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Gemma stood at the entrance to the hall, a mobile phone in each hand. She stared from one to the other, then stomped a foot in frustration. Behind her came curls of laughter above the beat of music and clatter of cutlery. She knew that she’d need to keep her feelings in check to get through the rest of the evening.

‘Gem, did you want to start the speeches now, or shall we do the auction?’ Penny, her assistant and general dogsbody, was beside her, a large iPad held in front of her like a shield.

‘Auction first, as per the running sheet. I’ll be inside shortly.’

Gemma waited for the door to close behind Penny before she checked her phones once more. Voice and text messages from her parents, sister and fiancé, all offering excuses for not being able to turn up tonight. She nearly growled with frustration. Why couldn’t — or wouldn’t — they support her?

She’d called each of them, leaving messages as no-one was taking her calls. She’d even called her brother, who hadn’t spoken to her since their disagreement at Christmas. He hadn’t answered her call either. Gemma straightened, put both phones away, and reapplied her lipstick. The night would be a success, even without her fiancé and family. She’d deal with all of them later.

By the time she’d checked in with the catering team to confirm the precise timings for the serving of dessert, the auction was over. Gemma took her place at a side table — a strategic position where she could monitor the stage and exits, allowing her to intercept anyone leaving before the night was over. She watched as the guest speaker stepped onto the stage.

Penny was busy calculating the proceeds from the auction, and Gemma turned towards the stage, surprised to see the relaxed, almost casual attire of the speaker. Gemma had researched Archie Towns online, and had believed he would be a good speaker on the theme of community engagement. Archie had been more polished and better presented in his publicity shots. She made a mental note to speak to Penny about the dress code that had been discussed with Archie. This was why she struggled to delegate.

But once she got past Archie’s appearance, his story pulled her in. Archie had been a driven, high-achieving lawyer, gaining publicity for winning trials and defending celebrities. But he’d walked away from all the status and prestige. It was the ‘why’ behind this seismic shift that made Gemma pause for thought. His behaviour had alienated him from his friends, family, and colleagues.

Archie’s nadir moment had come when he’d had a personal crisis, and found there was no-one left who cared enough about him. He’d bullied all of his close friends and family without realising the impact of his actions. Until it was too late.

This is the third of three prompts at a writing group session. Occasionally, we see if we can create a story using the same characters over a couple of prompts. As the prompts are random, this can be a challenge as the story shifts in different directions.

Photo: circle of friends