Losing Juliet: A gripping psychological thriller with twists you won’t see coming. June Taylor
spent hours hiding away in her room, trying not to fall out of her single bed, clearly designed to keep visitors away. After such a long separation it still felt right with Dan. And not just the sex. Everything. She was still nervous about him meeting Juliet. Having told him so much about their friendship, Chrissy was desperate for him to like her, and vice versa.
They had arranged to go for a curry at Nazmin’s on Union Street, a cheap, no frills sort of a place with Formica tables and a lack of cutlery. Juliet arrived before them.
‘Don’t look so astonished, Chrissy. She’ll have told you I’m always late,’ she said, greeting Dan with her customary kiss on both cheeks. She was nearly as tall as him in her high wedge boots, and had gone for a contemporary take on a Sixties’ look: tartan miniskirt with a New Romantic frilly shirt. Her hair was in a beehive. ‘And it’s just so not true,’ she added with a wry smile as she sat down opposite them both.
Chrissy screwed up her napkin and threw it at her. She was wearing the green dress that Juliet had customized for her. It seemed only right to wear it tonight, and it led to a discussion about Juliet’s business enterprise. They moved on to Dan’s band after that, and Chrissy watched the two of them, enjoying the flow of their conversation without really hearing the words, content that both strands of her life were coming together.
By the end of the night Juliet seemed more drunk than she ought to have been, which led Chrissy to believe that maybe she had taken something. Dan noticed it too, especially when she put her head on his shoulder, saying: ‘Wish I had a guy like you. I wouldn’t let a girl like me dribble on him all night though.’ Sitting up again, she added: ‘Hey. We could share him, Chrissy. Best friends share everything. It’s the law.’
‘Think it’s time to get you home, Ju,’ said Chrissy. She mouthed the word sorry to Dan. But he seemed unfazed, amused more than anything, and Chrissy was relieved.
‘Oh, all right then,’ Juliet said in her sulky voice. ‘No! Wait.’
She almost fell off her chair reaching down for her bag, and pulled out her Polaroid camera.
Dan laughed when he saw it. ‘What’re you lugging that around for?’
‘I’m that kind of girl.’ She winked at him again, making a clicking sound with her mouth, then dived back down into her bag. ‘Ooh! And I found this on the bus.’ She produced a small yellow bear, slightly forlorn-looking and rather dirty. ‘It’s for you,’ she said, presenting it to Dan.
Chrissy was instructed to take the photo. Dan put his arm around Juliet’s waist, clutching the bear in his other hand whilst Juliet held a kiss to his cheek. Then they waited for it to develop, amused by Dan’s startled expression as it began to emerge. Juliet slipped the photo into her pocket as they bundled her out of the restaurant before she embarrassed herself any further.
***
Dan didn’t take much persuading to stay on another night, but it meant a painfully early start on Monday morning. Clouds of mist gathered on the platform, like steam from a bygone era, as they waited for his train at Temple Meads. It was still only seven thirty; they had been up most of the night.
Chrissy rested her head on his shoulder and yawned. ‘So what do you really think of her?’
‘Who?’ Dan replied, but she knew he was teasing.
‘She can be a bit full on, can’t she? When she gets off her face, I mean. It’s like she has to get as far away from herself as she can sometimes.’
‘Don’t we all?’
‘Suppose.’
But Chrissy’s big fear was that one day she might go too far. She was about to share this with Dan when he said: ‘As long as she doesn’t lead you astray then I like her.’
The tannoy crackled into life. His train was approaching.
Chrissy sprang up. ‘Oh god, I really can’t bear this again.’
‘I’ll see you in a few weeks,’ said Dan. He held her hand reassuringly, stepping forwards as the train pulled in.
‘Wait!… Dan!… Chrissy, tell him to hang on.’
Someone was tearing down the platform.
‘I did you these,’ said Juliet, gasping for breath by the time she reached them. She managed to unfurl from her bag a white T-shirt with the word ‘MashUp’ on the front in blue letters. Underneath were dancing stickmen with crazy hands and hair.
‘Wow, Juliet! That is so cool.’ Dan lifted her off her feet and spun her round.
‘There’s one for all of you,’ she said, exhilarated. He set her down again. ‘Oh, and erm, I’m sorry about the other night. I hope I wasn’t out of order. Think I took something weird.’
‘The guys are going to be well chuffed with these,’ said Dan, looking wide-eyed at Chrissy, who gave him a shrug to say that she had no idea about them.
‘I’d love to see you play sometime,’ said Juliet.
Dan picked up his bag, draping his arm round Chrissy in the same movement. ‘You can be on the guest list whenever you like, Juliet.’
Juliet was still waving long after his train had disappeared. Chrissy was already halfway up the platform.
‘You really should hang on to him, you know,’ said Juliet, catching up with her. ‘Definitely a keeper that one.’
***
Juliet’s creations were beginning to cause such a stir she couldn’t keep up with demand, and soon everyone had heard of JustSoJu.
Sometimes they went shopping together, Chrissy occasionally managing to pick things out which Juliet deemed suitable, and she would often sit on her stall in the Student’s Union, for which Juliet would pay her very generously in clothes. Juliet was starting to build up quite a reputation for herself. But increased demand meant less time for her coursework and the more pressure she put herself under, the more substances she seemed to be taking. Her drug habit was spiralling out of control. Chrissy tried many times to start ‘the conversation’. She had been meaning to have it for some time. But it was out of her sphere of experience and she always ended up saying nothing.
‘You’re asking me to write this essay for you from scratch?’ said Chrissy, sitting on the floor with a can of cider in Juliet’s room. There was nowhere else to sit except for a tiny patch of carpet. ‘You haven’t even read the book, Ju.’
‘Well, I haven’t had time.’ She rubbed her nose. She looked terrible. It was hard to distinguish the highs from the lows these days. She had lost weight, the dark circles under her eyes were even more pronounced, and most of that Juliet sparkle had faded. ‘I’ll give you this,’ she said, throwing the purple raincoat at her. Chrissy caught it before it hit her in the face. She knew it was special. A one-off. It had a silk lining, pleated fishtail, and was Juliet’s favourite too.
She refused the coat; it seemed too much like a bribe. But she weakened on the essay front. ‘This is the very last time, Ju. I don’t want to get chucked out as well.’
***
When she handed the essay over to Juliet a week later she placed a booklet on top of it.
‘What’s this? Fashion and Textiles. Bristol Poly.’
‘You’ve got to do it. Does your dad even need to know? I mean, at graduation he’ll have a heart attack, but if you come through with a First … And what about this? Look.’ She pointed to where it explained about a post-qualification bursary to help set up your own business.
‘Thanks,’ said Juliet. She tore out the page and ripped it into tiny pieces, scattering them above her head. ‘Now get off my case, Miss Goody Fucking Two Shoes.’
Chrissy snatched up the purple raincoat and left. She still felt that payment was unnecessary. Until now.
***