ARABELLA • Alex Turner

SIXTEEN

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     Arabella was quite literally buzzing by the time she finished her hair and makeup on the day of her and Alex's second date.

   Although the fact that she was a live wire probably had less to do with excitement and more to do with the obscene amounts of caffeine she had consumed, she really was looking forward to spending a romantic evening with Alex.

   They had made plans the morning after her birthday, when they both lay cripplingly hungover in her bed, and as promised he was taking her out to what he had described as a nice little family-owned pub in High Green, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

She loved that they were going somewhere new. An intimate little date in the neighbourhood where Alex grew up sounded perfect, and she found herself wondering what the area looked like. How big was his hometown? Was it urban like hers, or more rural? Were people friendly there, or did they keep to themselves?

Whatever the case, Arabella couldn't wait for an evening in Alex's company with some nice hearty pub food and a glass of wine.

   Ever since the whole Andrew fiasco at her party, she could tell that he had been concerned about her. He had spent practically the entire week checking up on her and making sure that she was okay, and while she found his concern sweet, she genuinely hadn't thought about the incident for more than a moment since it happened.

   After all, she was over Andrew now. She had done her crying, turned her life around, and she wasn't about to let the little arsehole undo all of that over a few silly comments.

   She only hoped that her date with Alex would convince him that she really was fine. The band had just gained even more success with their new single, and the last thing she wanted was for him to ruin his summer by worrying about her unnecessarily.

Arabella was almost ready to leave when Sabrina knocked on her bedroom door, armed with a pair of cherry red boots she had lent her many times before and a packet of paracetamol.

   "Here, in case you get a headache. You said you ran out, right?" The blonde passed Arabella the pills, which she thanked her friend graciously for and shoved in her purse. "And these boots, I thought they'd go well with your outfit."

   Arabella was wearing a strapless denim mini dress and a red shoulder bag, along with a golden A necklace and a matching bracelet. Her hair was raked back into a ponytail, leaving the front pieces loose of course, to show off the Saturn earrings Alex had given her as a birthday gift.

"They're perfect! Thanks, Sab." She took the boots, elated, and sat down in the only space on her bed not covered by clothes to put them on. A Stereophonics record spun in the background as she zipped them up, Sabrina watching with a nod of approval.

   Arabella dug through the mess on her desk to find some smokes and a lighter, cursing under her breath. Her room was so cluttered with outfits and shoes and random crap that she prayed that Alex would not be making any unexpected visits later that night. He would probably wonder what he had gotten himself into.

   Sabrina watched the brunette gather her belongings and douse herself with one last spritz of perfume, before speaking up as if reading her mind. "I can tidy up a bit if you want? Shove everything in the wardrobe?"