by Lil Chase
Mark’s name is at the bottom again. I show it to Karmella.
‘He has nipple hair? Gross!’
‘Told you,’ I say. ‘Amanda and Mark are going out.’
‘Amanda the flat-chested freak is going out with Mark the semi-hottie?’ She thinks about this for a minute, her face showing something between shock and disgust. ‘We should break them up.’
‘Why?’
‘Because it’s funny!’ she says. ‘I bet I could have him. Even you could have him, if you showed a bit of interest.’
‘Do you think?’ I ask.
‘Honey,’ she says, ‘once people know you are hanging out with me and Roche, you can get anything you want. You can get any boy you want. Just you wait and see.’
I love the idea of being one of the most popular girls in school, but I can’t believe it’ll be this easy. ‘Do you think Roche will let me hang out with you two?’
‘She will,’ says Karmella, ‘if I tell her to.’
Karmella picks up her phone and shows it to me. ‘See, three missed calls. Rochelle can’t function without me.’
She starts tapping away at her phone. ‘There,’ she says, and presses send.
‘What did you write?’
‘I told her I was at your house and I’d give her a call later.’
‘You don’t think she’ll get jealous,’ I say, remembering what happened with me and Frankie and Zeba and not wanting another three’s-a-crowd situation.
Karmella looks at me with pity. ‘Not to be rude, Maya, but you have a long way to go to replace Rochelle. She is a lot cooler than you.’
Ouch.
‘You think Rochelle is cooler than me?’ I say. Then I grab the laptop from her and scroll down to the secret I’m looking for. ‘Wait till you hear this: I’m one of the coolest girls in school but I fancy Billy Beckworth, the saddest boy in school.’
‘So what?’ she says.
‘Rochelle wrote that,’ I say.
‘No way,’ says Karmella, shaking her head.
‘She did,’ I say. ‘Remember how she was going on about him in the toilets? Remember how she didn’t want to switch places so that she didn’t have to sit next to him?’
She shakes her head in disbelief. ‘No …’ Now it’s Karmella’s turn to be shocked. She puts her hand over her mouth and starts laughing. And laughing and laughing and laughing.
‘This is brilliant!’ she says. ‘I’m going to give her hell.’
I love seeing Karmella smile at me. OK, I’m not exactly enjoying myself, but Karmella is enjoying herself and that means I’m in with the cool crowd. If Mum’s right, and cool is everything, the happiness is sure to follow.
‘Don’t give her hell,’ I say, thinking about how cute Billy and Rochelle looked together. ‘I think it’s sweet.’
‘Whatevs. Show me more,’ she says. She pulls over the box and we both start picking them out and reading them at random.
‘Slut!’ says Karmella.
‘You need to type it into the spreadsheet,’ I tell her, and point to the laptop.
She shakes her head. ‘I’m not doing that,’ she says. ‘I just want to find the ones we can use against people.’
My heart sinks. I’ve lost control of this.
She picks one up and reads:
‘I bet I know who that is,’ she says. ‘That huge girl in Year 8. She’s hideous,’ Karmella winks at me, ‘as you would say.’
I wouldn’t say that. I would never insult someone because of their weight. ‘Karm, when I started this I made a promise that I would only use the secrets—’
She gasps as she reads another one. ‘Oh my God. It’s one from your weird goth friend!’
‘She’s not my friend any more,’ I whisper, missing her now more than ever.
‘Look, it says:
‘That’s her, isn’t it?’
I don’t believe it. It is her! I thought that Zeba was a 24/7 goth, like she always says. No wonder she never let me go to her house. No wonder I’ve never met her parents. No wonder she has a gigantic backpack with spare clothes and make-up in it.
‘We should totally get her in trouble,’ she says. ‘That would be so funny.’
‘We can’t—’
‘Why not?’ Karmella shrugs. ‘You said she’s not your friend any more.’
I think about that for a second. Zeba’s not my friend, but I wouldn’t do anything so mean—
My thoughts are interrupted by a gasp from Karmella. ‘Oh my God,’ she says, ‘here’s another one from Rochelle. I would recognize that babyish writing anywhere.’
‘What does it say?’ I ask, leaning over Karmella’s shoulder so I can read it for myself.
Karmella’s gone quiet, and as soon as I see the paper I know why. It’s one of the first secrets we found.
I look up at Karmella, who’s pursed her lips.
Karmella’s mouth starts to tremble. ‘That nasty little …’ she starts, but can’t finish the sentence.
I put my arm around her. ‘I’m so sorry, Karm.’
Karmella falls forward and she can’t look at me. She doesn’t say a word.
‘Are you OK?’ I ask her. ‘I know how much you like him—’
Her head snaps up and she glares at me. ‘I do not like him!’ she says. ‘I mean, he’s all-right-looking … but he’s nothing special. She’s welcome to him.’
‘Karm, you don’t have to pretend you’re OK if you’re not.’
‘I just don’t want anyone to think—’
‘I won’t tell anyone,’ I reassure her. ‘I promise. That’s what friends are for.’
She looks up at me with her eyebrows raised. ‘Do you mean that?’
I nod.
‘Thanks,’ she says. ‘And sorry for saying you’re not as cool as Rochelle. Rochelle is a cow.’
I give her shoulder a quick squeeze.
‘Let me do something for you.’ She grabs her phone from where it’s been lying on the floor and taps it a few times. I notice that the tears are completely gone. ‘Be quiet,’ she says. ‘Pretend you’re not here.’
I hear the phone ringing. Then a muffled voice picks it up. ‘Oh, hi, Ben. How are you?’ says Karmella.
She gives me a thumbs up and my heart starts to race. It’s Ben Sands!
‘Oh, you know, not much …’ He mumbles a reply I can’t hear. ‘Do you know who I was hanging out with earlier?’ she says. ‘That new girl, really cute-looking … Yes, Maya Andrews … Oh, well, I think she’s gorgeous … No, the bump in her nose is kinda sweet!’ Karmella looks up at me. ‘We had a great time … She’s a laugh … and her clothes are awesome …’ He says something and Karmella nods. I wish I could hear what he was saying. ‘I reckon that you and Maya would make such a great couple …’ I smile in delight and give Karmella a thumbs up back. ‘Yes, she’s single now, I think …’
‘I’m single! I’m single!’ I mouth at her.
‘But I doubt she will be for long. I know that Mark Nowicki is interested in her. And some other guy in Year 11 asked her out … She said she’d think about it …’
I fall back on to my bed in a swoon. Karmella is the best friend a girl could ask for. I zone out as she moves on to a different topic, making the phone call sound really natural. I go off into a daydream imagining kissing Ben Sands and how amazing that would be.
I roll over and idly sift my hand through the box and pull out some secrets from the very bottom. I’m not really looking at them, thinking instead about my beautiful new life with Ben and Karmella and Rochelle and Gary Cohen, all of us hanging out at Starbucks and having fun. But then something on one of the secrets catches my eye. Did I just see the word Maya?
I pick it up. It says:
Oh my God! Did my mum write this when she was at Mount Selwyn? She must have done – she calls me her sweet dream all the time. My mum was a geek like me! Maybe we have something in common after all. Was this a note to my dad that she put in the locker?
Then I remember a secret that
we found on the first day.
I rummage through the secrets until I find it. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize the handwriting before – I’ve known it all my life. This is from my mum. She thinks it was him that gave him the gift … does that mean she doesn’t know who made her pregnant?
A giggle from Karmella breaks into my thoughts. She’s still on the phone with Ben so I shove the note under my bed before she sees it.
‘Yeah, I’ll find out if she wants to meet up with you,’ she says to him. ‘Don’t hold your breath though.’
She puts down the phone and grins at me. ‘There you go, Maya – one hot man delivered direct to your door.’
I smile back, but my head is spinning.
Chapter 26
I feel like royalty.
Karmella and Rochelle and me are eating our lunch in the lunch room and I’m sitting at their table. With them. It’s weird because it’s the nicest table in the dining room, in the corner where there is loads of light coming in from the French windows, but no one sits here because everyone knows it belongs to them … I mean, us.
I’ve only been friends with them for two days and I’ve had twenty new friend requests on Facebook and been invited to three parties. When I told my mum she was so proud!
Rochelle clears her throat. ‘I tried to call you last night, Karm.’
‘I was round at Maya’s.’
‘Oh.’ Rochelle looks hurt. ‘Why didn’t you call me?’
‘What are you? The fun police?’ she says, rolling her eyes. ‘Look,’ says Karmella, pointing to something behind me. She’s obviously still mad with Rochelle for kissing Craig Baker. This is a bit awkward. ‘There’s Ben.’
‘What? Where?’ I turn around. I see Ben Sands in all his beautiful, curly-headed glory. He looks so much yummier than the salad I got for lunch.
He sees us looking and waves.
I duck my head down and giggle. ‘Karms! Did you have to make it so obvious?’
‘What?’ says Rochelle, leaning in to get the goss.
Karmella ignores Rochelle again and laughs at me. ‘You lurve him.’
‘I do not!’ I say, but I know my cheeks are bright pink.
‘Haha! You are so busted,’ says Rochelle with a chuckle.
I scrunch my shoulders and do a cheeky grin. ‘OK, I do. But who wouldn’t?’
‘He’s not my type,’ says Karmella. ‘But I can see why you like him.’
‘Don’t look now,’ says Rochelle. ‘He’s coming over!’
I duck my head again and can’t bear to look up.
‘Hey, Ben,’ Karmella says, loudly so everyone can hear us. When Karmella talks everyone listens. It’s like everyone in the school wants to know what we’re doing, what we’re up to and who we’re hanging out with. I have to say that I just love it.
‘Hey, yourself,’ he says. ‘Afternoon, ladies.’ He pulls out the chair next to mine and sits. I can’t believe I’m sitting next to Ben Sands. No, he’s sitting next to me! ‘Hi,’ he says.
‘Hi,’ I say back. I wonder if he remembers that these were the first words we ever said to each other.
‘Ahhhhh,’ says Karmella, ‘aren’t you two sweet?’
Ben looks confused and smiles at me. ‘What is she talking about?’ he asks me.
I shrug. ‘No idea.’
‘Ben, you remember Maya, don’t you?’ says Karmella as if she’s introducing us for the first time.
Rochelle is playing with something in her hands. She giggles up at us, so I giggle along too.
Ben rolls his eyes. ‘Of course I do,’ he says. ‘The bombshell who arrived with a bang.’
‘I arrived and fell on my backside, if that’s what you mean,’ I say.
Ben looks me in the eye as he laughs, and I can’t really handle the pressure of the eye contact so I look at my feet.
Rochelle starts humming the wedding march and then she throws torn up pieces of paper over us that flutter down like confetti.
‘Roche!’ I say, chucking a lettuce leaf at her.
‘What?’ Ben asks me. ‘I’m not a good enough catch for you?’ He’s smiling, and even though I’m blushing like mad, it feels pretty good. ‘Am I permitted to ask your father for your hand?’
My face falls. ‘If you can find him, you can ask him.’
Everyone goes quiet for a second and I wonder if I’ve killed the fun.
‘Well, then,’ he says, ‘we’ll have to elope!’ Suddenly he gets up, pulls me out of my chair and grabs me into a piggyback. I shriek and the whole school is looking at me and Ben and it feels fabulous. ‘Come on, m’lady!’
He starts to gallop round the table with me on his back. ‘Argh! Ben! Stop!’ I squeal. But I don’t want him to stop.
In the corner of the lunch room I catch Luke looking over. He scowls. ‘Oi! Put her down! Now!’ He sounds angry. Since when did Luke become the lunch monitor?
Ben looks a little scared. He lowers me to the floor and says, ‘Sorry.’
‘No problem,’ I reply. ‘Thanks for the ride.’
‘Any time,’ he says with a wink.
God, I don’t know if Ben Sands has ever seen me when I’m not bright red with embarrassment. I just know that people will be talking about me and Ben, and hopefully – with Karmella and Rochelle’s help – Ben and I will be BF-GF by the end of the day.
‘So,’ Ben says, sitting back down at the table and panting a little, ‘what are you guys up to?’
‘Nothing,’ Karmella groans. ‘It’s so unbelievably lame round here.’
‘Yeah,’ I say, just to agree with her. But my life has never been more interesting than it is right now.
Rochelle scans the room as if looking for inspiration. ‘If it gets any worse, we might even resort to going to that stupid poetry competition.’ She points at the poster with Searching for Shakespeare written large. The poster I designed.
‘I organized that competition!’ I say. ‘It’s not stupid.’
‘It is stupid, Maya,’ says Rochelle.
I feel indignant for a second. But when I look round the table Karmella and Ben are nodding.
‘I mean, it’s sweet that you’re getting involved and everything,’ says Karmella, ‘but everyone is laughing at you.’
I had no idea. I guess it’s what Luke said about not showing people you care about things. ‘Oh … OK …’ I say. I hope Ben doesn’t think I’m stupid. I wish Karmella hadn’t said it in front of him.
‘Hey, know what would be funny?’ says Karmella, getting excited. ‘Why don’t you fix it so that weird goth girl wins?’
‘Why would she do that?’ asks Rochelle.
Karmella has a wicked smile on her face and I don’t like it. ‘Turns out her parents don’t know she’s a goth freak.’
‘No way!’ says Ben.
‘Fix the competition so she wins, then we’ll invite her parents along to the prize-giving ceremony. Zeba will have to choose – be a goth or be grounded for life.’
Karmella starts laughing again and Rochelle and Ben join in.
‘I’m not sure,’ I say.
‘Why not?’ she asks.
‘I don’t want to get her in trouble.’
‘Why?’ asks Karmella, looking genuinely puzzled. ‘Who cares?’
‘I just don’t think—’
Ben comes to my rescue. ‘Maya’s not into mean tricks, are you, Maya?’ He looks at me and I could dissolve. ‘She’s a good girl.’
‘I’m not that good,’ I say, raising my eyebrow, trying to be sexy.
‘Glad to hear it.’ He gets up from the table. ‘Look, I got to go,’ he says. ‘Goodbye, fiancée,’ he adds, picking up my hand and kissing it. I watch him as he leaves, unable to believe that just happened.
‘You’re in there, Maya,’ says Rochelle with a congratulatory nod. ‘Looks like Ben has got a thang for you.’
Karmella flips and glares at Rochelle. ‘What would you know? Who’s got a thang for you? Someone stupid like Billy the div, maybe.’
/> Oh God, please don’t let Karmella bring up Billy.
Rochelle splutters, looks at me because she knows I’ve seen her and Billy together, then glares back at Karmella. ‘What’s your problem, Karmella? You’ve been weird with me all week.’
‘Oh, nothing,’ says Karmella, her head waggling like it was on a spring. ‘I would tell you if I had a problem … Just like I know you’d tell me …’
I can see where this is going. I’ve seen it all before with Frankie and Zeba and I don’t know if I can go through it again.
‘Oh, just—’ says Rochelle, but I cut her off by clearing my throat.
‘Um … Rochelle,’ I say, hating the way my voice sounds all high and nervous. ‘We found out about you and, um, Craig Baker.’
Rochelle’s mouth falls wide open. ‘I … What did you hear? Who told you?’
‘I know you snogged him, all right!’ says Karmella, and she sniffs back a tear. ‘I can’t believe you would do that to me.’
Time for me to step in again. ‘I’m sure she didn’t mean to. I’m sure it just happened.’ How would I know? I wasn’t there and I’ve never been in that situation, but it sounds like a good excuse.
‘That’s right, Karm,’ says Rochelle, leaning forward and taking her hand. ‘I didn’t mean to. I promise.’
‘Really?’ says Karmella. She’s stopped sniffing and looks up at Rochelle. That was quick – maybe she didn’t like him that much after all.
‘Yes, really,’ says Rochelle. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Oh God, don’t worry.’ Karmella swipes her hand in front of her face like she’s not bothered. ‘I used to like him a bit, but not any more. Thanks for saying sorry though.’
Rochelle hesitates before she gives Karmella a hug. Karmella hugs her right back. Wow, I fixed this before it started. Sometimes honesty is the best policy.
‘Come on.’ Rochelle waves me into the hug. ‘You too.’
I join the hug and I can’t believe how great things have got. Not only am I in with the cool group, but I’ve made them better friends with each other too.
‘Look, guys,’ says Rochelle, ‘I have to go and get my stuff for PE.’ She stands up and is about to walk away when she says sorry to Karmella again. ‘I was an idiot.’
Karmella says nothing as Rochelle leaves.