Bored stiff, Sophie picked up the remote and flicked through the channels; discovering there was nothing on worth watching, she sighed, dropped it back on the coffee table and slumped back on the sofa. Babysitting on a Saturday night wasn't exactly the twenty year olds idea of fun, but Dylan was always well behaved and she didn't mind helping out Janice, her Mum's best friend. They had been friends ever since Sophie and her parents Claire and Robert moved in across the road almost twelve years ago.
Janice was a little younger than Claire, somewhere around early thirties. That night she had gone to meet up with someone she had found on a dating website, which was why Sophie was on babysitting duty. Janice had decided it was time to move on since she had split up with Dylan's father almost two years ago; although Sophie didn't hold out much hope for her, the last two she had met online turned out to be disasters so there was no reason to think this one would be any different.
"Hmm, quarter to twelve, she should be back in a bit," she muttered to herself. Sure enough, a few minutes later she heard the key turning in the front door.
"Hiya love," Janice smiled, flopping down in the armchair, "was he good for you?"
"Yeah he was fine, I let him watch the TV 'til eight and then put him to bed at half past."
"Oh good."
"Come on then, what was he like?" Sophie asked eagerly.
"Oh God!" Janice groaned, "It was a bloody nightmare, I'll just get the wine from the fridge."
"Oh, okay."
Getting the wine, Janice poured two glasses and handed one to the young redhead.
"So come on, tell all, what was his name again?"
"Dean, you remember I showed you a picture of him."
"Oh, him; he was a bit younger than you wasn't he?" Sophie smiled, raising her eyebrows.
"Twenty two; I knew I was taking a risk with someone that young," she groaned, taking a sip from her glass.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, do you remember me saying that he liked cars?"
"Yeah."
"Well tonight I found out how much."
"Oh right, go on."
"Well I left here at seven didn't I? And he said he'd pick me up at the top of the road, right?"
"Right."
"Well I'm bloody glad he picked me up there rather than here."
"Why?" asked Sophie, bemused.
"You ought to have seen the thing he turned up in; some souped up thing covered in stickers with a stupid wing thing on the back, honestly it looked like one of Dylan's Hot Wheels."
"Oh my God," the young girl sniggered.
"Oh and get this, he only asked me to take my fucking shoes off before I got in!" Janice scowled, finishing her drink and pouring herself another.
"You're kidding! What a twat."
"I know, and that's not the worst of it; you'll never guess where he took me."
"Where?"
"To a bloody car park on an industrial estate!"
"A car park? What the hell for?"
"It was one of those cruise things where they all turn up in their jazzed up cars and thrash them up and down the road. I tell you I felt a right tit; there's me all dressed up thinking we would be going to a nice restaurant or a club and I end up standing in a freezing car park watching these knob-heads race about like they're in fast and furious!" Janice ranted, rolling her eyes.
"Oh brilliant!" Sophie laughed, "Anything else?"
"Oh yeah; on the way back we got a pizza and then he tried to talk me into parking up in Stanthorne Lane for a 'chat', as he put it."
"Ohhh yeah?" Sophie smirked, "so what did you say?"
"I told him I couldn't and that I had to get back because I had an early start in the morning; so he dropped me off at the end of the road and that was it."
"So I take it you won't be seeing him again then?" the young redhead giggled.
"You must be bloody joking! If taking me to a boy racer's convention and then buying a manky pizza is his idea of a date, he needn't think he's getting into my knickers!" the brunette huffed, folding her arms.
"Jan!" Sophie shrieked, spitting her wine everywhere as she burst out laughing.
"Well, what a cheap bastard! It might have worked with the other girlies he's been with, but I'm thirty two for fuck sake!"
"So, are you going to keep searching or are you going to leave it for a while?"
"Bollocks to it," Janice sighed, "I think I'll give it a miss for a bit."
"I think that might be best," Sophie giggled, topping up their glasses.
As they sat chatting, Sophie discreetly cast her eyes over her friend, smiling to herself as she imagined her standing there in a car park all dressed up in her best black dress and heels. Janice was a very striking looking woman with a tall, slender figure and long legs. Her long flowing hair was dark, almost black, contrasting sharply with her pale ivory skin and her sharp facial features were further complimented by her beautiful piercing blue eyes. Sophie had always thought she was very attractive, although she had never actually told her.
She on the other hand was a rather plain looking girl. She was quite short and a little overweight with chunky thighs, big boobs and a curvy bum. Her reddish brown hair was cut short and spiky on top with the fringe dyed blonde, a style which didn't really suit her soft rounded features with her sweet smile and warm brown eyes. Dressed in her usual black leggings and a blue baggy jumper, she could not be more of a contrast to Janice.
"Anyway, are you still with Lee?" asked Janice as she went to get another bottle from the fridge.
"No, we split up."
"Oh, sorry love," Janice smiled apologetically.
"It's okay," the young girl shrugged, "he was a bit of a dick anyway."
"Huh, neither of us is having much luck at the moment are we?" Janice sighed, topping up their glasses.
"Nope."
Getting together with Lee had been a bad idea from the start but thankfully it didn't last long. Like most of the other lads on the estate, he was immature and only interested in one thing, well, that and getting stoned. When one night she turned down his advances, he called her a 'fat little dyke' and stormed off. He called her later to apologise, she told him to fuck off and that was the end of that. Since then, she had decided to take a break from lads, relationships and all that crap. As the wine flowed, along with the laughter, both of them were starting to feel more than a little woozy.
"Bloody hell Janice! How strong is this stuff?" Sophie giggled, flopping down on the sofa next to her.
"Dunno," the older woman shrugged, "but it seems to be doing the trick. God; that has got to be one of the crappiest dates I've ever been on."
"Twat! then again, aren't they all?" Sophie slurred, giggling as she topped up her glass yet again.
"Quite right babe, bollocks to the lot of them!"
Leaning over, Janice clinked her glass against Sophie's. Just for a split second, their eyes met and a strange sensation jolted through both of them. Smiling awkwardly, Sophie looked down at the coffee table and gave a long sigh.
"I suppose I'd better get going in a minute, Mum will be wondering where I am," she said quietly as she gently ran her finger round the rim of her glass.
