Sugar Secrets…& Conflict

by Mel Sparke

  But she wasn’t really annoyed. He’d done what he’d set out to do: jolly her out of her downbeat mood.

  “You laaaaaaave it!” he growled, picking Anna up and spinning her round in the tiny hallway.

  “Matt! Put me down, you idiot!” Anna giggled, hammering not very hard on his shoulders with her fists.

  “That’s better – I like hearing you laugh, instead of moaning all the time,” said Matt. He stopped spinning and let Anna slip gently down till just the tips of her toes were on the floor.

  ‘“Scuse me – I am not moaning all the time! Now, are you going to let me go, so I can get ready for work?” asked Anna, raising her eyebrows at her boyfriend.

  “Not until you promise that you’re going to cheer up and not moan once today.”

  “It doesn’t quite work like that though, does it?” said Anna, wriggling to get free. “It’s not like I’ve been looking to pick a fight with OIlie the last couple of days.”

  “Yeah, but he’s got a lot of stuff on his mind with this music competition. If they get through it could be their big break! And—”

  “Matt – I know how important the band is to OIlie and I’ve always been really supportive. I’ve been to practically all their gigs, haven’t I?” said Anna defensively. “But work’s work. Much as I’d like to ignore the customers myself sometimes, they are there and that’s what Nick pays us to do – look after them and not try to skive off like OIlie, to deliver tapes or hang out with band buddies or whatever!”

  “Whoah! Don’t give me such a hard time – it’s Matt, remember, not OIlie!”

  Anna – still held in her boyfriend’s arms – frowned and again tried to wriggle free. Despite his efforts to cheer her up, she felt Matt was still painting her as the uptight boss lady here, putting a downer on Ollie’s fun. Matt wasn’t too hot on the work ethic after all – DJing a couple of nights a week was as busy as it ever got for him – and it was probably inevitable that he’d be sympathetic to OIlie and the much more exciting business of the band.

  “Matt – I know you’re trying to help, but you’re annoying me now. I think you should go and let me get ready.”

  Grabbing both her hands, Matt planted a myriad of little kisses on the backs of them.

  “Sorry, sorry, sorry… I’m a git. What can I do about it?”

  Matt was pulling such a pathetically cute face that Anna couldn’t stop the smile that crept back on to her lips.

  “Thinking before you open that big mouth of yours might help,” she said, pushing him out through the door and on to the metal stairs that led down to the yard. “Now scoot!”

  “I will. But give us a kiss first…”

  “Matt! Just go, will—”

  Her sentence was cut short as he bundled her in his arms and kissed her hard.

  “I’ll get that, Anna!”

  Watching Ollie bound over to the wall phone in the End, Anna allowed herself a little smile.

  Looks like today is going to be better, she thought to herself, remembering her conversation with Matt earlier that morning. Ollie’s been acting like his normal, friendly self and he’s going out of his way to be helpful, like answering the phone there…

  She carried on loading up her tray with dirty dishes and tried not to listen in to Ollie’s conversation. But speaking at the level he was, it was practically impossible not to tune into every word.

  “You’re kidding! Wow! Brilliant! And when—uh-huh. Oh… erm, no that should be fine. Yeah, it’ll definitely be fine. And I’ll get the details in the post from you in the next couple of days? Magic! Can’t wait to tell the rest of the lads. Thanks a lot! Bye!”

  Anna put her tray down and her hands on her hips.

  “Well,” she smiled at her friend as he turned away from the phone. “It’s congratulations, is it?”

  “Yes!” yelped Ollie, punching the air and making the two old men in the corner jump so much that their teacups rattled. “We’re in the final six! We’re in with a chance of winning a record contract!”

  “That’s brilliant – well done! So who’s the record company? Which label?” said Anna, genuinely pleased for him.

  “Uh… I forgot to ask,” shrugged OIlie. “Still, who cares – it’s a start, isn’t it? Radio One, Top of the Pops, here we come!”

  “Hey, just think – what a surprise for Nick!” smiled Anna, “He’ll be so gutted to find out all this has started up while he’s been away!”

  “Started up? It’ll be all wrapped up by the time he’s back!” grinned OIlie happily. “We’ll already know whether we’re on our way to recording our first album or not by then!”

  “What – the actual final’s happening that soon? When is it exactly?” asked Anna, a nagging worry nipping at the heels of her good mood.

  “It’s a week on Saturday, up in the city, at some venue called The Titanic. Haven’t heard of it – have you? Must be new,” OIlie mused. “Just time for a few extra rehearsals for The Loud – if I can drag the lads away from their rotten swotting for five minutes of course…”

  With that one flippant remark, Anna’s good mood disappeared once and for all. OIlie was being totally and utterly selfish, she thought. He’d managed to put down the importance of the other boys’ exams and completely ignore his responsibilities to the café, and to her, all in the space of a few short sentences.

  “A week on Saturday, Ol?” she queried, giving him a final chance to realise what he was saying.

  “Yeah – great, isn’t it? ‘Course I’ll need Saturday off,” said Ollie blithely.

  Anna clenched her teeth. Once again, he seemed to be ignoring her in all this, making up his own rules as he went along.

  “Ollie – you can’t take next Saturday off just like that! That’s the busiest day of the week and Nick’s not back till the Sunday!”

  “It’s no problem!” Ollie shrugged. “Let’s see… it’s Dorothy’s turn for a Saturday shift then, so I’ll just have to charm Irene into covering for me.”

  “No!” Anna surprised herself by shouting, “you can’t just charm’ Irene – she’s away that weekend visiting her family. She’s planned it for weeks!”

  Ollie stood rooted to the spot, his face as white as the short, starched apron tied around his waist.

  “So you’re saying I can’t go to this competition?”

  “I don’t want you to miss the competition, Ollie, but there’s no way I can give you time off.”

  “Fine,” mumbled Ollie, storming off towards the kitchen. “Boss.”

  Anna felt eyes boring into her and saw that the two old blokes were listening to every word.

  “Better than watching an episode of EastEnders, this,” said one of them cheerily to her. “What happens next?”

  What Anna wanted to happen next wasn’t to be: just as she was about to follow Ollie into the kitchen and try to sort things out, the café door tinkled open and several workmen bundled in, in search of hot food and mugs of tea.

  How come I’m in the right here, Anna thought, while fumbling for her pen to take their order, but I’m the one who ends up feeling like Cruella De Vil?

  CHAPTER 10

  TAKING SIDES

  “Ollie, you look fabulous,” said Andy, putting on a camp American accent. “But I really think you could lose the lipstick!”

  “Huh?”

  Ollie stood up and looked in the cracked and cloudy mirror on the dressing room wall. Turning his head to one side, he saw the unmistakable imprint of two lips on his cheek – Kerry’s kiss marked in soft, shimmery rose-brown.

  “Good luck,” she’d whispered, just before he and the other lads had left to make their way to the dressing room-cum-storeroom before they took to the stage for their regular Thursday night slot at the Railway Tavern. “Hope the boys aren’t too disappointed…”

  Of course they’re going to be disappointed, thought OIlie, rubbing the lipstick smear away with his sleeve. I mean, what do I say to them? Hey guys – we got into the finals! Hurrah! And
guess what – we can’t go! Boo!

  Turning away from his frowning reflection in the mirror, OIlie got ready to blurt out what had happened.

  “Um, before we go on, lads…” he muttered, grabbing the attention of Andy, Billy – who was tuning his guitar – and Joe, who was snuffling into his hankie.

  “What’s up?” asked Billy.

  “Got one of those good news, bad news situations,” OIlie shrugged with an apologetic smile.

  “Go on then,” encouraged Andy.

  “Um – I’ll start with the bad news. I’m working in the End a week on Saturday and, with Nick away, I can’t get out of it.”

  “Huh?” grunted Billy, totally confused.

  “Well, the good news is – would have been – that we got through to the Battle of the Bands final,” OIlie continued, hoping his jokey, roundabout explanation might somehow soften the blow.

  “And the finals – let me guess – are a week on Saturday?” said Joe through his blocked nose.

  “Correct,” nodded OIlie.

  “But couldn’t you wangle it somehow? Swap a shift or something?” asked a crestfallen Andy.

  “Nope. I’ve been told in no uncertain terms by Anna that that’s a no-go.”

  “But that’s not fair!” Billy moaned. “You lot are always doing each other favours and swapping shifts in that place!”

  “Tell me about it…” sighed Ollie. “Andy, Billy – you both saw how Anna was with me yesterday at the caff. At the moment, what she says goes and there’s no point arguing with her. God knows I’ve tried.”

  “Yeah, but you can’t really blame Anna.”

  Ollie, Andy and Billy turned round as one and gazed in surprise at Joe, who was sitting hunched on a plastic chair, his eyes and nose a matching shade of chapped red.

  “C’mon, Joe! Whose side are you on?” asked Ollie, looking at his best friend with righteous indignation.

  “I’m not on anyone’s side,” Joe argued wearily, too fluey to get worked up. “But if Nick’s not back then Anna couldn’t exactly cope with a busy Saturday on her own, with only the two old dears helping out.”

  “Irene’s off too,” said Ollie shortly. “But, gee – I’m really glad to have your support, Joe,” he went on, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his voice. “It’s funny, y’know, you didn’t seem that interested when I told you about the competition yesterday and you don’t seem that upset about not being able to do it now. It’s obvious you’re not too bothered at all about the future of this band.”

  Joe winced.

  The future of the band was something he’d been thinking about a lot lately, but not in connection with the competition finals and being able to do them or not. It was to do with his secret – his and Meg’s.

  And OIlie wasn’t being fair. The only reason Joe hadn’t been very enthusiastic when OIlie had phoned the previous day was that he’d literally just woken up after dozing off over his books. With a head woozy with germs and sleep it had been hard to take in what OIlie had been telling him.

  “Lads – time you were on!”

  Derek, who ran the Railway Tavern, had popped his head round the dressing room door and was smiling cheerily at the boys. But his smile quickly wavered when he sussed that he’d interrupted something serious.

  “Better get out there…” OIlie muttered flatly to the other lads, although playing together on a small stage was just about the last thing any of them – especially a hurt OIlie and a sickly Joe – were in the mood to do.

  The pub itself was packed this Thursday night, but The Loud’s regular band of supporters were thin on the ground.

  There was no Maya – courtesy of studying – and therefore no Alex. Cat had defected to a college night out and Anna hadn’t shown up yet.

  Matt, as ever, was manning the mixing desk. Idly waiting for the boys to take to the stage, he waved over at the small table where Sonja and Kerry were sitting.

  “Excuse me, is anyone using this stool?”

  “yes, sorry – we’re expecting a friend!” Sonja explained to the woman hovering by them.

  “No – it’s all right, you can take it,” Kerry contradicted her best mate.

  “What are you doing? asked Sonja, her two blonde arcs of eyebrow practically touching as she frowned. “Anna’ll probably still make it – she’ll just be running late!”

  “I don’t think so. I don’t think she’s planning on coming…”

  “But why? Why not?”

  “Oh, Son – it’s all got much worse between Anna and Ollie!” Kerry gushed, glad at last of a chance to tell Sonja what had been happening since the weekend. With exams getting in the way, there had just been no opportunity to catch up with her.

  “Worse? How?”

  “You haven’t heard yet, but there’s this big competition happening next weekend – the Battle of the Bands – and The Loud got through to the finals. The prize is amazing: the winner gets a record contract—”

  “Wow!” Sonja interrupted. “The lads must be so excited!”

  “Not exactly. Ollie’s explaining to them right now that they’re going to have to pull out.”

  Kerry’s eyes twinkled as she talked – partly because the room’s low lights were glinting in her contact lenses, but also partly because of the threatening prickle of tears that was forming. It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand Anna’s predicament, it was just that Kerry had never seen Ollie look and sound quite so dejected and down before. “It was like our big break, Kez, and now it’s just going to slip right past us!” he’d whimpered to her earlier as she tried – and failed – to comfort him.

  “Pull out of the competition? Why would they have to do that?”

  “It’s a week on Saturday – and Anna won’t let Ollie have the day off.”

  “You are joking!” gasped Sonja. “What’s she playing at?”

  “She says that with Nick still being on holiday—”

  “But what kind of excuse is that?” asked Sonja, holding her hands palm upwards in exasperation. “Surely when it’s this big a deal, Anna could cope for one stupid day! I said to Ollie that it could all get weird once someone gets a taste for power!”

  “But then again, I suppose from Anna’s point of view—”

  “Oh, hold on, Kez – Matts trying to attract our attention. What does he want?” Sonja frowned over at her friend, who was unaware that he was interrupting an important conversation. “Look, I’d better nip over and see what’s up. Then I want you to tell me every little detail about what’s been going on!”

  Sonja stood up and wriggled her way quickly through the throng of customers till she reached the mixing desk.

  “Hey, Son – I’ve been waving at you for ages. Didn’t you see me?”

  “Me and Kez were talking,” shrugged Sonja, suddenly feeling irritated by her friend. She knew it was unfair – it was really Anna she was annoyed with right this second, but Matt seemed close enough in the heat of the moment. “So what do you want?”

  “Listen, do us a favour. Could you take this and keep it over beside you?” asked Matt, handing her his padded black jacket. “It’s pretty mobbed in here tonight and I don’t want someone nicking my mobile out of it while my back’s turned.”

  “Sure,” said Sonja, studying Matt’s face for clues as to what he was making of the situation between his girlfriend and his mates in the band. But Matt’s expression seemed contentedly blank.

  “The band’s kind of late coming on tonight, aren’t they?” Matt commented, glancing down at his watch and back up at the as yet empty stage, unaware of Sonja’s scrutiny. “It’s nearly ten past. They’re obviously missing Nick – he’d have chased them out of the dressing room by now.”

  “It’s a wonder they want to play at all tonight, after the news they’ve just had,” said Sonja drily.

  “What news?” asked Matt, turning to face her.

  “Just the small, insignificant fact that Anna’s ruined their chances of getting a record deal!”

&n
bsp; “Whoah! What are you on about, Son?”

  “What – haven’t you heard yet? Didn’t Ollie tell you what Anna’s done to him?”

  “I haven’t spoken to Anna today… and I got down here late tonight…” Matt blinked his explanation, his mind racing. “What are you talking about? What’s going on?”

  Matt had ended up helping Bryan out in Slick Riffs that afternoon and had meant to pop in to see Anna when the second-hand record shop closed for the night. But Bryan – knowing that Matt was a bit of music gear buff – had invited him back to his flat to check out his new sound system. Matt had spent a happy couple of hours talking 3D bass and super-woofers with Bryan, and had arrived at the Railway Tavern with just enough time to set up his mixing desk and no time at all to catch up with Ollie or any of the others.

  “What’s going on? Well, Matt – maybe you’d better ask Anna yourself,” said Sonja airily. “Obviously, guilt’s the reason she hasn’t turned up tonight…”

  A movement on stage caught the attention of both of them and Matt fumbled quickly with his levels as Ollie said his hellos into the mike.

  Flicking his eyes round for a second, Matt saw that Sonja had left his side and was making her way back to join Kerry. He felt totally flustered and confused by what his friend had just said – and by her attitude towards him.

  So Anna and Ollie haven’t been getting on too great this week, he thought quickly as he watched the lads in The Loud pick up their instruments and get ready to start their first number. But something’s happened today and by the sound of it, it’s big…

  “And she’s out there, out there, waiting for—” SSScccrreeeeeeeeeech!!

  The couple who’d just walked in the door at the start of The Loud’s set gasped. In fact, the terrible howl of feedback squealing over the vocals made the whole audience in the Railway Tavern grimace at once.

  “Yikes!” said the girl, clapping her hands over her ears, her short, cropped, spiky red hair standing to attention. “I thought you said this lot were good!”

  “They are!” the tall, skinny guy assured her. “It sounds like there’s trouble over at the mixing desk. Wonder what’s going on with Matt?”