Thank god the silence was filled. Even if what filled it was related to my completely implausible new career prospect.
I shook my head. ‘My mum. It’s a long story but let’s just say no-one will be able to “like” me for much longer. It’s inconceivable things even got this far.’
‘It’s not inconceivable in the slightest,’ Hayden said. ‘The company recognised how special you are.’
He thought I was special? My heart was dancing like the daffodils in Wordsworth’s poem. ‘Th-thank you,’ I stammered.
‘So …’ Hayden seemed to take a deep breath. ‘I was wondering if you wanted to watch the savannah DVD with me tonight? I know it’s short notice, and I understand if you don’t want to stay in on a Friday night, but it could be fun — and I owe you after running out on dinner the other night. We obviously need to talk …’
Yes, yes, yes! But just as I was working out a friendly, not bordering-on-obsessive reply, Alex interrupted.
‘Sorry, Hayden, but she’s got plans. And seeing as she wouldn’t cancel them to come to the club with us, there’s no way she’s going to drop them to watch some DVD.’
My smile faded. My fictitious plans, constructed to save Jelena’s love life, were destroying my own! If I said that I had no plans, then Alex would get all insulted, or pressure me further about going out with him and Jelena.
‘So, who’s the lucky guy?’ Sara teased. ‘Benjamin? I heard him asking you out after maths class.’
Hayden’s face clouded over.
Oh no. Bringing up Hayden’s enemy wasn’t going to help ease the tension between us.
‘N-no,’ I stammered, trying to think what my plans might be.
‘Half the guys in the school are after Aurora.’ Alex laughed. ‘She’s hot property!’
‘Okay, well, maybe some other time then, Aurora,’ Hayden said. ‘See you.’ He dashed away.
‘Hayden, wait!’
I didn’t know what to say, but everything felt wrong and I desperately wanted to fix it. But he didn’t look back.
‘Ooh!’ Lindsay, who’d been studying the fashions in the latest Vogue, clapped her hands together with an expression of delight on her face. ‘Are your plans with your secret admirer?’
Alex’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘She has a secret admirer?’
‘I told you,’ Jelena said, still annoyed. ‘He’s the one who sent her those roses and the poem: “She’s like the stars, blah blah blah”. Ridiculously soppy, in my opinion.’
I jumped. My secret admirer! Had the past twenty-four hours rendered me stupid? Not only had I completely forgotten he existed, but I’d fallen in love with someone else. I was a traitor! Fickle! Unfeeling! My secret admirer had been pursuing me for weeks and I’d just carelessly turned my mind to another.
Oh, why was everything so messed up? My life was Much Ado About Nothing on steroids.
Seeing as I was meant to be ‘out’, I spent the evening at the city library, perusing the poetry stacks for advice on love from other writers. Except my attention kept drifting from the page. Right in the middle of writing a poem of my own (which, much as I hated myself for it, actually referred to Hayden’s ‘smouldering eyes’ — was I becoming a walking cliché generator?) my mobile lit up with Cassie’s number. I glanced around cautiously for irate patrons, but being Friday night, the library was virtually empty.
‘Cass,’ I said, ‘you’re meant to be on your date now! Why aren’t you there?’
Cass giggled. ‘I am. I’m calling you from the restaurant’s bathroom!’
‘Then what’s up? Are you calling for advice?’
‘No, it’s going great!’ Cass sounded enthusiastic. ‘The art show was really inspirational and we had the best fun talking about the pieces. And you know what he told me? He’s been crazy about me since he first saw me in history! Can you believe it?’
‘Yes, Cass, I can.’ I smiled, thinking of the way Scott’s eyes lit up whenever he looked at my best friend.
‘And the rose? Well, it turns out he chose yellow because it reminded him of my blonde hair!’
I laughed. Sometimes things could be absurdly simple.
‘Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the date now, because Jelena and I are leaving really early in the morning.’
‘Where are you going?’ I asked.
‘Oh. Well, Jelena was all dressed up to go to the club with Alex, and then he cancelled —’
‘He what?’ I couldn’t believe it. He’d been so pushy about going.
‘Jelena was furious and hung up on him. She called me just as I was leaving to go to the art show, and said that she was going to show Alex that she wasn’t Ms Always Available and so she’d asked her mum if they could go to that spa down the coast for the weekend, and did I want to come along?’
‘She didn’t ask me,’ I said, feeling a little hurt.
‘She said her mum was bringing a friend so there was only space for one of us.’
‘She’s not mad at me, is she?’
Cass paused. ‘She was a bit annoyed about Alex inviting you on their date, but that was all. Anyway, I’d better go. I’ve been in the bathroom for a while now.’
‘Okay, Cass. Hope the evening gets even better.’
‘Hey,’ Cass added, ‘is everything okay with you and Hayden? It seemed a little strained at lunch.’
I’m in love with him and he doesn’t feel the same way.
I put on a cheerful voice. ‘Yeah, everything’s fine. Have a great time at the spa!’
If only I could believe my own lies. I slumped in my chair, feeling utterly miserable.
CHAPTER 30
I Don’t Exist to You
As the weekend progressed, my anxiety levels continued to rise. I worried about Alex’s cavalier attitude towards dating. I despaired over my own fickleness when it came to my secret admirer. Thankfully one worry disappeared: the agency, once informed that I hadn’t agreed to being part of the Get High (Heels!) social media campaign, promised that they’d remove me from the competition. They weren’t thrilled, but at least my picture would be off Facebook in the next forty-eight hours or so.
Unfortunately my other problem wasn’t so easily fixed. My thoughts, hopes and dreams about Hayden were incessant. Even more so after I misguidedly pulled out my Potential Prince List and realised that Hayden matched it exactly, right down to the broad-shouldered physique. I tried to tell myself that I shouldn’t be having these thoughts about someone who wasn’t my secret admirer, but even though I knew it was the honourable thing to do, I didn’t want to stop loving Hayden. I kept hoping that he would text me, or call me, or knock at the door. It was weird to think that he was only metres away.
My jitteriness increased when my mother sent me a text on Sunday morning asking me to meet her for a late afternoon coffee. As the Get High (Heels!) Facebook page was still running my photo, she might not have heard yet that I was no longer in the running for the contract. A very unpleasant conversation was awaiting me.
I headed outside to wait for the taxi that Mum was sending for me, hoping it would arrive before the rain did. While I waited, I heard footsteps crunching up the drive.
‘Aurora.’
‘Alex!’ I started with surprise to see him, athletic attire and all, on my driveway. ‘What are you doing here? Are you looking for Jelena? She’s away for the weekend. Didn’t she tell you?’
Maybe she wasn’t speaking to him. It could be part of her Ms Non-Available tactics.
‘I’m not looking for Jelena.’ Alex gave one of his wide, white smiles. ‘I came to see you.’
‘Do you need some information on an assignment or something? You should have just called. I’m just about to leave to meet my mum.’
‘I came to see you,’ Alex said slowly, ‘about something very important.’ He gave me a wink.
‘Oh!’ I suddenly got it. Jelena’s playing it cool had obviously shown Alex the error of his ways. ‘You’re planning a surprise for Jelena, aren’t you? That�
�s great! Well, her favourite flowers are pink tiger lilies —’
‘This isn’t about Jelena.’ Alex stepped closer to me. ‘Can I give you a clue?’
He pulled a hand from behind his back, revealing one long-stemmed, crimson rose.
Oh. My. God.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
Alex grinned. ‘I’m your secret admirer, Aurora. Surprise!’
‘But you’re Jelena’s boyfriend!’ I stared at him in horror. There had to be a mistake!
‘Hardly,’ he said.
‘But you’ve been on dates.’
‘Dates during which I grilled her about you. You know, subtly, so she wouldn’t pick up on it. I had to find out what you like in a guy.’
Had the world gone topsy-turvy? The man of Jelena’s dreams was professing a secret ardour for me? This was terrible.
‘No!’ I shook my head violently. ‘This doesn’t make sense. If you liked me, why didn’t you talk to me or hang around me, instead of Jelena?’
‘Aurora, I learnt from Jelena that you’re a girl who’s impressed by what’s under the surface. That’s why I decided to do the secret-admirer thing. I wanted you to get to know the real me instead of judging me straight off the bat.’
‘But you acted so crazy about Jelena!’
Alex shrugged. ‘I had to play the part, make it so I’d be the last person you’d suspect. Asking you to the club was part of the plan. Once you said yes, I was going to tell Jelena I couldn’t make it so she’d decide not to go. Then, when you and I were alone, I’d give you the rose and you’d be blown away. But then you cancelled, so I decided to come over this morning to tell you.’
My head was spinning. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘Aurora, I’m mad about you.’ Alex stepped closer to me again. ‘You’re the most beautiful girl in school.’
Was he hallucinating?
‘You said the same thing about Jelena last Saturday night!’ I cried, stepping backwards to put space between us.
‘Forget Jelena!’ He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to him. ‘I want you.’
‘Alex, stop it!’ I tried to push his hands away. ‘You might be my secret admirer, but there’s no way I’m going to date a guy Jelena’s crazy about. It would be a total betrayal!’ I looked him straight in the eye. ‘You knowingly hurt my best friend. I’m sorry, but that proves you’re not the guy for me, nice gifts or not.’
I expected Alex to look mortified, but he just laughed and grabbed me around the waist again. ‘Come on, you’ve got to forgive me. I’m a man who’s infatuated. We do stupid things. One of my kisses should do the trick.’ He pushed his lips towards mine.
‘No!’ I wrenched my head back and gave him a ferocious shove.
Alex’s eyes popped open as he lost his balance and fell backwards. The next second he’d landed in the ever-present driveway puddle with an enormous splash.
I was a little frightened he might try something else, even when soaked to the skin, but at that moment the taxi pulled up.
Alex got to his feet, wringing muddy water from his sodden Adidas T-shirt. ‘You know what your problem is, Aurora Skye?’ he spat. ‘You think you’re too good for anyone.’ He turned and stormed off down the drive.
I stood there shaking until the taxi driver blasted the horn. I dazedly got in. I didn’t dare look out the window as we passed Alex.
As the taxi headed towards the city, I kept seeing Alex’s furious, dripping face. How could he have thought I’d betray my best friend and take up with him? He’d been so confident that I’d fall at his feet, grateful for the honour of his attention! As for trying to force his kisses on me! I shouldn’t have just pushed him into the puddle, I should have thrown some judo kicks into the mix too.
I couldn’t believe Alex was my secret admirer. Suddenly the thought of the poem made me feel ill. How could Mr AA have come up with that? He must have plagiarised it. And how had he managed to get so crazy about me? It wasn’t as if he’d spent enough time in my company to appreciate my personality or my mind or anything! Was it my looks he was infatuated with? If so, the whole thing made even less sense, because Jelena was phenomenally beautiful.
Jelena! How on earth was I going to break this to her? I’d never seen her so mad over a guy. I had to call her ASAP. She needed to hear the news from me, instead of through the grapevine. The rumours would probably be flying by the time she and Cass got back from the spa.
I bit my lip and called her mobile. It rang and rang before going to voicemail. Why wasn’t she picking up?
I tried Cassie’s number and got the same response. Was there no mobile reception at the spa? How far from civilisation was it? I couldn’t leave a voicemail — I had to speak to Jelena personally.
Maybe I could reach her through the spa itself. I dialled information and got the number.
‘Hello, Oasis Spa, Mandy speaking. How may I help you?’
‘Hi, is there any way you could put me through to the Cantrills? They’re guests of yours this weekend.’
‘Is it an emergency?’
‘Well, technically, no.’
It was an emotional emergency. Did that count?
‘We encourage our guests to switch off during their time here since we have a no-calls policy except in the event of an emergency. All our guests are asked to sign an agreement on arrival. We find that it helps them disconnect from the pressures of the outside world.’
‘Okay.’ I struggled to maintain a pleasant tone. ‘It’s just really important that I speak to Jelena Cantrill. Is there any way you could make an exception?’
‘I’m afraid not,’ Mandy replied firmly. ‘Unless it’s an actual emergency, I can’t put you through.’
‘She’d want to take this call!’
Mandy was unrelenting. ‘The Cantrills are returning to the city tonight. You’ll be able to chat then, dear.’
‘It can’t wait —’
Mandy said a swift goodbye.
I called several more times, in the hope of reaching another staff member who might be more lenient about the no-calls policy. But it seemed that Mandy was the only one manning the desk.
The taxi finally reached the coffee shop. I headed inside and saw Mum sitting with her back to the door. As I headed towards her, I realised she was on the phone.
‘Carlos, it was wonderful.’ She gave a tinkly laugh. ‘We need to get away for romantic weekends more often. Bellbird Island was just perfect.’
I froze.
‘Okay, I’d better get going, but I’ll see you at Michaela’s at six for drinks.’
I stared at her back, unable to take a step.
She turned around, as if feeling my trembling presence behind her.
‘Aurora! What’s this nonsense about you telling the agency to remove you from the competition?’
My pulse was roaring in my ears. ‘You were with him last weekend,’ I said. ‘You weren’t with clients. You lied to me.’
‘Aurora, I didn’t exactly lie. I had a meeting there for the new development, but I stayed —’
‘Admit it!’ The words ripped from my throat. ‘You lied because you didn’t want to come. You knew you weren’t going to fly all that way and come back hours later for the play.’ My voice quavered slightly. ‘You’re not interested in my life.’
‘How dare you say I’m not interested,’ Mum snapped. She gave me a warning look as her coffee arrived. ‘I’m meeting you here today to discuss your future opportunities.’
‘But that’s the only time I see you, isn’t it?’ I said. ‘When there are opportunities for me. You want me to be in the public eye so it reflects back on you. And you know what? I wanted your approval — no, your love — so much that I played along. I auditioned for the play, then I waited on tenterhooks for you after curtain call the other night, hoping you’d be proud.’ I could feel the lump in my throat pressing down on my vocal cords. ‘Hoping you’d see me. Not who I could be, but who I am. Hoping for something — anything — from you
.’
I’d never seen Mum look so angry. ‘Stop that nonsense right now.’
‘You want me to stop?’ I said. ‘Tell me then, if you love me so much, why didn’t you cancel that weekend with Carlos?’
My mother didn’t respond.
‘Why didn’t you just tell him you’d made a promise to me and couldn’t break it?’
‘Because he doesn’t know about you!’ Mum burst out.
Something inside me crumpled. ‘What?’
‘I haven’t told him. I don’t know how he’d react.’ She gathered her handbag up, ready to leave. ‘He’s never had kids.’
‘No,’ I whispered. ‘You haven’t told him because, in all honesty, I don’t exist to you.’
They were the last words I managed before my throat closed up and I ran for the door. This time I’d be the one to leave first.
Somehow, I made it onto the busy city street and into another taxi. If I could just get home, I could hold back the flood of tears.
As I stumbled up the driveway, I ran into the NAD dashing out of the house, briefcase in hand.
‘Aurora.’ He put his hand on my arm and his voice sounded tight. ‘I have to tell you something.’
A sudden terror came over me as I looked at his serious expression.
‘Snookums has gone missing.’
‘How?’ I choked.
‘Dana let him out after seeing that he’d scratched the new Tibetan rug.’ The NAD’s tone was cautious. ‘She didn’t know he was an inside cat. I called out for her to grab him, but Snookums was already halfway down the drive by then.’
Instead of a reply, a choking sound burst out of my throat. Snookums was gone. Out onto the road, where people didn’t always brake in time for animals.
A roll of thunder sounded. The sky was like a bruise now, black and blue and green.
‘I’m really sorry, honey,’ Dad said. ‘I’ve been looking for forty-five minutes, but I have to leave now.’
‘You what?’ My voice cracked.
‘I’ve got a plane to catch, and I’m in danger of missing it. I have to be in Perth for a meeting tomorrow morning. I only found out at lunchtime that I had to go.’
How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You Page 31