Drama Queen

by Tamsyn Murray

  “I know,” Molly whispered back. “I can’t believe it. Should’ve gone to Specsavers or what?”

  I stared at them in growing frustration. What? WHAT? And then I caught a glimpse of familiar blond hair across the room and leaned sharply sideways to look around them. There, on the other side of the canteen, was Nathan.

  I gasped. “What? How is that possible?”

  “He came home early,” Molly explained. “His dad’s—”

  “I know that,” I interrupted. “What’s he doing here?”

  Molly bristled a bit. “I was just about to tell you, Miss Stroppy Pants. He’s enrolled on the stage-management course.”

  I gasped. “He said he’d enrolled but wasn’t going to make it because of his holiday!”

  “Which was cut short,” Molly said. “So here he is.”

  Shenice smirked. “See, told you we had a surprise for you.”

  There’s a moment in the film GREASE, where Danny and Sandy discover they’re at the same high school after their summer fling. And you can almost see the love hearts EXPLODING over their heads. That was how I felt when Nathan glanced around the room and his eyes came to rest on me. I waved. Grinning, he waved back and started weaving through the tables towards me.

  “Hey,” he said. “How was Cornwall?”

  “Cool,” I replied, beaming. “How was Australia?”

  “Also cool,” he said. “But it’s good to be home.”

  “Yeah,” I said. The bell rang, meaning it was time to head back into our rehearsals. “Maybe I’ll see you around?”

  “I hope so,” he said, smiling. “There’s a SUGAR RUSH MOUNTAIN at the Shake Shack with our name on it and I can’t wait to hear about the waves you aced.”

  I stood up and tried to play it cool. “Great. So I’ll see you later, then.”

  He nodded. “See you later.”

  Thankfully, Molly and Shenice waited until he was well out of earshot to start squealing.

  “Oh shush,” I told them.

  But the truth was I could have skipped onto the stage after that. I didn’t, obviously, but I could have. Cornwall had been brilliant but it didn’t have my BFFs and it didn’t have Nathan. Dorothy from THE WIZARD OF OZ had a point. There really is no place like home.

  Over the next few days I caught up with everything I’d missed and was starting to think maybe – just maybe – Miss Skelly wasn’t going to make me hang up my acting boots. It was fun watching Molly and Shenice do their scenes – Molly really sparkled and Shenice was amazing too. And it didn’t matter how much Shenice protested that she liked Harry as a friend, I saw how she looked at him onstage and no matter how good at acting she’d become, she wasn’t THAT good. She had a bona fide, ginormous crush on Harry. And when I saw him chasing around after Molly as Blousey onstage, it gave me a bad feeling. Shenice was watching them too, with a funny, narrow-eyed expression. The last thing any of us needed was for her to get the wrong idea about Molly.

  In the breaks between scenes and at lunchtime, I helped them both with their lines. We took it in turns to host a Bugsy rehearsal at our houses, too – Friday night had been at my house, Saturday was at Shenice’s and Sunday was Molly’s turn. We went through every song and every line of dialogue over and over. Liam complained that he could hear us in the garage over his WOLF BRETHREN rehearsal, which only made us sing louder. We were practically eating, breathing and sleeping BUGSY MALONE and by the following Tuesday, I knew both of their parts backwards.

  And then, halfway through Wednesday morning, disaster struck. We’d just come offstage after the Fat Sam’s Grand Slam number and the darkened wings were full of chorus members and principals. Some of the hoodlums were messing about, pushing and shoving each other and pretending they had machine guns.

  “Oh yeah?” shouted the boy playing Yonkers Charlie. “Eat metal, ya monkeys!”

  Fat Sam’s gang staggered as though they’d been shot. One of them lurched backwards into Shenice. She let out a yelp and tumbled over a chair that one of the stagehands was carrying. There was a sickening crack and a thud, followed by a painful-sounding gasp. And then Shenice started to cry – loud, racking sobs – and my heart fell into my feet. Because if she was making that much noise, it was bad – really bad.

  Fighting my way through the hoodlums, I hovered by her side. “What is it, Shen? Where does it hurt?”

  “My leg,” she moaned in between sobs. “It really hurts.”

  Nick appeared and Molly was right behind him. “Everyone clear out,” he commanded. “Back to the dance studio. We’ll take a fifteen-minute break.”

  Shenice clutched at my hand. “Don’t leave me.”

  Nick crouched down. “It’s okay, Cassie and Molly can stay. I’m a first-aider, Shenice. Where does it hurt?”

  “Her leg,” I said, as Shen started to wail even louder. “One of the boys knocked her over and there was this sort of crack and—”

  “I get the idea,” Nick said in a grim voice. He knelt down next to Shenice and checked her leg. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Charlotte, the dance captain. “Let Miss Skelly know we’re going to need an ambulance. And get Shenice’s mum on the phone.”

  It was so hard seeing Shen in pain without being able to do anything to help. Molly and I tried to make her laugh, but even our best jokes seemed a bit rubbish and it was a relief when the paramedics arrived. We moved out of the way while they checked her over and transferred her onto a stretcher.

  “Suspected broken leg,” one of them told Miss Skelly. “We’ll know for sure after an X-ray.”

  Molly and I stared at each other. Molly looked pale and shocked. We’ve had some scrapes and bumps over the years but none of us has ever broken any bones. Shenice’s mum arrived then, rushing onto the stage behind Charlotte just as the paramedics lifted the stretcher. They carried Shenice through the wings.

  “See you soon, Shen!” I called, biting my lip with worry.

  “Take it easy,” Molly shouted.

  Miss Skelly and Nick followed, leaving Molly and me alone on the stage.

  “This is bad,” Molly said slowly. “If that leg is broken then she won’t be able to perform on Friday.”

  I shook my head sadly. “Never mind her leg, her heart’s going to be broken – there’s no way she can play Tallulah on crutches, which means she can’t kiss Harry either. What are we going to do?”

  Molly sighed. “You know what they say, the show must go on. But I don’t know who’s going to be able to take over the role. It’s only two days until the show.”

  The backstage door swung open and Nick strode back onto the stage. “She’s gone to A&E. They’ll look after her there.”

  Molly gazed at him, her eyes wide and troubled. “Is she going to be okay?”

  He smiled in sympathy. “I think so. Try not to worry, she’s in the best place now and I’m sure you’ll be the first to know when there’s any news.”

  Huh, it was easy for him to tell us not to worry; his BFF hadn’t just been carted off in an ambulance. But I didn’t say that. Instead, I let out a long, involuntary sigh.

  “You two are probably a bit shaken,” Nick said. “Come on, let’s go and get a drink in the canteen. Who wants a hot chocolate? I hear that’s good for shock.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  They say good news travels fast – well, bad news travels faster. Scientists should investigate because I am telling you, it is definitely a thing. No sooner had I got home from drama school when my phone beeped and I saw I had a message from Shenice.

  Leg broken S xx

  Thirty seconds later, it beeped again. This time it was Molly.

  Have you seen Shen’s message? Oh no M xx

  I sat on my bed, staring at my phone. Somewhere in the background, I could hear the faint ring of the house phone but I ignored that. Poor Shenice. She’d worked so hard, first of all to get the role of Tallulah and then to learn all her lines and stage directions, and now she wasn’t going to get to play her. And just to
put the cherry on top of the sucky cake, she wasn’t going to get to kiss Harry’s forehead. It wasn’t fair. In fact, it sucked big time.

  “Cassie?” Mum’s voice floated up the stairs. “There’s someone on the phone for you.”

  It would be Molly, I guessed, although she normally called my mobile. Sighing, I went downstairs and took the handset Mum was holding out. “Hello?”

  “Cassidy, this is Miss Skelly.”

  I nearly dropped the phone. What could she want?

  And then I realized she must be calling to tell me the show was off.

  “Hi, Miss Skelly,” I said. “It’s very kind of you to phone. Are you calling everyone?”

  There was a small silence. “No, just you, darling.”

  I frowned. Maybe Nick was doing the others. “Oh.”

  “First of all, I want you to know how very sorry I am to hear about Shenice’s leg,” Miss Skelly said. “We’ve never had anything like this happen before. The boys in question have been severely reprimanded. It’s terrible for everyone but most importantly for Shenice. I know she’s worked very hard.”

  I thought of the hours we’d spent rehearsing. “Yeah. We all have,” I said sadly.

  “Which brings me on to my next point,” Miss Skelly said, her tone clipped and brisk. Here it comes, I thought, the death blow.

  “I’ve spoken to Shenice and she tells me you’ve been helping her to learn her lines. In fact, she says you know the part almost as well as she does. Is that correct?”

  I stared at the floor in confusion. The conversation had taken a sudden weird turn.

  “I suppose so,” I answered.

  Miss Skelly cleared her throat. “No need to be modest, darling. I seem to remember you did quite a good audition, although your singing needs a bit of work. But there’s no time to worry about that now.”

  I blinked hard. Had she really just said I’d done a good audition? My chest started to puff up with pride. And then her comment about my singing filtered through and everything drooped back down again.

  “So?” she went on. “What do you think? Can you do it?”

  “Do what?” I asked, now thoroughly bewildered.

  “Take over the role,” Miss Skelly said in an exasperated voice. “Play Tallulah in the end-of-course production. Because the show must go on, you know.Although I admit it will be difficult to do that if you say no.”

  This time I really did drop the phone.

  “What?” I said slowly, once I’d got it the right way up again. “Let me get this straight – you want me to play Tallulah?”

  “That’s right,” Miss Skelly said. “Shenice is a bit taller than you, of course, but I’m sure wardrobe can fix the dress so no one notices. You’ll have to work hard and there’s not much time. But I’m sure everyone will be very grateful if you accept.”

  Everyone except Shenice, I thought, with a surge of guilt. She wasn’t going to be pleased that I was taking her role or that I’d be kissing the leading man instead of her. And she was already jealous of Molly for no reason – how would she feel about me and Harry?

  But if I didn’t play Tallulah, I’d be letting Molly and everyone else down.

  Mum had come to stand next to me, listening as I talked. “Hang on, Miss Skelly.” Covering the handset, I stared at Mum. “I don’t know what to do.”

  She gazed at me for a long moment. “Do you think you can do it?”

  I shrugged. Running through lines was a lot different to performing them in front of a live audience. “I don’t know.”

  “What’s worrying you? Don’t you know the part?”

  Mentally, I ran through Tallulah’s scenes. “Mostly. But I’m scared.”

  Mum smiled. “If that’s all that’s holding you back then you should do it. Don’t let a little bit of fear stop you – Rolo was scared of the water but that didn’t stop him from becoming Rolo the Radical Surfdog, did it?”

  Against the odds, I grinned, remembering the first time he’d leaped on top of Alex’s board. “No.”

  “And anyway,” Mum said, “your dad will be the first to tell you that a bit of fear is a good thing in a performer. It gives you an edge, keeps you sharp.”

  Gnawing on a fingernail, I weighed things up. On the one hand, the thought of going onstage as Tallulah filled me with more terror than I’d ever felt in my life. But on the other, I could feel the weight of all the people who’d be disappointed if the performance was cancelled, including one of my very best friends.

  Uncovering the phone, I took a deep breath. “Okay, Miss Skelly, I’ll do it. I’ll be your Tallulah.”

  Mum pressed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed hard. “Good girl. I’m proud of you.”

  “Excellent news, Cassidy,” Miss Skelly said. “Thank you, darling. As my agent would say, you’re a real trooper.”

  It was only when I’d put the phone down that the enormity of what I’d agreed to do hit home. OMG, I had two days to learn a principal role. Forty-eight hours. 2,880 minutes. Turning on my heel, I took the stairs two at a time and grabbed my mobile to call Molly.

  “We’ve got a major emergency,” I told her. “How soon can you get here?”

  I don’t know if it’s possible for someone’s head to be so filled with stuff that it actually explodes but mine definitely feels like it could. Since Miss Skelly’s phone call yesterday, I have lost count of how many times I’ve gone over Tallulah’s lines. I even woke up saying them. I’ve also learned that brushing your teeth and speaking are two tasks that are best kept separate – I think I got all the toothpaste out of my hair but that stuff is surprisingly sticky.

  I’ve also stood on the wrong bit of the stage approximately one million times, danced when I am not supposed to dance, not danced when I am supposed to dance, missed my cue so often that I am sure Nick is despairing and failed to kiss Harry five times. Honestly, all I have to do is kiss him on the forehead but it feels like I am stabbing Shenice in the heart every time and I can’t do it. I’ve tried pretending he is Joshua or Ethel and that just made things worse, especially when I accidentally blew a raspberry instead.

  It doesn’t help that Shenice is ignoring my messages. Molly says that she just needs a bit of time to mourn and come to terms with what’s happened but I really don’t want her to hate me. So I am doing the best I can and trying to forget how much depends on me NOT MESSING UP.

  The only good thing to happen is that Nathan has insisted I need a SUGAR RUSH MOUNTAIN to calm my nerves. We’re heading to Shake Shack after school today, although he has agreed to read through the script with me while we eat. Actually, I am not sure I will be able to eat. I can’t wait until this is all over.

  Nathan’s mum gave us a lift into Windsor. She asked me about our holiday and I did my best to answer but my brain was bubbling over from everything and I might have told her I was in the paper instead of Rolo. Once we were in Shake Shack, I pulled out my copy of the script and started to open it. Nathan put his hand on top of the cover. “Ice cream first, work afterwards.”

  Reluctantly, I nodded. We ordered a Sugar Rush Mountain to share and Nathan sat back in the seat opposite me. “So, tell me about Cornwall. Is the surf as good as everyone says it is?”

  I thought back to the golden sands of the beach, the waves crashing in and washing away again. I remembered the first time I’d popped up on my board, riding a wave to the shore, and how awesome it had felt. And some of my anxiety dropped away. I smiled. “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. How were the waves in Australia?”

  “Big,” he said. “Too big for me but I watched some really rad surfers take them on. They looked so cool.”

  Remembering how impressive Alex had looked riding the peak of a wave, I nodded. “I definitely want to go back. Dad says he’s been booked to perform there again next year so I think it’s looking good.”

  We swapped holiday stories until the Sugar Rush Mountain arrived, and then there was no time to talk. In amongst the Oreos, the chocolate sauce and the Maltesers was
the softest, creamiest vanilla ice cream ever. It was a work of genius and we both felt it deserved our full attention. When it was almost all gone, Nathan sat back and licked his lips. “They don’t make sundaes like that in Australia.”

  “Not in Cornwall, either.” I glanced up at him and then looked away before he saw. “There are some things only Windsor can offer.”

  He smiled. “You can say that again.”

  My eyes came to rest on the BUGSY MALONE script on top of my bag and I sighed. “I should really look at my lines. Sorry.”

  “No problem,” he said. “Although I should warn you, I’m not great at acting.”

  I pulled a face. “I’m not sure I am either.”

  But I opened up the book and shuffled up the seat so he could sit next to me. We worked through my lines, with Nathan playing everyone except Tallulah so that I got a feel for what was happening.

  And then we got to the scene with Bugsy where I had to ask him to smear my lipstick and my heart started to thud.

  “I can’t do this bit,” I mumbled, putting my head in my hands. “Every time I try, I think of Shenice.”

  Nathan stared at me. “There’s a kissing scene?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. It’s not proper kissing or anything, only a peck on the forehead, but it feels all kinds of wrong, especially when Shenice likes Harry so mu—” I clapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about that!”

  “You didn’t need to,” he said. “I’ve seen how she looks at him.”

  I didn’t have time to worry about that now – I had bigger things to stress about. “I think Nick will explode if I don’t get it right tomorrow and I don’t want to know what Miss Skelly does to people who disappoint her.”

  He was silent for a minute. “Can’t they just cut it?”

  “Not really,” I said. “It’s kind of important to the plot. Blousey breaks up with Bugsy over it.”

  Nathan cleared his throat. “But you don’t want to do it. Shenice doesn’t want you to do it. Harry probably doesn’t want to do it, either, if he likes Shenice, and – and…” He looked away and I realized he was the closest I’d even seen him to losing his cool. “Some other people might not like it much either.”