Secrets of a Teenage Heiress

by Katy Birchall

  You probably need to lie down

  OK. I AM LYING DOWN

  Are you already home from Ella’s party then? How was it?

  I’M STILL AT THE PARTY

  And you’re lying down?

  YES

  Where?

  THE FLOOR

  At the party? You’re lying on the floor in the middle of the party?

  YES

  That must look weird to everyone else there

  THERE HAVE BEEN COMMENTS

  The caps lock is kind of hurting my eyes

  I DON’T CARE. TELL ME.

  BE QUICK. SOMEONE JUST SPILLED

  A DRINK ON ME

  I’ll tell you everything at school. If I’m ever allowed to leave my room

  YOUR MUM CROSS AT YOU FOR SNEAKING OUT?

  Yeah. Big time

  WHO CARES? YOUR BFF IS SKYLAR CHASE. AND YOUR BOYF IS ETHAN DUKE. SOMEONE JUST DROPPED A SAUSAGE ROLL ON ME

  Grace. Get up off the floor. I promise to fill you in at school, OK? I’ll tell you everything.

  Enjoy the party

  Mum and I sat in silence for a very long time. As soon as I’d walked into the hotel, she’d just pointed at the lift without saying anything and then stood inside with me, still not saying a word. We got to our floor and I sheepishly followed her into the flat where she simply pointed again, this time at the sofa. I sat down nervously.

  And then it was just silent for ages.

  Actually, that’s a lie. It was like that for about four seconds until I heard Fritz’s scrambling paws come pattering from my bedroom. He saw that we had returned and excitedly bounded over to climb up my leg.

  ‘Not now, Fritz.’

  Mum’s low, stern voice echoed round the room. Fritz immediately stopped jumping and ran back to my room, his tail in between his legs.

  And then it was silent for ages.

  I’d never quite realised before just how excruciating silence is, especially when it’s not a boring silence, but a terrifying, bad, bad silence. I watched her as she put her head in her hands, then she pinched her nose and concentrated for a bit. I thought she might be waiting for me to make the first move.

  ‘I can expla–’

  I thought wrong. Mum sharply held up her hand. I stopped talking. She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes to meet mine.

  ‘What I can’t understand, Flick,’ she said slowly, ‘is why you wouldn’t talk to me about this.’

  ‘About the fashion show?’

  ‘Yes. About the fashion show.’

  ‘Because,’ I began, slumping back on to the cushions, ‘you wouldn’t have let me go.’

  Her expression softened. ‘Flick, do you know why I’m so upset?’

  ‘Because I broke the rules.’

  ‘You’re wrong.’

  I didn’t say anything.

  ‘I’m upset because nobody knew where you were. Audrey, Matthew and I, we all thought you were upstairs studying and you were in fact in a completely different part of London.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So!’ I saw a flash of anger cross her face. ‘What if something had happened? Something in the hotel? Nobody would have known where you were! Can you imagine how worried we’d have all been?’

  ‘Mum, I had my phone on me. It really is not that dramatic.’ I picked up one of the cushions and clutched it to my chest.

  ‘Flick,’ she said, so quietly I could hardly hear her, ‘you are being incredibly selfish.’

  ‘I get what you’re saying.’ I sighed. ‘But nothing bad happened and the whole world knew where I was, because it was all over the Internet. So it’s not like I just disappeared.’

  ‘Do. Not. Pull. A. Stunt. Like. This. Again.’ She exhaled.

  ‘I won’t. And I’m sorry that I sneaked out when I was grounded. But it is Fashion Week and this was my only chance, and it wasn’t just anyone who asked me to go with her, it was Skylar Chase. I didn’t have much of a choice.’

  ‘You should have told me. We could have compromised.’

  ‘Whatever.’

  ‘Flick,’ she snapped, ‘I would have listened to you. I am aware that it was quite the invitation. But you do not lie and sneak out. Next time you have a dilemma, you come to me and we talk it through, and come to a compromise.’

  ‘Right.’ I snorted. ‘Like you would have let me go.’

  ‘I would have considered it. I would have given you boundaries and rules, but I would have considered letting you go.’

  ‘Even though I was grounded?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Sure.’ I put the cushion back in the corner and sat up. ‘Can I go to my room now? I expect that’s the order coming next. I’m tired anyway.’

  She ran a hand through her hair and then stood up to gain the advantage of looking down at me as she delivered her final verdict. I knew the score.

  ‘You’ve taken it too far this time,’ she said, shaking her head.

  ‘Really? Further than the Prince-Gustav thing?’

  ‘I am in no mood for jokes, Flick. Don’t try it.’

  I crossed my arms stubbornly.

  ‘From now, you are grounded for a month.’

  No surprises there, then.

  ‘And you are not allowed to attend the Christmas Ball.’

  Wait. WAIT.

  My jaw dropped. ‘What?’

  ‘You’re not going to the Christmas Ball.’

  ‘Mum, you can’t –’

  ‘I don’t think you understand, Flick,’ she barked.

  It wasn’t a shout, but it was definitely a raised voice, and that had never happened. I froze in my seat, my stomach tightening and my eyes welling with tears. She’d never spoken to me like this before.

  ‘This wasn’t just you mucking around, as usual,’ she continued through gritted teeth, ‘this was you worrying me sick because you didn’t know anyone you were with and anything could have happened.’

  ‘I know Sky,’ I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek.

  ‘For hardly two weeks!’ she cried. ‘You are my daughter, and for all I know, she could have left you stranded. Gone off without you. Left you to get home on your own, in the middle of nowhere. Anything.’

  ‘She wouldn’t do that.’

  ‘How. Do. You. Know?’

  I sniffed and looked down at my feet.

  ‘Grounded for another month, no parties, no dinners in the restaurant with celebrity guests – yes, I know all about that, I’m not stupid – no weekends out with your friends, no going to Skylar Chase’s concerts, certainly no vlogging and no Christmas Ball.’

  ‘But I have a date!’

  ‘No dates.’

  ‘To the ball. Not just any date either but with –’

  ‘You’ll have to cancel. Now –’ she folded her arms – ‘I’m done. You can go to your room.’

  Only I didn’t go to my room. I was so upset by everything, I went to the lift and went down to Audrey’s office, where she was sitting behind her desk shuffling through some papers. She stood up when she saw me in her doorway.

  ‘Flick?’

  I ran into her arms and burst into tears. She stroked my hair while I sobbed all over her dress.

  ‘It’s OK,’ she repeated gently. ‘Come on, sit down. Tell me what happened.’

  She passed me a tissue as I sat in her big chair and then perched on the desk to listen to me. I filled her in on everything that Mum had said and burst into fresh tears when I got to the bit about the Christmas Ball, highlighting how bad it was because Ethan Duke had asked to go with me and I’d never fancied anyone before because all the boys at school were gross and this was a really big deal and now Mum was ruining my life.

  ‘I see.’ She nodded, listening to me patiently. ‘But your mum has already told you what to do.’

  ‘Yeah, stay in my room, shrivel up and die.’

  ‘No, Flick,’ she said, suppressing a smile. ‘Make a compromise.’

  I blew my nose. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Yo
ur mum is very reasonable. Right now she’s only angry because she cares.’

  ‘That old chestnut,’ I said, rolling my eyes.

  ‘Yes, that absolutely true old chestnut.’ She passed me another tissue as I threw my scrunched up one at her bin and missed. ‘You know your mum better than anyone. You can’t just throw a tantrum and demand that you’re allowed to go to the Christmas Ball; that’s not the way to go about things.’

  ‘Huh,’ I said thoughtfully, ‘that’s how I usually go about things.’

  ‘I’m very well aware of that.’ Audrey laughed. ‘And how has that been working out for you recently?’

  I considered her question. ‘Not the best.’

  ‘I thought as much. You’ve got to prove to her that you deserve to go to the ball.’

  ‘How am I going to do that?’ I whined. ‘Buy her flowers and stuff ?’

  ‘No, show her that you’re truly sorry, you’ve learned your lesson and that you can be responsible.’

  ‘That sounds like hard work.’

  Audrey smiled. ‘Depends how you do it.’

  ‘Any suggestions?’

  ‘Oh, I have a suggestion, all right. A good one. One that, if you pull it off, will win your mum over, no doubt about it.’

  ‘What is it?’

  ‘You’re not going to like it.’

  ‘I’ll do anything,’ I pleaded. ‘I have to go to the Christmas Ball. It’s Ethan Duke! This is a matter of life and death. What do I have to do to prove to Mum that I deserve to go?’

  She took a deep breath and told me.

  You have GOT to be kidding.

  I was so preoccupied with what Audrey had said that I completely forgot to think about how people at school would react to the whole Skylar Chase thing.

  The minute I walked through the gates, I was pounced on by EVERYONE. Students from every year group ran over and surrounded me, shouting questions and taking pictures. It took me about half an hour to get to the door of the main building, I was so in demand.

  I should have been expecting the fuss; the picture of me, Sky and Ethan Duke sitting front row had spread across social media like wildfire. The Daily Post announced I was ‘a new face on the social scene’ and a fashion blogger referred to me as ‘the hotel heiress with a suite sense of style’. I like what she did there.

  When I left the hotel to get to school, all the photographers, who were usually waiting for Sky or someone, leaped into action and started taking photos of me, asking how long Skylar Chase and I had been friends for, and whether I would be joining her at any more events while she was in London. I didn’t answer any of them but my jaw was aching from all the smiling by the time they left me alone. I would have to check those photos online later and hope that my school uniform didn’t look too hideous.

  I had spent most of the weekend trawling through websites, analysing every picture there was. I concluded that they were all acceptable but I should have spent more time on my eye make-up; it looked a bit smudged in the photos, but then, according to fashion bloggers, I was sporting the ‘smoky-eye’ look, as opposed to the ‘did-my-mascara-badly-in-a-rush’ look, so I think I got away with it.

  Sky was performing at the O2 over the weekend, so I didn’t see her, but she did leave a bouquet of flowers for me at reception, with a note saying how sorry she was that she’d got me into trouble. She even left a bouquet for Mum too, explaining that she’d encouraged me to go with her to the fashion show and she intended to apologise in person when she saw her. I watched Mum reading the note. She definitely looked impressed, and for a fleeting moment I thought that it might be enough to persuade her to forgive me. But no such luck.

  It looked like I would have to go through with Audrey’s suggestion after all.

  ‘There you are!’

  Grace was practically jumping up and down on the spot when I got to my locker, where she was waiting with Ella. I couldn’t help but smile as Grace beamed up at me.

  ‘So,’ Ella said, moving aside to let me open my locker door, ‘we have a LOT to talk about.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Olly – where do I even start?’ Ella swooned. ‘He’s amazing.’

  ‘Olly?’

  I was confused. Didn’t she mean Ethan?

  ‘That’s what he prefers to be called,’ Ella explained, twisting a lock of her hair. ‘We talked all night.’

  ‘And they snogged,’ Grace mumbled as it dawned on me that we were talking about her brother.

  ‘Did you know he writes the band’s songs as well as playing the guitar?’ Ella continued. ‘He is so talented. And it’s only a hobby; he doesn’t actually want to be a musician when he’s older. He wants to go into politics or law.’

  I attempted to look impressed but, HELLO, had she been under a rock this weekend? Hadn’t she seen the pictures? Who cared about Olly?

  ‘Cool,’ I said, indulging her. After all, I guess I had stolen her thunder at her party so it was only fair that I let her be the centre of attention for a bit.

  ‘Anyway, Flick,’ Grace began, clearly keen to move the conversation away from lovey-dovey rubbish about her sibling. ‘You have to tell us everything! I can’t believe you went to Lewis Blume’s show. He’s like the biggest designer ever!’

  ‘I haven’t heard of him,’ Ella remarked, examining her cuticles.

  I looked at her, baffled. Literally last week she’d been boring me about how much she loved his stuff and boasting that her mum was going to buy her one of his coats for her birthday.

  ‘Is it true you’re dating Ethan Duke?’ Grace said, gripping my arm, distracting me from Ella’s comment.

  ‘Well, I –’

  ‘Obviously not, Grace!’ Ella interrupted. ‘They only met that day.’

  ‘We actually met before,’ I corrected her. ‘We had dinner in the hotel. Not just us two, with a group of Sky’s friends. I was going to tell you.’

  ‘You call her Sky!’ Grace squealed. ‘That is so cool! You’re proper friends.’

  ‘Anyway,’ Ella said breezily, flicking her hair behind her shoulders, ‘I’ve got to go. I told Olly I’d meet him before class.’

  Grace watched her stalk off and then turned to me with a reassuring smile.

  ‘Well, I think it’s cool, anyway.’

  ‘Thanks, Grace.’

  ‘All weekend she’s been going on about kissing with tongues.’ Grace winced. ‘I have to keep reminding her she’s talking about my brother. It’s SO gross.’

  I suddenly spotted Cal come in and walk straight towards the library. I hurriedly pulled out the last of my books and slammed my locker door shut before everything came tumbling out.

  ‘Sorry, Grace, I have to go,’ I said quickly, watching Cal disappear through the library doors. ‘Talk later, OK?’

  ‘Can’t wait!’ Grace happily shouted after me as I raced to follow him, pushing through the squeaky doors at the end of the hallway and into the deathly silence of the library.

  The library has always made me nervous. It really creeps me out because it’s too big and quiet in there, plus the librarian, Mr Grindle, hates me because of that time he caught me doing an impression of his walk. It’s not my fault he moves like an ostrich. Mr Grindle was reading as I came in and he did a double take at me when he looked up from his book.

  ‘Felicity!’ he said, bookmarking his page and leaning forwards on his desk. ‘Can I help you?’

  I shook my head. ‘Nope. Just perusing.’

  ‘Perusing,’ he repeated curiously, as though I’d presented him with a riddle.

  ‘Yep. Having a look around.’ You’d think a librarian would have a greater grasp of the English language.

  ‘Would you like me to recommend you something?’

  ‘No, I’m good. Thanks.’

  ‘May I remind you that the library is a sanctuary of study and peace. Two things I’m not sure you’ve much experience of,’ he said, all snootily.

  This is why I hate the library. Because people like this hang ou
t there.

  ‘If you’re planning on playing some kind of prank or causing trouble,’ he continued, ‘I suggest that you rethink it.’

  ‘I’m not causing any trouble, just searching for a . . . book.’

  ‘I see. Well then. Search away.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  I hurried down the centre pathway, glancing left and right down each empty row, aware that I remained under Mr Grindle’s suspicious gaze. I came to a sudden halt when I spotted Cal at the end of the history section, reading with his headphones on. I sidled up next to him and coughed. When he didn’t react, I pulled one of his headphones from his ear and pinged it back on to his head.

  ‘Ow!’

  Startled, he pulled his headphones down around his neck and glared at me.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I need your help.’

  ‘Shh!’ Mr Grindle suddenly appeared at the end of the row, pressing a finger to his lips. How did he get there so fast? His ostrich legs are more effective than I thought.

  I mouthed ‘sorry’ and he strode back to his desk.

  ‘What are you doing in here?’ Cal whispered. ‘You hate the library.’

  ‘No, I don’t,’ I said defensively. ‘I love the library.’

  ‘Since when?’

  ‘Since now. Who wouldn’t love all these . . . dusty books?’

  ‘What do you want, Flick? I’m busy.’

  ‘Busy doing what?’

  He tapped the page of the book open in his hands. ‘Reading. That’s what people do in a library.’

  ‘I need your help with something.’

  ‘Why do you think I would help y–’

  ‘SHHHHHHHHHH!’

  Mr Grindle was at the end of the row again, with a thunderous expression. I pointed accusingly at Cal, who narrowed his eyes at me. I waited until Mr Grindle went back to his desk.