This Careless Life. Rachel McIntyre

pitch. Last year, she’d lost out on Most Inspirational Newcomer to that suck-up extraordinaire, Sonya Sunshine. A thought that almost twelve months later still made her want to puke. Or punch something. Preferably Sonya.

      The Cinderella Project was Sonya’s baby: sourcing prom dresses to donate to teenagers living in poverty. Or as Liv preferred to call it, a pathetically transparent attempt to win votes.

      Seriously, how dumb would you have to be not to get that?

      As dumb as a National Beauty Blogger Awards judge apparently.

      Well, this year Liv had been nominated again, and this year she was coming home with it. No way could she politely clap again while Sonya delivered a vomit-inducing speech accessorised with fake tan, fake nails and even faker tears.

      She’d rather die.

      But with her crossed fingers about to press upload, the screen flashed and a pop-up appeared.

      CASTING CALL

      If you’re over 18 and you’ve just left school, Pretty Vacant Productions could be about to offer YOU the opportunity of a lifetime!

      Visit www.pvp.tv.org to find out more!

      Liv’s heart pounded as she clicked on the link.

      Well, hello!

      Your A levels are history, you’ve kicked the dust of the schoolyard from your shoes and left your cares at the gates. Results Day, uni places . . . they’re just specks on your horizon. We’re talking freedom, baby. The freedom to live your life without a care. Freedom you’ll never experience again. This summer is YOUR summer.

      The lowdown: we need FOUR friends to be the stars of This Careless Life, Pretty Vacant Productions’ new six-week special. PERSONALITY plus, that’s top of our wishlist.

      Before you apply, remember we have some PRETTY strict guidelines. So if every individual can answer a massive Yeah, baby! to the following questions, then PLEASE drop a 60-second video HERE explaining WHY we should choose YOU.

      Are you 18?

      Have you just finished A levels?

      Are you in the UK between July 1st and August 31st?

      And above all: will the nation’s 16- to 25-year-olds LOVE you or love to HATE you?

      So if you’d LOVE to share your outrageous, uber-exciting or totally ridiculously INCREDIBLE post-school/pre-uni summer . . . get in touch now!

      ‘Yes, I’m 18! Yes, A Levels! Yes, I am in the UK!’ Liv murmured to the screen. ‘And love me, they will all love me.’

      And just like that a whole new door, one she hadn’t known even existed, had flown open.

      Choosing three friends? That was a no-brainer. Or at least it would have been, except with the exams done, Freyja, Scarlett and Touko had departed St Benedict’s and jetted home to Brazil, Russia and Japan. Meaning Liv had to fish from a much smaller pond solely stocked with weekly boarders, and local ones at that.

      Liv frowned, tapping her forefinger against her lips. Only two days until the closing date for entries. Who was still around? Who would inspire both love and hate?

      Jeremiah Livingston? Head boy and all-round good guy. He’d be up for anything to promote his charity stuff for Connecting Together. And Declan Duffy, naturally. With his plus-size ego a-gogo, he’d do anything to promote himself. That left one more . . .

      Letting the nation analyse six weeks of your life? Really, Liv only mentioned it because she thought Hetty might be able to suggest someone. So when – unbelievably – Hets had shrugged the suggestion, ‘How about me?’ Liv’s jaw dropped so fast it bruised her kneecaps.

      ‘You serious?’ she said, failing to hide her shock.

      ‘I’ll have to check with Duncan,’ Hetty replied, ‘but I’m sure he’ll say it’s a brilliant idea.’

       What’s it got to do with him?

      Liv hid the retort behind a beaming smile.

      In gaining a boyfriend, Hetty had apparently excised her decision-making lobe. Ever since she hooked up with him, all you got from her was Let me check with Duncan. I’ll have to ask Duncan.

      Still, His Royal Duncan-ness graciously granted his permission, and with Duff, Jez and Hetty on board, Team Liv was ready to roll.

      Amazing how the pieces just fell into place. Perhaps if Liv were the kind of girl who believed in horoscopes and all that destiny crap, she might have called it fate.

      But waiting to find out if they’d got through? Well, that was every childhood Christmas Eve squished into one tortured ball of anticipation, frustration and panic. Come on. Come ON.

      Until finally, on a day she’d planned to spend wrapped in a cocoon of duvet and misery trying to forget she’d ever even met him . . . the phone rang and on the other end was Tony from Pretty Vacant Productions saying congratulations, they’d reached the final three and were they all still up for it?

      Liv had immediately flung back the duvet, palmed a night’s worth of tears from her cheeks and assured him that yes, she wanted this so bad. In fact, she literally could not want this more. Yes, they were free for the casting on July 1st. And yes, her friends would be literally ecstatic to be through to the next stage.

      When the phone call ended, she flopped back down on the bed, gripping the phone like a lucky charm while Tony’s question bounced round her head.

      Was she up for it?

      Liv was up for many things.

      She was up for not obsessing over her A-level results.

      She was up for making her parents realise uni was not the only option.

      And she was definitely up for being a TV star.

      But on the day of Tony’s phone call, she was mainly up for never, ever shedding a single tear over a man for as long as she lived.

      Things were about to change. She knew it.

      ‘Your whole life is about to change. ’

      She felt the whisper of breath; sensed a light grip on her shoulder; a body close to hers. A drift of Eau de Expensive Whatever-it-was enveloped her.

      Except . . .

      Liv blinked.

      How did –?

      Cass hadn’t moved. Definitely not. There she was, immaculate in white, still leaning over the worktop with the now deflated Pandora sagging by her elbow. Notebook completely open; mouth completely shut.

      Liv wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing at the sudden ripple of goosebumps.

      What the –?

      Her mind frantically scrabbled to latch on to any explanation other than I am cracking up, but then Cass put her pen down and looked directly at her.

      ‘Exciting, isn’t it? Knowing today could be life-changing.’

      Liv nodded. Stunned.

      ‘Yes.’ Jez put on his mature I-am-leader voice. ‘And on behalf of all of us, I’d like to say thank you for this incredible opportunity.’

      ‘My pleasure,’ Cass said. ‘I’ve got a great feeling about you guys.’ The dark curtain of her hair swayed as she turned her head towards the wall clock. ‘Let’s push on. Now I’m going to focus on one person at a time; show your application video followed by a group conversation.’

      She stepped forward and with a collective wriggle they all straightened against the button-backed sofa. Attentive. Ready. Even Duff slouched marginally less.

      From where Liv sat, still dazed, some proportional illusion made it seem as though Cass were towering over them. When she spoke,