MADE IN ESSEX. Laura Ziepe

you wouldn’t mind if we sat with you? That would be incredible.’

      ‘Course not,’ Adele said, staring at her flawless make-up. I wonder what mascara she uses.

      ‘Thanks so much, Adele!’ Chloe was thrilled. ‘I’ll get the others.’

      ‘We’ve got a table with champers. It’s only Dom Perignon though. We’ve just ordered another bottle.’

      ‘Oh my God! I love champagne. Thank you so much!’ Chloe’s voice was now an excited squeak.

      Adele grinned. ‘Come on then, hun, I’ll show you where we’re sitting.’

      They left the toilets and Adele was delighted that they bumped straight into Sam. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

      *

      Sam watched in horror as he saw his little sister approaching him with Adele. What the hell were they doing together? he wondered suspiciously. That’s the last person on earth he’d want Chloe to be hanging around with. Adele smiled in his direction, then whispered something to Chloe, pointed to a table and walked away. Hopefully that would be the end of their chat, he prayed, remembering how close the two of them had become when he was dating Adele. Of course, back then he didn’t realise what a vindictive and manipulative cow Adele was.

      After downing shots all night, Sam realised they were finally taking the desired effect. The only problem was, try as he might, he couldn’t get Jade out of his head. If he’d checked his phone once, he’d checked it a million bloody times and she still hadn’t contacted him. He was feeling more angry and hurt at how she kept blowing him out with every drink.

      ‘Hi,’ he said to Chloe as she made her way over to him. He hated how much older she looked recently. She’d started to wear a bit more make-up too and he wasn’t a fan. He’d have to keep an eye on her. There was certainly no denying how beautiful she was. He’d even caught his own mates checking her out on several occasions, which made him feel nothing but sick. It was as though his sweet, innocent sister had developed into a woman overnight.

      ‘Hi,’ she said, looking pleased to see him.

      Sam’s eyes flicked to Adele then back to Chloe. ‘What were you doing with Adele?’

      Chloe squinted. ‘I ran into her, why?’

      ‘Keep well away from her. She’s nothing but trouble.’

      Tears formed in Chloe’s eyes.

      ‘What’s wrong?’ Sam asked, baffled.

      Chloe hesitated. ‘It’s just this girl and her friends started on me in the toilets. I hadn’t done anything, but she pushed me really hard and said I’d been giving her dirty looks. She was much bigger and older than me and I was really frightened. Adele saved me. She was in the toilets and overheard. I don’t know what would have happened if it wasn’t for her.’

      Sam nodded, furious that anyone would dare start a fight with his inoffensive sister, who wouldn’t harm a fly. Thank goodness Adele had been there to rescue her. ‘You could have come to me. I would have sorted it. Where are these girls that started on you? Can you see them now?’ Sam asked. He would give them a piece of his mind if he could.

      ‘I couldn’t come to you. I didn’t even know you were here,’ Chloe said, looking round. ‘No, I can’t see them, but it’s fine now. They won’t bother me again. Adele has made sure of it.’

      Sam nodded, his earlier thoughts of Adele being nothing but bad news slowly disintegrating. She’d helped Chloe when she desperately needed it, despite him being completely rude to her when he first walked in. She could easily have left her. She hadn’t seen Chloe in years and owed her nothing. Was she really as bad as he thought? So she’d made up a few lies about Jade in the past. Perhaps, she hadn’t liked the thought of him with someone else. Sam was her ex-boyfriend, it was only natural. Maybe he shouldn’t treat her so dismissively in future. Maybe she’d changed and grown up a bit? She’d saved his sister from being beaten up tonight and he’d always be thankful for that.

      ‘I’m going to find my friends,’ Chloe explained. ‘Adele has invited us to sit on her table.’

      Sam felt relieved. Chloe would be safe with Adele and he wouldn’t have to keep checking she was okay all night. His sister being old enough to go clubbing was nothing but a worry. Especially when she looked like Chloe did.

      ‘Okay, if you need me, come find me,’ he said.

      Sam couldn’t enjoy the rest of his evening, no matter how hard he tried. He hadn’t eaten dinner seeing as he’d planned to go with Jade and the drinks were going straight to his head. He looked over to see Chloe and her friends who were now sitting on Adele’s table. How kind of Adele to include his eighteen-year-old sister and her friends. He was sure they must be cramping her style, but it didn’t show. As Chloe and Adele laughed about something together, Sam turned to Steve.

      ‘Mate, I think I’m going to make a move. I’m smashed and don’t really feel in the mood.’

      ‘You absolute boring lightweight,’ Steve joked, slapping his back. ‘Only joking. See you tomorrow at the footy match. You want to sober up or you’re going to play shit. A few of us are going to Nu Bar after tomorrow’s game if you fancy it?’

      ‘Yeah, should be able to. Call me tomorrow,’ Sam replied and then left when the brunette girl Steve had been chatting up all night started talking to him again.

      He staggered over to Adele’s table and she noticed his arrival instantly and smiled as though she was expecting him. See, she was being quite nice, maybe she was different now? He leant over to her.

      ‘Can I have a quick word, please?’

      Adele jumped up. ‘Of course, babes.’

      He walked off to a quiet spot by the bar, where they’d be able to hear each other better.

      He felt his head spinning and propped himself on the bar for support. ‘Look, I spoke to Chloe a while ago and she told me how you stuck up for her in the toilets. I just wanted to say sorry for being such an idiot to you at the beginning of the night.’

      Adele nodded, gently touching his toned arms. ‘It’s fine, honestly. I would always stick up for Chloe. We go way back.’

      ‘I really mean it,’ Sam slurred, ‘thanks so much. Chloe’s so young and naïve and I appreciate that you were there for her when she needed someone. I was so rude to you earlier, but there’s more to it.’

      ‘What’s up Sam? You can tell me,’ Adele probed, fluttering her eyelashes, her look a face of concern.

      ‘Me and Jade are having some slight issues,’ he blurted, not even considering who he was talking to. It felt good to confide in someone. It was a release to just say it out loud.

      ‘What kind of issues?’ Adele asked surprised.

      ‘She has this new business. It sounds ridiculous, because of course I want her to do well. I’d help her in any way I possibly could. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for that girl, but lately she just has no time for me at all. Like tonight for instance. We were meant to be going out and she just blew me off last minute.’

      ‘She’s just busy, babe,’ Adele replied. ‘What’s the business? Tell me everything about it. It sounds interesting.’

      Sam waved his hand dismissively. ‘Oh, it’s some swimwear thing. I won’t go into it. I just feel a bit down, you know? Am I being pathetic?’

      Adele thought for a minute. ‘No babe, you’re not being pathetic. The more I think about it, I agree with you. It shouldn’t matter how busy Jade is, you should always come first. I know you always came first with me, when we were dating. And I think you have a serious right to be pissed off with her.’

      Sam nodded in agreement. ‘She’s always late to meet me recently and never answers her calls or texts me back for hours. All