearily, Viks shakes Charlotte's hand then pokes her head out the door. "Hannah!" Viks yells. "Very funny!" Hannah simply giggles and gives her best friend a quick hug as Charlotte smiles. "The girls tell me you're a model too," Charlotte says, laughing along with Hannah. "What took you so long to come to your senses and sign