My town’s weird. Anyone who’s lived here since birth gets a tattoo on their 18th birthday. Not the kind you get to choose. Or the kind you ask to get. You’ll wake up on your 18th birthday with a tattoo on the inside of your wrist and it tells you what your soulmate will first say to you after your birthday. It’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m so scared. What if I don’t get a tattoo. That’s happened before, to Molly. She’s my best friend who’s a year older than me and I had to watch her go through the excitement of getting a tattoo and then the pain of waking up with nothing there. It was horrible and I feel so bad for her considering that no one will date her now because they know she doesn’t have a tattoo. Poor Molly.

Two hours until midnight. That’s when my tattoo would appear. My roommate Joe was already in bed asleep but I couldn’t sleep due to the worry and all the thoughts in my head. I’ve only had three boyfriends in my lifetime and obviously none of them were my soulmate. I’m imagining him to be the best boyfriend ever. I can’t even describe him but trust me, my soulmate will be pretty fit if he’s my soulmate. No weirdo’s like Joe. I mean he’s nice and all and pretty good looking but no way would we be soulmates. We don’t like any of the same things. Actually…

I must’ve fallen asleep because when I woke up light was shining through the crack in my cheap curtains we got from the charity shop. It’s hard having no money and being 17. Wait. I’m 18 now. Even though I had a tattoo in my sleep it wasn’t sore, I didn’t even notice it at first but there on my wrist was a tiny quote. “Morning Bella Boo want a bacon sandwich?” Bella boo? Who the hell calls me Bella Boo? I wouldn’t even let someone call me Bella Boo. Although bacon is my favourite. Especially in the mornings on cheap, fluffy white bread with loads of ketchup oozing out the sides. Yum. Just then Joe walks in. “Morning Bella Boo want a bacon sandwich?” WHAT...The...FUCK? “WHAT THE FUCK JOE?” He looked as surprised as I did. “NO WAY.” “Um. Joe? What does your tattoo say? He’d never shown me before. He’s had it for three days and I hadn’t managed to get a glimpse of it. “What the fuck.” “Yeah I know you’re confused but what does it say?” “It says what the fuck?” It had to be a joke. No way could Joe be my soulmate. We’ve been best friends for 16 years. How could it be that my best friend is my soulmate. The person I’m supposed to be with for the rest of my life. I wasn’t even his type. The kind of girls he brings home from his work are manky. At first I thought one of them was a prossy. Bleached hair, fishnet tights, short skirt. Turns out she was a model for a clothing brand called “Explicit”. Well it was definitely what it said it was that’s for sure. I was surprised her ass wasn’t hanging out that skirt. Technically it was. I definitely saw one of those ass cheeks. The other girl he brought home looked really sweet. She had brown hair in bunches and chubby cheeks and glasses. Looked about fourteen to be honest. I became quite good friends with her as she was always round ours. Oh god was I wrong. She was a stuck up little bitch. Joe didn’t see it for a long time which annoyed me. It all started when I invited her out for coffee with me. Just me and her. Some girly time and I could give her some advice on Joe considering I’d known him almost all my life. She arrived twenty minutes late with her a complete mess. 

“Cycled here?” I asked an innocent question because I’d seen her cycling a lot and just assumed that’s how she got here. “No I was busy with your Fuckbuddy.” “My fuckbuddy?” “Yeah, Joe.” Ugh that comment still annoys me to this day. “Haha good one Josie. He’s just my friend no need to worry.” My reply came out so nicely when I could’ve just gotten mad at the little girl. “Of course you are.” I just laughed it off but inside I was fuming, ready to pounce at any other comments made about me and Joe. But now, now we really were a thing. We didn’t have a choice even if we fought against it we’ve been cursed now. All our other relationships will fail to make sure we are together. Together forever. 

In the small living room which took up most of our tiny flat that was given to us by our college, we sat together on the… Ugh loveseat. Why would they call it a loveseat? Why now just a two seater sofa or something? “So, Joe?” “Yeah?” How could he be so calm. It had just been announced that he had to date his best friend forever. It’s disgusting, although I did have a plan. “Joe I’m moving away. We can’t be together it’s weird. We’ve been best friends for sixteen years I can’t date you now. I’m sorry but I can’t think of anything else.” His face fell and his blue eyes turned into an ocean when they started watering. “Why do you have to leave?” I never answered his question because I got up and started packing my bags. Only three backpacks and a tiny suitcase was all I needed to transport all of my  belongings somewhere else. £257.52. That’s the money I had to get away from this strange town that forces you to date someone who’s like a brother to you. 

The first night after I left I stayed in a small hotel opposite the post office. I was lucky Hillwood had a hotel because otherwise I’d have to get the bus to Bridlington and trust me I didn’t want to go there. It’s where my real dad lives. I don’t really want to mention to mention it but long story short he abused me for two years before I could finally leave to live with Joe. A year later there I was sleeping in a cheap hotel crying my eyes out over the recent events that had changed my life forever. Molly. I needed to talk to her. The phone rang six times and I was about to hang up when a quiet voice answered. “Hello? Bella? What’s wrong?” I told her all about what happened and while I was still on the phone to her she appeared at my hotel room. “Oh! Hi!” Molly had brown wavy hair just past her shoulders and very long arms and legs. Too long for her body but that’s why I loved her. The way she ran always cheered me up but even that couldn’t make me laugh now. I asked her if she would run away with me and she agreed as long as she could go back and say goodbye to her roommate. The idea wasn’t such a good one because with Molly and her big mouth she’d spill where we were going and she’d tell Joe and it would happen all over again. “Don’t tell though.”

Four hours later we were sitting in subway in Oxston munching on footlong subs and laughing about how fun this was. Little did we know how bad things were going to go. We obviously couldn’t afford a flat or somewhere to live and we couldn’t pay to live in a hotel. That was somehow the least of our concerns though because a really cute boy walked past our table… Just as a pickle fell out my mouth. Oh so sexy I know. I tried to put it back in when I saw the tattoo on my wrist. What’s the point in flirting when it was all going to go wrong? Molly looked at me desperately to see if I could give her the go ahead. I nodded and she looked delighted. 

Our second night was spent in a hotel too but this time it was cheaper than cheap. Our sheets were crispy but not in the “Crispy and clean” kind of way and the mattress had an uncountable amount of mysterious stains on it. I hate thinking what they could be but I had a pretty good idea… We were just settling down in our single bed which we had to share when someone knocked on our door. Could it possibly be Joe coming to find me and make me be his soulmate? He was like that, always had to follow the rules of life. Like I said, weirdo.  The door creaked open and a girl walked in. She looked around our age and had curly ginger hair down to her waist. Not in a bad way but she kind of looked like Merida from that disney film. “Can we help?” “Hi I’m Elspeth. Call me El. I used to live in your town.” She showed us the tattoo to prove it. “I want tae help ye.” From the fact she had a weird name and said “Tae” I gathered she was scottish. “Running away from yae soulmate are we?” We both nodded. She knew our story. “Did you run away too El...Elspe…” “El. Call me El. And no. I don’t have any idea what you’re on about why would I run away from my soulmate?” 

We knew she was lying. The way she fiddled with her curly ginger hair just gave it all away. “Oh sorry.” 

Early the next morning