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‘Alright,’ said Anna, defensive. ‘It wasn’t meant as a patriarchal dig, girls can get in fights too you know?’
‘We’re far more vicious as well,’ interjected Elsie.
Tom nodded. ‘Fair enough, I concede the point.’
‘I once cut off a girl’s ponytail,’ admitted Elsie quietly.
‘No,’ said Anna, astonished.
‘She pissed me off,’ she shrugged.
‘Fucking hell, start edging towards the door Tom,’ laughed Anna, whispering. ‘We need to get out of here. I don’t have a ponytail for her to cut off.’
Elsie giggled with shame. ‘I got in so much trouble.’
‘Were you at school?’
Elsie nodded.
‘That’s awful.’
‘I know.’
‘Is it my turn?’ said Tom, leaning forward. ‘I’ve got a good one.’
‘Oh crap,’ said Anna, looking at him fearfully as she took a bite.
‘Never have I ever…’ he paused for dramatic effect, turning his attention on his wife. ‘Shoplifted.’
Anna burst into laughter. ‘You’re such a dick,’ she drank as she admonished her husband with a piercing glare, but as she turned back she noticed that Elsie was blushing too and she pointed in surprise as her new friend slowly lifted her glass, bit her lip in guilt, and then drank.
‘Elsie,’ said Cole, shocked, his mouth falling open as he looked sideways at her.
‘I’m sorry,’ she squeaked, shrinking into her chair and hiding her face in shame.
‘This sounds good,’ said Anna, thankful for the distraction. ‘Violence and shoplifting, you are quite the catch.’
‘I was on a school trip to a museum. Before we left we were allowed to go into the gift shop and spend some of our money.’
Anna gasped as Elsie continued. ‘A museum? You stole from a museum? There’s a very particular archaeologist with a bullwhip coming for you.’
‘There was this rock, it was one of those ones that’s like a split open triangle? And it has all the purple crystals inside?’
‘An amethyst cathedral geode,’ nodded Anna as she shrugged. ‘I’m a geology nerd.’
‘Oh good,’ laughed Elsie. ‘Now I have a name for my shame. Anyway, I was standing there in the shop, looking at this rock and thinking it’s so beautiful, but it’s fifteen quid. All I have is ten, and I’m thinking to myself. It’s just a rock. So I look around, and before I know what I’m doing, I’ve put it into my pocket. This thing was huge. I had to pull my school jumper right down over it and swing my bag round off my shoulder to hide it. I felt so bad, but it was such a rush.’
‘Did you do it again?’ asked Anna.
Elsie looked across at her husband, and then down at her food, before nodding.
‘A few more times… It escalated a little. Then I got caught by my friend’s mum. I was grounded for weeks, my dad was so upset and so disappointed in me. I’ve never felt so awful in all my life. I confessed everything and he made me write letters of apology to all of the shops and return everything I’d stolen. If it was sweets, then I had to pay for them. It was awful, but it was the right thing to do. The museum wrote back to me and thanked me for my honesty - which again just made me feel terrible - and they actually sent me another rock just like the first one. My dad put it on the mantelpiece in the lounge. I think it was meant as some sort of totem of shame.’
‘I had no idea,’ said Cole, shaking his head. ‘It’s like I don’t even know you at all.’
‘I know,’ she laughed, biting her lip in embarrassment, her eyes wide.
‘Good grief. Right. Come on, Cole’s up next,’ said Anna, practically jumping up and down on her chair, apparently desperate to move on. ‘Wait, hang on. I’m sorry, I’m far too hot in these.’
