by Cathy Cole
Ruth and her boyfriend had been killed by a drunk driver two days later. It was the last picture of the whole family that they had.
Rhi sank on to her bed, holding the photograph tightly in her hand. Although she could remember the day the picture had been taken, she could hardly remember a single day before it. It felt as if her whole life had been spent grieving for her sister. Her family had been broken into pieces that day. They hadn’t recovered yet. Rhi wondered if they ever would.
Putting the photograph down again, she caught sight of her face in the mirror. Her eyes had sparkled at the wedding after she had sung. Now they just looked burned out.
Rhi sighed. It was tough, being the only child in a two-child family. She did her best, but it never felt like it was enough.
As she headed downstairs to the kitchen, Rhi tried to focus on what she would need for school. Her dad was leaning over the hob cooking bacon. Rhi could tell from the hunch of his shoulders that he was already having a bad day.
“Hey,” she said, hovering at the door.
Her dad’s shoulders seemed to loosen. “Hey yourself,” he said, looking round at her. “You have time for a bacon sandwich?”
Rhi’s mouth watered. “Sure.”
She perched at the breakfast bar as her dad flipped the bacon.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in days,” he commented as the bacon sizzled. “How was your weekend?”
Rhi wondered where to start. “I did a zombie wedding for Mr Gupta.”
“If I didn’t know Heartside Bay’s habit of weird weddings,” said her dad wryly, “I would ask more. I’m sure you’ll find the money useful.”
“I’ll save it for university,” Rhi said automatically. It was what her mum was always telling her to do.
“Save it, spend it,” said her dad. “It’s your money. You earned it.”
Rhi couldn’t help it. The memories of the weekend were bursting out of her. She had to talk to someone about it.
“Has Mum gone to work already?” she checked a little nervously.
“Don’t think so,” said her dad. “I haven’t heard the car.”
Rhi’s mother had a habit of popping up unexpectedly. If she was going to tell her dad about the weekend, she had to do it now.
“I sang,” she blurted out. “At the wedding. The wedding singer couldn’t make it so I did it. I made an extra fifty pounds. And this guy gave me his card and said he was a talent scout and I think I’m going to call him. You know, maybe.”
Her dad looked impressed. “You got up in front of a room full of zombies and sang?”
“And I sang at the Heartbeat on Saturday night too,” Rhi rushed on. “I did a duet. It was Eve’s idea.”
“I thought you weren’t talking to Eve.”
“She didn’t think I’d do it. But I did. I did a duet with…” Rhi paused, unsure how to describe Brody without making it sound weird. “… someone,” she finished a little lamely.
“That’s great,” said her dad, serving up two rashers of bacon on a slice of granary bread. The warmth in his voice was genuine. “Really great.”
Rhi picked up the bacon sandwich and prepared to bite into it.
“Oh no you don’t.”
Appearing from nowhere, Rhi’s mother plucked the sandwich from Rhi’s hands. She looked extra harried today, in a black suit and crumpled grey shirt.
“Mum!” said Rhi in dismay. “I was—”
Her mother thrust a banana into her daughter’s empty hands. “Eat that instead. It’s full of potassium, zinc… all the things you need to help you concentrate in school.” She swept her eyes over Rhi, who wriggled uncomfortably beneath her steely gaze. “You need to lose weight, Rhi. Maybe if you’d lost a stone you wouldn’t have lost Max.”
Rhi gaped. “What? That’s—”
“Max Holmes is a bright boy,” said her mother, wagging a finger. “That boy is going places. And now he’s going places without you.”
“Mum, he messed me around!” Rhi managed to say.
Her mother looked unimpressed. “You’re a silly girl to have lost him. And I hope you were being careful with Ruth’s guitar upstairs. I heard you playing it.”
It’s mine now, Rhi wanted to say. She limited herself to a nod.
“What were you two talking about so intently?” her mother went on, lifting an apple from the fruit bowl.
Don’t tell her, Dad, Rhi implored silently. The last thing she needed today was her mother pouring cold water on her magical weekend.
“Breakfast?” her dad fudged, waving a rasher of crispy bacon at Rhi’s mum.
“For heaven’s sake, you know I don’t eat processed meat, Patrick. And don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not changing the subject,” Rhi’s dad said. “I’m just offering you some breakfast.”
Rhi’s mother looked hurt. “I don’t like it when this family keeps secrets.”
A dark cloud descended on the kitchen. Ruth’s fatal last date with her boyfriend had been a secret. The first they had known of it was when two grave-faced police officers had rung the doorbell.
“It was about the weekend,” Rhi’s dad blurted into the nasty silence as Rhi wrenched her thoughts from that dark and terrible night. “Rhi sang at the wedding and made some extra money. And she sang at the Heartbeat Café too, in front of her friends. It sounds like she was a hit.”
Rhi’s shoulders slumped. She didn’t blame her dad. Her mum was tough to hide things from. But she could have done without this today.
“I hope they paid you,” said her mother.
“I made an extra fifty pounds at the wedding,” Rhi mumbled, staring at her banana. She was grateful that her dad hadn’t mentioned the talent scout.
Her mother was typically brisk. “That sounds like a useful one-off, Rhi. Enjoy your singing while you can. There isn’t long to go now until the real work begins. You have GCSEs just round the corner—”
“They’re next year, Mum,” said Rhi.
“Like I say, they’re just round the corner,” her mother said with a little more force. Her eyes flickered over Rhi’s dad as she spoke. “Work hard and then you will find a real job. The kind that offers security, career progression and a reliable future. I can’t stress enough how important that is.”
Rhi flinched. Her mother had been making subtle digs about jobs at her dad for years. In her mother’s eyes, working in a local art gallery didn’t count. The fact that Rhi’s dad was trying to follow his dreams had nothing to do with real life. He was supposed to be a doctor, like his wife. Or a lawyer. Anything but a dreamy-eyed painter. When Ruth had been alive, their differences hadn’t seemed to matter so much. Sometimes Rhi wondered why her parents were even together any more.
Another thing I have to make up for, she thought.
She looked at the way her dad was bending silently over the frying pan, scrubbing it with a lump of wire wool. Anger rushed through her.
“I have to go,” she said, grabbing her bag before she said something she would regret.
“Be good,” her mother called after her. “Make us proud.”
You mean, make us feel that having just one daughter isn’t so bad, Rhi thought bitterly, slamming the front door and stomping down the road. Why do I have to be Ruth as well as Rhi? Why can’t I just be myself? Ruth was the academic one. I just want to sing.
Her mother may have been right about why she had lost Max. But she wouldn’t let her steal her dreams of a life in music.
In a fit of bravery, Rhi pulled out her phone and stared at the scout’s number. She would call him. Right now.
SIX
Rhi pressed dial before she could change her mind. The three rings that followed felt like the longest of her life.
“Yup?”
“Oh, hi,” Rhi stuttered, clutching her phone so tightly her knuckle
s ached. “It’s Rhiannon Wills here. We spoke at the wedding on Friday?”
“We did?”
Rhi fought the urge to hang up before she made a total idiot of herself. “I was the singer? You gave me your card, and you said to ring so I thought I…”
She tailed off. What was she doing? She was a schoolgirl. This whole idea was stupid!
Dave Dubois’s voice changed. “Rhi? The way you said Rhiannon confused me. That’s so great that you called!”
Rhi started to relax. “It… it is?”
“Totally. You have an awesome sound. There’s so much we could do together.”
Despite the wind, Rhi felt warm from her head to her toes. He remembered her! What’s more, he sounded like he had genuinely liked her voice. “Great!” she said happily. “So… what happens now?”
“Drop by my office any time.”
“I’m still at school,” Rhi said. Suddenly hoping he wouldn’t dismiss her as a dumb schoolkid, she added hastily, “But I can come over straight afterwards?”
“Perfect! Bring your demo tape and we can start making plans.”
Rhi faltered. Demo tape? “I… that’s great,” she said, suddenly feeling horrible. “I’ll come over soon. Definitely.”
“Promise?”
Rhi blinked back the tears. “Sure. Soon. Thanks.”
“No, Rhi, thank you.”
Rhi slowly pocketed her phone as he rang off. Her dreams were in pieces all over again. How could she have been so stupid not to realize that a guy like Dave Dubois would need a demo? She didn’t have a demo or any idea of how to get one. She didn’t even know anyone she could ask. She certainly couldn’t ask her mum for help.
She dragged herself up the steps into school, feeling like she had just been flattened by something heavy. A whole day of lessons was the last thing she felt like right now.
Lila and Ollie were wrapped around each other in reception, kissing. Rhi felt relieved. It had been unsettling to see them being so snippy with each other at the Heartbeat Café on Saturday.
Lila broke away from Ollie’s arms and beamed at Rhi. “How’s the singing star today?”
There was no point in offloading her unhappiness, Rhi thought. “I’ve been better,” she said with a shrug. “But hey, it’s Monday. Everyone feels terrible on Mondays, right?”
“You were awesome on Saturday, you know,” said Ollie.
Rhi blushed, feeling pleased. “Thanks, Ollie.”
“Incredible,” Lila agreed.
“Time to get to class,” warned the receptionist.
Lila pushed Ollie down the corridor in front of her. Rhi adjusted the strap on her bag and prepared to follow. She froze as she saw Eve and Max pushing through the double doors. They were arm in arm, Eve laughing at something Max had just said. It was too late to escape.
“Hey, Rhi,” Max called, spotting her. “Am I allowed to talk to the Heartbeat’s superstar today?”
Rhi really didn’t want to talk to Max right now, and certainly not with Eve hanging on to his arm. But there was no escape.
“If you want,” she said cautiously.
Max’s smile was blinding. “Of course I want. You were incredible on Saturday. Spellbinding. The way you sang that duet blew me away.”
“Brody should get the praise,” Rhi said, thawing reluctantly. It was hard to stay mad at Max when he smiled at her like that. “He’s the one that made the harmonies work. I just sang the tune.”
“You did more than that,” said Max, shaking his head. “You set the whole room on fire.”
There was an intensity in his dark eyes that Rhi hadn’t seen for a while. She was scared by her own response. Max only had to crook his little finger and she would come running, she thought a little hopelessly. She was so pathetic.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. She could feel her cheeks flushing. “That means a lot.”
Eve tugged Max’s arm. “We’re going to be late for class,” she said loudly. “Oh, hey, Rhi,” she added as if she’d only just seen Rhi standing there. “Nice work on Saturday. Unique as ever.”
Rhi didn’t much like the way Eve said “unique”, like it was a bad thing. “I do my best,” she said a little coolly.
“That’s true,” Eve smirked. “No one can say you don’t try.”
Max looked uncomfortable, but he didn’t defend Rhi from Eve’s obvious attack.
As Rhi stood there, she realized something. Performing on stage had made her see that she was braver than she thought. She didn’t have to stand here and let Eve make her feel worthless. She could fight back.
“I think I did a little better than just trying,” she said quietly. “The talent scout who gave me his card seemed to think so, anyway.”
Eve looked disbelieving. “It was probably just a scam. Nothing will ever come of it.”
Perhaps it was Dave Dubois’s card in her pocket giving her strength, but Rhi didn’t flinch. “Actually, he’s already asked me for a demo tape,” she said recklessly. She still had no idea how she was going to put a demo tape together, but it sounded good to say it out loud. Like she could make it happen just by speaking the words.
Eve wasn’t beaten yet. “Nice dream. It’s a shame recording studios are so expensive to hire,” she said with a dismissive laugh. “I hope your parents give you a decent allowance.”
After two years of being best friends, Eve knew perfectly well that Rhi’s allowance was far from generous. But Rhi was determined not to give in.
“I’ll work it out,” she said, holding her former friend’s gaze.
The mockery in Eve’s eyes faded. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life,” Rhi answered truthfully.
Eve lifted a shoulder. “Good luck with that, then,” she said. She turned to Max, brushing something fussily off his shoulder. “Come on, you dope. We’re going to be late.”
“Wait,” Max began, looking at Rhi again.
But Eve dragged him away down the corridor like a dog on a lead. Watching them go, Rhi felt breathless, like she had been running a race. A race that she had, maybe, just won.
The feeling didn’t last. When Eve and Max were out of sight, Rhi could feel her whole body sag. How could she have been on top of the world this weekend and fallen to the lowest pits of despair before school had even started on Monday?
She shouldn’t have mentioned the demo. All she’d done was give Eve a weapon to tease her with. How’s the demo tape coming along, Rhi? How many songs have you recorded then? Rhi had a nasty feeling that Eve was right about recording studios. It would be far too expensive to hire one.
She trudged towards her class, keeping her head down. A few people in the corridors congratulated her on her performance on Saturday, but she ignored them. She wished they weren’t being so nice. It made it even harder to let go of what was clearly an impossible dream.
Her phone buzzed. Rhi pulled it out of her pocket.
Need help with your demo?
She stared at the name at the top of the screen. Max. Max was offering to help her.
After a moment of thought, she tapped out a hasty reply.
Yeah, any ideas?
His response was immediate.
Come to mine after school? You bring the music. I’ll figure out the recording studio bit.
Rhi felt giddy. Max was asking her over?
Another message flicked up.
Don’t tell Eve ;-)
SEVEN
It was stupid, feeling this nervous. Rhi had been to Max’s house a hundred times. She’d stood on this doorstep and stared at the heavy, modern front door the very first time Max had brought her here. Max had kissed her, hard, right here on the doormat. Memories flooded through her. How was she going to cope with spending a whole evening alone with her ex-boyfriend? Was she mad to come
here tonight?
This is about the demo, she reminded herself. She adjusted the guitar case on her back. It had been touch and go whether to bring the guitar tonight. Just feeling its weight on her shoulders made her sick with nerves. But she’d written some of her best songs with it. She needed it if she was going to put something together tonight that would really wow the talent scout.
Rhi straightened her tunic and fluffed her hair a bit, then stared at her feet, trying to work up the courage to ring the bell. She realized she was wearing the boots Max always said he liked. Was that why she’d chosen to wear them tonight? To remind him of what he was missing?
Coming here really wasn’t a good idea.
Rhi lifted her hand and pressed the bell, listening to the way it echoed through the house. Everything in Max’s house was modern and sleek: concrete and glass and wood.
And then the door opened and Max was there. He looked her up and down.
“Hi. Nice boots,” he said, cocking his head to one side.
“Can I come in?” Rhi said, trying her best to sound cool.
Max eyed the guitar in surprise. “You play too?”
Rhi nodded shyly. “Kind of.”
Max shook his head. “You’re a dark horse, you know that, Rhi?” He pulled the door back a little further. “Come on in.”
It was strange being back here. Rhi stood for a moment in the impressive hallway, staring at the modern art on the walls.
“You remember where my room is, right?” Max said, halfway up the stairs.
“Sorry,” said Rhi a little hurriedly. This was feeling weirder and weirder.
True to his word, Max had set up a makeshift recording studio in his room. Rhi rested the guitar against one white wall, feeling shy, as he plugged the mic into the computer.
“What do you want to start with?” he asked.
“Why are you doing this?” Rhi wanted to understand. It wasn’t in Max’s nature to do people favours.
He rubbed the back of his head with one hand, the way he always did when he was thinking. “You were good, Rhi,” he said at last. “In the Heartbeat. I had no idea you sang like that.” He looked at her curiously. “How come you never told me?”