Page 10 of Hot Girl Summer

The back room is dark and quiet, a stark contrast to the warm, sunny weather outside. I find my rhythm in the mundane task of washing makeup brushes. I knew as soon as I committed to April’s birthday night out, I’d have to work extra hard the following day through a hangover and a distinct lack of sleep.

Water runs over brushes, and the ochre-stained fluid renders me hypnotised as I watch the continuous stream spiral down the plughole. The click-clacking of heels across the hardwood floor pulls me out of my spellbound state, and I jolt as my manager, Lauren, strides through the swing door, and almost knocks it off its hinges.

“Somebody’s here to see you,” the tall blonde says, cocking her head towards the door.

“Who?” I ask.

Lauren presses her hands into her hips. “I don’t know, some guy.”

I place the brush in a pot to dry and set the dirty ones aside to return to before I investigate the mystery caller. Moving towards the door, I spy Ryan through a small pane of glass.

“Ugh, it’s my ex.”

“He’s hot.”

A hot fucking mess.

I excuse myself to visit Ryan on the shop floor. I could do without a Chrissy-induced headache on top of the one that’s already threatening to explode my brain. A message to our friends’ WhatsApp group early that morning confirmed that, after our rocky night out, Chrissy was alive and well, and had spent the evening catching up with the mean girls. Maybe I should have mentioned our exchange, after all. Then again, maybe not.

“Hey, Phi,” Ryan says. “Any chance you can help with this?”

He hands me a small sheet of paper, and my eyes skim over the names of our three bestsellers scrawled across the page.

“Sure.”

Without effort, I navigate the shop, and within moments, I have them rung up, bagged and ready to go.

“Is that everything?” I ask.

He’s hesitant. Even though his hands are in his pockets and his gaze on the floor, I know him well enough to know that guilty look. It’s the same expression he wore when he told me he kissed his French exchange student when we were fifteen, which ultimately ended our six-month relationship, and fed my wariness of fuckboys in the process. I decide to change the subject. Even after all we’ve been through, I hate to see him upset.

“Hey, you know what? We have this great new product that I’m sure Chrissy would love.” Even though I despise his girlfriend, I can’t bear to see one of my oldest friends hurting, and I figure it’s probably all down to his inferior half. I walk over to the store’s most recent display and pick up a round, glass pot as Lauren re-enters the shop floor. Perfect timing to show off my sales technique.

“It’s a powder that mixes with moisturiser, and gives a gorgeous, dewy glow. It’s expensive, but it will last forever.”

I try to unscrew the cap, but it won’t budge.

“Here, let me do that,” he says, holding out his hand.

“That’s okay, I’ve got it.”

I am determined to open this jar if it takes all day. It’s pure luck that I manage to unscrew it on the third try. I tip a little of the iridescent powder into my palm and show it to Ryan.

“See...it’s really pretty.”

His blank expression registers loud and clear. There’s no way in hell I’ll ever get him excited about skincare or makeup, when all he cares about is basketball and banging.

Suddenly, the pot slips from my hands, and a puff of pink smoke descends into a sparkly trail amongst shattered glass. We stand there, frozen, with our mouths wide and eyes wider, watching it unravel in slow motion.

Nice move, karma.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Mortified, I cover my face with my hands, hoping that when I return to reality, the spectacle was all in my imagination.

It wasn’t.

After the realisation hits that I’m chief of clean-up duty, I sink to the floor, gathering the larger, broken shards.

“I’ll deal with this,” Lauren says, kneeling beside me. She’s already armed with a dustpan and brush, and I hope to god she doesn’t hold me fully accountable for my clumsiness. I should have accepted Ryan’s help from the start. “Can you see to that gentleman over there, Sophia?”

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