Jayde: Donuts would be good.
Stacey: Chocolate-coated or jam?
Our answers tumble out in a rush.
Paige: Chocolate.
Me: Jam.
Jayde: Have they got any pineapple ones?
Stacey: I’ll ask.
Poor thing. She’s practically wetting her pants, she’s so eager to please. We wait till she’s out of earshot, then go in for the kill.
Jayde [yawning]: Can you believe how stupid she is?
Paige: All that stuff about all the bands being her ‘favourite’. Lo-o-opy.
Me: She even went for the Snoop Patrol trick.
Bella [looking puzzled]: Who are Snoop Patrol?
Me: There’s no such band. I just made them up.
Paige [snorting]: Brilliant.
Inside, I feel a happy glow. I’m safe. Paige still likes me.
Jayde: Hey, you write songs, don’t you, Leesh? I bet if you dreamed up some fake lyrics and said they were from one of their songs, she’d start singing along with them.
Bella: Good one. Maybe you should try that, Leesh?
It’s tempting. It would be really funny catching her out, especially if we did it at the lockers or where there are other people around. That would really show her up. But what I’ve got in mind will get us an even bigger audience.
I check my watch. Lunch will be over soon. By the time Stacey gets back with our donuts, it will be too late for us to teach her the dance routine. I’m going to have to invite her over to my place after school for a ‘private lesson’ instead. It will be painful, but it won’t kill me.
I double-check that Stacey’s still safely in the canteen queue, then lean forward and whisper to the others what I plan to do.
Chapter 8
tuesday afternoon
I answer the door on the first ring. ‘Hi, Stacey!’ I say, pretending to be excited to see her. ‘Come in!’
Stacey carefully wipes her shoes on the doormat then steps inside. ‘I like your house,’ she tells me, looking along the hallway to the various rooms, as though she’s expecting me to take her on a tour.
‘Thanks,’ I say. ‘Did your mum drop you off?’
Stacey laughs. ‘Nah. I walked. I only live two streets away.’ Her face lights up as she realises something. ‘Hey, we could walk to school together!’
‘Maybe,’ I say. This is a possible complication I hadn’t planned on. I lead her into the kitchen. ‘Want something to eat or drink before we start?’
‘Yes, please. Just a juice or something.’
She perches on a stool at the kitchen bench while I ferret around in the fridge for some OJ. The open packet of Tim-Tams on the second shelf stares back at me temptingly. I’m starving again. I ended up ‘accidentally’ dropping my donut on the ground after Stacey brought them back from the canteen at lunchtime. No way do I want to go through the finger-down-the-throat routine again like last night. I felt disgusting afterwards, and my throat burned for ages. But I couldn’t afford to have all those extra calories hanging around in my bloodstream either, just waiting to attach themselves to my heifer hips. So I just let the donut slip through my fingers into the dirt. Easy peasy.
Stacey might want one though. I guess it’s the least I can do after she spent all her money buying us donuts. I grab the packet from the shelf and peel back the wrapping.
‘Biscuit?’ I say, waving the packet at her.
‘Mmm, Tim-Tams,’ she says. ‘Yum. Yes, please.’
‘One or two?’
‘Two please.’
I pop two biscuits on a plate and slide it onto the bench in front of her.
‘Aren’t you worried about putting on weight?’ I ask her, unscrewing the lid of the orange juice. ‘Chocolate biscuits have got, like, a zillion calories in them.’
Stacey picks up a Tim-Tam and takes a bite out of it. ‘Mmmm,’ she says, through a mouthful of crumbs. ‘Delicious.’
Then she looks at me, her head on one side, like a bird. ‘Why? Do you think I look fat?’
I study her body. Well, sure, compared to Paige and Jayde, she’s fat. You only have to look at her muffin top to know that. But to be honest, it’s no bigger than most of the girls in our class. ‘Puppy fat’, my mum likes to call it, when she’s in ‘embarrassing mother’ mode – like when you’re in the big department store at Eastfields being fitted for your first bra. Mum and the bra-fitting lady were smirking away at me like I was some freak standing there semi-naked in front of them, all because I had a tiny roll around the top of my jeans. I bet Mathilde Carr’s mum never put her through anything like that.
Stacey’s sitting there, waiting for my answer. I’m tempted to tell her she’s a lump of lard and that she should immediately go on a crash diet before she breaks the stool she’s sitting on, but something stops me.
I pour out two glasses of juice. ‘Nah,’ I say. ‘You look fine.’
I hear clicking sounds as the front door opens and shuts, followed by footsteps and singing. Bec’s home.
‘Hi, Leesh,’ she trills, dumping her backpack on the floor and pulling up another stool. ‘What a day,’ she sighs heavily. Her eyes fall on the biscuit on Stacey’s plate. ‘Any of those left for me, or have you two fanged through the whole packet?’
‘Of course not!’ I snap. What does she think I am, a greedy pig with no self-control? Then I immediately wish I hadn’t gone off at her like that. Bec was probably only trying to be friendly.
‘Want a drink?’ I say quickly, trying to make up for my rudeness.
‘Sure,’ Bec says, flashing me a smile. Apology accepted, her eyes say.
How does she manage to be so damn nice all the time? No wonder everyone likes her.
She turns to Stacey. ‘Hi. I’m Bec. I don’t think I’ve met you before, have I?’
‘Hi, Bec,’ Stacey says shyly.
‘Stacey’s come over so I can teach her a dance routine,’ I explain, pouring another glass of OJ for her. ‘We’re trying out for parts in that play. You know. The one Mr C’s putting on?’
‘Drac? Yeah, I heard about that. Should be fun.’ She takes a sip of her drink. ‘So, who else will be doing it?’
‘Paige and Jayde, of course,’ I say. ‘Oh, and Bella. I don’t think you know her.’
‘Right,’ Bec says. ‘Not Mia and Lexi then? Or Michi?’
‘Nooo.’ I glare at her. Why would she even ask? I’ve told her I don’t hang out with them anymore.
Bec holds up her hands. ‘Sorry,’ she says. ‘I just remember all the time you spent putting together dance routines in the back of Mia’s garage, like, from when you were about six or something. It’s a shame you don’t see them anymore, that’s all.’
No, it isn’t, I think. It’s a good thing.
I drain my glass and put it in the sink. It’s time to get down to business. ‘Want to get started then?’ I say to Stacey, ignoring Bec.
She pads behind me down the hallway to my room. Too late, I remember Flossy’s sitting on the end of my bed, where I left him guarding it this morning after I’d made it. Stacey’s eyes light up when she sees him.
‘Oh, wow,’ she breathes. ‘I love your little horse. Can I hold him?’
Can she hold him? Is she for real?
I might as well let her, now that she’s seen him. ‘Go for it,’ I say, trying to sound like I don’t care. Hopefully she’ll forget about him once we start going over the dance steps.
Stacey picks up Flossy and runs her fingers through his silky mane. Then she sits down on the bed and pretend-walks him along the doona cover. She looks up at me, her brown eyes trusting.
‘I love stuffed animals,’ she tells me. ‘I’ve got heaps in my bedroom. Too many to fit on my bed. Mum had to make a special bookcase to keep the rest in.’ She giggles. ‘You should see it, it looks like a zoo.’
She stares at me, suddenly worried that she’s given too much away. ‘You probably think that’s really stupid, don’t you. Still collecting stuffed animals when I’m in hi
gh school?’
‘Not at all,’ I assure her. I’m going to have to be really careful about the way I handle this. No way do I want it getting out that Alysha Aronsen, official shiny, keeps a stuffed horse on the end of her bed like a six-year-old. ‘It’s good to have a hobby. I’ve only got this one, but he’s like, really special.’ I lower my voice to a whisper. ‘You’re the first person I’ve ever let hold him.’
Stacey’s eyes widen. ‘Seriously? Not even Paige?’ I shake my head. ‘Not even Paige.’
‘Wow,’ Stacey says, impressed.
‘It can be like our little secret. Yeah? You won’t tell Paige or Jayde you got to hold him? I don’t want them getting jealous or anything.’
‘Oh, sure, Alysha. I would never do that.’
You’d better not, I think.
Stacey gently places Flossy back on the end of my bed. Her eyes dart around my room, finally settling on my pin board. ‘Hey, that’s Mathilde Carr, isn’t it?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘She is so beautiful. I’ve seen her heaps of time in Crave.’ She moves over to the display so she can study the photos close up. ‘Hey, did anyone ever tell you that you look a bit like her?’
No. No-one.
‘Do you think?’ I say, pleased. Stacey’s probably just saying that though, to suck up to me. Just like all the sucky things she says to the others when she’s trying to hang out with us.
‘Oh, for sure.’ She points to Mathilde’s face. ‘See? You’ve practically got the same cheekbones.’
Another suck line? She sounds sincere though.
Stacey sits down on the bed again, drawing her feet up under her. ‘You could be a model,’ she tells me, like she knows what she’s talking about.
‘Yeah, right.’
‘My mum’s a photographer for a model agency,’ Stacey tells me matter-of-factly. ‘She’s always leaving photos of models lying around the house. You get to know the type the agency is looking for after a while.’
Stacey’s mum works for a model agency? Wow. She must be really cool. And this is the same mum who built a bookcase for her high school daughter’s stuffed animal collection? Those two facts about her just don’t go together, do they? Weird.
‘So have you ever thought of becoming a model?’ I ask her, suddenly envious. ‘Your mum could really help you out. You know, get a folder of photos together for you, or introduce you to the right people.’
‘Me?’ Stacey laughs. ‘Are you joking? I’ve got totally the wrong body shape. I’m way too short for starters. And I take after my mum so I’m not expecting to shoot up any time soon.’ She pats her left hip. ‘And I go out where models are supposed to go in.’
‘Yes, but if you …’
‘Lost some weight? That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?’
I look away, embarrassed.
‘But why? What would be the point? Me being a model is something that’s never going to happen. Even with a mum who works in the business. Besides, there’s heaps of other things I’d rather do. Like being a wildlife photographer. You know? Get among some real wild animals instead of stuffed ones.’ She pulls a face. ‘Anyway, I like eating too much.’
Me too, I think. Well, I used to, anyway. I think back to the Friday night sleepovers I had every week in Pink HQ, when Mia’s dad brought out trays of his homemade pizza and we pigged out on chocolate. Stacey checks her watch. ‘So. Are we going to do this dance routine? Only I promised Mum I’d be back in time to babysit my little brothers while she goes out on a shoot.’
‘Sure,’ I say. I select the track I want on my iPod and drop it into the speaker dock. Then I stand in the middle of the room, where we won’t bump into any furniture, and gesture for her to join me.
‘Okay,’ I say. ‘It starts with four giant steps to the side. Ready? And five, six, seven, eight …’
I walk her through the routine, getting her to move to the left when it should be to the right, mixing up the order of the steps and throwing in high kicks and fancy movements that were never there in the original version. I try to remember that I’m doing this to impress Paige and Jayde.
But for some reason, my heart’s not really in it anymore.
Chapter 9
wednesday lunchtime
As soon as Fiddles lets us out of humanities, we jam our books into our lockers then trail over to the hall to stake out a good possie for the auditions. Not too close to the front – shinies never sit in the front row, I’ve learnt. But close enough to get a good view of the competition.
‘Here?’ Paige says, indicating an area near the side wall.
Jayde nods. ‘Perfect.’
We dump our stuff and set up camp. I’m just getting comfortable when Lexi walks in with Mia and Michi in tow. She gives me a long look, then tosses her hair and sits down a few rows in front of us. Where’s Loverboy today, I wonder? I guess musicals aren’t Daniel’s thing either. Or maybe they’ve had a fight and broken up. Hope so.
Tai’s here, though. He’s morphed back into Clipboard Guy again, setting up some tables and chairs at the front of the hall for Gallo and Mr C and the rest of the audition crew. He sees me watching him and scoots down the side aisle towards us.
‘So you made it then,’ he says to me. Beside me, Paige is sending off enough negative vibes to power a nuclear reactor.
‘Oh … um … hi, Tai,’ I say, as though I’m surprised to see him there. What am I supposed to do now? Blank him? Cos if I don’t, Paige will start accusing me of trying to hit on her guy again.
Luckily for me, Mr C’s tapping his watch and waving frantically to Tai to get back over to the stage area. Looks like the auditions are about to start.
Stacey taps my arm. ‘Can you just run me through the opening bars of the routine again, Alysha?’ she asks me. ‘I’m really nervous. What if I stuff up and let you guys down?’
Bella snorts, quickly masking it with a coughing attack.
I give Stacey a reassuring smile. ‘Hey, don’t sweat it, Stace. You’ll be fine.’
Finer than fine, a little voice echoes in my head. It’s an old saying of Lexi’s that we all picked up from her. Why am I thinking about that now? I shake my head to clear it, then settle back in my seat again until it’s time for my audition.
We’re standing at the side of the stage, waiting to perform our dance routine. My adrenalin’s still pumping from my solo audition. I sang a Lolly Arkin song. And I think I did okay! Everyone clapped and cheered at the end, and a few of the guys wolfwhistled. And the girls all high-fived me when I sat down again.
Mr C auditioned the guys first, which took about five minutes because only a few turned up. I’m really hoping Jamie Vargas gets the Dracula role, and Danny Amenta would be perfect as Van Helsing. They would be awesome to work with if I got a main part, like Mina or Lucy. Or even one of Dracula’s brides. It would be really cool being a vampire.
But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen. The girls who were in last year’s musical were awesome, so they’ll probably get all the lead parts. I just hope Sportypants Lexi doesn’t get a lead role. Her audition song was good – but not that good. Only one guy wolf-whistled at the end, and she probably paid him to do it.
Tai comes over with his clipboard.
‘Okay, you guys are up next,’ he tells us. ‘Got your music ready?’ Then he stands there, grinning at me.
OMG, he’s not going to say something to me about my performance, is he? Not in front of Paige! She’ll totally get the wrong idea and think we’ve been meeting up behind her back or something. I hand Tai the CD with our backing track on it. Then I quickly turn away – but as I do, I just manage to catch a glimpse of his face. He looks hurt and confused, as though I’ve blanked him.
It’s so unfair. Just because Paige likes a guy shouldn’t mean no-one else is allowed to. I guess it’s the price I pay if I want to stay in with the popular crowd. A guy like Tai – best mate of official hottie Zac Raftos – probably wouldn’t even have spoken to me
in the first place if I wasn’t hanging with Paige and Jayde. It’s just the way things work.
Tai walks off with our CD and loads it into the player. We wait for the last act to finish their routine, then take our places on the stage. ‘Just remember, Stacey,’ I whisper to her, pushing down the twinges of guilt bubbling to the surface, ‘start off with four giant steps to the right, okay?’
Stacey gives me a nervous thumbs up. ‘Thanks for letting me join in with you guys,’ she whispers back. Behind her, Paige and Jayde roll their eyes and smirk. I guess it is going to be pretty funny. For us. Stacey’s going to end up looking like a major moron.
The opening bars of our backing track start up and Jayde counts us in. ‘And five, six, seven, eight.’ I take four steps to the left, along with Bella, Paige and Jayde. Meanwhile Stacey’s heading for the other side of the stage. Realising her error, Stacey races back, frantically trying to match her steps to ours. But then, just when it looks like she’s getting the hang of it, we move right and she moves left, crashing into Bella.
‘Get off me!’ Bella mutters, pushing her out of the way.
A few kids sitting in the front row start laughing. I sneak a look at Stacey’s face. It’s bright pink. She’s trying her hardest to concentrate and remember what comes next in the routine I taught her. She starts a series of high kicks, then abandons them as she realises no-one else is doing them. All her other moves are in the wrong order, totally mismatched with ours. For the final bars of the song, we edge back slowly to the rear of the stage, leaving her shimmying all alone at the front like an idiot. Stacey keeps turning her head from side to side, wondering where we’ve all disappeared to. Then she runs back to join us again, a big smile fixed to her face.
By now, everyone is laughing and pointing. ‘Good one, Leesh,’ Paige whispers to me as we come together for our final pose. Jayde flashes me a cool smile of approval.
The last chords of the song fade away, and I anticipate watching Stacey slink off the stage, humiliated and out of our lives forever. Instead, we stand there, shell-shocked, as the hall erupts in applause.
Mr C jumps to his feet. ‘Thanks, girls,’ he booms, ‘for that great comedy act. You all displayed a fabulous sense of timing, which isn’t an easy thing to do. Especially you, Stacey! That’s just the kind of thing we’re looking for with Drac.’
A Year in Girl Hell Page 26