Over the Moon (18 page)

She threw up her arms and went, “
Aaaargh
!”

It didn’t help that I suspected she was quite genuine. In other words, she wasn’t deliberately trying to upset me. Tanya is quite maddeningly
nice.

“Well, anyway,” said Hattie, “it’s all cleared up.”

“Yes, thank goodness,” said Tanya. “You wouldn’t ever know, unless you peered
really
closely.”

So then, of course, they all had to peer at me until I felt like some kind of exhibit in a freak show. I wailed at Hattie later.

“How did she find out?”

“I dunno,” said Hattie. “I didn’t tell her, I promise!”

“But who else knew?”

“No one – except Matt and Simon.”

“They wouldn’t have told her!”

“Simon wouldn’t,” said Hattie. “Matt might have done … maybe it was Matt?”

“But he doesn’t even know her!”

“Well … he did meet her at the fundraiser. When she won the beauty contest? Which you would have won,” said Hattie, “if you’d been there, and which is the only reason he actually came, cos he thought you
were
going to be there, only of course you weren’t, so— ”

“D’you mean he talked to her?” I said.

“Yes. Well! Yes,” said Hattie.

“They didn’t go off together, or anything?”

“No! I don’t think so.”

“Well, did they or didn’t they?”

“I don’t know!”

“You might have told me at the time,” I said.

“How could I tell you when I
didn’t know
? And anyway, what’s to tell? He just went and, like, congratulated her, for goodness’ sake! Oh, and I think they might have met up at a swimming gala.” She tossed this bit out all casually, like it was of no significance
whatsoever. “The interschools thing? A couple of weeks ago? I don’t know for sure. It’s just what someone said … that Tanya had met this gorgeous bloke. I mean, it might have been someone totally different. It probably wasn’t Matt at all. I really don’t know.”

A fat lot of help
she
was. I tortured myself all evening. I completely forgot that I’d been going to offer Simon to Hattie; I forgot that she was still partnerless. All I could think of was Matt with Tanya …

Next morning I went marching up to Tanya at the start of school and asked her, straight out, “You weren’t thinking of going to Founder’s Day with Matt by any chance, were you?”

Well, huh! At least I had the satisfaction of seeing her thrown into some kind of panic. She’s very together, is Tanya; it takes a lot to rattle her. But she deserved it, is all I can say. Poaching someone else’s property! Cos I knew at once she was
guilty. I’d have known even if she hadn’t gone bright red like a tomato.

“You mean Matt Stanton?” she said.

I said, “Yeah, I mean Matt Stanton.”

“Oh! Well – no, not really. I mean … only if you weren’t going to be OK in time.” And she gave this silly little apologetic tinkle. “See, the boy I was going to go with can’t make it, so I just thought … if you were going to have to back out— ”

“You’d jump in in my place.”

“No! It wasn’t like that. Honestly, Scarlett! I was thinking of Matt, he was going to be so disappointed if you couldn’t make it. He knows Founder’s Day is a big thing and he’s been just
so
looking forward to it.”

I said, “Yeah, it would be really sad.”

“Well, I think so,” said Tanya.

She is such a truly
annoying
sort of person. Always so sweet and reasonable. Yuck!

“So who are you planning to go with now?” I said.

“Oh, I’ll find someone. Don’t worry about me,” said Tanya.

Like she really thought I would? Pur-lease!

When I told Hattie about it, she said she didn’t think it was fair to put all the blame on Tanya.

“What about Matt?”

“Well, but if she went and asked him,” I said, “you couldn’t expect him not to go … not if I wasn’t able to.”

“Why not?” said Hattie. “Why couldn’t he come round and spend the evening with you, instead?”

“Oh, God,” I said, “I wouldn’t want him to do that! The state I was in.”

But I knew that wasn’t the real answer. The real answer was that Matt was not the sort of boy to spend quiet evenings in when he could be out enjoying himself – specially if he could have a girl like Tanya hanging on his arm.

I brooded silently to myself during afternoon school. I came to the conclusion that Matt was nothing but a status symbol. We would go to Founder’s Day together and all the older people would look at us and go ooh and aah and say what a handsome couple we made, and the younger ones – well, the girls – would be consumed with envy; and it would all be very satisfying, on a kind of superficial level, and I would enjoy the attention, cos I do like attention, but it would be
absolutely hollow.
That was my conclusion. Hollow! I wasn’t even sure that I wanted Matt to be my partner any more. I had this vision of telling him so. I sat at the back of Mr Dainty’s geography class and let the vision unfold …

I’m afraid I just don’t want to go with you any more. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is.

Scarlett, my God, how can you do this to me? How can you be so cruel? I’ve been so looking forward to it!

Boo hoo. That is just so sad! But I’m sure you’ll find someone else to ask you.

I don’t want anyone else, I want you! You ‘re the one I’ve always wanted. Scarlett, please! I’m begging you!

Well, OK, so perhaps it wasn’t very realistic, but at least it was fun and paid him back for even
thinking
of going to Founder’s Day with someone else. In my vision, I graciously handed him over to Tanya, telling her she could have him and welcome.

“I’m going to ask someone far nicer!”

Simon.
That was who I was going to ask!

I grew quite excited as I thought about it. I forgot – yet again – that I’d been going to offer him to Hattie. Perhaps I didn’t exactly forget; perhaps I just preferred not to remember. It did make me feel a bit bad. Poor old Hat! On the other hand, I was sure I could find someone for her if I really put my mind to it, which I would – I would! – just as soon as I’d got my own problems sorted. Plus I couldn’t help reflecting that it would be the hugest feather in Simon’s cap if he were to go to Founder’s Day as my partner. It would do wonders for his self-esteem!

I grabbed Hattie the minute school let out. “Hey! Guess what?”

“What?”

“I’ve decided … I’m not going to Founder’s Day with Matt, after all.”

“Oh?” She widened her eyes. “So who’re you going with?”

“Simon!”

“Simon
?”

Hattie’s jaw did this comic clunking thing. I might have laughed if I hadn’t been so fired up with my own mad enthusiasm.

“I know, I know! It sounds completely crazy, when he can’t even dance. He’ll probably get all silly and self-conscious and try to wriggle out of it, but I am not taking
no for an answer! I’m going to call him tonight and ask him. Correction: I’m going to
tell
him. I’m going to
order
him. He’s coming with me whether he likes it or not! Then everyone will be able to see that
the great Scarlett Maguire
— ” I twizzled my fingers round the words as I said them, making quote marks in the air to show I was just joking. I didn’t
really
think of myself as great “—everyone’ll be able to see that it doesn’t matter to me
in the least little bit
about his leg. It’ll show him, as well, cos you know what he’s like, he just gets
so
wound up about it. I mean, he pretends not to care, but you can tell that he does. It was like me and my eyes. I mean, I can sympathise cos I’ve, like, been there. I’ve hidden myself away. But I actually got him into the pool the other day! Did he tell you? I actually got him swimming! So— ”

At this point in my burbling stream of words, something brought me to a full stop. It was Hattie’s face. Her jaw had cranked itself back up into its normal position, but her face had been growing steadily pinker by the second,
so that it was now like a big setting sun, all blood red and throbbing.

“What’s the matter?” I said.

Hattie swallowed. “S-Simon— ” she bleated.

“What about him?”

Now she was gulping, like a gold fish. “I’ve already— ”

“What? You’ve already what?”

“I’ve already asked him!”

This time, it was my jaw going clunk. “You’ve asked him? To be … my partner?”

“
My
partner.”

“
Your
partner?”

“Yes!” Hattie nodded; rather too vigorous and secretly pleased with herself for my liking.

“So what did he say?”

She beamed. “He said he’d love to!”

“I see.” I just said it to give myself time to think. This was a real bombshell! “When, exactly, did you ask him?”

“Last night … I rang him.”

And there was me, not even knowing she had Simon’s number. Hattie can be
such
a dark horse.

“Scarlett, I’m sorry, I know I should have told you. I was going to, it’s just— ”

“Oh, don’t worry, don’t worry!” I said. “If he’d rather go with you, that’s fine.”

“Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t
rather.”
She was blushing again, all bright fiery red. “I don’t suppose anyone would
rather.
Not if they could go with you.”

“You don’t have to butter me up!” I said.

“I’m not, it’s true, it’d be so much more
prestigious
for him if he went with you. I can see that!”

So maybe she should ring him again?

Simon, it’s wonderful, Scarlett’s gone and junked Matt and wants you to go with her, instead!

But she didn’t offer. She said, “I wouldn’t have asked him if I’d known you were going to. If only you’d told me before!”

I snapped, “I didn’t know before.”

“No. Well— ” Hattie spread her hands. She looked at me, beseechingly. “What can I do?”

I certainly wasn’t going to tell her; it had to come from her. If she were really thinking of Simon rather than herself—

She obviously wasn’t. She was obviously being
totally
self-centred. I suppose I couldn’t really blame her, but still it was considerably annoying.

“You’ll still come,” she begged, “won’t you?”