Stella

by Helen Eve

  ‘Since Siena died, the election’s been a bit … serious,’ Katrina explained. ‘We’ve had plenty of good candidates, but the winners have all been boring Student Council members. They don’t have a symbol, or a cafeteria table, or good hair, or anything, and all they do is lead prayers in assembly and campaign for things like vegetable allotments and cheaper stationery. This year is a return to the glory days, like a rebirth. You can see how desperately we’re needed.’

  ‘Will we have to wear gowns when we’re Prefects?’ Penny leaned worriedly towards us. ‘I don’t think I can bear to.’

  ‘No,’ Katrina said staunchly. ‘I’ve tried every way of customizing mine and it’s still totally unflattering. The first bill we pass will be to ban them altogether.’

  ‘Good idea!’ Penny’s eyes lit up. ‘Maybe we can get them replaced with Miu Miu capes.’

  Siena would have stood out anywhere, but the portraits surrounding her were particularly dismal and drab. I could see the Stars rising through these ranks from the age of twelve, building their empire until they filled the school’s collective consciousness, and waiting for this moment, by which time no one would dare contest them, to seize absolute power. Lorna and Mark were already surplus to requirements even though they would officially retain their positions until the summer.

  As they vanished into the curtains at the back of the stage, Mr Trevelyan spoke again as if he were rushing through his duties as fast as he could. ‘Let’s meet the students who could lead you next year. Will the first team please join me?’

  Everyone cheered as Edward and Luke climbed the stairs and Katrina ran up to stand beside them.

  ‘Where’s Stella?’ asked Mary-Ann. ‘She’s supposed to be there too!’

  I turned around, locating Stella some way behind us, doing tequila shots with a gang of Stripes. When Mr Trevelyan called for her, she held onto Tom’s shoulder as he lifted her off the ground and carried her to the stage. The Stars chanted her name as Luke pulled her up next to him, but when Katrina tried to take her hand she shifted away.

  ‘All hail the Queen of Sheba,’ I heard someone say sarcastically, but when I twisted around to see a group of Fifth Formers behind us I couldn’t tell which of them had spoken. One of them spoke again as I turned back, although I was sure I misheard her. Do you think she likes mud masks?

  Standing right beneath the image of her sister, Stella took in the crowd that was chanting her name with an expression that was impossible to read.

  ‘Isn’t she making a speech or something?’ Lila asked.

  ‘She doesn’t need to.’ Mary-Ann’s voice was almost reverent.

  ‘She could at least smile,’ Lila said.

  ‘She doesn’t need to,’ Mary-Ann repeated.

  Mr Trevelyan could be heard asking for the other teams to take their spots on stage, but no one did and I could see why. There was absolutely no point.

  Edward grabbed Stella’s hand and raised it above their heads, but, as soon as she could, she edged away from him to stand beside Luke.

  ‘Awkward,’ Lila said next to me. ‘Edward hates being second best.’

  ‘What do you mean, second best?’ I asked. ‘Edward’s going to be Head Boy, right? Luke’s just his campaign manager?’

  ‘In theory,’ Lila said. ‘But all that matters is which boy is with Stella.’

  Penny nodded vehemently. ‘Stella was a genius to create a love triangle. It’s so original.’

  Apparently kick-off was over, and Luke looked relieved as he took Stella’s hand. The cheers – sounding mostly female this time – grew louder as he leaned over and kissed her, and I watched Edward’s expression flicker for a second.

  His green eyes locked with mine as they had on the day I’d first seen him, except that then he’d smiled as if he accepted his also-ran position. This time he seemed a little ruffled that, Head Boy or not, he’d never be first-tier as long as Luke was by Stella’s side.

  Chapter Twelve

  Stella

  Kick-off is a success even by my own exacting standards, and as we vacate the stage I allow Katrina to high-five me.

  ‘I’m really sorry about your outfit,’ she says for the hundredth time.

  ‘I know you are,’ I tell her. ‘But please concentrate on the election from now on. Not on Edward.’

  She nods as she leaves in search of champagne, and I take the opportunity to approach Edward while Mark bores Luke about hospital work experience. Lorna, our other excuse for a monarch, is loitering nearby, but scuttles away before I even have to ask her to do so.

  ‘You have an admirer,’ I tell Edward. ‘Did you notice?’

  ‘I have multiple admirers,’ he corrects me, grinning. ‘Which one are you referring to?’

  ‘I’m sure I don’t have to spell it out,’ I say. ‘She blushes every time you look at her. It’s very sweet.’

  He considers this. ‘If you mean Caitlin, she is very sweet. Very wholesome. And very unlike my usual type.’

  I’m smiling now too. Edward has this effect on me.

  ‘But I’m not sure you’re ready to see me with someone else,’ he teases. ‘You sabotage my relationship with Katrina every time we think about closing the deal.’

  ‘Speaking of which, you didn’t tell me you’d invited her to the lake,’ I say. This invitation only ever means one thing and it’s surprising – to say the least – that Katrina failed to mention it to me. ‘When’s that happening?’

  ‘I expect we’ll do it sooner or later,’ he says casually. ‘If you ever butt out of my life. Did you know Ally is still afraid to go out alone on dark nights after your manhole stunt?’

  ‘Human involvement in that incident was never proven,’ I say smoothly. ‘Mrs Denbigh agreed that the flowerbed could easily have subsided of its own accord, like a natural phenomenon.’

  Before he can question Mrs Denbigh’s impartiality, I turn the subject back. ‘Katrina really isn’t your type.’

  ‘But I like her,’ he says.

  ‘So do all the other Stripes,’ I say pointedly. ‘Caitlin is better for your image, which is an important consideration right now. I can help you if you like.’

  He rolls his eyes, but I can see he’s flattered by the attention. And he should be, because I wouldn’t let my newest recruit go out with just anybody.

  ‘She’s very vanilla,’ he ponders. ‘She lacks Katrina’s edge.’

  He’s probably winding me up, but this makes me competitive. ‘Caitlin has plenty of edge,’ I say. ‘Just as much as Katrina. And she has hidden depths. You should give her a chance.’

  ‘Maybe,’ he agrees. ‘Although it depends on the moves Katrina pulls out tonight.’

  We follow Luke to the centre of the dance floor where we’re immediately surrounded by the other Stars and Stripes. Caitlin, shoehorned between Henry and Tom, risks being trampled or groped, so I pull her to the innermost circle where no one else can touch her. She smiles gratefully and I tousle her too-neat hair so it falls more sexily over her shoulders. She still doesn’t look very badass, but it’s not fair to compare her to Katrina, whose unequalled hips don’t lie interpretation always has all the Stripes fighting to stand behind her.

  ‘Stop trying to pimp Caitlin out,’ Edward says into my ear. ‘You’re so transparent.’

  ‘I’m not,’ I correct him. ‘I’m helping her maximize her potential.’

  Caitlin isn’t a bad dancer, but she’s timid, so when Quentin brings my next drink I hand it to her and shrug when she asks what it is. Soon she relaxes in accordance with Quentin’s generous measures and stops resisting when I push her towards Edward.

  ‘You were amazing tonight, Stella,’ she tells me earnestly as the spirits take hold. ‘Really incredible.’

  I note that she’s the first person to tell me this. Even though victory for the Stars means victory for us all, sometimes even my campaign manager is apt to take my political flair for granted.

  ‘And you look beautiful,’ she continues. ‘It was a gre
at idea to wear a different colour, so you stand out from all the other Stars.’

  ‘You’re right on all counts,’ I tell her. ‘Katrina likes us all to match, but…’

  She shakes her head vehemently. ‘This is your night, and the focus should all be on you. It was a blessing in disguise that your clothes didn’t fit.’

  I was right about her hidden depths.

  We move out of the spotlight as we continue our conversation, because playing hard to get might be a better tactic for her. By the bar, Ally is looking daggers at me and no doubt remembering the regrettable night last term when a concealed crater was discovered outside her bedroom window. She’s on the ground floor and was sneaking out for what was to be her first lakeside meeting with Edward when she found herself waist-deep in muddy water. The alarm was swiftly raised, but her housemistress took a dim view and gated her for a month without parole. As Edward’s patience in these matters is limited, he’d moved on by the time she was liberated.

  Just as I decide that such proximity to her is a bad idea, she shows me why.

  ‘Hey, Stella,’ she calls.

  There’s probably time to step out of the way, but I have no need to as Caitlin, between us, deflects Ally’s pint glass. With a deft flick of her hand she sends it flying, covering Ally in the liquid she’d intended for me.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Caitlin stammers at Ally, who stares in disbelief as her friends try to clean her up. ‘It was a reflex … Is everyone okay? Are you okay, Stella?’

  Her horrified expression is well-judged.

  ‘I’m fine, thanks to you,’ I tell her as the Stars and Stripes cluster around us in concern. ‘How did you react so quickly?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ she frowns. ‘It’s as if I sensed what was going to happen.’

  ‘I can’t believe I wasn’t here to protect you, Stella,’ panics Katrina. ‘You could have been seriously hurt.’

  ‘Yes, Franz Ferdinand,’ Edward says to me in mock-concern. ‘How could anyone have left you in such peril?’

  ‘Caitlin was more than capable of handling it,’ I tell Katrina, noting that she’s now let me down twice tonight in favour of Edward. ‘She obviously has great instincts.’

  Seeing that the glass Ally tried to throw held muddy water, I feel a flash of gratitude towards Caitlin. Even if I’d dodged, some of it might have splashed my dress. Or, in a scenario that doesn’t bear thinking about, my hair.

  ‘What happened?’ Mary-Ann is easily distracted by irrelevant details. ‘What provoked Ally?’

  ‘She attacked us unprovoked,’ I say, smiling at Luke as he puts an arm around me. ‘We’ve done nothing to her.’

  Quentin, who dug the crevasse, is keen to remind me of Ally’s likely motive, and I recall that he responds well to direct orders.

  ‘Quiet,’ I tell him before he can speak.

  Katrina, who helped him collect the frogs, turns to Caitlin in gratitude. ‘It’s lucky you were here,’ she says.

  ‘Isn’t it?’ I agree. ‘Edward, did you see how well Caitlin handled your vicious ex-girlfriend? You should thank her for getting rid of Ally once and for all.’

  Ally is trying to get Edward’s attention as her friends hustle her out of the room, and he winces in embarrassment as she sobs his name. Caitlin really has done him a big service.

  Katrina smiles at him hopefully as a slow song comes on, and he hesitates for a second.

  ‘Edward?’ I press. ‘Don’t you agree it was very edgy of Caitlin?’

  Edward looks away from Katrina. ‘I agree,’ he says.

  I chink my glass against his. ‘I had a feeling you would.’

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caitlin

  Ally’s assassination attempt made Stella more celebrated than ever, and somehow the adulation rubbed off on me. Shots were lined up for her as she stood at the bar, and I shone in reflected glory as the attraction of being with her intensified further. I thought that if you were wasted enough she probably looked like a higher power.

  It wasn’t long before Penny’s lipstick was bleeding, Lila had lost her phone, and Katrina was crying incoherently about her design error, telling anyone who’d listen that Edward had gotten her confused between inches and centimetres. Meanwhile Stella took a bottle of champagne from Tom, popping the cork and spraying everyone around her. Putting her mouth to the bottle, she caught some and let the rest spill down her neck and chest as the austere faces of the previous Head Girls and Boys glared down from their gilt frames.

  When my feet hurt I headed for a seat, not believing my luck when Luke joined me. ‘Are you having fun?’ he asked, leaning so close I could smell his aftershave

  Stella was far enough away not to have seen us. I don’t know why I thought that mattered, except that Luke’s cheek was so close to mine he was almost grazing me. As I put my hand to my face, his fair hair brushed against it, and I jumped.

  He was suddenly serious. ‘Be yourself. Don’t try and be like them.’

  He nodded at Penny and Lila, who were dancing together, legs and arms entwined and, as far as I could see, almost making out as a group of guys looked on.

  ‘I’m not.’ It was hard to speak; I couldn’t get words out clearly. ‘They’re all so pretty…’

  God, where did that come from? I cursed myself. Don’t be lame.

  ‘You’re a beautiful girl, just as you are,’ he said sincerely. ‘Anyone would be lucky to be with you.’

  Suddenly Stella was between us and the moment was lost. She sat on his knee, her legs pushing me away from him, and kissed him on the lips. I turned away awkwardly and pretended to check my phone.

  Finally she spoke over the music. ‘Luke, wouldn’t Edward and Caitlin make a great couple?’

  He winced as if she’d deafened him, making a big deal of holding his ear. She laughed, pulling his hand away and biting his ear lobe. His pupils dilated and I felt a bolt of something like pain in my stomach. I’d never known that jealousy could feel like this.

  Focus. ‘Didn’t Penny make out with him?’

  She waved dismissively, but then I remembered the argument earlier. ‘And I thought he and Katrina were hooking up?’

  ‘That’s completely over,’ she said. ‘Irrevocably. So if you’re interested, you should come to his after-party.’

  The Stars ran for the door as the track cut out and the lights came on. Katrina took my hand, but Edward steered me away so we could walk on our own. He was handsome in a white shirt that showed off his tan, and his easy confidence contrasted sharply with Luke’s winsome sincerity.

  ‘I thought you said you didn’t drink?’ he asked, putting his arm around me as I tripped on the uneven ground.

  ‘I didn’t,’ I admitted. I’d asked Stella a couple of times what was in the yellow drinks she kept handing me, but she’d only shrugged, and refusing them seemed rude. Besides, being drunk wasn’t the big deal I’d always imagined. I was always so overly cautious about trying new things that I’d decided to fall into line on this one. It had been a great night, even if I was less steady on my feet than usual.

  Everyone removed their shoes as we walked up the stairs in Riverside, the boys’ house, towards Edward’s room.

  ‘Are we going to get in trouble for this?’ I whispered to him.

  ‘Not if we don’t get caught,’ he said as we went inside.

  Stella pulled me down next to her on Edward’s bed. ‘I’m glad you came with us.’ Her hair smelled of peaches and it fell onto my shoulder, soft like feathers. ‘It’s time for your initiation.’

  ‘My what?’ I asked.

  Luke gave me a glass of water, but, before I could sip it, Stella took it from my hands and replaced it with champagne. I was starting to overheat but I drank some anyway, even though it was warm and almost flat.

  The other Stars were lounging unsteadily next to us on the bed, drinking straight-up vodka from a bottle. Quentin was trying to make out with Lila, but she kept her back to him as she talked intently with Penny. At the wo
rd initiation, everyone sat up and took notice.

  ‘Surely someone told you?’ Lila said. ‘You can’t just join the Stars, you know. It’s called earning your Stripes.’

  She pulled a tie out of Quentin’s back pocket, and he looked thrilled at the attention.

  ‘We blindfold you,’ she explained nonchalantly. ‘Then we spin you around and you kiss whichever Stripe you stop at.’

  I shrank away, and Katrina giggled. ‘We’ve all earned at least one, Caitlin. Some of us almost have the full spangled banner.’

  Stella glanced at Edward. ‘And some of us don’t think that’s very classy,’ she said.

  ‘What if –’ I was at a loss. ‘What if I don’t want to?’

  ‘Then you should know that being a Star isn’t for everyone,’ Lila said. ‘Caroline didn’t make it either. Maybe you could find another group that suits you better? Brass band or something.’

  I thought of Caroline’s eager face. She was so desperate to be a Star that surely she’d have done a simple kissing task?

  Katrina seemed to read my mind. ‘Caroline did the task. She just didn’t pass it.’

  Penny nodded earnestly. ‘Poor Henry thought he was getting the bends.’

  Henry pulled a face at the memory. ‘I hope you don’t have a saliva problem, Caitlin,’ he said as everyone laughed.

  I swallowed hard. How did you know whether you could kiss or not? ‘Isn’t there another task I could do instead?’

  Katrina squeezed my hand. ‘I don’t think you’d like any of them. The easiest is a quad run with at least twenty witnesses. In your underwear.’

  Stella spoke into my ear. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you land on Edward.’

  I gave up, letting her tie my blindfold. At least Edward was cute, and hopefully enough of a gentleman to keep the details to himself.

  The Stars spun me hard and I stumbled, clutching at air and hoping not to throw up. A shove sent me careering off-balance before someone tall steadied me.

  ‘Luke, you do know you aren’t playing?’

  Stella sounded amused, and I pulled off the tie to see that he was holding me upright once again.