Sugar Secrets…& Lies

by Mel Sparke

  “Kez – it was nothing. Well, it was something – but not like it looked!” Ollie started. Then wished he hadn’t – that hadn’t come out quite right.

  He stood uncomfortably in the middle of her room and wondered frantically what to say or do next.

  “Cat’s having a really bad time at home – she came in to talk about it and, well, she got all upset and started crying.”

  Kerry still said nothing. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

  “What could I do? I just gave her a hug, that was all.”

  Kerry looked as if she was about to say something, then stopped.

  Ollie took this as a positive sign – he didn’t have anything else to go on – and sat down slowly and gingerly on the end of her bed.

  “She really is having a bad time, Kez. Her mum’s being a total bitch – it’s completely freaking Cat out.”

  “Is… is that what you were talking about last night, when you were late meeting me?” asked Kerry tentatively.

  “Yes!” Ollie exclaimed, relieved that Kerry was perhaps beginning to understand what had happened. “It was just that she made me promise last night not to tell anyone what was going on. I don’t know why, but she said she wanted to keep it between the two of us for now.”

  “But why was the shop door locked?”

  “Kerry, honest, I don’t know,” said Ollie, little grooves of consternation appearing on his forehead. “I didn’t realise it was locked until I tried to run out after you. I guess that the latch must have just sprung when Cat came in, for some reason.”

  He panicked slightly when he saw the brimming tears finally spill from Kerry’s eyes, but felt a wave of relief when she gave him a watery smile.

  “Oh, Ollie!” she managed in a wobbly voice.

  He gave her his biggest grin and stretched over to grab one of her hands.

  “Does this mean we’re kind of OK?” he asked.

  Hiccuping slightly, Kerry smiled and nodded.

  “Brilliant! Now, do you fancy going out for a walk so we can be on our own? I can’t help thinking Lewis is going to come barging in any second now with a knock-knock joke.”

  She nodded and smiled again as he pulled her to her feet and gave her the hug she’d been longing for.

  “…And Elaine sent the postcard to me at Slick Riffs. Cat must have seen it the first time she came by to offload her problems – I’d propped it up by the till after I read it. It was just a picture of some hippy beach in Thailand with ‘See what you’re missing’ scrawled on the back.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me about it?” Kerry asked Ollie.

  “I just forgot,” he shrugged, “‘cause of everything that’s been going on.

  Kerry looked at him quizzically.

  “You and me, silly!” he grinned. “E’s postcard wasn’t exactly high on my list of priorities compared to what was happening between us!”

  Kerry cuddled closer to Ollie on the park bench and rested her head on his shoulder. She tried not to be put off by the faint, cloying smell of Cat’s perfume that still clung to his T-shirt.

  “Who’s looking after the shop?” she asked, jerking her head upright as the thought struck her.

  “Don’t worry – Joe’s taking care of it,” Ollie replied, giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I bumped into him on the pavement outside the shop – he’d come tearing out of the café when he saw you rush off. When I told him what had happened, he said he’d mind the shop till I got things sorted with you.”

  “Did he? What a sweetheart,” said Kerry, touched by Joe’s concern. “But won’t Nick mind?”

  “Nick? Nah – he’ll be too busy rushing off for his dirty night away to bother about the shop,” Ollie shrugged. “Anyway, I’d already asked Joe to cover for me, to let me get away a bit earlier this afternoon. I need to rehearse for the gig tomorrow.”

  Ollie was aware of Kerry’s gaze. Her beautiful eyes were still slightly red-rimmed from crying, but were now looking full of hope.

  “We’re all right, aren’t we?” she said, almost shyly.

  “Of course we are!” Ollie grinned at her. “But it still niggles me that Cat got it all wrong about that postcard!”

  Kerry was still pretty niggled too, but she was too exhausted from the last few days and too happy to be back with Ollie to figure that one out.

  “But Cat’s so messed up just now, I suppose she just got muddled and didn’t really think about what she was saying or how you might take it,” reasoned Ollie, kissing Kerry lightly on the forehead. “But, whatever, it’s not as if she did it deliberately.”

  “No,” Kerry agreed. Although somewhere at the back of her mind, through her haze of happiness, a little voice said, “Oh yeah?”

  Catrina paused before she dialled Kerry’s number. She didn’t call her often enough to know the number off by heart and had had to look it up in her Filofax.

  “Hello?” Kerry answered breathlessly, trying to wriggle out of her jacket. It was covered in blades of grass, she noticed with a smile.

  “Kerry – it’s Catrina. Are you all right?” Cat asked, at first mistaking Kerry’s breathlessness for some indication of her being upset.

  “Yeah, yeah – I’ve just got back from the park,” Kerry answered warily, wondering what was coming next.

  She’d been blissfully happy when she’d left Ollie five minutes before – he’d had to tear back to the shop to do the cashing up before rushing off to rehearsals – but now a sixth sense told her trouble was ahead.

  “Kerry, we need to talk. Can you meet me tomorrow morning?’

  “But Cat, it’s Ollie’s gig tomorrow,” said Kerry, flustered. What was this all about? Was it something to do with what she’d seen in the shop? But Ollie had explained everything…

  “I know, but if we meet at eleven, we’ll have plenty of time.”

  “Couldn’t we do it another time, Cat?”

  “No – it’s really important. Look, I’ll see you at eleven down at the End.”

  “Uh, OK, but—”

  “See you then – I can’t talk now. I’ve got to go,” said Cat cryptically. “Bye.”

  Kerry stared at the silent receiver and shuddered.

  Cat pressed the End Call button on her mobile and smiled.

  CHAPTER 13

  THE LATE CATRINA OSGOOD

  If Cat had sounded mysterious on the phone the previous night, she sounded even more so the next morning when she called to say she couldn’t make eleven o’clock in the café because of “something major with my mum”,

  “What do you mean?” asked Kerry, slightly frazzled after a sleepless night spent wondering what surprises Cat might spring. Sonja had tried to reassure her that it was bound to be something and nothing when Kerry had phoned her about it the previous evening, but that hadn’t helped.

  “I can’t talk now,” Cat hissed down the phone. “Mum’s in the next room. Anyway, can we meet later? I really need to talk to you.”

  “Uh, sure. What time?” asked Kerry, aware that Matt was planning to leave for the city about one o’clock, taking all the girls with him. (Perfect – a great bit of posing for mighty Matt!)

  The charity gig was part of an all-dayer at Marshall Hall, the biggest and newest venue in the city. Even though it was still only 10 am, Ollie (being a participant) and Joe (who wanted to watch all the bands setting up and doing sound checks) would already be there. Ollie’s parents had arranged cover at the pub especially so that they could act as his chauffeurs for the day and indulge in their favourite music at the same time.

  “Well, four o’clock would be good for me,” said Cat casually. “At Burger King. The End’ll be closed by then.”

  “Four? But Matt’s supposed to be giving us a lift at one!”

  “We can make our own way to the city – we’ll still be there in plenty of time to see Ollie. Oh, please, Kerry!” said Cat, her voice suddenly whiny.

  “But it’ll be too much of a rush!” said Kerry. She could feel her
stress levels rising. “Ollie’s band’s on at half seven!”

  Cat had obviously worked it all out.

  “It’s OK – there’s a train just after five and we’ll get a cab at the other end, so we’ll be fine.”

  “But Cat, I really think we should maybe meet up another day—”

  “Kerry,” Cat interrupted with a new, solemn tone to her voice, “it’s important. It’s about Ollie and me.”

  Kerry felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

  “What do you mean?” she croaked, her throat constricted with fear.

  “Can’t talk now – I’ve got to go and deal with stuff,” Cat said, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Meet you at four. OK?”

  Kerry held the receiver to her ear for a few seconds, even though the call was finished.

  From the Burger King window, Kerry watched Cat sashay across the Plaza concourse, playing up to the guys hanging out by the fountain with their take-away burgers and skateboards in tow.

  “Sod Cat!” Sonja had exploded when Kerry rang her to tell her about the change in travel arrangements.

  “But, Son, what can I do? If it’s about her and Ollie, I’ve got to hear it – whatever it is she’s got to say.”

  “Well, if you’re determined to let her muck you around…” Sonja had said theatrically. She didn’t want to come across so tetchy, but she was angry for Kerry. She had a gut feeling that her cousin was up to something and she was annoyed with Kerry for letting herself be manipulated so easily.

  Kerry felt completely hemmed in. She had known Sonja would flip out about Cat rearranging everything, even though spending the afternoon having this cosy, one-to-one chat with Cat while the others went on ahead was the last thing Kerry wanted. But what choice did she have?

  Kerry watched apprehensively as Cat pushed open the door and came hurrying over to her. God – what was this going to be about?

  “Kerry! I’m so sorry!” she said, throwing her arms around her friend and planting a burgundy-coloured kiss on her cheek.

  Her heart racing like a winner at the Grand Prix, Kerry didn’t know what to say – or think.

  “Me and Ollie!” squeaked Cat emotionally.

  “What?” said Kerry, desperate to understand what exactly Cat meant to tell her.

  “Him and me…” She trailed off, dabbing her nose and taking a seat opposite Kerry.

  Kerry stared at her in desperation. She just wanted to be put out of her misery.

  “He… I… I didn’t mean to upset you, Kerry!” and with that she started to cry. Kerry couldn’t say a word.

  “Kez, Ollie was just comforting me when you saw us together, honest!”

  “I know,” said Kerry after a pause.

  “It’s true – honest. He was just helping me deal with some stuff about my mum,” Cat sniffed, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

  “I know,” Kerry repeated dumbly, wondering if she could start to relax now. Wondering if they could just wrap this up very quickly and catch an earlier train.

  No such luck.

  “My mum, Kez – I’m having a terrible time.”

  “Oh,” said Kerry flatly. That was bad, but not as bad as if Cat had said she was madly in love with Ollie and him with her.

  Then Kerry listened and started to feel guilty. Cat had almost always had a bad relationship with her mother – they all knew that – but apparently it was getting much worse.

  Sylvia had had Cat when she was only eighteen and was left to bring her up single-handed after Cat’s dad did a runner. Now she was thirty-four with a great – but belated – career, and being a mum was most certainly not her number one priority.

  (“Mind you, she did draw the short straw, didn’t she? I mean, you have to feel sorry for her, having Cat as a daughter,” Matt had once joked. At least Kerry hoped he was joking, as she felt kind of guilty about laughing.)

  “You don’t know what it’s like, Kerry – she’s making my life hell! She’s just being so bitchy and spiteful to me all the time!”

  Cat had said as much to Ollie.

  She must know he’s told me this already, Kerry thought. Why is she explaining it all to me now?

  Feeling slightly confused, Kerry managed what she hoped was a sympathetic nod.

  “You know, it’s like she’s jealous of me – of me being young and attractive, I mean!”

  Kerry doubted that. OK, Cat could be described as attractive, in a full-on, make-up-caked way, but her mum – for all her faults – was pretty stunning.

  “But your mum’s so glamorous and sophisticated – why would she be jealous of you?” Kerry let slip, not realising how the words would sound until it was too late.

  Cat half glowered at her and seemed stumped for a moment, then her expression changed. Her eyes blinked furiously and her bottom lip started to tremble slightly.

  “There’s more to it than that,” she said, pulling another tissue out of her bag and dabbing frantically at her eyes.

  “What?” asked Kerry, flummoxed by the sight of Catrina’s sudden distress.

  “That’s why I couldn’t meet you till now! I knew she wouldn’t let up till it was time for her appointment for her precious leg-wax or whatever at the gym.”

  “What?” said Kerry, completely lost.

  “Well, uh, she’s wanted to have it out about something with me.”

  “What?” Kerry found herself repeating.

  “Oh, Kerry – she’s jealous because I-I-I’ve been seeing someone… and I think she’s got a thing for him too.”

  It wasn’t what Kerry had been expecting. But then nothing so far in this conversation had been what she had expected.

  “You’ve been seeing someone? Who?”

  Kerry wasn’t so much amazed at the idea of Cat having a boyfriend – it was just astounding that she’d managed to keep it a secret from them all. She loved flirting and she loved boasting about her successes – a bit like Nick.

  “I can’t talk about it, Kez – it’s, it’s a secret. Please don’t tell the others and please don’t ask me any more. I’ve said too much already…”

  And with that, she turned and stared tearfully out the window.

  Kerry wondered if Cat would notice her sneaking a look at her watch.

  “God, what’s going on now? This is ridiculous! Oh, Kerry, I’m so sorry about this, really I am!”

  Two minutes outside the city’s main station, the train ground, screeched and sighed to a halt on the bridge. The lights of the city centre blinked away tantalisingly in the distance over the river. It was 7.20 pm.

  For the tenth time that day, Kerry said, “It’s OK, Cat.”

  For the hundredth time in the last two and a bit hours, she felt like crying.

  The catalogue of events had run like some farcical plot from a corny movie. After their little chat in Burger King, there’d been that tense ten minutes when Cat had ‘popped’ to the loo, coming back full of apologies after ‘bumping into’ someone she knew and getting talking.

  They’d still have plenty of time to make the 5.10 train, she assured Kerry brightly, before gasping and remembering that of course, unlike the café which was right next to the station, Burger King was a good walk away.

  They dived breathlessly into the station ticket office at 5.05 – Cat couldn’t run particularly fast in her stack-heeled boots – only to be told that the 5.10 was cancelled due to engineering works. The next train to the city was at 6 pm, but would be subject to delays.

  And delays there were. Every time the train began to pick up speed it seemed to slacken off just as quickly, creaking infuriatingly to a standstill for minutes at a time. And now this so-close-and-yet-so-far stop.

  “I just can’t believe our luck tonight, can you?” said Cat, her heavily mascara’d eyes wide with disbelief.

  “Mmm,” Kerry managed in reply, picturing Sonja and the others checking their watches and glancing round Marshall Hall for them.

  And Ollie – Ollie would be about to go on stage, nervous and ex
cited, and happy that she’d be there to see him play. Except she wouldn’t, at this rate.

  “Honestly, Kerry, we’ll be fine,” Cat reassured her, pulling out a mirror and reapplying her lipstick. “Bands never go on stage on time. We’ll maybe miss the first number, that’s all. Guaranteed.”

  “That’s a fiver each, please,” said the bloke on the door of Marshall Hall. From the wide stairwell to the right of them, the muffled sound of music drifted down.

  “Have they been on long?” Kerry asked desperately, nodding in the direction of the music.

  “Yeah, a good while,” replied the doorman.

  Kerry couldn’t bear to look at her watch to see how late they were. Taking the stairs two at a time, she was only slightly aware of the thundering of Cat’s boots behind her.

  Barging through the door into the darkened hall, Kerry looked past the throng of the crowds to the brightly lit stage. There were about twelve people playing, dressed in old-fashioned Mod suits – skinny-legged trousers, skinny-lapelled jackets and skinny black ties to match.

  Mostly, they were middle-aged guys (“the real deal blokes!” as Ollie had enthused to her the previous day), but there were a couple of younger lads up there – one of them being Ollie. He was playing his heart out on sax, standing and swaying in a line with a couple of trumpet players.

  Kerry stood on tiptoe, straining to see him better, when the track they were belting out suddenly ended in a big crescendo, to the sound of deafening clapping and cheering.

  “Thank you and good night!” said someone into a microphone.

  Ice ran in Kerry’s veins. She’d completely missed Ollie’s gig – the one he had been so proud to be a part of. It had been great too, she could tell from the reaction of the audience around her.

  Disappointment prickled in every nerve ending. She knew she was a nudge away from weeping uncontrollably with frustration.

  “Oh, Kerry,” said Cat, putting her hand comfortingly on Kerry’s back. “I’m so sorry!”

  For a second, Kerry didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So, to the shock of everyone around her and herself, she did both.