Page 55 of The Reboot
Roly shook his head. ‘Four. I’m asking Pippa.’
‘Oh, great.’ Shit! She’d thought it would just be her and Roly. But she’d already said yes, so it’d look weird if she suddenly changed her mind now that she knew Pippa was involved. She really didn’t relish the thought of spending Friday night with her.
But maybe she was being unfair. She’d only met her once, after all. Besides, Roly liked her, so she couldn’t really be that bad … could she? Nice people didn’t fall in love with horrible ones, did they? Then again, even he’d said she was an asshole.
‘Are you in touch with Pippa again, then?’
‘Not yet, but I’m about to be. It’s the one area of my goals board where I haven’t ticked anything off.’
‘So what’s your first step?’
‘I’m going to start flirting with her on Instagram.’
‘Just like that? Doesn’t she have a boyfriend?’
‘No. They’ve just split up. So I have to strike fast, before someone else gets in there.’
‘So you start chatting to her on Instagram? Why not just call her?’
‘That’s the easiest way in. Her Instagram is basically one big thirst trap, so all I have to do is start liking all her photos, commenting on how hot she looks, bringing the flame emojis…’
‘Ah yes, the way to a girl’s heart.’
Roly laughed. ‘It’s the way to Pippa’s heart, believe me. Then I slide into her DMs and ask her out.’
‘So it’d be like a double date?’
He shrugged. ‘Or just four cool people going out together. We don’t have to label it, do we? It’ll be easier if we keep it casual, don’t you think?’
‘So it’s a stealth double date?’ she asked with a sly smile.
‘Yeah. They need never know.’
‘Okay, I’ll ask Andrew.’ Itwouldbe easier than asking him out on a proper date, and being in a group would take the pressure off. ‘But if he says no, you can find yourself another wingman. I’m not third-wheeling it with you and Pippa.’
15
Andrew,of course, didn’t say no. Ella had never known him to turn down a freebie, and that clearly hadn’t changed. They all arranged to meet up on Friday for pre-gig drinks in the bar of the Olympia.
Ella checked out Pippa’s Instagram in preparation. She wanted to get some idea of what she was in for, figuring forewarned was forearmed. What she saw did nothing to allay her misgivings or make her any more enthusiastic about hanging out with Pippa for an evening. As she’d expected, there were lots of selfies; Pippa posing in front of mirrors and describing her outfits or the make-up she was wearing to her gazillion followers. She was obviously making money as an influencer too, and there were videos of her sampling and demonstrating various beauty products. She’d also recently collaborated with an upmarket leisurewear brand to design her own range of clothes. Ella had to admit her stuff looked really nice, but then anything would look good on Pippa. She was intimidatingly beautiful – a big, brash Amazonian with wide blue eyes, voluminous hair and a booming foghorn voice that would carry across several football pitches and was tailor made for the shouty gameshow she used to present.
She came across as bright, friendly and fun, relentlessly upbeat with a dazzling smile that never quit. She sent herself up a lot, conveying an image of someone relatable and down to earth despite her obvious advantages, who didn’t take herself too seriously. But all Ella saw was an incessant appeal for approbation and admiration, and she thought it must be exhausting to be constantly chasing external validation from thousands of strangers.
She wondered was it driven by insecurity or vanity, but even the posts where Pippa was allegedly showing how shit she looked without make-up, unfiltered, with a break-out of spots or having a bad hair day were just obvious humble-brags and an invitation for her friends and followers to jump in and reassure her that she was stunning no matter what and praise her bravery in ‘keeping it real’.
Andrew was already in the Olympia bar when Roly and Ella arrived, sitting at a table near the door. He stood and greeted Ella with a kiss on the cheek, and she introduced him and Roly.
‘I’ll get the drinks,’ Roly said. ‘What’ll you have?’
‘I’m fine, thanks,’ Andrew said, nodding to the tall glass in front of him.
‘A glass of red wine, please.’ Ella sat beside Andrew while Roly went to the bar. He looked good in a pale-pink shirt and black chinos. He liked clothes, and he’d always dressed well.
‘What are you drinking?’ She nodded to the glass of clear liquid on the table. ‘Gin and tonic?’
He shook his head. ‘Just water.’
‘Oh.’ She was surprised he wasn’t having a proper drink when it wasn’t a school night. She hoped it wasn’t because he was playing the impoverished student.
