‘No, I’m just saying that maybe you should let Cupid take care of this one.’
‘Hayden, Cupid —’
‘Is understaffed?’
‘Severely.’ I peeped through the fence again. ‘Besides, Ms DeForest isn’t a good match for my dad.’
‘Ms DeForest is dating your father?’ Hayden whistled.
‘You know her?’
‘I know of her. Jeffrey was talking about your detention in the locker room after practice.’
Guys were discussing me in the locker room? Great! Was there no privacy any more?
‘It’s just one big gossip session in there, isn’t it?’
‘Not exactly. I asked him —’
‘So you do spy on me!’ I stood up in outrage.
‘Quick!’ Hayden pulled me back down as headlights turned into my driveway. ‘You’ll miss your own spying opportunity.’
‘It’s not spying. It’s observing with an objective.’
Hayden’s mouth curled on one side with amusement. ‘It’s spying. In the true 007 sense. Hey, I’ve always considered myself rather Bondesque.’
‘Well, if it’s spying, we should be quiet!’ I hissed.
‘I think you’d make a great Bond Girl,’ he went on. ‘Although you need to be aware that every one of them inevitably falls victim to Bond’s charm.’
I sent Hayden my most ferocious look and he shut up.
Ms DeForest’s Mazda roared to a spot about ten metres in front of us. I could see her in the driver’s seat, giving the NAD a sultry smile. Talk about putting on the moves!
‘I know she gave you a detention, but she might be alright if you get to know her a bit more,’ Hayden whispered in my ear.
‘She told me I had a black aura!’ I cried.
‘Shh! You’ll give yourself away!’
‘Oh my god!’ I grabbed Hayden’s arm. ‘They’re about to kiss!’ I buried my head in his shoulder. ‘I can’t look!’
‘Well, he certainly likes her,’ Hayden reported.
I groaned. ‘Just tell me when I can look.’
Hayden’s cologne was distracting. It made me think of running through fields of freshly cut grass. I had to get him out of my space.
‘Aren’t they done yet?’ I complained.
‘Nope. It’s a pretty passionate embrace.’
I groaned again. ‘How passionate?’
‘Well, they’ve been in constant liplock for three minutes now.’ I felt Hayden move his hand slightly to check his watch. ‘And he’s holding her really close — she’s running her hands through his hair —’
‘Enough!’ I said miserably.
The car door slammed.
I pulled myself away from Hayden. ‘I thought you were going to tell me when they finished kissing?’
He grinned. ‘I was distracted. And you were the one who embraced me.’
‘Embraced you?’ I choked. ‘I hid my eyes. Period.’
‘Sure.’ He raised his eyebrows sceptically.
‘Can you never be quiet?’ I watched Ms DeForest pull out of our driveway.
‘Nope.’ He shook his head infuriatingly. ‘You know you’d be lonely without my voice.’
I threw my hand over his mouth as the NAD came up the path. Hayden tried to prise my hand away, his eyes twinkling. Just as the NAD passed our section of the fence, I felt Hayden’s lips gently kiss the inside of my palm.
I gave a scream. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’
I leapt up, and Hayden fell on his back on the asphalt, his eyes wide with surprise.
‘Aurora?’ I turned to see the NAD peering over the fence. ‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Aurora and I were just stargazing together, Mr Skye,’ Hayden said, pulling himself up from the ground.
Stargazing? If I wasn’t so anti-violence, he’d be seeing stars of a different type!
‘Romantic night, isn’t it?’ he continued.
‘Very.’ The NAD gazed dreamily up at the sky. ‘So are you coming in now, Aurora? Or do you need a few moments to say goodnight?’
I saw Hayden push down a smile. No! The NAD thought Hayden and I were an item. I was going to kill him for this. Hayden, I mean, not the NAD. His outrageous antics had overstressed my mind.
I leapt over the fence. ‘Nope. I’m coming right now.’
‘How was your date?’ I inquired as the NAD closed the front door behind us.
‘Great.’ He smiled. ‘Dana’s one of a kind. She hadn’t realised that the Aurora in her class was the same Aurora I’d been raving about.’
The NAD gave me a hug and sprinted down the hall before I could do any more questioning.
‘You shouldn’t have called your evening to an end because of me,’ he called back. ‘Hayden looked very disappointed.’
I stalked upstairs. I couldn’t believe that Hayden had put on such an act to embarrass me! Kissing my palm so I’d give myself away to the NAD; lying about stargazing. This time Hayden Paris had gone too far.
CHAPTER 13
Lady Disdain
I used Sunday morning to interrogate the NAD. Since Friday night, he’d been locked in his office. Now was the time to use my sure-fire tactics. I got up at 7 am and started cooking pancakes with the works — maple syrup, bananas, sugar, chocolate chips and strawberries. I didn’t turn on the fan so the smell was sure to drift into the NAD’s office.
‘Something smells good.’ Dad popped his head around the corner. ‘But I’ve got to get stuck into that brief —’
I flipped a golden pancake onto a plate.
‘Maybe I can stay for ten minutes.’ He settled himself at the table and buried himself in the weekend paper. Total avoidance tactic.
‘Pancakes coming through!’ I pushed his newspaper aside and placed a stack in front of him. ‘So, Dad, you haven’t told me much about Ms DeForest.’
Dad looked anxiously at the door, his only escape route.
I leisurely poured syrup over his pancakes. ‘How many dates have you been on?’
The NAD’s jaw tensed. I had him trapped. I grabbed my own stack and sat down in front of him, giving him my most attentive look.
‘Oh, you know, a few.’ He shrugged nonchalantly, then started shoving pancake into his mouth.
I cut my stack into little hearts, to put off having a full mouth and being unable to interrogate him.
‘So it’s serious?’
‘Well, it’s early days yet. Dana’s a very interesting woman.’
That was one way to put it.
‘We met at yoga, when we had to pair up for an exercise.’
Darn that friendly yoga environment.
‘It’s nice to be seeing someone again.’ A small smile spread over Dad’s face.
Great. Now if I said anything negative, it was going to seem like I wanted to sabotage his happiness. I played with a strawberry.
‘So, what are you up to today?’ Dad finished his last bite and took his plate up to the sink. ‘Are you and Hayden hanging out again?’
I choked on my pancake. Not only did Hayden have Dad convinced that he and I were a couple, but his kiss was still burning the inside of my palm. I had scrubbed and scrubbed and tried to block it from my mind, but I could still feel the sensation of his lips on my skin.
‘Chew carefully, honey.’ Dad kissed the top of my head and headed for the office.
I was not going to spend the day with Hayden. My time, as always, was going to be spent productively.
By the time I turned up for the rehearsal of Much Ado About Nothing on Monday afternoon, I’d read through the first half of the play.
‘Welcome to our very first rehearsal!’ Mr Peterman beamed at all of us seated in front of him. ‘I expect that everyone’s prepared to have a lot of fun.’
I looked at Jelena, Cassie, Sara and Lindsay. This was exactly what I needed to distract me from the NAD and Ms DeForest’s love affair. Good friends, good times and quality literature. Thank you, Shakespeare.
‘And to w
ork hard.’ Mr Peterman’s voice turned serious. ‘We have just three weeks to stage one of the Bard’s most loved plays. I’m sure that all of you, like me, want it to be a production of quality.’
Scott and Alex popped into the seats just in front of us. Scott waved a rolled-up bundle of paper at Cassie and grinned. Presumably he’d managed to replicate the backdrop sketches.
Mr Peterman continued. ‘We’ll start with a short run-through of the first few scenes to make sure that everyone’s familiar with the play.’
‘Thank god Scott was able to redo the sketches,’ Cassie whispered, playing with the little yellow heart dangling from her necklace.
‘Everything’s running smoothly,’ I assured her. ‘Did you see the smile he gave you? It’s obvious that he’s not holding any grudges.’
Cassie didn’t look totally convinced. ‘Just as long as I don’t do anything worse. I hope working together on scenery wasn’t a bad idea.’
‘Cass, it was genius,’ I said. ‘There are so many advantages to working backstage together. Firstly, any event that gets people working together in a busy, exciting place for an extensive period is extremely conducive to romance.’ I smiled encouragingly at her. ‘By working together towards the successful completion of your goal, it will become obvious just how perfectly you’d work as a couple.’
‘And the best bit?’ Sara gave a cheeky smile. ‘You’ll be working in close contact — in the dark!’ She made kissy noises.
‘Sara!’ Cassie blushed.
‘Sara is on the right track with her comment about working in dark spaces,’ I said. ‘In the dark, our pupils dilate, which is also what happens when we see something attractive. Humans are instinctively attracted to large pupils, so Scott will be pulled in without even knowing why!’
‘Is that why candlelight dinners are supposed to be so romantic?’ Cass asked.
‘Bingo,’ I replied, and grinned at her. ‘Darkness is highly effective in creating a romantic atmosphere.’
Here was another potential chapter for my book: ‘Do something right — go with candlelight’.
Except it didn’t apply to Hayden and me. Hiding in the dark backyard with him had only increased my dislike. But there was no need to share that with my readers, or my friends.
‘Hmm. Maybe I should consider doing that with Alex.’ Jelena’s eyes were thoughtful.
People were already being inspired by my ideas! New York Times bestseller list, here I come!
Sara laughed. ‘Don’t count on it working that well. When I invited Ben to a candlelight dinner, he asked me if there was something wrong with the electricity.’
‘Yeah, but that’s you,’ Jelena replied.
‘Excuse me?’ Sara shot daggers at Jelena.
Jelena examined her ice-blue manicure. ‘I’m just saying that your bad luck doesn’t have to apply to my circumstances.’
Sara shrugged. ‘You’re right. I wouldn’t worry about the lighting. It’ll be your insensitivity that sends Alex running. Good thing he’s an athlete. Fast exit guaranteed.’
I looked nervously at them. I hadn’t realised my theories could cause so much controversy. ‘Guys, maybe we should be listening to Mr Peterman.’
‘So I’ll stop my synopsis there,’ Mr Peterman said, lifting his eyes from his script. ‘Now, as we can see from this first part of the play, the attitudes in Shakespeare’s time were obviously very different from our own. Marriage had little to do with love and more to do with social betterment and preserving inheritance. A woman’s role was firstly to be a dutiful daughter, then to be an obedient wife.’
‘Mr Peterman, the play is totally sexist!’ Sara stood up.
Jelena rolled her eyes.
‘As I said, Sara, the play was written around five hundred years ago, so the ideas are naturally outdated. However, it is still a fabulous play —’
‘Yeah, sure.’ Sara slumped back in her seat.
‘— and because of those outdated beliefs, I’ve decided to set it in the 1950s.’
An excited murmur ran through the crowd at Mr Peterman’s announcement.
‘Instead of a Sicilian property, the play will take place at a fabulous estate in the south of the United States. Leonato is a governor, and Claudio has similar political aspirations. Hero is the typical obedient daughter, but Beatrice is a southern belle who rejects the traditional ideas of marriage. By setting Much Ado About Nothing in the fifties, we’ll show our audience just how far we’ve come since then, and also how far we’ve yet to go towards total equality.’
Sara looked pleased.
‘So, all backstage crew,’ Mr Peterman said, ‘I hope you’ve been listening carefully. All backdrops, costumes and props will be fifties in style.’
‘This is so cool,’ I whispered to Cassie. ‘You know what this means? Cocktail dresses and pump shoes —’
‘All backstage crew backstage, and all cast members up onstage, please!’ Mr Peterman called, pointing at the two areas.
I started to get nervous. The hard part was about to begin. I took a spot next to Sara as Mr Peterman began handing out scripts.
‘Can you believe Jelena?’ Sara blurted. ‘She was implying that I’m a failure at dating!’
I took a fat script from Mr Peterman. ‘I’m sure she didn’t mean it.’
‘Well, I hope she fails with Alex.’ Sara narrowed her eyes. ‘Then she’ll see how it feels.’
I could tell that Sara was really hurt. This was awful — our first rehearsal and already two of our group were divided. I needed to get Jelena to apologise.
‘I want you all to become familiar with the stage,’ Mr Peterman announced. ‘Characters don’t stay in one spot — they move and react like anyone in real life. If you know the performance space, you’ll feel more comfortable using it.’
I took a good look at the wings, and when Mr Peterman’s attention wasn’t on me, I skipped through them and backstage. Mr Peterman had said to get familiar with the stage. In my case, it was just BACKstage.
‘So we need this styrofoam shaped into drystone walls for the garden scenes,’ Jelena said, surrounded by half the crew members. She looked at her clipboard. ‘And we need some thick cardboard to construct graves for act three. Gaia, could you get me a coffee?’
As people struggled with huge slabs of styrofoam, and Gaia rushed off to the canteen, I had a vision of Jelena running a salt mine. I tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, looking frustrated.
‘Don’t you think you were a bit harsh on Sara before?’ I asked cautiously.
‘Me?’ Jelena opened her eyes wide. ‘She was the one who said that Alex was going to run a mile once he got to know me.’
‘Jelena, she’s oversensitive by nature. Your comment made her say things she didn’t mean.’
‘Well, all I know is that she should stick to her area, and I’ll stick to mine.’ Jelena gestured at two boys from Year Seven. ‘Tony, Nick, am I going to get any help with the stereo system?’ She turned back to me. ‘Can you keep an eye on Alex? I don’t want any cute female cast members making eyes at him.’
‘Yeah, but what about Sara?’ I yelled over the sea of people swamping Jelena with questions.
She didn’t deign to reply. I sighed. I’d have to tackle her on this when we were alone.
I looked around for Cassie and Scott. There they were, tucked away in the corner with huge rolls of canvas spread out in front of them. Cassie had her head down, tracing a design on the material. Both were silent. Hmm.
‘Cassie?’ I called, stopping at the edge of the canvas.
Cassie and Scott both turned around with a look of relief. There’s nothing like prolonged silence to make people uncomfortable.
‘Aren’t you meant to be onstage?’ Scott asked, a pencil tucked behind his ear.
‘I have a message for Cassie from Mr Peterman,’ I fibbed.
Cassie set down her pencil and joined me.
‘What happened to FOMAH?’ I whispered.
‘I don’t wa
nt to seem like I’m interrogating him.’ Cassie played with the heart on her necklace again.
‘Cass, you’re the furthest thing from an interrogator. You’re asking him light-hearted questions. Ask if he has any pets! He can hardly accuse you of being nosy. And make sure you say his name.’ I fixed up a flyaway lock of her hair.
‘Do I get to hear any of this secret message?’ Scott asked, his blue eyes twinkling.
‘He so wants you to whisper in his ear!’ I said, struggling to keep my voice down in my excitement.
‘Aurora!’
‘I’m only joking,’ I reassured Cassie. ‘But say his name a lot. Not so much that it seems odd, but more than usual. It creates a feeling of intimacy.’
There was a roar from the stage. ‘Aurora!’
‘Eek! It’s Mr Peterman! Coming!’ I called as I raced back onto the stage. ‘Sorry, Mr Peterman. There was an urgent matter that required my attention backstage.’
‘The only urgent matter is the scene we’ve been trying to rehearse without our female lead,’ Mr Peterman replied. ‘With three weeks till opening night, there’s no time for fraternising.’
‘I assure you, Mr Peterman, it was a matter of critical importance.’
Cassie and Scott’s romance was at stake!
Mr Peterman sighed. ‘Let’s just start the scene. Beginning of the play, everyone.’
I took my place onstage with Claire Linden, who was playing Hero, and David Murray, who was Leonato. Claire gave me a shy smile. David was studying his script intently.
‘So, Leonato, Hero and Beatrice are all sitting in the orchard when a messenger comes to tell them that the prince and his friends are on their way,’ Mr Peterman said. ‘David, please begin.’
‘I learn in this letter that Don Pedro of Aragon comes this night to Messina,’ David said, his head still buried in the script.
My mind drifted. How was I going to play matchmaker to two couples if I was onstage all the time? I was going to have to go through the script and mark all the places where I could sneak backstage.
‘Aurora?’ Mr Peterman was looking expectantly at me.
‘Yeah, Mr Peterman?’
‘It’s your line.’
‘Alas, he gets nothing by that,’ I read. ‘In our last conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one …’
How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You Page 13