‘Keiko, how was work last night?’ Jenny padded into the kitchen, yawning as she spread her arms wide. She was wearing a large white shirt. It was not hers; it belonged to the guy on the coach.
Keiko spooned her cereal into her mouth, pulling the paper towards her.
She was trying to ignore Jenny. It wouldn’t work.
Jenny walked up and flopped into the chair opposite Keiko, she rested her slender legs on the table, her calves defined with long lines as she bounced her toes up and down. ‘Complete disaster then?’
Keiko winced.
‘You didn’t get fired, right?’
She shook her head. ‘It wasn’t fun though.’
Jenny gave her a commiserating smile. ‘Sounds like you need a distraction.’ She yanked her legs from the table as she leaned forward, her shirt bunching up over her arms. ‘James and I are going to this mucho exclusive party tonight, why don’t you come?’
Keiko frowned, placing her spoon down neatly. ‘If it is mucho exclusive, how am I going to get in?’
Jenny fobbed a hand at her. ‘James knows the guys working the door. Said he could get me and a friend in easy. And considering you did fill in for me last night, I owe you.’
Keiko went back to eating her cereal.
Jenny leaned forward and grabbed the bowl from her, little trails of milk spilling over the cheap plywood of the table.
‘Hey,’ Keiko protested.
‘I know you hate parties. But why don’t you give this one a go?’ Jenny softened her tone. ‘Come on, Keiko, it’ll be a total hoot. Can you imagine rubbing shoulders with the city’s high and mighty? It could give you tons of ideas for Journalism class. What do you say?’
Keiko wanted to say that she hated parties, and that she would leave it at that.
But maybe she did need a distraction.
Maybe she also needed to get out there. She just went to class and worked. That was the sum total of her life. No boyfriend, no ambition, nothing.
Maybe Jenny could see Keiko’s interest, however small, and she latched onto it.
‘You can wear that knew bra,’ she winked. ‘I’ve got just the skirt and heels. You’ll look great. Come on. Plus, when else are you going to get to try French Champagne and Italian truffles? You always love to cook, and you’re always going on about flavors. But let’s face it, unless you land a rich boyfriend, you’ll be shopping for cans of soup for the rest of your life. I hear they’ve got this cordon bleu chef, fresh from Paris. Come on.’
Keiko sunk her teeth into her lip and she stared over at her roommate. Jenny had a very encouraging smile on her face, and the more Keiko looked at it the wider it became.
‘Fine,’ Keiko managed.
‘Brilliant,’ Jenny tugged her bare legs off the table and walked off into the other room without a word, leaving Keiko to think over what she had just done.
It would, no doubt, be a big fat mistake. Keiko and parties did not mix. It was a recipe for cruel and total embarrassment, and considering what had happened last night, Keiko really didn’t need any more of that.