Class Mates

"While you're sitting there, waiting for me, I think it might be time for another fag, Bex. What do you think?"

No enthusiasm in her voice: "I'd love a fag, Courtney."

Rebecca sulked as she lit up another cigarette, the pack and the lighter both already in her pocket, and she watched as Courtney got ready. It was a black tracksuit for Courtney, and she made up her hair and face in much the same way as her posh rival. And somehow, in the middle of preparation, she found the time to sneak out her phone and take a crafty photo of Rebecca on the bed.

"What the fuck was that?" Rebecca demanded. She was shocked that she swore, but less shocked than yesterday - somehow, the situation made swearing a little easier.

"That's for me," she grinned, "a little record of how you're changing. Hell, if you want, I'll send them to you too when this weekend is done - in case you want to embrace being the slutty bitch you actually are."

"Yeah, that'll happen."

Courtney didn't respond. She snorted with derision and a hint of delight at the comment - she knew that Rebecca would be eating her words when this weekend was through. For now, she finished getting ready to go - it didn't take long. She pulled her own trainers on, and looked to her companion.

"Right," Courtney smirked as she popped a cigarette of her own into her mouth, "it's time to go to town. On your fucking feet, Bex."

It was a short walk to the bus stop, and Rebecca hated standing there. Last night, at least it was all private - sure, she had to go to the shop, but it was night in an area where no-one knew her. But this - this was something else. Somehow, for the first time all weekend, this felt different. This was no longer a warped dream, like some fantasy that Rebecca was watching as if from a distance that she could pretend was happening to someone else.

This was awful and somehow strangely exciting at the same time. And most of all, this was real.

***

They arrived in town about twenty minutes later, but it felt like so much longer to Rebecca.

Courtney had insisted that they both sit at the back of the bus, chat loudly and make their presence known. They put their feet up on the seat and Courtney screamed obscenities for no-one in particular - both girls got lots of furious looks from the other passengers, and it was clear this was what the chav girl was hoping for.

They got off the bus, and Courtney lit up.

"Let's have a fag first, Bex."

She took a drag from her cigarette, and then placed it in Rebecca's mouth.

"You can finish it off, Bex - I'm sure you fucking want it."

Rebecca simply stared at Courtney, and didn't speak until she finished it.

"Fine, what now?"

"You just going to carry that?" Courtney said, pointing at the finished cigarette in Rebecca's hand.

"And what am I meant to do with it?"

"Drop it," Courtney looked at her like she was brain-dead. "What the fuck do you think?"

Rebecca hesitated - she'd never littered before, and it was hard to do it now. But she did - she dropped the butt onto the pavement, and watched as Courtney stamped on it.

"Fuck me, you can be fucking difficult, Bex."

Rebecca folded her arms, annoyed at Courtney's passive-aggression.

"Look, I don't care what you think, Courtney. Just tell me where we're going, and let's get out of here."

"Hmm, you're in such a hurry, Bex," she mocked her. "Fortunately for you, we're already fucking here, so you can stop being such a stroppy bitch."

She pointed at a shop behind Rebecca, who turned and looked in horror.

Oh no, not here.

Trampstamp was a local brand - it was a general clothing store to an extent, but it specialised in the kinds of outfits that Courtney and her chav crew usually wore. Cheap, nasty, revealing - the stuff you'd buy for a couple of quid, and still feel overcharged on the amount of fabric. It was not a place Rebecca had ever visited, but she knew its pieces well - she'd belittled Courtney often enough for wearing their stuff.

As she'd often said, deliberately to cause maximum upset, it took a real tramp to wear Trampstamp.

Inside the shop, the first room was basic clothes - men's, women's, children's - and then a doorway led to the 'trampy' section. The pictures that decorated the walls, young women barely dressed, didn't fill Rebecca with much hope.

Almost instinctively, Rebecca gravitated towards the women's section, and the kind of summer dresses and respectable outfits she would have worn at a summer party. This should have been comforting - surrounding herself in the pretence of respectability - but it somehow felt wrong to her. A girl like her shouldn't be wearing something like this, should she? Wait, what had she thought? Not a girl like me - a girl like the girl I'm pretending to be. There's a difference, and I need to make sure I remember it.

"What are you doing over there, Bex?" Courtney shouted from the trampy section. "You trying to dress like a fucking nun or something?" She didn't respond immediately. "Bex, get the fuck over here - I've found something that'll look perfect on you."

Rebecca was strangely excited to wander over and have a look at the outfit - perhaps, if she had the option to choose what she'd wear, things wouldn't be so bad.

But, for the moment, they were - Courtney had chosen a shiny black PVC miniskirt and a bra top that barely covered anything. She held it up against her own body, and thank goodness for that - on their own, they were so flimsy, she doubted she'd even have recognised them as clothes at all.

"No," she shook her head, "god, no. Not those."

"What's the problem?" Courtney raised an eyebrow. "These are perfect for you."

Despite herself, Rebecca laughed.

"What? You need to flash the flesh, Bex - how else are you going to find a boy to fuck you?"

Rebecca didn't bother arguing back - it wasn't worth causing a scene in the middle of a crowded shop - but she certainly wasn't going to let anyone fuck her. Courtney could make her do a lot of things, but that definitely wasn't going to happen, and there's no way she could make her.

Courtney simply shrugged her shoulders, and put the clothing back on the rack.

"Don't you worry, Bex - there's tons of stuff here. We'll find an outfit that makes you look like the fucking slutty skanky bitch you really are."

Rebecca meekly nodded.

They tried a few more outfits, and Rebecca found fault with all of them. Courtney threw the last outfit - a backless pink bodycon dress - to the floor, and folded her arms as she glared at Rebecca.

"I'm fucking bored of you, Bex - are you even fucking trying? Go and pick something out, then - find a better outfit by yourself."

In truth, Courtney's annoyance was feigned - she knew they were leaving here with a new outfit for her companion, no matter what happened, and she'd choose it if she had to. But if Rebecca chose her clothing, she could rub it in her smug face later.

Rebecca wandered off and perused the shelves on her own, eventually opting for a dress she thought she'd get away with for this party. It was silver, boasting a plunging neckline and she expected it wouldn't reach very far down her legs - far from the kind of thing she'd usually wear, but it was far better than all the options Courtney had put forward. And she was delighted when Courtney gave her a nod of approval.

"I like that," she said, "you'll look fucking good in that, bitch."

Courtney asked what size Rebecca was - after she received an answer, she flicked through the clothes rack looking at the sizes. She chose one a size below Rebecca's - the smaller it looked, the sluttier her companion would look, and that would be perfect.

"You need some shoes too, Bex - some good fuck-me shoes."

They wandered to the shoe section of the store, and this time, Rebecca never even stopped at the demure flats and the casual shoes she'd normally tended towards. With the dress in mind, she knew exactly what kind of footwear Courtney would be thinking of - she headed for the boots and the heels.

"How about these?" Rebecca asked, holding up a pair of silver ankle boots. They'd have gone perfectly with the dress, but Courtney pulled a face - these were clearly a no.

"How about fuck off?" Courtney said. "There's no fucking heel on them, Bex - you want to tell the boys you're game, you need a heel." She looked about, and spied something she liked. "Wear something like this - this is what a skank like you should wear, Bex."

The pair of shoes Courtney held in her head were gladiator heels - silver again, knee-high, and with a four-inch heel. Rebecca never wore anything like this - indeed, she didn't know if she'd ever worn anything higher than two inches, and that was very rare indeed. But, looking at the other options on the shelves - stripper boots, and heels so high she knew that she'd never manage to walk in them - she feared that this was about the best choice. They'd certainly suit the dress, at least.

"I like those, Courtney."

She supposed that she could learn to live with the heel - how hard could it be?

"You only like them, Bex? That doesn't sound too fucking positive, does it?"

"Fine," she sighed, "I fucking love them - you happy?"

"Good," Courtney smiled, especially as she'd anticipated a lot more resistance, "I thought you might actually love them. You've got some fashion sense, then - you're not completely a thick fucker, Bex."

Courtney dumped the silver dress, the shoes and a pile of her own clothing choices in Rebecca's arms. Rebecca had a quick look, but she couldn't make out what any of the items were, nor what was in the bag or jewellery and other assorted items. No doubt she'd find out later today.

"You're paying," she said, no argument. "Spend some of that fucking money on something good for a change. You'll thank me later."

---

"Right, here we are, Bex," Courtney said. "Last stop of the day, and then we can go home."

The posh girl's eyes opened wide at their destination, and she almost dropped the bags of clothes in her hands - it was a tanning salon. On rare occasions, Courtney and a few of her chavvy posse would come to school on a Friday looking glowing orange - if they didn't have time after school to go to a party, they'd just apply a bit of 'fakey-bake' the night before and they didn't give a damn. Rebecca didn't approve, and she was open about it - just like the situation with the nails, she pushed for the chav girls to be punished for it.

And, just like the situation with the nails, it was clear that Courtney kept it in mind, ready to take her revenge.

"Stop," Rebecca said, horror etched on her face, "I can't go in there."

"Why not?" Courtney smirked. "You need a fag first?"

Rebecca scowled a little, and she took what she thought was a cue from her companion to light up. In truth, Courtney hadn't intended it at all, but she was delighted that Rebecca was starting to smoke of her own volition - that made things a lot easier.

"It's not that," Rebecca said as she took a drag, "I don't want a fake tan."

"Oh, you don't, do you? Well, too fucking bad. You're not showing up at that party later, looking like some fucking pale skank - you're gonna get some fakey-bake, and you're gonna fucking like it, bitch."

Rebecca wanted to argue.

"Or don't - I don't give a fuck. You can turn up at that party looking like Rebecca if you want - let everyone know what a posh bitch looks like when she's slumming it. They'll see just how fucking low you can sink. Then it's bye-bye Oxbridge, isn't it? Or do you wanna do as you're fucking told, Bex?"

Courtney didn't raise her voice once - she knew she was completely in charge, and she knew Rebecca knew it too.

After she finished her cigarette, Rebecca followed Courtney into the salon.

---

They emerged from the salon, Rebecca newly bright orange and hating it, and she didn't think her day could get any worse.

As she and Courtney turned the corner, Rebecca clutching the shopping bags and dangling a cigarette from her lips, they encountered a familiar face - Holly Sheridan.

On any other day, Rebecca would have been delighted to see her. Holly was a girl from her clique - smart, well-off, pretty, more than happy to join her in looking down her nose at Courtney and the others. They were friendly - not friends, and not overly close - they could hang out, chatting and working together, but Rebecca knew she'd lose touch with her when she went off to Oxbridge and better things.

On a normal day, they'd exchange a few pleasantries and that would be that. She didn't usually have too much time for Holly.

But this wasn't a normal day.

She lowered her head, hoping perhaps that Holly wouldn't see her. Courtney noticed it, and it made her smirk a little bit. When she'd seen Holly, she thought that it would be fun to cause a scene - when she'd noticed Rebecca's reaction, that thought became a certainty. She had to do this.

"What are you doing in town, bitch?" Courtney shouted as she sauntered over to Holly. "I didn't know that you fucked around in town with us peasants."

Holly rolled her eyes when she saw Courtney. Rebecca knew the gesture well - she often employed it herself. She followed Courtney, but tried to remain a few steps behind just to be safe.

"Courtney," Holly said, her tone unimpressed. "What do you want?"

"Fucking charming as ever, Holly," Courtney said. She was now essentially face-to-face with Holly, who tried to cut around her and end the conversation there and then. Courtney was too quick for her, cutting her off every time she dove for freedom. She didn't put up too much of a fight - she stood still and folded her arms, looking at the chav girl with frustration.

"Look, Courtney, I get enough of this at school - could you just go away?"

"Don't be such a bitch, Holly," Courtney smirked, evidently having fun with the situation. "I don't want to bother you - I just want to introduce you to a friend of mine. Get over here, bitch."

Rebecca had been standing a few steps behind, watching with admittedly some degree of amusement, but on hearing that command, she suddenly froze. In all honesty, she knew it was coming, but she'd hoped just a little that Courtney wouldn't make her do it - make her confront her friend.

She didn't move.

Courtney turned and face her, annoyance in her tone but a sly grin on her face: "Stop fucking about, Bex. Didn't you hear the posh bitch - she hasn't got all fucking day!"

Somehow, she managed to kick some life into her legs, and she sauntered over. She wasn't feeling confident at all - far from it - but she'd seen Courtney move like that, and Rebecca certainly didn't. All that mattered at this moment was Holly not recognising who she was, and that meant affecting any mannerism or gesture she could to not give away her identity.

She had to be Bex.

"Holly, this is Bex."

Rebecca stood there, a little bit of worry on her face as Holly looked at her. It was a casual glance at first, but she must have seen something - after she looked back to Courtney for a second, she returned her gaze to Rebecca. This was not good - Rebecca needed to do something.

"What the fuck are you looking at, bitch?" Rebecca said, putting on a scummy accent (again her imitation of Courtney) in order to disguise her own posh voice. "I'm not a fucking zoo animal."

Holly wasn't shocked - she'd heard language like that from Courtney and her gang before. Hell, both she and Rebecca had heard it before - Rebecca had never thought that she'd be the one dishing it out, pretending to be one of Courtney's lackeys.

The posh girl looked to Courtney: "Who is this? I know all your chavvy little friends, and I don't know her."

"Is that any of your fucking business?" Rebecca threw the response back. "Courtney, who the fuck is this?

Courtney smirked as she answered: "Some bitch from my school who thinks she can look down her fucking nose at everyone."

As Courtney spoke, Rebecca pulled a cigarette from the packet in her pocket and lit up. She took a deep drag, removed the smoke from her mouth and then exhaled pointedly, blowing the smoke towards Holly. The posh girl reacted just as Rebecca would have done just a few days ago - she made a face, and started coughing far more than necessary to make a point.

"God, that's disgusting," Holly said. "Why don't you stop smoking - it'd be good for your health, you know."

"Yeah?" Rebecca was getting into character now. "Well, why do you fuck off?"

Rebecca and Courtney couldn't help but laugh as Holly finally pushed past and stormed off. Rebecca was trembling - she'd got caught up in the moment, and she couldn't quite believe what she'd done. The nerves had completely gone - adrenalin was coursing through her veins. It was so - well - exciting. She'd loved it. She hadn't loved anything since she'd been trapped with Courtney, but this was enjoyable - she'd loved being Bex and throwing some uncensored thoughts at Holly.

She raised her shaking hand to her mouth and took another drag from her cigarette. As she inhaled, she was conscious that Courtney was smirking at her.

"I don't what that was, bitch, but I fucking loved it. Good to see you're finally fucking onboard, Bex."

She exhaled, and felt strangely serene.

"Come on, Bex, we've got a bus to catch. And a party to get ready for. You're going to get so fucked."

And, at that moment, for the first time all weekend, that didn't seem too unpleasant a prospect.

***

The bus ride back to the estate was nothing like the one there. After the encounter with Holly, many of Rebecca's reservations no longer mattered to her - she'd got away with being Bex, and she'd had fun in the process. It had given her an opportunity to unbutton, and to be brutally honest with her friend for the first time in her life, and she'd loved it.

Before, she'd been sitting there, looking nervous and dreading what Courtney would make her do. But now, she realised that Courtney hadn't made her do any of it - she'd been Bex in town because she wanted to be. Because Bex was best. So she sat, feeling her usual arrogant confidence, not caring how she looked or who she was with, because it didn't fucking matter.

Courtney was being malicious, sure, but she'd also helped Rebecca find a side of her she never even knew was there before.

A side of her that she liked.

Sure, she wasn't going to do any of this stuff once the weekend was over, and once Courtney had given her the incriminating evidence back, but that didn't mean she couldn't have fun being Bex while it lasted.

So, as Courtney had fun throwing out swear-filled comments about the people they passed on the bus, Rebecca decided to try and join in.

"You see that fucker there?" Courtney pointed at a large, grimy-looking man.

"What?" Bex replied. "The fat fucker?"

"You got it," the chav girl smiled. "Fucking pervert, he is. Used to go around, flashing his little knob at all the girls - disgusting."

"What did you do?"

"What do you reckon? We fucked him up, told him we'd cut it off unless he fucking learned his lesson. And you know - the bastard stopped."

Something in the way she said it made Bex laugh. It was the strangest thing, but she liked the story - for so long, she'd preached female empowerment, and here was the best example of it she'd ever heard. The more she learned about Courtney, the more she realised that they weren't quite so different after all - not in the ways that counted, anyway.

They were joking together, laughing together, having fun together. When she arrived not even 24 hours ago, Rebecca had hated the idea of this weekend - but now, embracing Bex, she'd realised that she was honestly enjoying herself.