Sugar Secrets…& Revenge

by Mel Sparke

  Crashing the tray down on the counter, Anna leapt over and grabbed the phone from the wall.

  “Hello?”

  “Could I speak to someone called Ollie, please?”

  Anna glanced round the café. “I wish you could, but I don’t know where he is right this second.”

  “Well, maybe you can help. My name’s George Callaghan - I’m a reporter here at the Winstead Gazette. I’m ringing to see if you can confirm a rumour we’ve heard…”

  “What rumour?” she asked, stepping back and peering into the kitchen to see if she could locate the missing Ollie.

  “According to my sources, a top pop star will be guesting on stage with some local band called The Lout this Friday at The Bell. Is there any truth in the rumour?”

  Anna laughed. “The Lout? Actually, it’s The Loud. And no, I don’t think the rumour’s true.”

  “I was given the name of ‘Ollie’ as my contact. Does he work there?”

  “He’s supposed to, but, as I say, he’s not here right now…”

  The reporter sighed with frustration and left his name and number for Ollie to call back.

  “We’d be more than happy to send a photographer down. Please ask him to phone me.”

  “Sure,” said Anna then turned to see Ollie bustle through from the kitchen.

  “Where did you vanish to?”

  “Sorry - just popped out the back for a minute. Cat had, er, something to show me.”

  Anna raised an eyebrow. “Well, while you were looking at, um, whatever your friend had to show you, some reporter from the Winstead Gazette rang you - wanting to know which pop star was going to turn up at your gig on Friday.”

  “So, Sonja was right!” Ollie groaned.

  “What do you mean?” asked Anna, picking up her tray again and barging past Ollie through to the kitchen.

  “That stupid poster,” he said, following her. “It says we have a special guest and Sonja said people would take it seriously.”

  “Doh!” teased Anna, crashing dirty plates into the sink.

  “It’s not funny, Anna,” Ollie sighed. “I don’t fancy being bottled off the stage by people who are expecting some mega-star to turn up!”

  “So? What are you going to do?” asked Anna more seriously. “Are you going to make an announcement at the start of the gig or something?”

  “Uh, no…” he muttered, crossing his arms and scuffing at the floor tiles with the toe of his trainer. “We’ve got a kind of contingency plan.”

  Anna noticed his downcast expression. It couldn’t be a very good plan for him to look that miserable.

  “Hey, Ollie, it can’t be that bad!” she tried to jolly him along. “You look like someone’s just stolen your Vespa. Are you OK?”

  “Yeah, yeah - don’t worry,” he said, not sounding particularly convinced by his own assurances. “It’s all under control.”

  Kerry was a mess of nerves by Friday evening. There were four problems battling for worry time in her head.

  First, the Winstead Gazette had run a feature the day before about some mystery pop star turning up at The Loud’s gig, which obviously wasn’t going to happen.

  Added to that, not only had Ollie been weird and evasive all week, but also no one had heard from Cat since Sunday night, apart from Maya having caught sight of her at school.

  If that wasn’t enough, there was the tummy-tingling fact that Kerry was about to see Mick, the guitarist from The Loud, for the first time since Matt’s party. And Sonja was adamant that something could happen between Kerry and him that night.

  “What’re you doing, Kerry?”

  Lewis was standing in the doorway, a slobbering Barney in tow as usual, and a serious expression on his face. Lewis loved watching Kerry getting ready to go out. But he always had to ask questions.

  “Just putting on my make-up, Lewis. I’m trying to look pretty.”

  Lewis shut one eye, looked her up and down, then delivered his considered verdict. “You look pretty all the time.”

  Then, obviously embarrassed at paying her a compliment, he turned and ran down the stairs making a loud crashing aeroplane sound.

  Bless the little monster, smiled Kerry to herself. Her little brother always said the right thing, even if Kerry never quite believed it herself.

  The fact that Lewis also thought the Teletubbies and Cilia Black were pretty was irrelevant; his unquestioning confidence in her always had a positive effect.

  Will Mick think I look pretty? Will anyone? she wondered pulling on her sparkly blue shirt again to be on the safe side. It seemed to be a bit of a winner and she needed all the help she could get to calm her nerves.

  “KERRYKERRYKERRY! Sonja’s HERE!” Lewis yelled up the stairs.

  As the two girls headed off, Kerry couldn’t help feeling inferior once she spotted how effortlessly great Sonja looked. Even in combats, a spaghetti strap vest and trainers, she did not disappoint.

  “You look nice, Sonny. As usual.”

  “So do you, Kez. And I’m sure Mick will agree with me.”

  “Well, maybe…” said Kerry uncertainly.

  “Aw! Come on, Kerry, I’ll take a bet on him chatting you up tonight!”

  Kerry squirmed, half out of embarrassment and half out of excitement. She decided to get Sonja safely off the subject of her love-life and talk to her about some of the other stuff that was rattling about in her brain.

  “So, Son - I’ve been thinking about the way Cat kissed Ollie on Sunday—”

  “Oh, not again!” sighed Sonja. “I told you before, it wasn’t any big deal! She was joking about, trying to cheer him up about the VIP thing on the poster.”

  “But after the two of them almost going out together, and she’s gone AWOL all week, and Ollie’s been kind of secretive…”

  “You’re reading too much into it, Kez,” Sonja comforted her friend. “I mean Ollie was sitting there with a big lipstick print on his forehead looking about as pleased as your little brother does when his granny tries to kiss him. It wasn’t the look of a boy in love!”

  Kerry shrugged and stared at the cars whizzing past them. Sonja was right. But still…

  “And Ollie’s just stressed out and busy rehearsing for his big night. Joe’s the same! And you’re not trying to suggest anything’s going on between Joe and Cat, are you?”

  Kerry giggled at the thought of shy-boy Joe and mouthy Cat together. Joe wouldn’t last a minute.

  “But what about this stuff in the paper?” said Kerry, getting serious again, and pushing her glasses up in that nervous way she had. “What’s Ollie going to do about everyone thinking there’s a celebrity turning up?”

  “Ollie’ll sort it out - he’s a big boy!” said Sonja, grabbing her friend by the arm and getting ready to cross the road as soon as there was a break in the traffic. “Now listen - stop worrying! We’re going to have a good time tonight, OK?”

  “I hope so,” muttered Kerry, feeling the butterflies in her tummy start fluttering around in earnest.

  The Loud had played a few numbers to the packed crowd in The Bell and had received a politely enthusiastic response.

  It’s going to be all right, Ollie assured himself, although when he’d seen how many people had turned up, his heart had sunk at first, knowing that only the publicity from the paper had made the ticket sales zoom up in the last couple of days.

  They like us. It’s going to be OK…

  But two more songs in and Ollie began to be aware of a certain restlessness in the audience. There was a lot of shuffling going on and plenty of talking and muttering too.

  “Hey, where’s this special guest, then!” Ollie heard someone bellow as one number came to an end.

  He turned round to Joe and nodded.

  “Now!” he mouthed, and Joe turned to the wings and gave someone a quick thumbs-up.

  “OK, ladies and gentlemen,” Ollie yelled into the mike. “You’ve all been waiting for her and here she is - our very special guest, the one and only
… Catwoman!”

  Uncertain of what was coming but suitably intrigued, the crowd gave a cheer - which was practically drowned out by the sound of a revving engine.

  A gasp of excitement spread round the venue as Ollie’s Vespa entered stage left, with a leopard-skin, cat-suited girl astride it, complete with mask and tail. To ear-splittingly loud cheers and whistling, she did a quick circuit of the stage as the band struck up the introduction to Batman, done Prince-style.

  “Thanks for this, Cat,” Ollie whispered as she leapt off the bike and handed it to him.

  “My pleasure,” Cat winked before twirling back to her audience.

  From her long, painted talons to her kitten heel boots, Cat was perfect as a one-woman show-stealer. But Ollie didn’t mind; through the theme tune, plus the other Batman classic, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, it was all he could do to sing the words without laughing. The show had turned into pure kitsch and the crowd were loving it.

  By the finale - a rendition of Tom Jones’ corny What’s New Pussycat? - the whole audience were yelling along to the words as Cat egged them on by dancing at the edge of the stage and twirling her tail seductively. For once in her life, OTT was exactly the right mode.

  “They love us!” Ollie shouted to the rest of the band in surprise above the deafening applause at the end of the set.

  “They love Tiddles, you mean!” Rob shouted back, nodding at Catrina.

  But it doesn’t matter, Ollie grinned, looking back out at the sea of laughing faces and watching Cat curtseying cutely. As long as we weren’t bottled off…

  “Enjoy yourself then, Miss Kitty?” said Ollie, flinging his arm around Catwoman’s shoulders as the cheering continued.

  “You bet!” beamed Cat, blowing kisses to the boys baying for her attention.

  Of all her recent award-winning performances, this, she decided, had definitely been the most fun.

  CHAPTER 21

  THANK YOU AND GOOD NIGHT

  Exhausted and elated, everyone piled back to the End after the gig.

  In anticipation of The Loud’s triumph, Nick - who’d been on duty in the wings at The Bell, helping Cat find the ignition switch before she roared on stage - had managed to get a special extension to the cafe’s licence to stay open until 1.00 am.

  The place was packed. Apart from people the members of The Loud genuinely knew, Nick was happily letting in anyone who showed him a ticket from the gig.

  As everyone swarmed into the small café, Ollie, helped by Anna, cleared the freestanding tables from the middle of the room and stashed them in the kitchen, creating a minute dance floor.

  The jukebox had been rammed full of coins and music was belting out. Already bodies were swaying to the song that was playing - mostly boys’ bodies, and all because Cat, still resplendent in her Catwoman costume, was dancing, arms aloft, in the middle of them all.

  “Pity you didn’t catch the gig,” Ollie smiled at Anna as they both rested for a second from their efforts, leaning on either side of the doorway that lead from the kitchen, and surveyed the scene before them.

  “But I did,” grinned Anna, giving him a sideways look.

  “Did you?” asked Ollie in surprise.

  He liked Anna a lot, from what little he knew of her, but she seemed to keep her private life so much to herself that it hadn’t occurred to him to invite her. In fact the only reason he thought she was here now, he realised guiltily, was because Nick had asked her to work.

  “Yes,” nodded Anna. “I watched from the back. It was a big success, wasn’t it?”

  “Well, yeah,” Ollie replied. “I mean, I really want us to get out and play our own music, but tonight was fun. Thanks to her.”

  Anna looked over in the direction of Ollie’s gaze to where Catrina was dancing, her Cheshire Cat grin visible despite the mask she was still wearing.

  “Where did she get the costume from?” asked Anna.

  “She made it,” Ollie answered. “That was her idea, along with being our VIP guest.”

  “Was that what she was showing you the other day when I took that call for you?”

  Ollie nodded. “I just wanted to keep quiet about the whole thing, in case it all went horribly wrong.”

  “Well, it didn’t. And look - your star wants you,” Anna said, pointing over to Cat, who was waving frantically at Ollie. “Better hurry over - you owe her!”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” grinned Ollie as he made his way round the counter and over to the beckoning Cat.

  Kerry, Sonja and Maya pushed their way through the dancers and stood on the edge of the makeshift dance floor, totally gobsmacked.

  “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.” sighed Sonja.

  “All these cute boys in a tiny, confined space. It’s just too much for a girl to take,” grinned Kerry.

  “Wall-to-wall totty,” giggled Sonja.

  “Yes, but they’re probably all idiots, judging by the way they’re drooling over Catwoman,” sniffed Maya.

  “Thanks for bringing us back down to earth, Mrs Sensible,” Sonja grumbled to her friend. “Don’t you ever fancy anyone? C’mon, you must do!”

  Sonja brought her face right up close to Maya’s, making it clear that she wouldn’t accept an evasive answer. Kerry did the same. The two girls started giggling at Maya’s obvious embarrassment.

  “Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!” they chanted.

  “Boys aren’t a priority to me!” she said, looking slightly irate.

  “Aw, Miss Prim,” teased Sonja, “you’re kidding us!”

  Maya’s dark eyes flashed and Kerry suddenly felt mean.

  “OK, OK, if you must know, I’ve fancied quite a few people, but my parents would freak out if I actually went out with anyone,” Maya admitted. “It just wouldn’t be worth the grief.”

  “But why would they freak?” asked Sonja, finding Maya’s situation hard to comprehend. Her own family were so laid-back they never batted an eyelid at anything their children said or did.

  “They want me to concentrate on my studies. So that’s what I’m going to do. Happy now?”

  Keen to take the pressure off Maya - and aware that Sonja would keep going with this interrogation unless she was diverted - Kerry cocked her head in the direction of Joe, who was standing up at the far end of the café.

  “I wonder who Joe fancies?” she mused. “You never see him with a girl, do you?”

  Teasingly Sonja said, “Why, Kerry? Don’t tell us you fancy him?!”

  “No, of course not. But he must fancy someone. Everyone fancies someone…”

  Just as she spoke, Kerry spotted a face - and a hairstyle - she couldn’t miss.

  “Hi, Kerry! Hi, Maya - Sonja!” said Elaine, grinning broadly. “Glad I found you - I didn’t spot you at the gig!”

  “Hi! We didn’t see you either,” Kerry responded, smiling at both Elaine and the shaven-headed young guy beside her. “Ollie didn’t say you were coming tonight!”

  “I didn’t think I’d be able to till Jakey here offered to drive me down.”

  Kerry smiled again at the bald boy whose only facial hair consisted of his eyebrows - pierced, she noticed - and an arty little goatee. She felt a dig in her back: Sonja must be thinking the same thing. Maybe Ollie and Elaine were only mates, and maybe Jakey here was Elaine’s love interest.

  “Have you seen Ollie?” Elaine asked. “I haven’t caught up with him yet.”

  “He’s over there - dancing with the leopard lady!” said Kerry, pointing to the crammed dance area behind Elaine.

  At the same time, she saw two grinning figures ambling over in their direction: Mick and Rob.

  Could Sonja be right? Kerry thought to herself, her heart beating faster than the drum beat on the hip-hop track blasting from the jukebox.

  From his vantage point over by the counter, Joe watched as Rob and Mick began chatting to the girls and saw the way Kerry’s face lit up as she gazed at Mick.

  Frustration raged within him and, for a fleetin
g second, Joe felt like punching the wall behind him. Up until now he’d had a great night; the response from the crowd, the pats on the back and words of praise he’d had from friends and strangers alike had filled him with a new sense of confidence.

  In fact, he’d felt so confident, he’d decided that tonight was the night to go over and talk to Kerry properly; maybe even ask her out, if things went well.

  But now he’d lost his chance. It looked as if Mick was about to sweep her off her feet - so what was the point of trying now? He’d only make a fool of himself and lose the friendship of one of the few girls he got on with. He felt utterly depressed.

  Home time, he sighed to himself and pushed his way through the crush towards the café door.

  Feeling the chill night air on his face, Joe practically tripped over Matt, who was hunched up on the front step.

  “All right?” asked Joe, hovering over his friend, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets.

  “Nah, not really,” Matt replied, shaking his head. “And you? Why are you off?”

  Joe shrugged. “Bored, I guess.”

  The two lads, neither of them in the mood to talk, stayed companionably quiet for a few seconds.

  “Well, I’m off - ‘night,” said Joe finally, before loping off along the street.

  “Yeah, ‘night, Joe,” Matt muttered after him.

  Matt was lost in thought. Since he’d watched the show - watched Cat, that is - he just couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Yeah, so she’s vain, he told himself, but so’s Tasha and you’d never see her risk embarrassing herself, getting up there and giving it a go.

  And succeeding - brilliantly, he’d had to admit.

  And sure, Cat can be a pain, he reminded himself, but at least she’s fun, at least she’s always up for a laugh.

  Matt’s mind flashed back to the night at Ollie’s party and wondered what on earth he’d seen in the beautiful but boring Natasha. Compared to Cat’s larger-than-life personality, Tasha seemed as exciting as a cardboard cut-out.

  There was an uncomfortable feeling in his chest. It was a new feeling for him and it took him a while, sitting on the cold front step, to work out what it was: regret.