Polly Plays Her Part (18 page)

“It's the dress rehearsal and we're going to be late if we don't get a move on.” She held my jeans out to me.

“I'm not going,” I said, my heart thumping so loud I was sure she must be able to hear it. “And what are you doing here anyway?”

She sighed impatiently. “I've come to get
you,
silly!” She sounded just like Mum. “Phoebe and Monty B came round yesterday after school and they told me all about poor Cosmo.”

I stared at her.

“
Why didn't you tell me?
I saw him just now with that awful plastic collar. Bella had to have one of those once and it nearly broke my heart. She absolutely hated it. Why didn't you tell me Cosmo had been run over and that's why you missed drama?”

I just stood there gawping. I didn't know what to say.

“Come on, don't just stand there! Get dressed! We've got to tell Mandy.”

“Tell her what?”

She rolled her eyes as if I was completely stupid. “That you're Marcia, of course! And that I'm Cydore and Phoebe's Rainbow and Rachel's…well, Rachel's in the chorus because that's what she wanted in the first place.”

“You mean you're giving me my part back?”

“Well, it's up to Mandy obviously but there's no way
I'm
doing it – not now I know about Cosmo.”

It was difficult to take in. I couldn't believe Phoebe had gone round to Sam and told her everything when I'd asked her not to. The last thing I wanted was Sam Carter feeling sorry for me. “Well I don't want the part just because my cat got run over,” I said, folding my arms across my chest to show her how serious I was.

“What are you talking about, Polly? No one feels sorry for you, you've just been too upset to learn your lines and that's what we're going to tell Mandy – if we ever get there! Come
on
!”

So Phoebe had been right all along. She was just trying to be a good friend and I'd been so horrible to her. I'd told her to get lost and everything. And now Sam was here – standing in my bedroom – being nice, and caring, and
fair.
It was like I'd gone to sleep and woken up in some sort of alternative universe where everything was upside down. I didn't have a clue what Mandy would say when we got to drama but it had to be worth a try.

“So are you coming or not?” said Sam, grinning.

I grinned back. I couldn't help it. “Of course I'm coming. Just wait downstairs for a second while I get ready.”

As soon as I heard her on the stairs I brought the screen back up on the computer. I still wanted to enter the Diamond Den but I couldn't think about it just then. I pressed the back key and all the details on the screen disappeared. The only thing left was the clock. It was ticking loudly and underneath it said, “You have only nine hours left to enter your personal details.” I'd be back from drama by two so I'd still have four-and-a-half hours left to decide.

Downstairs, Sam was sitting on the sofa cuddling Cosmo and chatting away to Dad and Diane.

“My cat's called Bella, she's a Russian Blue – that's a pedigree, you know. She's very old now but I used to enter her in shows all the time and she
always
came first. She did her last show a few months ago. It was for older cats but she was still the most beautiful cat there.”

I nearly burst out laughing. She was so bossy and such a show-off but it suddenly seemed funny more than anything else and I felt like giving her the biggest hug.

“Come on, Sam,” I said. “My dad's going to drive us up to drama in his van.”

Dad winked at me over Sam's head, and just as we left the house I heard Diane say, “Bella might be a Russian Blue, Cosmo, but we wouldn't swap you for the world.”

When we got to drama Mandy was in a total panic. Apparently her computer had crashed right in the middle of printing the programmes.

“I know, I know, it's the most ridiculous thing ever! We're doing a show called CRASH! and my computer goes and dies on me just when I need it most.”

“Can't you get the programmes printed at a proper printing shop?” Tara suggested.

Mandy ran her hand through her hair, sighing. “I wish I could, Tara, but it would cost a bomb. I want them printed in colour and we need about two hundred. Anyway, I can't waste any more time worrying about it right now. Let's sort out the costumes and crack on.”

Sam took me by the hand. “Come on, we'll ask her now.”

“She'll never say yes,” I said, pulling back. “She's in such a bad mood already, it's hopeless.”

But Sam didn't take any notice, she just yanked me back towards Mandy as if I hadn't said a word.

“Oh, hello, girls,” said Mandy, handing Sam her costume. “Can you believe what's happened? It's like my worst nightmare. Anyway, I've done a costume for you, Polly, it's under here somewhere.” She started to rummage around in a big pile of virus costumes.

“Could we just talk to you about something, Mandy?” said Sam. Then she carried on without waiting for an answer. “You see, Polly's cat Cosmo was in a terrible accident. It was a hit and run. The driver didn't even hang around to see if there was anything he could do. Polly had to carry him for miles to get help and he lost pints of blood and he only just survived after undergoing an emergency operation.”

Mandy stopped sorting through the costumes and looked up.

“Anyway,” Sam went on, “that's the reason she didn't learn her lines, it was all way too traumatic, but now she has learned them, so can we all go back to the parts we had before?”

“Oh, Polly. That's awful. Why didn't you let me know about your cat?”

I shrugged and looked down at the floor. It all seemed so silly now we were actually telling her.

“Well I'm not really happy about swapping the parts back at such a late stage…” She stopped and I held my breath, certain she was going to say no. “But I suppose I
should
give you one last chance, Polly, especially if you've been having such a bad time.”

I felt like jumping up and down and cheering. “Do you really mean it?”

“I do, but if you miss even one line today we'll have to change straight back. Give that costume to Polly, Sam, and I'll find the other one in a sec. And you'd better go and tell Phoebe and Rachel so they know what's going on.”

“That's that then,” said Sam. “All sorted.”

I still couldn't get over how nice she was being. I kept expecting her to turn round and say “April Fool” or something, even though it was the middle of June.

Mandy handed Sam her costume and mask. “I'm really proud of you, Sam. Polly's so lucky to have such a good friend.”

We went over to find the others and tell them what was going on. Phoebe was so happy she nearly burst into tears.

“That's amazing,” she said. “I'm so pleased it's all worked out.”

“Thanks to you and Monty B,” I said. “I can't believe you did that for me.”

“Well you
are
my friend, Polly,” she said. “Even if you act like a total idiot sometimes.”

I stared at the floor, feeling a bit guilty. I hadn't been a very good friend to Phoebe at all over the last few weeks but I was determined to make it up to her. I gave her a hug and went off to find Rachel. She was happy as well. She said she'd been having nightmares about doing so many extra lines, especially as she'd never even been in a school play before, let alone a proper show like this one.

When everyone was ready, Mandy sat us down for a chat.

“Those of you who did the last show at Star Makers know that we have to treat this rehearsal like a proper performance. We can't stop and start like we did last week, we've got to run straight through. The next time we perform it will be in front of a packed audience, so we've got to get it right today.”

I started to feel a bit nervous. I really didn't want to let her down.

“But you do all look fantastic,” she added. “So I'll just take a few photos of you up on the stage and then we'll get going.”

The set was amazing. Mandy's boyfriend, Julian, had made these giant circuit boards out of huge sheets of wood covered in bright green felt. He'd stuck old takeaway cartons and other bits and pieces onto the boards and sprayed them all metallic silver. There were rows of matches and small yoghurt pots and different-sized bottle tops all carefully arranged to look like wires and ports and cables. The boards were big enough to go all the way round the stage, so it looked as if we were actually inside a real computer.

We got into groups for the photos, depending on our character in the show. I was with Monty B and Sam was with all the other viruses. Phoebe had her photo by herself. Her costume was a rainbow-striped minidress with bright pink and purple tights and sparkly purple platforms – she looked so funky!

“So ze dream-team are togezer again,” said Monty B when we went up onto the stage for our turn.

“Yeah, well, thanks for going round to Sam's. Phoebe did try to convince me I should tell her about my cat getting run over but I didn't think it would make any difference.”

“Your cat!” snorted Monty B. “You think she changed her mind because of your cat?”

“Why did she change it then? What did you do – threaten her or something?”

“No! I just promised her that if we ever did another ballroom dance contest she could definitely be my partner. You don't think she was going to turn down an offer like that, do you?”

I burst out laughing and Mandy clicked the camera.

“Try to look a bit more frightened, Polly,” she called out. “It's not supposed to be a comedy!”

We had so much fun doing the photos that I forgot for a minute about proving to Mandy that I could do Marcia's part. I
had
practised at home, and with Phoebe at school, but that was last week, before Mandy had given the part to Sam. And anyway, acting out the lines in my bedroom or with Phoebe wasn't the same as doing it here in front of everyone else.

When all the photos were done we helped Mandy set the stage up ready for the opening.

“Okay, Polly,” she said. “I want you to sit at Marcia's desk until I give you the signal to start. The rest of you need to wait offstage and I don't want to hear a sound.”

Phoebe and the others squashed themselves into the wings, giggling and mucking about. I almost wished I could squash in there with them, but I had to sit all by myself at the desk and wait for Mandy.

“When you're ready, Polly,” said Mandy, as soon as the others were quiet.

But I wasn't ready and for one terrible moment the lines were gone. I couldn't even remember the first word. It was completely silent in the hall. Mandy sat at the piano, waiting. I so didn't want to mess it up but my mind was totally blank.

“We've really got to get going,” said Mandy. She didn't sound cross but I could tell she was starting to lose patience.

It had all been such a rush coming to drama, what with Sam turning up and everything, that I'd totally forgotten to bring my script. I hadn't even looked at the lines since last Saturday. My palms started to sweat. I knew if I blew it today Mandy would give the part straight back to Sam.

“We're going to run out of time, Polly,” said Mandy. “What's the problem?”

I looked across at Sam in the wings. She was mouthing something at me.

I shook my head to show her I didn't understand. It was a nightmare.

“It's so lonely sometimes,” she hissed. “Stuck here in my room, day after day, all by myself.”

And suddenly the words came flooding back, as if someone was holding the script up right in front of me. I grinned at Sam, wiped my hands on my jeans and started to speak. Once I'd got going, the rest of Act One was fine. Everyone remembered their lines, and when they were supposed to come on,
and
all the dance moves.

“That was fantastic,” said Mandy, when we stopped for a break. “I can't believe how good it was. It was almost too good,” she joked. “Something's bound to go wrong at some point.”

But Act Two went just as well. It was so different from last term when our dress rehearsal had been a total disaster; mostly because Arthur had double-booked the hall and another group had turned up to rehearse
their
play at the same time.

“You guys are amazing,” Mandy kept saying. “I can hear every word and it's so slick and professional.”

When Phoebe came on to sing her big solo she looked scared out of her wits and, for a horrible second, I thought she was going to run straight back offstage.

Come on
,
Phoebs. You can do it,
I said inside my head, and it was as if she could actually hear me. She took a deep, shaky breath, opened her mouth and started to sing. Her voice was beautiful. It seemed to fill every corner of the hall and I was so proud of her I felt like cheering.