Sweetest Thing by Natasha West

said and ran off. Jodie sat down on a chair several over from Robyn. ‘Hi,’ she said coolly, crossing her legs and picking up a baking magazine from a pile sat on a table. ‘Hello,’ Robyn said, unsurely. Jodie flicked a page in her magazine, quite set on ignoring her. But Robyn had been instructed to make chit chat and she wanted to satisfy the instruction. ‘So, are you…’ she began. Jodie gave a short sigh and closed the magazine. ‘Yes? Robyn wished she’d never opened her trap, but it was too late now. ‘Err, I was going to ask if you were nervous about today?’ Jodie raised an eyebrow and gave a small, sneering laugh. ‘Why would I be nervous?’ Robyn was so confounded by that question; she couldn’t begin to summon an answer. How did you show up to a huge televised competition and not feel at least something in the way of nerves? ‘Oh, I don’t… Never mind.’ ‘I take it you are, then?’ Jodie said, flicking her magazine back over, not overly interested in Robyn’s answer. ‘A bit,’ Robyn lied. Her entire body was coated in a fine layer of sweat from the neck downwards. Jodie didn’t reply. Robyn found herself developing the beginnings of dislike toward her fellow contestant. They’d only been talking for half a minute, and she’d made Robyn feel like some hysteric, simply by virtue of the fact that she wasn’t some sort of unfeeling sociopath who exhibited the emotional range of a cucumber. Unlike some. The door opened again, and a motherly type was tossed in. ‘This is Dorothy!’ announced t