Secrets of a Teenage Heiress

by Katy Birchall

  ‘Couldn’t have done this without you,’ I admitted to Cal, as he laughed at Fritz being so spoiled.

  He shook his head. ‘Yeah, you could have. With your eyes closed. You’ve always been good at telling people what to do.’

  I laughed.

  ‘Nice lipstick, by the way,’ he said, taking a sip of his drink. ‘Looks good.’

  I gave him a funny look.

  ‘What?’ he asked innocently.

  ‘Nothing. It’s just . . . you’re being nice.’

  ‘I’m always nice.’

  ‘I know . . . well, I mean, you don’t like me.’

  ‘That’s not true.’

  Someone knocked me as they squeezed past, almost tipping my lemonade all over me. I looked down to check my dress for any stray spillages when I felt Cal’s warm fingers grip my wrist. Our eyes locked.

  ‘That’s not true,’ he repeated, in a lower, more serious voice. I was so surprised at the intense way he was looking at me, that I suddenly felt all the breath knocked out of me and a warm, giddy feeling in my stomach.

  I really needed to stop being affected so much by boys. How does anyone get anything done when they’re walking around with their sincere eyes and shapely jaws?

  Oh my God, I just used the word ‘shapely’.

  WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY BRAIN?

  ‘Flick?’

  Cal dropped my wrist at my mum’s voice.

  ‘Mum! What are you doing here?’

  ‘Well, my lecture’s finished, and I came home to hear that I was hosting a party for Skylar Chase.’

  I felt the colour drain out my face. I hadn’t told Mum about the party earlier because I didn’t want her to worry about anything. But I had meant to phone her beforehand to mention that the whole thing was happening, you know, it being her hotel and everything. But my panic after Grace leaving and then that really nice message from Olly had totally thrown my brain and I’d completely forgotten to call her.

  ‘Mum, I meant to –’

  ‘What a resounding success.’ She beamed. ‘Flick, I could not be more proud of you.’

  She reached forwards and pulled me into a hug.

  ‘Audrey told me everything,’ she continued, releasing me to address Cal too. ‘She said how you two clubbed together to arrange all of this and how hard you have both worked. I must say, I didn’t realise this room even existed. How did you come across it?’

  ‘Uh –’

  ‘Well –’

  ‘Um –’

  ‘No matter.’ She laughed, as Cal and I awkwardly mumbled, before putting on her sophisticated hotel-owner voice. ‘Guests can always rely on Hotel Royale.’

  ‘Right,’ I agreed. ‘That was the tagline we were channelling.’

  ‘I’d better go and talk to Miss Chase,’ she said, before placing a hand on my shoulder. ‘Flick, I think it might be about time we talk about the Christmas Ball. Don’t you?’

  She smiled warmly at us and then strode away towards Sky. Without thinking, I threw my arms around Cal’s neck, bouncing up and down on the spot.

  ‘We did it! We did it!’

  He laughed and suddenly I realised I was majorly invading Cal Weston’s personal space, so I stumbled backwards, knocking into a grumpy supermodel behind me. After apologising to her, I turned back to Cal.

  ‘Looks like you got your way.’ He grinned.

  ‘Duh!’ I said, flicking my hair dramatically. ‘As usual. Cal, thank you so –’

  ‘Hey.’ Ethan came out of nowhere, taking my hand and shooting Cal an odd look. ‘Can I steal you away? I need you to meet some people.’

  ‘Right, yeah, of course.’

  As he pulled me away from Cal, he smiled down at me curiously.

  ‘Who is that guy? Do I need to be worried about riding solo to the Christmas Ball?’

  ‘No, no!’ I assured him quickly. ‘He’s nobody. Just the son of an employee.’

  But Ethan wasn’t listening any more. He had seen someone he knew and was too busy greeting them. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Cal watching me with a stunned, hurt look on his face. He shook his head, and then turned to push his way through the crowd and out the door. He didn’t come back.

  ‘He’ll show,’ Sky said determinedly as the last of her suitcases were taken downstairs by the porters. When I’d finished repeating the story to her, I’d mentioned that Cal and I had previously arranged a ‘Royale education’ lesson that Sunday with the florist.

  I nodded with much more confidence than I felt and escorted her downstairs to where her car was waiting. Mum, Audrey, Matthew and Fritz had lined up ready to say their goodbyes in the lobby.

  ‘I’ll miss you guys,’ she said, her eyes welling as she picked Fritz up and he gave her a lick on the cheek. ‘See you at Christmas.’

  She gave me a long hug, took one last selfie with Fritz, blew us all kisses and then waltzed out the door through the crowd of waiting press and into her car. That was when the florist arrived ready for our day and the wait for Cal started.

  He didn’t show up.

  ‘But the deal’s off.’ Cal shrugged simply.

  I had accosted him in the cafeteria, the first time I’d seen him at school that day. He hadn’t replied to any of my voicemails or texts, and I’d tried searching for him in the library earlier in the morning with no luck. But then as I was sliding a plate of food on to my tray at lunch, I spotted him putting his tray into the racks at the other side of the dining room, about to leave. I left my tray where it was, and raced through the cafeteria to catch him, dodging through students and causing heads to pop up curiously at the fuss. Ella, sitting in the middle of a table of girls, looked particularly interested.

  ‘What do you mean the deal’s off ?’ I asked, when I’d demanded that he explain why he hadn’t shown up the day before. It’s not like I hadn’t apologised in those messages and, yes, what I said wasn’t the kindest of comments but I explained in my voicemails that I hadn’t meant it, so there was no need for him to be in such a strop.

  He sighed as though having to explain something very simple to an impatient child.

  ‘The deal between me and you.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ I said, crossing my arms. ‘You said you would help me learn everything there was to know. There’s still plenty to learn.’

  ‘Yeah, and you said that in return you’d get me an interview with Skylar Chase and unless the Daily Post is completely mistaken, Skylar Chase took a plane back to LA yesterday.’

  My heart sank. He was right. I had completely forgotten about his interview.

  ‘Cal –’

  He cut me off coldly. ‘I held up my end of the deal and, as we found out on Saturday, you got your way. You can go to the Christmas Ball with your blogger or vlogger . . . or whatever he is. You didn’t hold up your end of the deal, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s all off. Surely you don’t need the help of a mere son of an employee any more. After all, that’s all I am, right? A nobody.’

  ‘No, Cal, I didn’t mean it. Didn’t you get my messages?’

  ‘I’ll see you around, Flick.’

  I wanted to go after him as he walked away, but I didn’t know what else there was to say. I had become so involved in winning over Mum about the Christmas Ball, I’d completely forgotten the promise I’d made to Cal. And he’d wasted all that time helping me to get what I wanted, without getting anything in return.

  ‘Well, well, well.’

  A snide voice behind me made a shiver go down my spine. I turned to face Ella, who was now standing behind me.

  ‘What do you want, Ella?’ I asked, feeling very drained from my conversation with Cal and not particularly in the mood for any more confrontation.

  ‘I’m calling you out, Flick Royale,’ she said, a thin smile creeping across her lips. The cafeteria immediately descended into a hush, all eyes watching us in anticipation. I glanced over at Olly, who stood up anxiously when he saw what was going on.

  ‘Ella, I don’t kno
w what you’re talking about,’ I muttered softly.

  ‘Don’t you? Miss High-and-Mighty Felicity Royale, friend to the celebrities – I know who you really are, and you’re a fraud.’ She pointed her bony, manicured finger at me accusingly, and the girls who had come to surround her in support gasped for effect.

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘I’m sure the press would LOVE to know the real reason you’ve been hanging out with Skylar Chase.’ She cackled. ‘You just wanted to get your loser boyfriend Cal an interview. And you couldn’t even do that!’

  ‘That’s not why I was hanging out with Sky!’ I protested. ‘I just –’

  ‘You couldn’t get an interview with her because she would never grant an interview to someone who waits on her in a hotel restaurant. You claim to be best friends, but there weren’t even any photos of you with her at the party. And Ethan Duke hasn’t mentioned you ONCE in his vlogs. The truth is, you act as though you’re the most important person on the planet, when in fact you have no friends.’

  She finished her speech with a smug smile as the cafeteria erupted into whispers. I’d never cried at school before – I’d never had reason to – but with everyone staring at me, my eyes began to grow hot with tears. Ella was right. She had dropped me, Cal despised me and Sky was in a different country – I didn’t have any friends. Well, I had Grace but for how long? She’d probably get tired of me too like everyone else. I clutched my fists, desperate not to let myself crumple and cry in front of the whole school. I saw Olly open his mouth to speak and I began to panic – Ella would have a bigger vendetta than ever at me if her ex-boyfriend took my side.

  But I needn’t have worried.

  Because the voice that next rang clearly through the cafeteria didn’t belong to Olly. It belonged to his sister.

  ‘Back off, Ella.’ Grace was suddenly at my side, her cheeks flushed red. The whole room inhaled at the same time, stunned by this turn of events. It was like a live soap opera.

  Ella recoiled at first, but on realising who had dared speak to her like that, she relaxed into her natural sneer. ‘Sit down, Grace, this has nothing to do with you.’

  ‘Yes it does. Flick is my friend.’

  Putting her hands on her hips, Ella looked bemused and glanced over her shoulder at her group of girls, to share this entertaining moment. But they didn’t look as comfortable about the situation as their leader.

  ‘I mean it,’ Grace squeaked.

  ‘Grace,’ Ella hissed, becoming irritated, ‘what are you doing?’

  ‘I’m telling you to leave her alone,’ Grace said firmly and loudly enough for the captivated audience to hear. ‘She’s my friend. So, like I said, back off.’

  ‘Grace, this isn’t about you,’ Ella said, rolling her eyes, ‘this is about Flick and how she –’

  ‘You know what, Ella?’ Grace interrupted, holding up her hand. ‘No one cares what you have to say.’

  More gasps. My jaw dropped open as I stared at her determined expression. Who was this person and what had happened to meek Grace? Ella was clearly thinking the same thing.

  ‘How dare you!’ she snarled.

  ‘Grace,’ I whispered out the side of my mouth, as Ella’s face grew redder and redder, ‘you don’t have to do this. I can handle –’

  ‘I know. But I want to.’ She turned back to Ella. ‘I think it’s cool that Flick helps out at the hotel rather than just acting as though she owns it – which by the way she does.’

  ‘Well, technically it’s my mum who –’

  ‘Not now, Flick. Ella, you’re clearly just jealous of Flick for many reasons,’ she said, shooting her a knowing look as Ella’s eyes flashed with anger. Or was it fear?

  ‘I am NOT jealous of her,’ Ella spat.

  Grace ignored her. ‘Now, if you have nothing nice to say, I reckon this is your cue to leave.’

  Ella snorted and Grace stuck her chin out defiantly.

  ‘That is,’ Grace continued in a quieter voice, ‘unless you want me to carry on. Because I have some very interesting stories from when you were dating my brother . . .’

  It was as though someone had slapped Ella round the face. Flustered, she looked behind her, her eyes searching frantically for support, but her cronies refused to make eye contact. They knew a losing side when they saw one. Ella let out a small sob, and pushed past us to run out of the cafeteria and into the toilets. No one followed her. The cafeteria burst into raucous applause as Grace breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘That felt good.’ She smiled, linking her arm through mine. ‘Want to sit with me for lunch?’

  ‘You know what?’ I nodded slowly. ‘I really do.’

  So, I hear you’re to blame

  Oh no, what now?

  For my sister’s little outburst today. She said it’s all down to you?

  I wish I could take credit Olly, but I don’t think I can. She was amazing. I owe her big time

  Well, I wanted to thank you

  For what?

  For giving her more confidence. Whatever you said to her at the weekend, it worked. My parents and I have been trying for years to get her to have a little more faith in herself. I hated her hanging out with Ella once I realised what she was really like

  I can imagine. I meant to thank you by the way. For your message the other night before Sky’s party

  You’re welcome. So . . . see you at lunch tomorrow?

  You bet. It’s nice having people to sit with again. I was getting bored of all those books

  Pleased to hear it.

  Oh, and Flick?

  Yeeeeees?

  Try not to start any more rebellions, OK? As much fun as they are, it is only Monday x

  I can’t make any promises x

  There was a knock on my bedroom door.

  ‘Come in.’

  I looked up from my homework to see Mum leaning on the doorway.

  ‘Working again?’ She nodded towards the books piled up on my desk.

  She had every right to be surprised – it was a Saturday and exactly two days before the end of term, and a week before the Christmas Ball. We had hardly any homework to do and school lessons mostly involved watching Christmas films or working in groups on pointless projects. Considering I had never cared about homework before, I guess it seemed odd to Mum that I would care about it now, when I had a real excuse not to do any. And the lead-up to the Christmas Ball was always my favourite time of year – usually I’d make Ella or anyone who was available come to a hundred different shops with me, and I’d spend all day enjoying their envious looks as I twirled around in various gowns, musing on which shoes would go with each one.

  Not this year, though. Ella was still not talking to me. But now, I actually didn’t care, because no one was really talking to her either. Things had been way more relaxing without her insisting on being the centre of attention all the time. She still had a few minions worshipping her every move, but since her public telling-off, Ella had been much more low-key, avoiding us like the plague. And, as Olly hilariously pointed out when I was over at his and Grace’s house for a movie night, she seemed to strut less when parading down the hallway.

  ‘So do you, though,’ he added, when I giggled at his observation.

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘You strut less than you used to.’

  ‘I never strutted!’

  ‘You did.’ He laughed. ‘You properly strutted.’

  ‘I did not!’

  ‘I’m with Olly on this one, you had a strut going on,’ Liam added, throwing up a kernel of popcorn and catching it in his mouth.

  ‘Grace, back me up!’

  Grace hesitated. ‘I guess there was a teeny tiny strut . . .’

  I gasped. ‘Et loo, Caesar?’

  They all exploded with laughter and Liam began choking on the popcorn.

  ‘What’s so funny?’

  ‘You got that so wrong,’ Olly said, knocking Liam on the back. ‘It’s “Et tu, Brute?”’

  I s
natched the bowl of popcorn from Liam. ‘I did not strut.’

  ‘Whatever you say, Shakespeare.’ Olly grinned, reaching for a handful of popcorn and pressing play on the controller.

  I didn’t miss Ella but I sort of missed the other person who was still not talking to me. As Cal was older, he wasn’t in any of my classes and he mostly kept himself to himself during break times. One afternoon after school, I had been on an errand for Mum, taking some files to Audrey’s office and Cal was leaning on the reception desk reading, I assumed waiting for his dad. I took a deep breath and went over to him.

  ‘Hey.’

  ‘Hey.’ He looked back down at his book.

  Uh-oh. I hadn’t thought about what I was going to say after ‘hey’. I had no idea where to go from there. Why hadn’t I thought this through?

  ‘Did you know butterflies taste things through their feet?’

  OK, not the most winning line but I decided to go with it.

  ‘Yeah, I did.’

  ‘Oh. Good. Interesting, right? I was watching Planet Earth repeats the other day.’

  He didn’t reply so I decided I should probably call it a day. Butterfly facts? Really? That’s the best I could do? I turned away, disgusted with myself, when he spoke.

  ‘I heard about Grace. Telling Ella off in front of everyone.’

  ‘It was pretty cool.’

  ‘And hotheaded. You must be rubbing off on her.’

  ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’

  ‘Whatever you want.’

  I paused, watching him turn the page of his book. ‘You know, Cal, I really am sorry. About what I said at the party.’

  ‘It’s cool,’ he replied, not looking up. ‘I get it.’

  ‘Get what?’

  ‘That you were trying to impress whatever his name is. The vlogger.’