Devereaux

Chapter Four [Part II]

Chapter Four [Part II]

"Nandos or Pizza Hut?" Jordan shouted over her shoulder as she rifled through her wardrobe in search of an appropriate outfit.

"Nandos, always Nandos!" I responded. "I'm craving chicken."

"You're always craving chicken," Zora teased with a snort.

I lost all humour in my expression and added ice to my tone as I responded. "What, is it 'cause I'm half-black?"

Zora's eyes widened and her face turned bright red. She quickly shook her head and raised both hands. "No, Sadie. No, I -."

I waved my hand dismissively and chuckled. "Relax, Zora. I'm only messing with you." She looked so shaken up by my fake, melodramatic response that I had to crawl across Jordan's thick duvet and pat her head sympathetically as I tried to soothe her with lame jokes.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ivy attempting - and failing - to hide a laugh. "You scared the poor girl," she said with a giggle as she hugged a pillow to her chest. "And now you're ruining her perfect hair with your failed attempts to comfort her."

Jordan turned from her wardrobe to face us. "You guys were riding me about my makeover but since when was Zora a complete babe?"

Ivy, Bea and I shrugged. "We're all gobsmacked," Ivy said as she tossed the pillow across the room and stood. Her mouth transformed into a wicked grin and we all waited as she baited us with silence. "Listen, Lesbos. We only have one night in London and we have to make sure it's the bees-fucking-knees."

I rolled off the bed and scrambled to my feet. "I second that motion!"

"I, too, second!" Jordan added as she leapt across the room and landed on her mattress with enough force to spring Zora and Bea right off. The two thinnest members of our group stood and rubbed the various limbs they had landed on.

"I second," Zora added.

"I second," came a fourth, more timid voice.

"She speaks!" Ivy exclaimed.

We all stared at Bea as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. She was clearly struggling to form a response but none of us bothered to fill the silence and rid her of the pressure, so she eventually uttered: "I really think you should reconsider your water bed, Jordan."

Ivy was the first to clap but all of us joined in pretty quickly. All Bea could do as we showered her with applause was turn a vibrant red and look at the floor.

"But, in all seriousness, Jordan," Ivy began, "get rid of the water bed."

"Yeah," Zora agreed. "How do you expect to shag someone on that thing?"

Jordan snorted. "You would know, Zora. Wouldn't you?" It was Zora's turn to blush as she laughed rather uncomfortably and picked at her nail polish.

"Why don't we all ask Sadie? She seems to know a whole lot about banging," Ivy stated as she gazed at me with a smirk. And in that moment, I could have slaughtered her.

"You don't mean Phoenix Knight?" Jordan exclaimed. Ivy quickly nodded and winked at Jordan. There was a slight pause before Jordan spoke again. "Is he... big?" I could sense from the lack of humour on her face that she was being completely serious.

I dove onto the bed beside her and crossed my arms over my face as I groaned. "Can we not?"

Jordan started poking my side. "So, you have screwed the infamous Phoenix Knight, then?"

"No," I assured them. But I may have responded too quickly and with too much force because Ivy was instantly on my case.

"But you've thought about it, haven't you?"