Notice Me (2 page)

We sat on the sofa, the two love birds and I, the gooseberry, perched on the end. I tried not to listen to their conversation. I could tell Megan had already got him in the palm of her hand. I had seen this so many times before.

I found it hard not to stare at Charlie when I had no one to talk to. His face was so perfect, like the sort you only see in a magazine or on the television after all the air brushing.

Maisy, Megan’s younger sister, bounced from the dance floor with her deep blue eyes full of excitement, grabbing me and demanding I dance. Luckily for her the champagne was working so I needed no persuasion to dance. I enjoyed it to be honest.

Maisy was almost as beautiful as Megan, with her long golden hair, and thin agile body. The Field sisters were so confident, it was wonderful to watch them interact with people. I had learnt a lot in the few years I had known them.

“Who is that dreamy man Megan is talking to?” Maisy shouted near the large speakers, she thought I hadn’t heard her so pulled me closer towards her to ask again. “Who is he? The gorgeous man Megan is with.”

 “Oh that’s Charlie. She met him last week. I think she
really
likes him.” I smiled at Maisy who was watching them.

“I can see why she really likes him,” Maisy bit her lip looking him up and down, “he is hot.”

“Maisy, Megan saw him first, play fair.” I knew how Maisy and Megan could be. There weren’t many years between them and it was always a competition to Maisy, but I knew there was something different about Charlie that Megan was drawn to, apart from the obvious good looks.

“Oh relax, but I can see why she tried to keep me away from
this
party. I’m seeing a drummer anyway. I was only looking. That’s allowed isn’t it?”

“Yeah, of course.” I couldn’t help but find myself looking too. “He is perfect.” Maisy started laughing at me.

“You know what I mean.” I was embarrassed. “Do your parents know you are dating a drummer?” Maisy could tell I was trying to change the conversation.

“Shannon, it’s okay, you are only looking.” Maisy winked at me as we both laughed.

The night, I had to admit, was not the nightmare I had first thought. Maisy danced with me most of the night and laughed when I spilt champagne down my dress. I didn’t see the funny side. Megan would kill me as the dress was hers, but Maisy reminded me at least it was the same colour.

“Oh my God, look Shan, he is kissing her.” Maisy spun me around. I didn’t really want to look, but I was in that direction now thanks to Maisy.

It was like watching a romantic movie. Charlie had his hand on the side of her cheek gently stroking her face as he kissed her slowly, then more passionately as he pulled her closer to him. Megan looked like she had passed out in his arms, but then I noticed she was kissing him back, running her hands up his back.

“She is so lucky. God he is so…” Maisy sighed.

“Remember you have your drummer,” I reminded her and she just smiled back at me.

“I know but damn. Just look at him.”

I glanced back at Megan who happened to be looking and she waved over at me all animated. I waved back towards her and as my eyes caught Charlie’s he smiled back at me. I felt my stomach tingle again. This was absurd, he was gorgeous, but I would have to get used to that if he was going to date my best friend.

By the end of the night it was safe to say that I was drunk. I had lost count of what I had been drinking or how many.

Maisy was trying her best to keep me upright as we waited for the car to pick us up at the back entrance of the nightclub. Charlie didn’t want his picture all over the papers with Megan, which surprised me. It was usually one of the reasons men tried to date her.

“Seriously Shannon, if you lean into me any more I am going to fall over.” Maisy was only a small thing, just like Megan. I felt bad putting all my weight on her like that so I tried to stand on my own two feet. It was a bad idea. I could feel myself beginning to fall when a pair of hands were on my waist holding me up. Charlie was looking down at me smiling as I gazed at him.

“Easy there, had a bit too much have we?” I couldn’t answer him so I just giggled, he really did have the most amazing coloured eyes. The kind you could get lost in.

Suddenly I felt a bubbling sensation coming up my throat. I had to tell him to move otherwise Megan would never forgive me.

“I’m going to be sick, move quick!” I managed to shout out before I pushed him out of the way and was sick behind the large grey bins in the alley.

“Lovely friends you have Megan.” I could tell by the tone of Charlie’s voice that he thought it was funny. I, on the other hand, was ashamed. I hated being sick, let alone in front of a stranger.

“Shannon, seriously. I can’t take you anywhere!” Megan was angry with me. I held my arms up in the air a little unsteadily and shrugged apologetically.

“Don’t be harsh on her, she is allowed to have a good time you know. You would be that drunk if you hadn’t spent all night with lover man.” Maisy pointed in Charlie’s direction. He just smiled, leaning against the wall. It looked as if he was enjoying the discussion.

“Oh Maisy shut up, you shouldn’t even be at this party.”

“I am eighteen now Megan, you can’t make mother and father keep me at home any more.”

“I never did…” Megan began screeching.

“You are such a liar!” Maisy shouted back.

Even though I felt I may be sick again I knew the Field sisters, if I didn’t break up the fight they would start pulling each other’s hair out. I braced myself, feeling hands on my waist helping me gain balance. Charlie was watching me again with a smirk on his face.

“Good luck,” he smiled, letting go of my waist once he could see I could stand almost straight.

“They do this all the time. I’m usually the referee,” I smiled back at him. He was so easy to talk to, which seemed strange considering all I could think was, ‘
Oh
my god you are so gorgeous
!’ Charlie just smiled. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked in between Megan and Maisy. Even though I was drunk it was a little intimidating as the girls began pushing each other.

“Guys come on, the car is here now, I feel sick, I am sorry I drank too much, but…” I was trying to think of the right words but I must have sounded really drunk because Megan and Maisy both burst into laughter putting their arms around me.

“You poor drunk little thing, we Field sisters really are a bad influence on you Shannon,” Megan laughed.

“Come on Shan, let’s get you home to bed.” Maisy put her arm around my waist and the sisters helped me into the car.

I felt even worse in the car. I kept swallowing my saliva trying to stop myself being sick again. I put my head in between my knees and waited until the car finally stopped.

Maisy helped me into the flat. There would be no point waiting for Megan. Charlie may even have been joining her tonight, but I didn’t want to wait to find out.

Maisy dragged me into my room, putting a sick bucket by my bed just in case. I lay on my bed watching my room spin. Why had I drunk so much? I would only regret it in the morning. I could hear Megan and Charlie laughing next door in her bedroom. I put my iPod on to drown the noise. The music soothed my head a little and it wasn’t too long until I drifted into a deep dreamless sleep.

Chapter 2

“Shannon wake up. Come on you have been asleep all morning.”

Megan was shaking me, but I wasn’t ready to open my eyes yet.

I did feel like I had been asleep all morning, my mouth was so dry that my tongue ached but that was nothing compared to the deep thudding inside my head. Maybe just a few more hours sleep would stop it? Then I remembered Megan was still shaking me at the bottom of my bed.

“Megan please let me sleep?” I begged, but I knew it wouldn’t work.

“No I have to talk… Oh my God he is so amazing. Did you know he stayed the night? He is so wonderful, and his body oh…” Megan seemed to get lost in her own little dream. I just used it as an excuse to sleep again. “Hey wake up,” Megan hit me hard on my thigh, laughing.

“Ouch! Megan!” I was awake now.

“Well that worked,” Megan giggled. “Oh Shannon, I think I am in love. He is just… I mean he is just… Well, he was…”

 “Get your words out Megan. You are making no sense at all, maybe it is love.” I pulled a face. “But you have only known him a week.”

“That’s all you need, you know – sometimes you only need a minute.” I rolled my eyes like I hadn’t heard that before.

I just looked at her. This was not the Megan I knew. She laughed at love and the concept of being with only one person. Why have only one when so many men wanted her? She had always called it a waste. Yet I could see it in her eyes, the hope that she had finally found him, the one to make her whole.

“What are you thinking Shan?”

“You don’t sound like yourself Megan that’s all.”

“I know. I don’t feel like myself.” She almost had a glow about her as she became wrapped up in her thoughts from last night. Maybe she really had found the one, her soul mate. Although if she heard me talking like this she might laugh. I was the hopeless romantic.

Months flew by in a whirlwind. Megan was so happy. Her life was complete as she began her first ever serious relationship with Charlie. I felt I knew Charlie as well as she did. Megan mentioned him in almost every conversation we had.

I never minded that, her life was so much more exciting than my own. Three years we had been best friends, inseparable from the day we met. Even now I couldn’t really believe I was here. I wasn’t even sure I recognised myself anymore, but that was a good thing. I had been so different on that first day of work experience. I laughed to myself remembering the fateful day.

****

I was late. My long brown hair was drenched from the rain. I was pretty sure the make-up I had put on to try and enhance my green eyes would be running down my face. I knew I should have gone for waterproof mascara. I was right as I looked at my reflection in the window. I looked like a panda. I wiped as much away as I could with my hand, talking to myself.

Why had I slept through my alarm? I knew how important today was. How much of an idiot could I be?

I did the best I could with my face and decided to tie my hair back. It was a slight improvement, at least I wasn’t dripping all over my new blue shirt. I took a deep breath. I could do this, it was only work experience I told myself. Who cared if I didn’t know anyone, that everyone would be looking at me, ‘the new girl’. Suddenly my stomach turned like a washing machine on full spin. I couldn’t move. I gripped the wall for support. My nerves were taking over again. I panicked in any situation that wasn’t familiar to me. Today was one of those days.

“Are you okay?” A voice asked as I looked up, trying hard to regulate my breathing. I must have looked so stupid. I saw her watching me with a concerned face. “It’s only that you look a little green.”

“I’ll be okay in a minute thank you,” I whispered, letting go of the wall.

“You’re the new work experience girl aren’t you?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You are not the first to react like this, I mean Field Organisation is a big company, it’s a big thing. You are lucky to have the opportunity to gain experience here.” She was almost gloating, pushing her long blonde hair behind her shoulders.

“Oh, I know. It’s just I don’t cope very well with my nerves. This is a big thing to me.” It amazed me how easily I could talk to her, I usually found it hard to talk to people I didn’t know.