Blue eyes snapped open, looking at the white ceiling. She propped herself up on her elbows, feeling the claminess on her body making the duvet meld to her body. "Shit, what a time to get the flu."

Sitting up she pressed her palm to her forehead feeling it cool rapidly. A banging made her jump, "Beff, Beffany wake up you lazy sod."

The familiar east end tones made her grin, "good old Mel." Crawling from her bed like a small child, she didn't bother with her dressing gown as she walked to her front door.

To beady hazel eyes glared at her through the letterbox. Replaced by a tongue poking through waggling about. "Mel! You can be so disgusting." She chastised the woman while still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

The eyes returned, "Well open the bloody door then." Bethany undid the dead bolt, pulling the door ajar. She looked at the bleached blonde, with a stud through her nose and eyebrow. Strong perfume wafted through the door.

"God almighty Mel, what are you wearing?" The woman looked down at her attire of black boots, black jeans and white chunky jumper. Her mystified look settled back on her. "No I mean that smell."

"What smell, that's Eau de toilette, fiver down at Covent garden. Supposed to make men go all gooey-eyed for you."
"And, have they."
"Oh yeah, I'm having to beat'em off me with me old dears walking stick."

Beth laughed at her; Mel was a diamond in the rough. Born and raised in the East end of London, she looked like a real hard case woman. The kind that would swear at you just for looking in her direction.

Yet in reality she was a truly wonderful honest person. Willing to do any thing for a friend. "Are you going to stand there bleedin' gawping at me all day or what?" Beth refocused her eyes, "open the bloody door you dipstick."

Beth laughed uncomfortably, pulling the door open wide for her friend. Mel stepped in, looking at Beth's pyjamas. "Well they look comfortable, do you wear rollers to bed as well?" Beth slapped her on the arm, letting her friend shut the door.

She walked into the lounge hotfooting it over the wooden floor. As much as she loved real wooden floors, they weren't the warmest floors to step on with bare feet. She made it into the kitchen and grabbed the kettle filling it up.

"Mel, what are you doing here? I thought you worked on Thursdays?"
"Nah, I swapped shifts with Rita. I thought we'd do a bit of shopping."

Beth looked up at her clock, seeing it was only eight-forty five in the morning. "Why?" The clip-clop of her friends spiked heels going over her perfectly polished floor, "shoes!"

"Oh for Christ sake." She giggled at her friends moan, hearing the woman unzip her boots. The T.V went on next, coupled with the sound of Mel throwing herself down on the couch. Beth stirred the black coffee's, bringing them into the lounge.

She nudged one of Mel's long legs, forcing her to change her sprawled position on the cream sofa. Sitting down carefully she handed one of the steaming mugs to her friend, her eyes looking at the T.V.

"So why are we going shopping?" Mel winked at her, before nearly spilling her coffee from her contagious laughter that echoed around the bare apartment. "Come on, spill it?" Mel started to angle the coffee cup, "not the coffee you moron."

"Ok, ok. You really want to know why we're going shopping?" Beth nodded, seeing the look of absolute mischief in her friend's eyes. "You sure you want to know?"

"Yes! Just tell me for God's sake."

Mel snuggled up closer to her, "well I was in town the other day and I just happened to pass this cheap clothes shop. Imelda's Boutique, well posh name, but all the stuff is the sort that fell off the back of a lorry in the seventies."

Beth chuckled at her friend's description of the shop, "but you'll never guess who works in it full time?" Beth knew it had to be someone both she and Mel shared a common dislike of, she went back trough her school life, then college. She skipped university as Mel had dropped out of college in the first year, so she knew none of the people that Beth had mingled with.

She shook her head, taking another swallow of the steaming liquid. Mel gripped her arm tightly for dramatic tension. "Lisa!"

Beth sat stony still, one name she hated more than anything else. "As in Lisa, Lisa." Mel nodded vigorously. "As in Lisa and Eric. That Lisa?"

"The one and only, well I was finkin' my, my how the mighty have fallen on their fat arses." Mel lapsed back into her cockney tones, "then it hit me. Why not go clothes shopping, and piss her off, big time."

"No." Beth stood up, "I don't even want to see her ugly face after what she did to me." She marched into the kitchen, slamming the white cup down on the side. Mel paced in after her, setting her cup down more gently.

"Sorry, I thought you were over it." Beth stared out the window, the sky dull once more. She didn't answer her friend, not wanting to let the truth be known. She had resigned herself a long time ago that she would never get over it. She would carry this heartache to every new relationship.

A splat appeared on her window, grey streaked with white. Mel burst into giggles, as Beth peered closer to the bird dropping that was sliding down her kitchen window.

"Now that's what I call a bleedin' good shot." Beth turned to her, her own laughter bubbled up. "That's a sign, you know." Mel pointed to it, "God's way of saying you stay here and do nuffing and you'll just get shit on again from a very great height."

***

The car weaved in and out of traffic, music blared from the speakers deafening Beth. She had one hand gripped on the door rest another holding the seatbelt so it didn't keep choking her every time the brakes were applied sharply. The little red mini swerved between two large cars, "now there you see. All these haughty bleedin' business people with their big company cars, and look how far they get."

Mel shouted out her statement to Beth, who could only just nod from the sheer terror of Mel's driving. "This is the way to see London girl, fast and furious." Mel started to jig about to the music, her foot pressing down on the accelerator every so often causing them to lurch along.

"Mel, I want to get their alive if I may!" Beth tried to raise her voice over the blaring noise; her friend slowed winking at her. They turned off the main road, taking the little streets most Londoners had forgotten about years ago. She danced in and out of streets, taking quick turns everywhere.

To Beth it was like a rabbit warren, she had no idea where she was. They pulled into a small empty car park; Mel parked in one of the marked bays. While she got out to retrieve the parking ticket, Beth breathed deeply. Glad for the one and only Yoga lesson she'd had, at least she could breathe properly now.

They walked hastily through a little side alley coming out in Carnaby Street of all places. Beth had to give Mel her due, the woman knew her way round London. They kept up their steady pace, only stopping once so Beth could grab some money from her banks cash machine.

Mel kept egging her on, she felt like she was about to go ten rounds with Tyson the way Mel was acting. They stopped on the opposite side of the shop, peering at the windows. Great white letters adorned the window, informing all who cared that they had a clearance sale going on.

"I wonder why she's working here?" Beth asked her own curiosity gave her the final shove needed to cross the quiet road. Stepping out, both women crossed over. Stopping at the entrance, Beth wasn't sure she should go any further.

The strong hand gripping her arm convinced her otherwise as she was pulled through the door. Mel bounced along the first aisle, touching everything. She snagged a pair of Lycra leggings from a rail; they were beige with a brown leopard print over them. "Bloody hell, I always wondered where Rod Stewart did his shopping."

She held them up to her, gyrating her hips. "Do ya think I'm sexy?" She sang the words out loud; Beth could feel her cheeks heat up. Grabbing the offending item she hung it back up.

They passed a load of very sensible dresses, to which Mel tried one up against her. She crossed her eyes making Beth giggle more, "don't I look pwetty."

They moved on further passing a mirrored pillar, Beth glanced in to it. Dio Cara. She froze staring at her reflection, the words from her dream echoing in her own head. She could see that her skin had visibly blanched, "come on slow coach." She turned her head away following her clown of a friend.

They reached the end of the aisle; Mel started hoping from one foot to the other. Her finger darted out pointing over to the sales till. Beth tried not to laugh at her friend's antics, allowing her gaze to follow the jabbing finger. Beth peered at the ginger haired assistant, the long hair that ended half way down her back, with small curls flicking up the ends.

Mel lurched forward, "let me at 'er let me at 'er. I'll take her with one hand behind me back." Beth couldn't help but laugh raciuosly at Mel's impression of the cowardly lion. The laugh caught the attention of the sales assistant who turned to see the prospective new customers.

Beth had never believed herself to be a vengeful woman, she thought herself to be better than to play the scorned woman. Yet as the woman turned away quickly, Beth's ire rose. She started stalking towards the stick insect, as she stood tall in her little black skirt and low cut blouse.

She would not leave until she had her pound of flesh, to once more walk tall. Eric had once remarked that she had no fire in her, as the snear crawled along her dusty pink lips she wished to thank Eric for giving her an inferno of rage.