‘By who? A butcher?’
‘No, I did it. I watched a video on YouTube and it was dead easy. You tie your hair in a pony on top of your head, then twist it and cut the end off.’
‘It’s terrible,’ Suzie said. ‘But don’t worry, I can fix it.’
‘You can’t cut it,’ Holly said, panicking when Suzie took a pair of scissors out of the drawer. ‘My mum’ll want to know who did it, and she’ll go mad if she finds out I’ve been here.’
‘I’m only going to take the ends off and shape it a bit,’ Suzie promised. ‘I doubt your mum’ll even notice. But if she does, tell her you copied another vid and did it yourself. It’ll look and feel so much better without the dead bits.’
Remembering how Julie had gone on about her hair being horrible earlier, Holly stared at herself for a few more seconds and then nodded.
‘OK. But only a tiny bit.’
Unable to see what was happening when Suzie brushed her hair forward over her eyes and started snipping, Holly crossed her fingers and prayed that she wouldn’t get too carried away when clumps began to fall to the floor. After what felt like an age, Suzie sprayed dry shampoo onto the roots and brushed it through before spritzing it with lacquer.
‘All done,’ she said, standing back.
Relieved to see that her hair still looked pretty much the same length, considering the long bits she’d seen falling to the floor, Holly twisted her head to look at it from all angles. It looked thicker and healthier, and Suzie had moved her usual middle parting slightly to one side and had swept her long fringe over in a replica of the way her own hair was styled.
‘I love it,’ she said, reaching up to touch it. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Suzie said, smiling as she put away the brush and scissors before repacking the make-up box.
As Holly continued to admire herself in the mirror, Suzie opened the wardrobe and leafed through the clothes hanging inside. Taking out a deep-purple velvet dress, she said, ‘Here . . . try this on.’
The thrill Holly had been experiencing evaporated, and her cheeks reddened at the thought of undressing in front of Suzie and revealing her grubby, stretched bra and the hole in her knickers where the elastic had come away from the material.
‘It’s, um, getting a bit late,’ she said, casting a glance at the clock on the bedside table. ‘My mum’ll flip out if she gets home and I’m not there.’
‘It’s only ten o’clock, you’ve got hours yet,’ Suzie said, handing the dress to her. ‘Go on, humour me. You can take it straight back off again. I just want to see if it looks as good on you as I think it will. Oh, and what size shoes do you wear?’
‘Five,’ Holly murmured.
‘Ooh, same as me.’ Suzie took out a pair of strappy silver shoes with high thin heels. ‘Try these.’ She handed them over and then walked to the door, saying, ‘I need the loo. Give me a shout when you’re ready.’
Relieved to be alone, Holly quickly slipped out of her clothes and wriggled into the dress. Taking off her socks, she pushed her feet into the shoes and stood in the space between the bed and the wardrobe.
‘Ready,’ she called.
Suzie came in and drew back her head. ‘Wow, look at you!’
‘Does it look OK?’ Holly asked, stroking the velvet that was clinging to her hips.
‘Are you kidding me?’ Suzie said, turning her by the shoulders to face a free-standing mirror in the corner. ‘See how gorgeous and sophisticated you look? No one’d ever guess you were only fifteen. And check that figure you’ve been hiding.’
Blushing again, Holly stared at herself. Suzie was right about her looking older, and the dress caressed curves she hadn’t realized were there, giving definition to her waist and hips, and the illusion of larger breasts. Her legs looked good, too, the heels lending tone to her calf muscles.
‘I’m going to take some pictures,’ Suzie said, slipping her phone out of her pocket and looking around thoughtfully before perching on the dressing table stool. ‘Right, sit like this,’ she said, placing her elbows on the dresser top and resting her chin on her hands. She gazed up at the ceiling and held the pose for couple of seconds, then looked at Holly. ‘Got that?’
‘Er, yeah, I think so,’ Holly said, feeling awkward again. She’d never liked having her photo taken, and she especially didn’t like being made to pose.
After manipulating Holly into the correct position and tilting her head up, Suzie took a series of shots from behind before moving to the side and zooming in on her face. Then she snapped some shots of Holly’s reflection in the mirror.
‘I knew you’d be photogenic, but these are gorgeous,’ she said, scrolling through the images when she’d finished.
She turned the phone round and showed Holly one of the side-profile close-ups in which Holly had been gazing up at the ceiling with an ethereal expression on her face. Smiling when Holly studied the image, she said, ‘Told you you’d be perfect, so what d’you say? Will you be my test model while I learn how to use my camera properly? We could make it a regular Saturday-night thing, if you’re up for it? Dinner and a photo shoot.’
Tempted by the thought of spending regular time with her new friend, but nervous at the thought of anyone else ever seeing the photos, Holly said, ‘I’m not sure.’
‘No pressure, it’s totally up to you,’ Suzie said, slipping the phone into her pocket and handing a pack of wet wipes to her. ‘But will you at least think about it?’
Holly nodded, and Suzie said, ‘Thanks, hon. Now clean yourself up and get changed while I go and load these onto my laptop.’ She patted her pocket. Then, smiling, she said, ‘I’m so glad you came over tonight. It’s been lovely getting to know you, and even if you decide you
