by Mel Sparke
“I’ll try to get one,” said Maya, even though she hadn’t a clue how she could manage it.
“Now here’s something else I’m going to land on you before I introduce you to the others,” said Alex, placing an A4 poster in front of her. ‘Peacock Trust Photography Competition’ was all Maya managed to read before he continued.
“This competition is being run by the Peacock Gallery to encourage young talent. The theme is ‘Informal Portraits’, which leaves it quite open.”
Maya nodded, glancing down at the flyer again.
“The good news is that there’s some excellent camera equipment as prizes – which is why I want everyone here at the club to enter,” Alex continued. “The bad news is that the competition closes in less than three weeks’ time.”
He noted the surprised look on Maya’s face and quickly tried to reassure her.
“I know everyone here’s had a head start, but you’ve still got time. Have a think about taking pictures of family and friends. And to help everyone, we’re all going on an afternoon field trip next Wednesday – can you make that?”
Maya’s mind raced – she’d be babysitting Ravi. What could she do?
“Yes, of course,” she said out loud. I’ll worry about it later, she thought to herself.
“Right, I’ll give you details about that before you leave tonight. But let’s get you into the swing of things, shall we?”
“Thanks, Mr, er…” Maya stumbled, suddenly realising she hadn’t caught his last name.
“Alex – just Alex,” he grinned at her. “It’s not school, remember!”
Thank God! Maya thought as she smiled back.
As Alex got to his feet, he called across to one of the other people in the room. “Billy?”
“Yep?” answered a boy of about seventeen, looking away from the two girls he’d been talking to.
“Billy – are you ready to go into the darkroom?”
“Sure,” said the boy, holding up a roll of film.
“Can you take Maya with you and talk her through the developing process?”
‘“Course,” he replied, turning his bright blue eyes towards Maya and smiling broadly.
The tiniest shiver fluttered up Maya’s back and she was aware of feeling slightly light-headed.
Must be the chemicals in here, she reasoned, standing up to follow Billy into the darkroom.
CHAPTER 5
JOE WOBBLES
“What’re you doing Saturday?”
“Going to my dad’s, remember?”
Matt furrowed his brow in concentration for a second.
“Oh, yeah, you said something about that earlier in the week, didn’t you?”
Joe sighed. There he’d been, pouring his heart out about the situation with his dad on Monday, and Matt hadn’t really taken it in. But it was typical Matt behaviour – like Catrina, he was pretty much an airhead when it came to other people’s emotions. Also like Catrina, Matt was all too often so wrapped up in himself that there wasn’t time to think about anyone else.
Funny it never worked out when the two of them were a couple, Joe mused to himself.
They’re a perfect match…
“Well, I’ve got a better offer,” Matt continued blithely. “I’ve got a job out of town – doing some girl’s eighteenth in this big marquee set-up – and I could do with the company.”
Joe hesitated. Apart from the obvious difficulty
– turning down his dad’s very pointed invitation
– Matt’s first choice of DJ buddy was usually Ollie, with Joe occasionally tagging along for the ride. Ultra-quiet Joe and super-confident Matt didn’t do all that much ‘solo’ pairing up.
“What about Ollie?” Joe asked, then followed Matt’s gaze over to where Ollie and Kerry were leaning towards each other over the metal-topped serving counter.
“Isn’t it against health and hygiene regulations to snog like that in a café?” Matt grimaced.
“Just ‘cause you’re jealous of anyone getting a snog,” chipped in Sonja, breaking away from her conversation with Cat.
An hour on and the two girls were still talking about Maya’s out-of-character turnaround earlier in the evening. They’d pumped Joe for every scrap of detail about her sudden break for freedom – or at least, break for the photography club – but they knew it added up to the same thing as far as Maya was concerned.
“Stay out of my conversation and get back to your tittle-tattle,” smirked Matt. Sonja gave him a light smack across the head.
“I knew that was coming,” he grinned at Joe.
“Serves you right, too,” Cat cackled. “Getting that big head of yours in the way of Sonja’s hand!”
“Well, at least I haven’t got a big mouth like yours,” Matt sniped back. “Anyway, as I was saying, Joe…”
Joe shifted uncomfortably in his seat – he never knew when Matt and Catrina’s jibes were going to turn more barbed, as they had a habit of doing.
“…it seems that Ollie’s being a good little boyfriend and babysitting Kerry’s brother and daft dog on Saturday night.”
“Why?” asked Joe, completely confused.
“Kerry’s folks are going out to some dinner party and Kerry already had plans to spend the evening with the ugly sisters here…”
“Hey!” said Cat and Sonja in unison.
“Sorry,” Matt apologised, “I meant the ugly cousins here…”
He ignored Sonja’s second swipe to his head and carried on regardless.
“…so Ollie turned all chivalrous and offered his services as kid and dogsitter. And that’s why he can’t come.”
And that’s why I’m second choice, thought Joe. Ollie’s busy so I’ll do as the extra pair of hands to help move Matt’s gear…
Not that Joe didn’t fancy going to this eighteenth. A chance to hang out at what was probably going to be a brilliant party versus a barely civilised tea with his dad and girlfriend? There wasn’t much comparison really. Apart from the promises he’d made…
“I can’t come,” shrugged Joe.
‘“Course you can!” said Matt enthusiastically. “I’ve got it all figured out! This party, right, is at this big farmhouse just outside that godforsaken little village your dad lives in.”
Joe was beginning to see where Matt was coming from.
“So, you go out and spend the afternoon with Daddy and play the good little son,” Matt explained, “then /’// come by about 7.00 pm and whisk you off to Partyville. After that, I drop you off in the early hours and you still have a father-son bonding breakfast together on Sunday!”
“I don’t know…” said Joe, apprehensively, even though it sounded like the perfect solution.
“Look, what would you be missing? A night in front of the box watching the Lottery show or whatever, while Daddy and his bird cuddle up on the sofa?”
Matt could be persuasive at the best of times and now he was saying all the right things. If it wasn’t for that voice of conscience whispering away in the other ear, Joe would have said yes in a heartbeat.
“Come on…” grinned Matt. “You know you want to.”
But you promised your dad… said the righteous voice.
“Whaddya say, Joe?”
…and your mum, it whispered again.
“Why not?” said Joe, suddenly deaf to anything anyone had to say in the head department.
CHAPTER 6
MAYA GETS A GRILLING
Maya looked over at the clock above the jukebox. Half past six. Then she looked down at her own watch and read the real time: 12.30 pm. Good – she still had twenty minutes before she’d have to leave to pick Ravi up.
“I don’t know why you even bother looking at that clock,” shrugged Cat. “They’d be better off having a sundial in here for accuracy.”
“Force of habit,” Maya smiled at her. She actually liked the wonky clock at the End-of-the-Line-Café. And the equally wonky jukebox that tricked you by playing songs you’d never requested and at spe
eds you’d never known existed. And for not working at all, if it didn’t feel like it, no matter how much Nick the owner swore at it or kicked it.
For that matter, Maya loved the demented old lady who ran the launderette across the road from the café too. With her own ferociously ordered and time-sensitive life, distractions like Mad Vera doing the cancan between the spin dryers, and the surprise times and tunes that came courtesy of the End’s temperamental clock and jukebox, all added a certain sparkle to Maya’s day.
“So, I guess you could say last night was a success?” said Sonja, her eyes sparkling. “To think our Maya could be snapping the supermodels of the future for the cover of Elle one day!”
“And, of course, if you need any models, I for one would be only too glad to help,” said Cat, turning one shoulder coquettishly towards Maya and pouting her Very Berry lips for all she was worth.
“In your dreams. Cat,” snapped Sonja, staring at her cousin’s peroxide-blonde head of curls. “With that hairstyle, you may fancy yourself as Marilyn Monroe, but with those black roots and big ears, you look more like Minnie Mouse…”
“Ooh, get back in the knife drawer, Miss Sharp!” sniped Cat. “It’s my ‘theatrical’ look, actually. And just ‘cause you—”
“Stop!” said Maya, holding up her hands in the traditional referee mode she used when it came to Cat and Sonja.
“Sorry, Maya,” Sonja apologised, suddenly aware that the bickering was spoiling their friend’s moment. “Anyway, you were saying that you want to enter this contest?”
“Yes,” nodded Maya, positively beaming and still on a high from the previous evening. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like to bring my camera along to the sleepover on Saturday and just, you know, snap whatever happens!”
“Yeah! It’ll be a laugh!” said Sonja, turning to Cat. “Won’t it?”
“Yes… “ Cat responded dubiously. “As long as you promise something…”
Maya looked at her friend and wondered what she was getting at.
“As long as you don’t take any pictures of me after I’ve taken my make-up off!”
Before Maya could say anything – let alone imagine Cat completely devoid of her warpaint – Joe wandered in and plonked himself down in the window booth beside the girls.
“All right, Joey?” Sonja grinned at him.
“OK,” Joe nodded slightly. He hated being called Joey, but he’d never have let on to anyone.
“Maya was telling us about her photography class last night,” Cat began to explain.
“It’s not a class, it’s a club,” corrected Maya, trying to keep the distinction from any kind of school activity absolute and obvious.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” shrugged Cat, taking a noisy slurp from her Diet Coke.
“Was it good?” asked Joe, turning towards Maya. Last night she’d seemed like a completely different girl to him. He was relieved to see that she appeared to be her old, composed self again.
“Brilliant, thanks,” Maya smiled serenely at him.
“And you, uh, got home before your parents, then?” he asked, aware that if that wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t exactly be saying she’d had a brilliant time.
“Yes, I left early so it wasn’t a problem.”
“So you’ll be going again?” he quizzed her.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Sonja interrupted. “No one’s asking the important question here.”
“Which would be?” Maya asked her friend, wondering what was coming next.
“Which is – how cute was your teacher?”
Maya gasped – she hadn’t anticipated this one.
“He’s-he’s a teacher! He’s not fanciablel” she protested.
“Dunno about that,” said Cat. “Remember that substitute drama teacher last year – Mr James?”
“Rrrraaaaooooghhhh!” growled Sonja and Cat in unison, agreed for once on the subject of the cute teacher. For a brief couple of weeks, he had kept the entire female population of both St Mark’s school and sixth-form college well entertained in the drooling department.
“Alex isn’t like that!” Maya protested again.
“Ooh, Alex, is it? How very friendly,” teased Cat. raising her eyebrows at Sonja.
“It’s not school – it’s an adult education centre! Alex is what everyone calls him!”
Joe felt for Maya: she wasn’t used to being teased like this and she wasn’t handling it very well.
“Yeah, OK – Alex it is,” nodded Sonja with a straight face. Then a wicked grin spread across her face she added, “And is Alex cute, then?”
“No!” Maya found herself squeaking. “He’s just an ordinary bloke!”
“Are you sure, Maya?” cut in Cat, following Sonja’s lead.
“Yes! Of course! I mean he’s not cute like—” she paused before she got in any deeper with her friends, but it was too late.
“Not cute like who?” prodded Sonja.
“Not like… like Billy.”
“Billy!” shrieked Sonja and Cat. “Who’s Billy?”
Joe couldn’t take much more of this. Watching Maya wilt under the other girls’ questioning made his toes curl, but he was no match for the combined might of Sonja and Cat. So he kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself.
It was a relief at that moment to spot Nick, owner of the End-of-the-Line café, beckoning him over to the counter.
“‘Scuse me,” Joe said to none of the girls in particular as he rose up from his seat and walked over to Nick, who was decked out in his favourite Kiss T-shirt (recently bought to replace his old Kiss T-shirt).
“Joe – have you got a job this summer?” asked Nick.
“Nope,” Joe answered. If I had, what would I be doing sitting in the café at lunchtime on a Thursday? he thought to himself.
“How do you fancy helping out here with a few shifts?” said Nick, smoothing his T-shirt down over his ample belly. Joe wondered absently if he’d kept buying the same size top as his very first Kiss T-shirt, which was many years and many gallons of beer ago. “The staff, y’know – they all want to take holidays and that.”
How inconsiderate of them, thought Joe wryly. But Nick’s poor management skills didn’t matter that much to Joe – not when it meant the chance of some extra dosh for the summer.
“No problem, Nick.”
“Cool. You want to come in on Monday and cover the lunchtime shift, just serving and that?”
“No problem,” Joe repeated. He’d never served in a café before, but it didn’t bother him. He spent so much time in here with his friends that he probably knew the score as much as any of the staff did.
And anyway, he’d covered for Ollie a couple of times when Ollie was supposed to be manning Nick’s second-hand record shop next door – not that Nick had ever found out.
“Right, it’s a deal, mate,” said Nick, holding out his hand to Joe.
“Right,” agreed Joe, wincing from Nick’s crushing handshake and turning back to the girls in the window booth.
“Is Nick all right?” hissed Cat theatrically as Joe sat down.
“Yeah – why wouldn’t he be?” asked Joe. wondering what on earth Cat meant, grabbing a serviette and wiping smears of egg off the hand that Nick had shaken.
“I just thought he might be a bit, y’know, down.”
“Why?” Joe asked again.
“Because…” whispered Cat, with an ear-to-ear wicked grin, “my mum chucked him last night!”
“Really!” gasped Sonja. “Well, I’ll say this for them – they lasted longer than any of us thought!”
“Yeah, but we all bet that it wouldn’t last past the weekend when we found out about it!” Joe chipped in, then immediately felt self-conscious joking about the subject.
It had been a laugh a month or so back when they’d all found out about ageing rocker Nick dating Cat’s super-efficient, super-elegant, super-uptight mum. But it was also around then that Cat had got herself in a real mess emotionally – spreading loads of lies
that nearly ruined the crowd’s easygoing relationship with Nick, and nearly split up Ollie and Kerry too…
But look at her now, thought Joe, gazing in wonder at Cat, who was filling everyone in with the gory details of the bust-up as though nothing had ever happened. As though she didn’t realise how lucky she was that everyone, especially Kerry, Ollie and Nick, had shrugged off the whole episode.
She bounces back faster than a rubber ball, that one, Joe mused before another thought occurred to him. But then she’s an expert at hiding things…
Not for the first time, Joe stared at Cat, seeing past the superficial, silly and often selfish side of her, casting his mind back a couple of months to the time she’d confronted him, when he was bingeing on booze, and told him the truth about why her father had left them years before. About her dad’s alcoholism and how he’d deserted his own daughter, without a backward glance, without a second thought. Joe had already known the trouble he was in, but Cat’s confession was the reality check he’d needed to get back on track.
“…and she said, ‘I’m sorry, Nick, but that’s my decision and it’s final’ – like she was at a board meeting or something! And then I heard her slam the phone down.”
“Hey, Cat, check it out…” said Sonja, nodding in the direction of the counter, where Nick was singing along to the Oasis track belting out of the jukebox and polishing up some glasses. “He doesn’t exactly look heartbroken.”
“Probably knows what a lucky escape he had from my dragon – sorry – mother,” quipped Cat.
“Probably didn’t have the courage to finish it himself in case Auntie Sylvia kneecapped him with her office stapler or something,” Sonja joined in.
Suddenly aware of how much time had passed, Maya took a quick look at her watch again and pulled on her jacket. “Love to stay and hear more about the romance-that-never-was, but I’ve got a little brother to pick up.”
“Now, Miss Joshi,” said Sonja sternly, wagging her finger at Maya, “just because we got sidetracked with the whole Nick’n’Sylvia fiasco, don’t go thinking you’ve got away with not telling us all about this Billy bloke.”