Sam in the Spotlight (12 page)

“Can't he compose some special music for me?” said Monty B. “Like some really cool detective music or something?”

“Sorry for being thick, yeah,” said Neesha, “but what exactly
is
detective music?”

“What I'd like you to do,” said Mandy, ignoring them, “is to sing the opening number in a really creepy way. Try to put across to the audience that you can't trust anyone, not even the people you think you know really well.”

I looked over at Ellie. She trusted Eddie but he was a liar and a cheat and it was up to me to save her. I didn't take my eyes off her all the way through the song and whenever we sang the line “
The question of trust is one that you must be sure of – or you'll be in trouble!
” I practically yelled the words right in her face, drowning out the rest of the group.

“Calm down a bit, Sam,” said Mandy. “You should be half-whispering, remember, not shouting at the top of your voice. It's great that you're so enthusiastic, but you need to listen to the others – not sing over them.”

“I was just trying to get across how easy it is to trust someone when you don't really know anything about them,” I said, still staring straight at Ellie.

“I swear my mum doesn't trust anyone,” said Neesha. “She's totally paranoid about me speaking to strangers or answering the door or even stepping foot outside the house without her watching my every move.”

“My mum's the total opposite,” said Monty B. “She says
a stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet.
”

Neesha rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well no one's as strange as you, so that probably makes her feel quite safe.”

“That's actually a really famous saying,” said Tara, joining in, “about a stranger being a friend you haven't met. It was written by someone called Will Rodgers.”

“I know another famous saying about friends,” said Adam, winking at Tara. “True friends are like bras…close to your heart and always there for support.” He looked over at Sandeep and they both collapsed laughing.

I stared down at the floor so no one would see my face burn up. I was actually wearing a new bra today – the most grown-up one I'd ever bought. I could just about cope with standing in the same room as Adam, but not if he was going to talk about
bras
!

“How on earth did we get on to this nonsense in the first place?” said Mandy. Sara shot her hand in the air as if Mandy was asking a real question.

“Well, Sam was singing really loud and then she said something about trusting people and Neesha said something about her mum and Monty B said something about his mum and then Neesha said something about Monty B being strange. And then Adam said something about bras.”

“Thank you, Sara,” said Mandy, sighing. “Can we just get back to the song now,
please.
”

“What's going on?” whispered Phoebe. “Why were you singing like that?”

“Can't say,” I said. “I've got to speak to Ellie first.”

Just then the door swung open and Arthur came in to check the heating was okay.

“So sorry about this morning,” he said. “Silly mistake. Turned the dial up far too high.”

“Not to worry,” said Mandy, getting flustered. She picked up one of her music books and made out there was something terribly interesting that she just had to look at.

“The problem is,” Arthur went on. “I've got something on my mind and I really would like to discuss it with you, Mandy my dear.”

Mandy peeped over the top of the book. “We will discuss it, Arthur,” she squeaked. “Just not right now in front of the children. Okay?”

“Splendid,” he said. “Catch up with you later then.” He gave her a silly little wave and practically skipped out of the hall.

Another secret to keep, but this one was hilarious. I really
had
to tell the others but not until I'd sorted things out with Ellie. She did her level best to stay out of my way for the entire session but I finally managed to grab her just before she left to meet Eddie downstairs. I knew he was coming because she'd been harping on about it to the others all through break.

“Erm, Ellie…there's something I need to ask you,” I said, as she gathered up her stuff to go.

She turned round, waiting. I was sweating like mad even though Arthur had turned the heating down.

“I was just wondering…erm…where you went with Eddie last Saturday after drama?”

Ellie looked at me suspiciously. “I didn't see him last Saturday, not that it's any of your business.”

“Busy was he?” I said, fixing her with my
Most Meaningful Stare.

“What are you getting at, Sam? I didn't see him because it was his nephew's first birthday. Happy?”

She pushed past me and ran downstairs.

I ran down after her but she was through the doors before I could catch up. “He wasn't with his nephew,” I shouted. “He's a liar!” But I have no idea if she heard. I trailed back up to get my things and by the time I got back down and out of the building they were already halfway up the High Road, a whole crowd of them with Eddie and Ellie right in the middle.

I set off after them, determined to catch up. I was still going to tell her about what he was up to, whether she wanted to hear it or not. That's what friends are supposed to do, isn't it?

I was charging up the High Road ready to confront Eddie when Crystal rang.

“Hey, Sam, what are you up to?”

“Oh you know, just stalking my ex-best friend to save her from her evil two-timing boyfriend,” I said. It sounded so stupid I started to giggle.

“Look, don't go after them now, come and meet me instead. I've just found the most amazing dress for you to wear at the wedding. It's got this sort of dusty-pink tutu style skirt with layers and layers of lace, and I really want you to try it on.”

I glanced up as Ellie and Eddie disappeared round the corner. I really wanted to sort things out, but it would have to wait until Monday. Crystal gave me directions to the shop, a little retro-boutique not that far from where I was.

The dress was much more Crystal's style than mine but there was no telling her and in the end I agreed to try it on just to shut her up.

“Oh, look at you,” she cried, pulling me out of the changing room and twirling me round in front of the mirror. “My little sister, all grown up!”

The dress was stiff and uncomfortable. I wriggled about while Crystal went on and on about the colour and length and how she was going to go straight back to her flat and make me a matching crystal necklace. “I'll just get changed,” I said in the end. The lace was itching my legs and I couldn't wait to get it off.

Walking back from the shop with the new dress in a bag, I told Crystal about Eddie and seeing him in the park with another girl. “I wanted to warn Ellie after drama, I did try, but she ran off before I could explain properly.”

Crystal shook her head. “Listen, Sam, I know it sounds harsh but if I was you I'd let Ellie find out for herself. She probably won't even believe you anyway – she'll think you're just saying it to be spiteful. I know you're just trying to be a good friend, but she won't thank you for it.”

“Yeah, but how am I supposed to
not
tell her? It's like your wedding.”

Crystal looked at me sharply. “What do you mean? What has Ellie's low-life boyfriend got to do with
my
wedding?”

“Just that I really want to tell Mum and Dad. I'm serious, Crystal, I can't carry on pretending that everything's normal when you're about to get married and they don't have the first clue.”

I still hadn't told Crystal about Sophia Malone's wedding and Mum doing the flowers. I knew I should, but I was scared it might make everything worse.

“I am going to tell them,” Crystal said quietly.

“But Crystal, there's not that much time left and what if they find out before you tell them? They'll be so hurt.”

Crystal rounded on me. “But what about me being hurt? I don't want Mum spoiling the most important day of my life! She can't even bring herself to say Tyler's name, so she's not exactly going to welcome him into the family.”

“But what about Dad?” I could feel myself getting really angry. It was crazy. Crystal and Dad had always been so close. She couldn't get married without telling him! It would break his heart.

She scuffed her boots along the ground. “I don't want to talk about it any more. You don't understand. Anyway I've got to get back now. I've got work to do.” She sloped off in a mood. I felt like running after her to say sorry but I didn't really know what I'd be saying sorry for.

I skulked home with the dress. Mum was at work, but I had to sneak past Dad. He was in the living room, singing along to some old CD, but I don't think he even noticed I was home.

I didn't see Crystal at all the following week. I called her a few times but she said she was too busy making jewellery or sorting things out for the wedding to meet up. I kept on at her to tell Mum and Dad she was getting married, but she wouldn't budge. It was a total nightmare. I had the stiff, itchy dress stuffed at the back of my wardrobe and the invitation to the wedding hidden under my mattress – but I knew there was no way on earth that I'd be able to go without telling Mum and Dad first. And what about Sophia Malone and helping out at
her
wedding? I couldn't exactly cut myself in half.

Nothing had changed much with Ellie either. We still weren't talking and she was still hanging out with Eddie and his mates. Sometimes I'd catch her looking at me during a lesson or at lunchtime, and a couple of times I nearly went over to try and patch things up – but after what Crystal said about Ellie not believing me, I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.

Phoebe and Polly were desperate to help. They kept coming up with new ways of getting us back together, but it was hopeless. I never realized Ellie could be so stubborn – or maybe Eddie was just filling her head with terrible lies, even though he didn't actually know the first thing about me.

“Why don't we ask her to come to the school fireworks next week?” Phoebe suggested the next Saturday during break at drama. “It might be different if we weren't at school or Star Makers. She might kind of forget she was angry with you…” I looked across at Ellie. She was on the other side of the hall with Neesha, even though Polly had asked them to sit with us. I shook my head. “It wouldn't make the slightest difference. She wouldn't care if we were in Outer Mongolia, she still wouldn't talk to me.”

“Well there must be
something
we can do.” Phoebe sighed. “You haven't been yourself at all since the row.”

“What, you mean she's been so much nicer!” said Monty B, munching his way through a
second
packet of cheese-and-onion crisps.

“Who asked you?” I snapped.

“Phew, that's better,” he said. “Back to normal. Anyway, if you really want to turn Ellie against Eddie, why don't you tell her that he's a crazed axe-murderer and he's just been released from prison?”

“I actually know something about Eddie already,” I said, leaning in to whisper. “But I can't say what it is and I'm not going to tell Ellie either.”

They all stopped eating and stared at me.

“Come on, Sam,” breathed Phoebe. “What do you know?”

“He's not married is he?” said Monty B.

“
Married?
” I spluttered, nearly choking on my drink. “He's fourteen years old!”

“What is it then? And how did you find out?”

“You haven't been stalking them have you?” said Polly.

I almost laughed. “Of course not, but I can't tell you because I have to tell Ellie first, and I can't tell Ellie because she won't believe me.”

“Well, why don't you tell
me
and I'll tell
her?
” said Monty B. “I won't even mention your name.”

“What are you lot up to?” said Mandy, coming over. “You look like you're cooking up some evil plan, the way you're huddled up with your heads together!”

“We're just discussing the show,” said Monty B. “It's nothing sinister, Mandy. Trust me.”

“It's funny you should say that because we're going to be doing some
trust
games straight after break.”

“What do you mean?” I said, my heart missing a beat. “Not those awful ones where you have to fall into people's arms and stuff?”

“Yes, something like that,” said Mandy. “But don't look so worried, Sam. Trust games are really important for building a sense of closeness and support in the group. I know
The Phantom Face
is about a group of people who don't trust each other, but if you guys don't feel really close when you're performing, the show won't be nearly as good as I know it could be.” She looked right at me. “
Trust me,
Sam! It'll be fun.”