Free Something More (Girlfriend Fiction 11) by Mo Johnson

understood her reluctance to find out the truth: until she did, she could pretend it wasn’t happening. But it was so unlike her not to take charge.
    I calculated the time in Scotland as I went back to my own room. Time to call Fiona. She’d cheer me up.
    â€˜You just caught me; I was about to have a bath and an early night. What’s new?’ she asked, sounding as if she were in the next room.
    I told her about Sam and the photos.
    â€˜No way! He seriously has a thing for you, I can feel it.’
    â€˜Do you think so?’
    â€˜Definitely. Remember last month when he told you he liked your ink drawing? And what about that day when he asked what was in your sandwich?’
    â€˜Hardly irrefutable proof, Fi.’
    â€˜So now you want to play it down? You were ecstatic for the opportunity to tell him you were eating egg and pickle last month, although personally I would have lied.’
    â€˜There’s nothing wrong with egg and—’
    â€˜Shut up about the food and describe the photos again.’
    When I’d finished she said, ‘There’s no doubt about it. He’s into you. Just go up to him tomorrow night at the party and tell him you like him, too.’
    â€˜It’s tonight,’ I reminded her.
    â€˜You’ve got to do it. The worst that can happen is he knocks you back, and why would he if he’s been stalking you with a camera?’
    I protested at the stalking claim.
    â€˜Well, following you extremely closely then,’ she said. ‘Hey, I think it’s great you’re moving on. You’ve got to get over Brian sometime.’
    â€˜Does he ever ask about me?’
    She paused just a little too long.
    â€˜Go on, give me the truth.’
    â€˜He does, actually.’
    My throat felt tight.
    â€˜Do you want his new email address?’ she asked.
    â€˜No.’
    â€˜You should have let him stay in touch.’
    â€˜Fi, I don’t need a lecture.’
    â€˜I’m just saying—’
    â€˜And I’m just saying that’s how it had to be. There was no point.’
    â€˜But you were mates, too.’
    â€˜It would never have worked, so just drop it, okay?’
    â€˜I will, but you’d better not make Brian your excuse for not going after Sam,’ she said.
    â€˜What do you mean?’
    â€˜You’ve cut Brian out of your life because you wanted a fresh start. That’s fine, but it looks like you might be getting one with this Sam guy, so grab it. I mean it. Don’t play hard to get like you always do.’
    â€˜I do not.’
    â€˜Isla, when did you first meet Brian?’
    â€˜Year 7.’
    â€˜When did you finally go out with him?’
    â€˜Year 9.’
    â€˜I rest my case. Now enough about you. Did I tell you about my new diet?’
    I sighed. Fiona has tried every diet known to women who need something more important to worry about than their weight. She is so not fat.
    â€˜Terry’s been on a health kick since we came here. She even joined a gym last month,’ I added, hoping to avoid a morsel-by-morsel account of what fi had eaten this week – but I should have known better than to mention Terry to Fi.
    She snorted in disgust at the mention of my sister’s name. Terry often gave my friends a hard time – usually behind their backs, but fi was an exception: Terry took great delight in winding her up right to her face. A few years ago, fi and I walked into our kitchen one night just as Terry was saying, ‘If Fee-Fi-Foe-Fum is staying for dinner, Mum, you’d better make sure we have a whole cow for her to chew on.’
    Mum and I just about died on the spot, but Terry just flashed her a totally unembarrassed smile as she exited the scene of the crime. Fi’s hated her ever since. I don’t blame her.
    â€˜How is she, anyway?’ fi asked now. ‘Please tell me she’s friendless, miserable and hating Australia.’
    I considered