Polly Plays Her Part (16 page)

“I've got to pop next door for a minute,” she said, pulling on her jacket. “You don't mind watching him, do you?”

I did, but I didn't say anything. I've come to realize that when Diane asks me to do something for Jake, she's not really expecting an answer!

Jake was sitting on the floor playing with his shape-sorting cube. He had my beanie-bear, Boo, clutched in one hand and a red triangle in the other. He was concentrating really hard trying to get the triangle into the matching hole in the cube, but the second he saw me he dropped everything and came crawling over.

I pulled him onto my lap and we sat there for a bit stroking Cosmo. He'd been very gentle with Cosmo since the accident, rubbing his ears and tickling his tummy, almost as if he understood how careful he had to be. And even if Cosmo
wanted
to get away and hide under the couch, he couldn't fit – not with his plastic hood.
We're both trapped here now, Cosmo,
I thought to myself, but just at that moment he didn't look as if he minded one little bit.

When Jake started to fidget I took him back over to the shape sorter. He clutched the shapes in his podgy little hands, trying so hard to squash them through the holes, and every time he managed to get one right I clapped and cheered and he bounced up and down on his bottom squealing in delight.

“Polly, you're so good with Jake,” said Diane when she came back in. “Honestly, it's such a help having you here.”

I shrugged and moved back over to Cosmo. I hated it when she said stuff like that.

“He looks like you too,” she went on. “He's got your eyes.”

I shook my head. “No he hasn't! He doesn't look anything like me!”

Diane put her head on one side and folded her arms. “He
has
got your eyes, Polly Carter, they're green and they flash when he gets cross, you must have noticed. Let's just hope he hasn't inherited your stubborn streak as well.”

She grinned at me to show she was joking. She'd been so nice since Cosmo got run over and I couldn't help feeling bad, in a way, that the accident had happened straight after that horrid row when I'd told her I hated her. I thought maybe I should say sorry, or thank her for saving Cosmo's life, but just then Dad came home.

“I'm back!” he called from the hallway. He kicked his boots off and popped his head round the door.

“What a sight,” he said, in the sickliest voice. “My gorgeous family all together.”

He gave Diane a soppy look and my stomach twisted up. I didn't want to be part of
their
gorgeous family. Mum was my family – not Diane and Jake. It should've been me and Mum and Dad living together at number 25.

Later on, at tea, Dad carried on with the
happy families
routine, going on about how great it would be to watch the news together on Monday evening.

“We could get pizzas and something yummy for pudding,” he said. “Only ten months old,” he went on, turning to Jake, “and a television star already.”

Jake blew a raspberry at him and banged his spoon. But I wasn't ready to play happy families and the thought of going round to Phoebe's for the night, even
if
Sam was there, suddenly seemed a whole lot more appealing than it had earlier that afternoon.

I didn't get a chance to go on the computer and get up to my target before Monday. Dad said I could only watch the news round at Phoebe's if I'd finished all my homework, and I'd spent so much time chatting to Skye that I was behind with more or less everything. I was still trying to wade through it on Monday after school, when Diane popped her head round the door and said I could leave the rest and go.

Ellie, Sam and Tara were already there when I arrived. Sam was all glammed up, wearing a really short skirt and high-heeled boots. The second Sandeep walked in she practically rugby tackled me out of the way to make sure she got to sit next to him on the couch.

“Hey, watch it!” I said, glaring at her, but she was too busy flirting to take any notice.

Phoebe's mum had made great big bowls of buttery popcorn and she gave us each a can of fizzy orange. I squashed up on the sofa with Phoebe, Ellie, Sam and Sandeep, while Neesha and Monty B and the others sat around on the floor.

We had to wait for ages until it came on. There was all the proper news first and then the business news and even the weather. And then, finally, when there were only a few minutes left, the presenter said:

“When Arthur McDermott decided the old folk at Cranberry needed a new piano, he organized a good old-fashioned dance contest to raise the money. But what he didn't know was that the real winner would be a ten-month old baby. Our reporter, Melanie Burton went along to find out more…”

“It's about to start! It's about to start!” squealed Phoebe's sister Sara, leaping up. She pressed record on the DVD player so we could watch it back later – and switched off the lights.

Suddenly, Arthur was on the screen bleating on for a bit about the old people's home and how desperate they were for a piano. He kept tugging on his crooked beard and at one point he dislodged a big flake of croissant. The camera followed it this way and that, as it floated all the way down to the floor, and then just as he started to explain the importance of supporting local causes, the camera cut to the dance floor. I groaned and covered my face with my hands.

“This is
so
embarrassing,” I said, squirming. “I can't bear to watch. Tell me when it's over.”

“What are you talking about? We were brilliant, Polly!” cried Monty B, turning round and pulling my hands off my face.

“Do me a favour!” scoffed Sam. “You only won because of Polly's brother.”

And then suddenly we were there, spinning around in our glittery, pink costumes, right in the middle of the screen. And then, after a few seconds, the camera panned across to Diane and Jake and as Jake struggled to get down from her lap the reporter said, “And this is where it gets really interesting, folks. Keep your eyes glued to that baby!”

And the camera followed Jake as he crawled across the dance floor. We watched as Monty B scooped him up and twirled him round and everyone clapped and cheered. Then, a second later, the camera cut again – to Diane.

“I just couldn't stop him,” she said, grinning. “He adores his big sister. And she's fantastic with him too. He couldn't wish for a better sister than Polly. We all love her to bits.”

I sat there in the dark, burning up. I couldn't believe Diane had said something so nice in front of
so
many people. Suddenly Sara turned on the light and it felt like everyone was staring at me.

“Oh, that was so cute!” said Ellie.

“I wish I had a little baby brother like Jake, instead of a great big lump of a sister like Phoebe,” said Sara.

“Shut up, Sara!” said Phoebe. “You're lucky I'm even letting you watch with us!”

“Hang on a minute,” said Monty B. “Why is everyone going on about how cute Polly's baby brother is? What about me?”

“What
about
you?” snorted Neesha. “You're about as cute as a baboon's bottom.”

“That's a bit insulting to the baboon, isn't it?” said Adam, and we all fell about laughing.

And then we watched the recording over and over again, getting sillier and sillier each time it came on. Adam and Sandeep started to lope around the room pretending to be baboons – shaking their bottoms in Monty B's face, so when Phoebe's mum popped her head round the door and said, “What's going on in here? It sounds as if you're at the zoo,” I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself. I was having such a good time I forgot all about the friend2friend website and the Diamond Den. I even forgot about how much I hated living at Dad and Diane's. I looked around at everyone from Star Makers and suddenly the only thing that
really
mattered was getting back my part in the show.

And I knew exactly what I had to do.

I started learning my lines the second I got home. I lay in bed reading the script over and over, memorizing each scene, until Dad came in to turn my light out.

“Mum called while you were out,” he said, taking the script out of my hand. “She really wanted to talk to you. She said she had some news.”

I sat up and grabbed Dad's arm. “Is she coming back? Is that the news? What about Mrs. Bay renting the house? Where will we live?”

Dad sighed. “Calm down, Polly. She probably just wanted a chat, but I'm sure she'll call back tomorrow.”

She did call back, first thing the next morning. She'd been promoted at work and she wanted me to be the first to know.

“You mean you're not coming back?” I said, clutching the receiver so tight my hand turned white.

“Not yet, silly,” she said. “I've just been promoted. But it won't be long, I promise.”

When I'd said goodbye and hung up, Diane asked me if I'd had a nice time round at Phoebe's. It was so embarrassing, because she obviously knew I'd heard her tell the whole, entire world that she loved me to bits. I mumbled something about how funny it was when Adam compared Monty B's face to a baboon's bottom. But then Jake started fussing and by the time she'd sorted him out the moment had passed.

I waited for Phoebe outside school and as soon as she arrived I grabbed her and pulled her into the toilets.

“Listen, I need your help, Phoebs.” I lowered my voice in case Sam or Ellie were hanging about. “I've decided I really, really want to be Marcia, more than anything, but I'll have to know my lines back to front if I'm ever going to convince Mandy. I spent ages learning them last night but I've still got loads to do.”

Phoebe was so excited and tested me all through break and lunch and when Sam and Ellie came over to ask what we were doing we stuffed the script into my bag and she made up some rubbish about this science project we were working on for Mrs. Bliss.

“By the way, Polly, did Phoebe tell you what happened on Saturday?” said Sam. “You know, about
me
being Marcia?”

“Well, you don't know if you're actually going to
be
Marcia,” said Phoebe, quickly. “Mandy only asked you to read her part
just in case.
”

“That was to start off with, but then when you didn't turn up, Polly, Mandy said there was a very good chance that I'd have to do it for real.”

“A very good
chance,
” I said. “But that's all. You're not getting your hands on my part
that
easily!”

I walked off with my head in the air, but inside I was shaking like a jelly.

“Hey, wait for me!” shouted Phoebe, catching up with me. “You're not upset, are you?”

“Not really. Just more determined than ever to show Mandy that I
can
learn my lines.”

Phoebe sighed. “I wish you'd tell Mandy about Cosmo –
and
tell Sam too. Honestly, Polly, why are you making this so difficult? Mandy would understand. They both would. You know how much Sam loves her cat. She's always going on about how beautiful and clever she is.”

But I didn't want to tell them about the accident. I wanted Mandy to let me be Marcia because I was the best person to play the part, not because she felt sorry for me. I didn't want everyone going round saying, “
Poor Polly Carter – first her mum dumps her at her dad's to go off to Spain for a year, and then as if
that
wasn't bad enough, her cat gets squashed half to death under a van!
”

I carried on learning my lines all week and by Friday night I was pretty sure I knew them well enough to convince Mandy. I practised and practised until I could more or less say them in my sleep. I
was
Marcia, trapped inside The Rainbow Room game with Tarn, having one amazing adventure after another.

I couldn't wait to get to drama. There was only a week to go until the dress rehearsal and I knew we'd be running right through with no scripts.

The first person I saw when I walked into the hall was Sam. She had that smug look on her face but I didn't let it put me off.

“I'm back,” I called out to Mandy. She was busy sorting out the costumes on the stage and she had her back to me. “I'm back, Mandy,” I said again, “and I know
all
my lines.”

Mandy turned round, frowning. “Oh, hello, Polly,” she said. “It's really good to see you but we need to have a little chat.”

I started to feel a bit sick. Sick of people having
little chats
with me! She climbed down off the stage and led me over to the piano. I could feel Sam staring at me; her eyes boring into the back of my neck.

Mandy held my hands tight and looked me right in the eye.

“I don't know what's been going on with you, Polly,” she said. “But it doesn't seem to me as if you've taken your part in the show very seriously.”