“You’re OK? You’re not mad with me?” Keith said. “Only I felt so down last night, and then this morning when I emptied my bag... I should never have blamed you.”
“No,” I said. “But it’s OK now. We’re OK.”
“Yeah,” Keith said. “We are.” He smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose and I hugged him again.
I was fizzing with excitement. “But have you seen what we did today? I sent it to you. I think you’ll like it. We shot it on Jamie Kendrick’s phone and Arthur’s Ariel and everything!”
He was smiling as much as me.
The day flashed by inside my head. Sasha, Arthur, Keith. I felt so lucky.
13
SUMMER TERM
It was only the second week of the summer term, but the Year Elevens had had their Leavers’ Prom and left school for study leave before their exams. It seemed like such a long time had passed, although I still shuddered if I thought about me in the Paradise Supermarket yelling ‘slug-brain’ at Luke Beckford.
Sasha was still going out with Jamie, and happier than ever. She’d even got a new job in the cinema tearing the tickets. Denny’s head wasn’t getting any bigger, because now the opening ceremony was coming closer he was getting seriously jittery. Mum had sorted her shifts so she did more ‘earlies’ and we’d already had two brilliant picnics, one in Greenwich Park with Jamie and Keith along too.
Me and Keith were cool. I was so relieved I hadn’t lost the oldest mate I had. And even though he found the memory stick, he still used some of the phone-filmed stuff because it looked so good. He loved Arthur as Ariel too, said it was a brilliant idea. Said he told me I always had good ideas.
Keith had done all the editing and sent it off, and a letter had just come saying he was on the shortlist. Our film was on the shortlist!
Everyone who saw it liked it, Miss Tunks included. She said Keith was fantastic and I was ‘very convincing’. I heard her talking in the corridor to the head of English – Mr Josephs – and she said she thought Keith could win! I hadn’t told him that yet, though, in case his head swelled up so big he wouldn’t be able to walk through any doors.
Just for the record, I was one hundred per cent sure he would win, and so was Sasha.
Arthur had decided he was a star and persuaded Mum to let him go to Drama class at the Arcola. He went to the tiny class. I got into the senior class. I was babysitting for Sherifa once a week and paying for me and Arthur together (there was a reduction for more than one family member). Drama class was one of the best decisions I ever made. It was really good fun. I loved it.
Me and Keith had started another film, this time with talking. There were two of my mates from Drama class in it with me, Jade and Becky, and I was trying not to get too excited about it.
So, me and Keith were sitting in the dinner hall and he was talking about how he needed to get the school camera over the weekend. We were just about to go when Miss Tunks came past. I almost got up too quickly and missed her tray by millimetres.
“Seren Campbell Ali!”
“Sorry, Miss Tunks,” I said, going pink.
“Miss Tunks,” Keith said. “About the camera....”
“Fine, fine.” She waved a hand. “I’ll be in the Drama office just before lessons start this afternoon. Oh, and Seren,” she said, looking at me. “I’ve got something you might be interested in.”
“Me?” I said. I couldn’t think that I’d done anything wrong.
Miss Tunks rolled her eyes. “Yes, you! Honestly, Keith, sometimes I think your friend is scared of me or something.”
Me and Keith looked at each other.
“It’s about the National Youth Theatre,” Miss Tunks said. “It would be a very good thing for you. Who knows where it could take you?”
“Me? I thought you thought I was rubbish!” I said. I wasn’t sure if I had just thought the words, but then I realised I must have said them out loud, from the way Miss Tunks sighed and looked at me.
“No, Seren, you are very talented. Really. I think you should audition.”
“Yes, Miss Tunks,” Keith said, nodding and smiling at the same time. “I think she should too.”
CATHERINE JOHNSON
is an award-winning writer of Welsh/African-Caribbean descent, living in the East End of London. Her novels for children include Stella, Landlocked, The Dying Game, Arctic Hero, selected for Booked Up 2009, and A Nest of Vipers, short-listed for the UKLA Award 2009. She also wrote the screenplay for Bullet Boy, the 2005 film about British gun crime, starring Ashley Walters. She lectures in Creative Writing at London Metropolitan University, and is a member of the 2012 Olympics Committee responsible for choosing medals. Catherine works regularly with children and teachers in schools and libraries across the UK. Brave New Girl is her first book for Frances Lincoln.
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