My head shook as Anne tried convincing me that maybe Harry and that girl, Jane, would break up soon anyway. I knew she was just saying that to make me feel better- I mean, the way they looked at each other was enough to make my stomach turn to knots.

"Besides," she insisted. "He gave you a free tattoo!"

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous."

I swung my legs off the couch, my head leaving Anne's lap as she sighed in annoyance.

"Wait!" She yanked my head back.

"Ow!"

"What if you make a Tinder?" She began. "You'd get loads of guys, Selene."

Making an online dating profile was beyond what I had in mind to meet new people. "Nope, no way. That doesn't sound like a good idea. What if he turns out to be someone else? Anne there are literally so many things that could go wrong with that."

"I know a trick or two. Trust me," she scoffed. "You're good."

"Even if you could one-hundred-percent guarantee me that nothing was going to go wrong, I want to meet new people the old fashion way."

"Dude-" she protested. "That has gotten you no where. You're here, on a couch, complaining about a guy with a girlfriend. What is up with people being hungover someone they just met? Like, I was trying to be supportive, but in all seriousness, you know nothing of this guy except that he's a hot tattoo artist and has a very alluring accent."

I gave her a pointed look, "What else do you need?"

She rolled her eyes, "I need you to get boned."

"Anne!" I gasped at her bluntness. Although, it shouldn't come as a surprise after our five years of friendship, two of those years having shared the same living space.

"Girl, please," she begged. "You don't even have to put in your exact location. No harm no foul. Nothing has to come out of it except that you proved to yourself that you could get out there and fuck anyone you want. This could be more of self-esteem boost if you will, before going out, the old fashion way- " queue her eyeroll. "And finding someone in person."

I thought about her proposal. As much as I wanted to say no, there was something nagging me at the back of my mind. I looked down at the small tattoo.

With great reluctance, I agreed.

***

"You cannot put that as my bio."

Anne laughed as she rolled to the other side of my bed with my charging phone in hand. "It's okay to put yourself out there. Besides, it makes you sound like you have a sense of humour. An area you truly lack in, but they don't have to know right away."

My face planted on the pillow as I groaned.

"Fine," Anne mocked. I looked up to see her fingers flying over the keyboard. "There."

Her arm reached out for me to see the new bio she had created: I'm not too shy to show you... I got no regrets

Well, this is as good as it's gonna get. I nodded and she smiled brightly.

"Now for a picture," she clicked home screen and began to search through my photos. I didn't have anything personal, and all my embarrassing moments had been mostly seen by her, so it really didn't matter. "Seriously, not one good selfie."

"Hey," I frowned.

Her head shook in disbelief as she got up from the bed. "Get over here, we're taking you a picture."

"Anne. I am wearing an oversized shirt and I haven't gotten into the shower yet."

"So? It's the naturally beauty we want here."

Her foot tapped impatiently against my carpet. I couldn't really hear it, but I got the point. After some thinking, she unplugged my phone and gestured for me to follow her back to our living room.

Anne picked up some makeup products, as I took a seat on the couch, and applied a variety of shades on small parts of my face before settling on the warm ones.

Then, she coated my eyelashes with mascara and my lips with a soft coloured lipstick. Looking around, she picked a spot in the living room close to the window before telling me to stand there.

I knew better than to question Anne. When we were trying to make Liam jealous one night, after he kept ignoring her, we threw a fake party and struggled for hours to take Anne the right picture to post up for him to see. When it comes to taking a good picture, it's best not protest with her.

Anne studied me carefully as I awkwardly stood against the boring coloured wall. "Turn around and put your chin on your shoulder- face the light from the window though. We don't want to use the flash, sunlight gives it that natural glow," she ordered thoughtfully after a while. I obliged and hesitantly looked at her. "Now, with your right hand, place it near your chin- Oh! Kind of like in a thoughtful way, but more so as if you're trying, but not trying."

"What does that even mean?"

"Jesus," Anne mumbled, making me feel as if her suggestion was easy to follow and it was just me being clueless. "Here," she damn near snapped my neck as she put me in the pose that she conjured up in her head, her hand straighting my hair down. "Now, don't look at me, look at your bra on the floor. The one you haven't picked up yet."

Trying my hardest not to laugh, I did as she told, straining my back and neck for the sake of this damn picture. I heard a quick snap- five more following after some shuffling. I straightened back up as soon as she gave a hum of approval.

"Oh wow, it's actually not bad," I admired.

"Uh, yeah. Better than all those chin selfies."

She finished putting in the rest of the information, being careful not to add my real location and instead, type in a city not too far from here. "All done!"

I took the phone from her hand and nervously looked at my profile.

____****____

FICTIONAL CHARACTER: an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

Now that you guys know what that means, can you please stop giving me crap for Anne? Yes. She's a fucking ignorant asshole. But don't tell me you don't know anyone who doesn't make any remarks as shitty as Anne. Because I wouldn't believe you.

Obviously I don't agree with what she says like 80 percent of the time. But Anne is a fucking character that juxtaposes Selene.

Now, I do apologize if it came off insensitive and as if that's what I believe. Cause of course I don't! That's what writing's about. The bad and the good. The good and the bad.

Again, my apologies for it coming across that way, even though people should know when it's a character speaking- especially if it's fucking Anne.

Again, don't take it up the butt and just enjoy the story for what it is... A STORY.

Much love xx

- M.D.R.