Pride & Princesses

by Summer Day

  ‘My brother,’ she hesitated, ‘told me that you play piano...Phoebe.’

  ‘I took some lessons once, but I play quite badly.’

  ‘Yes,’ Jet said, ‘she’s a much better actress.’

  Mark frowned at Jet.

  ‘Well, my brother said you play and sing beautifully.’

  My cheeks flushed. I smiled.

  Mark and Jet had gone to organize lunch by then. I looked over at the boys, surprised.

  Then Mouche walked in with Teegan and Freya. As Mark looked up along with Jet and Petra, I must admit I think I saw his eyes flicker slightly at the stunning sight of Mouche and her ‘back-up’ singers wrapped in the sarongs Teegan’s mother had brought back from Hawaii. They all looked like cover girls and the edges of my jeans were thick with mud. Was it just me or did anyone else notice Teegan sniggering?

  I excused myself to change into my swimming costume and Mouche gave me an excited smile when Jet and Mark had turned their backs to ready the lunches.

  ‘A man who can cook,’ Tory said, looking at Mark in the kitchen, ‘now that’s a rare find...’

  Petra sat on the edge of the pool, wrapped in a huge towel, sipping a drink and smiling, looking very glad to be in company. She had offered to play ‘something special’ on the piano for me before I left and I was looking forward to it. I suddenly wished I’d kept up my lessons, although it doesn’t pay, according to Mrs Jones’ advice, to ‘best everyone else around you at everything. This can be overwhelming to a man, and galling for other girlfriends.’

  Teegan whispered something, then giggled as we observed Mark and Jet flirting with Brooke and Freya who had just arrived to join Jet’s neighbours. This didn’t make us feel special, so Mouche sent a quick text out and before we knew it two new boys from our acting class showed up with towels and soda and a bag of pretzels.

  Mark and Jet looked surprised. Mouche said, ‘I hope you don’t mind, we thought it would be nice to add some more people to the mix, since you guys don’t know everyone yet at Sunrise.’

  Jet seemed mildly put out, but then reverted to his usual friendly self. He made sure everyone had soda and snacks and talked soccer with the boys. Mark socialized as well and before we knew it, the barbeque evolved into a full on party that Teegan and Freya would write up in their diaries and turn into another social scandal that wasn’t.

  After we’d finished swimming and eating the delicious food Jet made, I showered and dried off. When I entered the sitting room Petra was playing the piano, a tune slightly more advanced than I’d been used to hearing, Allegretto.

  It was beautiful. When I looked up, Mark was watching me listen to the music. Suddenly I felt embarrassed to be feeling more than I had resolved to feel. It was hard to admit, but perhaps the boys deserved another chance. Mark seemed too proud until he let his guard down and Jet was so amiable as to risk being used for his innate hospitality.

  We were more than happy to let Teegan or Tory or Brooke or Freya reel them in, using all the scheming dating methods of bygone eras. We only had to get one of them to take us to the ball.

  The game of love was a game of chance and ours to manipulate, or so we thought.

  I felt stupid and a little bit mean; almost like Teegan, except I was sincerely crushing on Mark and he couldn’t understand why my interest ran hot and cold.

  ‘I know it would be a foolish guy who thought that a simple apology was enough,’ he started, ‘but you know, before I spoke to you I didn’t realize how wonderful you were.’ He said this just as we were about to leave. I was so flattered I could barely speak and almost fell out the door after Mouche went off to say goodbye to Jet who offered to drive us home. But that wasn’t necessary. Teegan’s older sister Missy made an appearance just as Trey buzzed the gate and after speaking to all of us girls quite rudely about not forgetting to shut the pool fence, was all niceness and politeness to Trey, who seemed quite taken with a made-up Missy in her bikini top.

  ‘Oh, Trey, isn’t it?’ Missy betrayed the recognition in her face.

  ‘Hi Missy, I’ve just come to collect Mouche and Phoebe.’

  ‘So, weren’t we sophomores together?’

  ‘Yes, before you left to go to HSYL.’

  ‘School wasn’t the same without you. We should catch up sometime,’ Missy said, not even trying to play hard to get. Missy was one of those girls who sucked up to boys but was mean to other women. Even the Princesses noted this and thought her behaviour completely unnecessary.

  ‘That’d be great,’ Trey replied.

  Mouche looked at me with an exasperated expression and said, ‘well, must fly, study awaits,’ and dragged Trey unwillingly by the hand as I said ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye,’ on my way out the door. Mark lounged in the window seat with Freya as I was leaving but got up and stopped me as I walked along the cobbled path to Trey’s car.

  ‘Listen, just an idea, but I thought you and Mouche might want to come horse riding with me and Jet next week.’ Before I could say, ‘I am otherwise engaged,’ as per an old Ladies Journal of Dating circa 1926 (what to do with disagreeable men) I’d almost changed my former opinion of Mark and stumbled into the car, as Mouche said, ‘we’d love to.’

  In the car, Mouche giggled.

  ‘Mark’s not as big a Tool as I thought,’ she said, and we sped off.

  Chapter 21

  Etiquette

  After the final dates that night, we consolidated the diary, even adding Trey’s interlude with the snooty Missy. Both Mouche and I made a note that we had broken one of our vital rules regarding last minute invites, ‘always make sure the boy gives you advance notice of a date, otherwise he will just take you for granted. Plus, you need at least a few days to get ready, be prepared and look your best.’

  That was one rule, even if it was in the interests of spontaneity, that wouldn’t be easily broken again.

  The next day, all the girls gathered after dress rehearsal. The run of Rocco and Julie was terrible; everything that could possibly go wrong, did go wrong and I was beginning to think Thom shouldn’t even bother sending a representative from Julliard. Of course, he insisted. (Sometimes you have to let others believe in you even more than you believe in yourself or so it says in ‘A Girls Guide to Etiquette’ - although Mouche disagrees on that one).

  ‘Besides, a bad dress rehearsal always means a great show,’ Peter enthused.

  Backstage, during the run, Mark was mouthing the words as I said them. He’d heard them all more than once and I have to admit I was impressed with the gusto and good humor he suddenly displayed. Mark actually seemed humble in this new light.

  ‘Almost like Jesus when he was a carpenter,’ Brooke noted.

  Even Miss Tartt was a fan (well, obviously, Miss Tartt was a fan). The scene he was lighting for the tech run went something like this:

  Julie to the Priest (in confession)

  I am in love with someone...so different from me. I just don’t know what to do. I have this...potion that will put me to sleep, I’m thinking of pretending to be asleep...forever. When we’ve fooled our families Rocco and I can run away together.

  Priest

  That could create major complications.

  Paris walks in

  Paris

  Julie? Why are you crying? Why is my love in tears?

  Paris takes Julie aside (stage whisper)

  We are to be married on Thursday, then all of your father’s money will be mine.

  Julie

  I am so not in love with you.

  Paris

  Is that all you have to confess?

  Julie

  Also...that I love...someone else.

  Julie starts to leave, Paris tries to stop her, she slaps him

  Paris

  Ah, shrewish...all that will change after Thursday. Where are you going?

  Julie

  To find Rocco

  Paris

  Are you on drugs?

  Mark could be heard laughing from the top of the
lighting cable at this oh so serious high point in Act Three as Mr Sparks looked on unimpressed. Then I started laughing too. I mean, Mr Sparks was really losing it. The entire third act was laced with lessons about life choices, teen marriage and the perils of alcoholism and drug taking.

  I’m not sure whether the school censors would be letting Mr Sparks get away with it but you had to hand it to him for trying. And, of course, there was Miss Tartt enabling him, glancing lovingly his way and cheering him on. Why is it women help males shine then end up waving on the sidelines like fans? Is that enough for them? Don’t they want to be the driving forces behind their own lives? Or is it just easier to let boys steer the way? The Good Girlfriend Guide states, ‘never be jealous of other women. Anger and jealousy are wasted emotions. Find the love in everything and focus on it.

  Always strive to do what’s right for you without being mean to others – especially other women (because by dividing to conquer, women are busy devaluing other women while men climb the career ladder and let other members of the boys’ club in with them).

  If the worst happens and another woman ‘steals’ your man consider placing equal blame on both the man and the woman. Ask yourself why your instinct dictates that you should cut the woman out of your life but consider taking the man back? Is the female somehow more culpable than the male...or is she just less valuable?

  I would never consider men more valuable than women just because the world sometimes views the status quo this way.

  ‘Phoebe Harris, if you break out of character again I will consider asking Mr Sparks to replace you!’ Miss Tartt snapped from the sidelines. She’s working as the prompt today because Jet and Mark are fulfilling other duties.

  Miss Tartt has been unduly mean to me and sometimes even Mouche (her favourite apart from Mark). It has to be said, though, that the woman works hard for Mr Spark’s. Perhaps she needs someone to set her straight. The Mrs Jones Guide wouldn’t do her any harm. I could leave it in her bag anonymously. I will highlight the parts about ‘not allowing men to use your smarts to make themselves look and sound smarter than they are’ and the part about ‘not feeling so threatened by other females that you have to make life extra hard for them.’ After all, helping others has to be good karma.

  When everyone was finishing rehearsals, and after I’d surreptitiously left the Guide just under the flap of Miss Tartt’s faux leather handbag and Mr Sparks had given us ‘the talk’ about how ‘we have to mean what we say and feel what we mean,’ and Mouche and Ethan had found some kind of equilibrium playing a delicate tune in tandem on the upright piano, much to Jet’s obvious displeasure, we all dispersed.

  I saw Miss Love and Mr Frames walking hand in hand towards their car park in the distance from the auditorium windows.

  ‘That’s true love,’ Tory said wistfully as Miss Tartt delegated all the carrying of props to the minions to take backstage. Mouche had gone on ahead with a car stuffed with final costume adjustments. I was the last to lock up. Or so I thought.

  I was thinking about Mrs Robinson’s guide (my favourite) suggesting that ‘those who can laugh together are made for each other,’ Does this mean I could be made for Mark? Or was it Joel or even Trey I laughed with more? I had to admit, even though Joel had been busy dating Ella and Mouche’s cousin in tandem, we did have some amusing moments together. It was all becoming very confusing as I raced back from my recently fixed car to get the last pages of the Boy-Rating Diary that I’d stupidly left in my make-up box in the dressing rooms.

  Mark was still packing away a lighting cable. I was shocked that he seemed to enjoy his rustic but lonely ‘menial tasks.’

  We met as I was racing down the stairs and he was walking up them.

  We had to turn on our sides to pass each other, but our bodies touched. It was kind of uncomfortable, but in a good way.

  ‘Does this mean you’re my girlfriend?’ Mark said sarcastically, when we had about one inch of space between us.

  ‘You wish,’ I said, mortified he may have discovered my Boy Rating Diary where I had highlighted the ‘why girls should stop treating boys like Princes and other girls like minions,’ page for Teegan.

  As the secret and real versions had started to merge, along with our animosities, we had all become more curious about each other’s experiences and more willing to share. The more we shared, the more we learnt about the way boys think and the games they play and the more we stopped being total frenemies and embraced what could (almost) be described as ‘friendship.’ Why couldn’t girls be more supportive in real life? Perhaps we just needed a common goal (the greater good) in order to work together. Imagine how much we’d missed when we were unsupportive of each other. Everything was changing. Boys like Mark and Jet and Joel and Ethan were in for a wild ride.

  Chapter 22

  Twelve Go Dating

  We met on the rotunda near the lake, not far from the riding stables in Sunrise Park. There were two swans paddling together in the water creating an unlikely picture in the foreground, a fantasy image of loving but docile harmony. Perhaps if they’d stayed in view for longer we might have witnessed their territorial animosity.

  Mouche and I were a rowdy pair that morning. All the items had been gathered apart from two disparate ones: the bracelet and a pair of shoes. We’d broken the rules by allowing ourselves to date Mark and Jet more than once, but since that rule was unspoken, we decided it was ours to navigate. Besides, a morning spent at the Sunrise Pony Club was something we all looked forward to and a group date was hardly the same as a one on one encounter. We’d decided another date with Mark would drive Teegan and Tory wild and Mouche was absolutely willing to go riding with Jet (‘I can’t believe he is so literate,’ Mouche said, ‘his sweet smile belies a formidable intellect!’) What we didn’t know, was, by the time we arrived, Brooke and Freya had invited Tory and Teegan and all their previous dates along as well. We joked about it in the Boy Rating Diary afterwards, ‘it was like pony club for teenagers...’

  We arrived at 8am at the Sunrise Stables. The Princesses were dressed in riding outfits from head to toe and had dragged along their unwilling partners. Mark and Jet seemed surprised but amused and Mouche and I were absolutely willing to go with the flow. I was paired up with Mark, because although I had refused to dance with him, I hadn’t refused to ride with him. We’d since reached a point where, let’s face it, I was seriously interested in him and it was going to be hurtful to have to give him up to others to date. Still, he could always refuse other offers, but I have a feeling he won’t. Men like to be popular (almost) as much as girls, but that’s a whole other chapter.

  Jet, of course, was very eager to ride with Mouche and make amends for the missed date. Mouche looked very good in her new outfit and she rode quite well. I wore my favourite blue jeans, no ridiculous riding britches for me.

  Teegan and Tory wore navy blue jodhpurs and made a beeline for Mark, simultaneously, ignoring their surprised dates, Jack Adams and Tom Allen.

  ‘After all,’ Tory said, ‘we can go riding with them any weekend, but it’s not every Saturday that Petra joins us.’

  Petra was brushing her horse and looked up and smiled at us as Tory spoke.

  Mark looked pleased.

  ‘Is she coming along the trail with us?’ Tory inquired.

  ‘No, Petra wants to finish grooming her horse, Hobbit.’ (Hobbit had new shoes and was apparently having some difficulty trotting comfortably). Tory couldn’t resist a snigger when she thought no one was watching. ‘But, she’s going to meet us when we get back. Why don’t you both join us for lunch? Phoebe and Mouche are coming as well. The more the merrier,’ Mark said amiably. He seemed to have channelled Jet’s personality recently.

  ‘Oh, that would be fabulous,’ the girls said because they knew Mark went riding every Saturday morning after soccer practice and it was important to befriend his sister in order to grow closer to him. They’d seen them both in the club house a few weekends ago. Of course, it’s also possib
le that self-interest wasn’t paramount in their thoughts. It could be that they just liked Petra and wanted to get to know her better. After all, if she teamed with Ella and Katie and their younger sisters, there would be a whole future generation of Princesses.

  ‘That would be lovely. We’d love to join you all,’ Teegan said a little over-enthusiastically, I thought.

  Mark had already ridden off when Teegan said under her breath as she fixed the saddle, ‘wonder why she was late arriving this morning?’

  Petra had arrived after us, just as we were all about to set out on the trail ride.

  ‘Probably busy barfing,’ Tory added under her breath.