Accompanying soundtrack: Kirsty MacColl – "In These Shoes?"
Morning arrived and Jen got up to find H had already gone to work.
'I don't know how she does it' Jen muttered to herself, looking for some tablets, knowing she shouldn't drink on a school night. She made a coffee and some toast and put on some clean clothes. Jen had at least half a dozen sets of clothes at H's as she ended up staying over far too often. 'Good job too, can't have the kids seeing me in the same outfit as yesterday' as she threw on a jacket.
Jen was an Art teacher at a local comprehensive. She'd been here a year after leaving Chester following the whole Tilly situation. Whilst Hollyoaks Sixth Form hadn't found out about their relationship, it was just too hard to stay there and face the rumours and inquisitions from people like Diane. Instead she'd just made a clean break of it and moved back to Manchester. Just far enough to put Chester out of her mind, and back to where she grew up. It felt safe, reliable, and more importantly, she was closer to her best friend H.
Jen had never considered getting together with H. H was too much of a free spirit for Jen to ever be able to be comfortable with. They worked perfectly as best friends and there was no point in ever risking that. When they met there was an instant connection with their friendship which seemed unlikely because they were quite opposite in many ways, but it worked because in others they were identical. H always wanted to get herself into trouble, whether by accident or by design. Jen was her sensible conscience, who quite often found herself on the outskirts of her own comfort zone trying to reign in her rebel-rousing partner in crime.
The day dragged slowly, and it was a full day of lessons without a break. Almost too tired by the time the last school bell finally rang, Jen wondered what was on the menu tonight. It was Friday so the chances of H not having a date already were slim. Normally she'd have flaked, but the desire to forget the working day with drinks and her best friend was easily a winner.
"What are you doing tonight?" Jen texted H.
"That depends what on offer" came a swift reply.
"Let's go out, H. Try and meet real people instead of pixels on a screen. Teach me some of your carefree 'dating' skills and let's see what happens."
"You're on, Gilmore, but God help you if you cramp my style. I've got a reputation to uphold you know".
"Meet you at 9, usual place".
Jen smiled to herself, 'Let's watch the master at work and see what happens'.