by Cathy Cole
Polly blinked. “Wow,” she said.
“There’s no need to sound so surprised,” said Polly’s mum, pulling out a compact and doing her lipstick. “You’re not the only one in this house with a great wardrobe, you know.”
Polly clearly got her sense of style from her mother, Rhi thought. She looked fantastic. The dress had a vintage look about it, and it fitted her perfectly.
Polly raised her eyebrows. “Do you have a date you’re not telling me about?”
Her mother tucked her lipstick into her handbag. “A mother can have a few secrets,” she said. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Don’t leave the kitchen in a mess, will you? I’ll be back later.”
There was a jingle of car keys and the front door clicked shut.
“She hasn’t dressed up like that in ages,” said Polly after a moment. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was definitely going on a date.”
Despite the difficulties at home, Rhi couldn’t imagine being cool with the idea of her mum dating someone that wasn’t her dad. “Would you be OK with that?” she said cautiously.
“Mum’s been single for ages,” said Polly. “It would be so great if she found someone nice. But she hasn’t seemed interested in anyone since the divorce.” She took a thoughtful handful of crisps.
“Was she really hurt when your dad left?” Rhi asked.
Polly’s eyes clouded. “We both were.”
The macaroni was perfect, crunchy and cheesy and delicious. Rhi gulped it down between sips of juice, and listened to Polly talking about how her dad had settled on a farm in California, and her own plans of visiting him in the summer.
“He’s single too,” Polly said. She rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure who’d put up with him, to be honest.”
“Guys are a lot of trouble,” Rhi said.
“Tell me about it!”
Polly spoke with a surprising level of feeling. Rhi blinked. She didn’t realise Polly had been having boy problems too. “Is Sam back?” she asked curiously, wondering about the boy Polly had dated briefly at half-term.
Polly coloured, like she’d said more than she had intended. “Not Sam, that’s all over. He’s in London and probably forgotten about me already. No, it’s… someone else.”
Rhi was intrigued. “Who?”
Polly took a while to help herself to salad. Then she leaned across to Rhi. “Promise not to tell anyone?”
“I promise,” said Rhi, and crossed her heart at once.
Polly hid her face in her hands. “I feel really bad about it,” she said, her voice muffled. “But I’m kind of… OK, more than kind of… in love with Ollie.”
Rhi gaped. Had she heard right? “Ollie Wright?”
Polly peeped through her fingers at Rhi. “I’d never do anything about it, I swear! He’s Lila’s boyfriend. But I’m nuts about him. Does that make me an awful person?”
“Of course not!” Rhi exclaimed. “You can’t help the way you feel.”
“Sometimes I think they’re going to break up, and I get all excited, and then I feel even worse,” said Polly with a sigh. “Because it’s like wishing unhappiness on my best friend, you know?”
“We’re in the same situation, aren’t we?” said Rhi, realizing. “We both love our friends’ boyfriends!”
“Ex-friend, in the case of you and Eve,” Polly pointed out.
Rhi giggled. “We’re both basically tragic,” she said. “Aren’t we?”
It felt so nice to laugh.
They cleared up the kitchen and headed to Polly’s room. Rhi had been here a few times, but it seemed extra warm and cosy tonight. Perhaps it was because she knew Polly better now they’d shared their deepest secrets.
“Demo,” said Polly, holding out her hand.
Rhi’s stomach squeezed with anxiety. “It’s only three songs. I wrote the last one when I split up with Max. Even if you hate it, will you promise not to tell me?”
Polly rolled her eyes and plucked the demo from Rhi’s hands.
It was weird, hearing herself sing. Rhi hardly recognized her own voice. She sounded… well, different to how she imagined. Better or worse? She wasn’t sure.
“Heartbreaker,” the Rhi on the demo sang quietly, over a ripple of guitar notes. “Make me go, make me stay, show me a way.”
There was silence when the song finished. Polly sat very still, staring at her hands. The tension was terrible.
“Tell me, then,” Rhi blurted nervously.
Polly lifted her head. “I’ll escort you to the talent scout’s office after school tomorrow. I will drag you there by your hair if I have to. You have to play it to him, Rhi. It’s amazing.”
Rhi sagged with relief. “You’re not just saying that because I asked you to say that?”
“What will it take for you to believe how good you are?” Polly demanded. She jumped to her feet and went towards her wardrobe. “We’re making you an outfit. Right now. You are going to blow this guy’s top hat right off his head tomorrow, even if he’s not wearing it any more. And that’s a promise!”
Thursday seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
“Why is it,” Rhi wondered aloud in terror to Polly in the bathrooms after school, “that when you want time to hurry up, it passes like slow-moving mud, and when you want it to go slowly, it races away?”
Polly handed Rhi a plastic bag. “Hurry up and put this on,” she coaxed. They had decided that Rhi would get changed at school to avoid any awkward questions from her mum about the talent scout. Rhi pulled out the green dress that Polly had customized for her.
“You’re amazing, you know,” she said gratefully. “What you do with clothes is like magic.”
“Put it on!” Polly insisted, grinning.
The dress fit Rhi beautifully. Polly had taken a chunk of material off the bottom and finished the new hem with a piece of lace, making it look both pretty and edgy at the same time.
“What about my hair?” Rhi said nervously as Polly applied eyeliner and glittery eyeshadow to her big dark eyes. “Up or down?”
“Down,” Polly said at once. “It’s like a beautiful cloud around your face. This guy’s going to love you, I promise.”
Rhi started feeling a little more relaxed as they headed out of the toilets and down towards reception. Guys were glancing at her, so she figured she looked OK. It’s not the appearance that matters, she reminded herself. It’s the music. But she had to admit, she felt really good.
The first dent to her blossoming confidence came when they ran into Eve in reception.
“Aren’t you a bit old to be playing fairies?” Eve sounded amused as she ran a practised eye over Rhi’s outfit.
Why did Eve always have to be so horrible? What did Max even see in her? Why was he still going out with her? “Polly made it for me. I think it’s lovely,” Rhi said with as much defiance as she could muster. “We’re going to see the talent scout.”
For the first time, Eve actually looked interested. “Got your demo done, did you?”
Rhi nodded. With Max, she wanted to shout. We kissed too.
“You never know,” Eve shrugged. “Your talent guy might be the real deal. Although between you and me, that’s pretty unlikely. There are a lot of frauds out there. Be careful.”
Rhi walked so fast away from school that Polly had to run to keep up with her. Her head was full of thoughts of Max and Eve. She could hardly bear it.
“Eve is vile,” she burst out when they reached the bus stop. “I don’t know why I was ever friends with her.”
“Eve is Eve,” said Polly. “Don’t let her bother you, Rhi. You have your future to think about right now.”
The address on Dave Dubois’s card was in a place west of Heartside Bay. Rhi started feeling excited as the bus rumbled down the winding coast road, wondering if the scout had a fabulous r
ecording studio with views of the sea and the cliffs.
The bus dropped them at the bottom of a road of dilapidated flats. Rhi looked around in surprise. Battered-looking cars lined the kerbs, litter blowing among them in the evening wind. A skinny grey cat watched them from a sagging rooftop.
“Are you sure this is right?” she said uneasily.
“Fourteen A, Haig Way.” Polly looked at the street sign. “It’s up here. Come on.”
Rhi felt increasingly uncertain as they walked along the badly lit street. It wasn’t how she had imagined at all. They stopped at a communal door with six greying doorbells. Polly pressed the button marked A and they waited on the doorstep, shivering. The wind from the sea was cold.
“Yup?”
“Hi,” said Polly, leaning in to the crackly buzzer. “I’m here with Rhi Wills. Is that Mr Dubois?”
“Hey! Come on in, girls. First door on the left.”
“Ready?” said Polly, glancing at Rhi as the door clicked open.
Rhi felt inexpressibly glad that Polly was with her. “As I’ll ever be,” she said bravely.
Dave Dubois’ flat was dark, and smelled of cats.
“Sorry about the mess,” he said breezily as he let them inside. “I’ve been all over the place this week. London, New York, Ramsgate. Great to see you, Rhi. You’re just as beautiful as I remember.”
Polly squeezed Rhi’s arm reassuringly. Rhi gulped, and handed over her demo tape. “Here’s my demo, Mr Dubois. I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will,” he said warmly. “Make yourselves comfortable, girls.”
Rhi and Polly sat close together on the sagging sofa as Dave Dubois slid the CD into a large stereo in the corner of the room. The ballad tones of “Way Down Low”, the rocky beat of “Sundown, Sunshine” and the lilting tones of “Heartbreaker” poured through the room.
When the songs had finished, Dave Dubois whistled. “You are mega-talented, Rhi,” he said with a shake of his head. “We’re talking the big time here. You could make a fortune with a voice like that. The moment I heard you at that wedding, I knew.”
“Knew what?” said Rhi nervously as he sat down on the sofa, a little closer to her than she would have liked.
“That you were going places,” Dave Dubois said admiringly.
Rhi knew she should feel excited. Right now, she felt sick.
“So what happens now, Mr Dubois?” said Polly.
He sucked his teeth. “I think we should go the whole package for you, Rhi. A proper demo, session band, the works. With a little investment, I can get you the record deal of your dreams.”
Rhi felt sicker. “What kind of investment?”
“As I said, you want the best,” he said. “With a voice like yours, we’re looking at something around the ten grand mark.”
Ten thousand pounds? Rhi wanted to puke on Dave Dubois’ dusty carpet. Where on earth would she get that kind of money?
“That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Polly said. She sounded just as shocked as Rhi was feeling.
“The music industry is an expensive business,” said Dave Dubois sadly. “You want to get someone’s attention? You have to pay for it. We could maybe go a little lower if ten’s out of your budget. Say, five?”
He had dropped his price by half, and they’d only just started this conversation. Rhi knew in that minute that Dave Dubois was everything Eve had warned her about. Dave Dubois was a fraud.
“I’d like to leave now,” she whispered, standing up. Her legs felt wobbly.
“We could try four thousand five hundred,” said Dave Dubois, following Rhi and Polly to the door. “Three? I know this guy with a studio in Heartside who owes me a favour…”
Rhi felt stupid. Not only had she fallen for Max again, but she’d fallen for a stupid dream as well. Dave Dubois was no talent scout. She never should have come here.
Grabbing Polly’s hand, she dragged her down the dark corridor and out through the big door with its greying doorbells. Somehow now they were both running, past the grey cat and the rusty cars, out towards the streetlight and the bus stop. A bus was already approaching, ready to take them back to Heartside.
Home.
TEN
Friday dawned grey, matching Rhi’s mood. Why was everything in her life such a struggle?
Even her mother noticed.
“You need more sleep, Rhi. You can’t expect to do your best at school if you stay up late.”
“Leave her alone, Anita,” said Rhi’s dad from behind his paper.
Her mother snapped her bag shut with an irritated sigh. “I’m trying to make sure she stays focused, Patrick. A little support would be nice!”
Rhi’s mother left for work in her usual whirl. Rhi kissed her dad gratefully on the top of his head and headed out into the blustery morning. Tears hovered constantly at the corners of her eyes as she made her way to school. How was she going to get through today?
Everyone was too busy to notice how quiet Rhi was. Polly gave her an understanding nod and left her alone. Rhi focused as much energy as she could on her lessons. This is real, she thought. This won’t cost my pride and ten thousand pounds.
At lunch she hung back, taking an extra long time to pack up her bag in history, sharpening pencils and chucking away old biros, so she wouldn’t have to walk with the crowd.
“Is everything all right, Rhi?” asked Ms Andrews, walking over to her with a frown.
Startled, Rhi looked up from sorting out her pencil case. “Of course, miss,” she said, forcing a smile.
Ms Andrews gave her a shrewd look. “Are you sure?”
Rhi shrugged. Sweeping back her blonde hair, Ms Andrews sighed.
“Well, if there’s ever anything you want to talk about, you know where to find me, OK?”
Ms Andrews would be sympathetic, Rhi knew. The history teacher always listened, and looked you right in the eye when you were talking. Not many teachers did that. But where would she even start?
Shouldering her bag, she headed for the lunch hall. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she almost bumped into someone as she came round a corner.
“Sorry,” she said without looking up.
“I’m not,” said a familiar voice.
Rhi looked up to see her ex-boyfriend grinning at her. Automatically she looked around for Eve.
“I’m alone,” Max said, amused. “There’s no need to look so worried.”
Rhi flushed. “Go away, Max,” she muttered. “I’m not in the mood.”
She tried to push past him but he held her back, the smile fading on his face.
“You look upset. What’s up?”
“Don’t be nice to me,” Rhi warned, shaking her head hard.
“Babe, it’s me,” Max said. “You always used to tell me things. Maybe I can help.”
It was no good. Rhi couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I made a mistake with the scout, OK?” she said hopelessly. “It turns out he was a fraud who just wanted money. I feel so angry. And disappointed. And… and dumb.”
Putting her hands to her face, Rhi took a choking, heaving breath. Tears gushed from her eyes, hot and unstoppable.
Max put his arms round her. “Cry all you want, go on,” he said, rubbing her back. “Get my shoulder really soaking wet. This blazer could use a few mushrooms to lend it distinction.”
Rhi laughed a bit, and then cried some more. It felt so nice, having Max holding her like this, being supportive. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him, Rhi thought.
“Thanks,” she hiccuped, wiping her eyes when the storm of emotion at last began to subside. “I needed that.”
When he bent his head towards her, Rhi thought he was going to give her a friendly peck on the cheek. She was so shocked to feel his lips pressing down on hers that, for a moment, she k
issed him back. Then reality hit.
She shoved him away. “You’re unbelievable,” she spat, wiping her mouth. Had anyone seen them?
Max lifted his hands. “I’m sorry! You looked so sad that I couldn’t resist.”
Rhi hated him so much, she could hardly breathe.
“Just… leave me ALONE!” she screamed, before running full pelt down the corridor.
She walked home from school by herself, her coat pulled tight and her arms folded protectively around her waist. She felt like a snail without its shell, soft and vulnerable. If she could just get home… If she could just hold it together for another ten minutes… Then, maybe, she could start making sense of all the stuff that was happening to her.
As she got nearer to her house, she became aware of the slow, squeaking sound of tyres on tarmac. Was it her imagination, or was a large black car with tinted windows following her? It was going more slowly than the other cars in the road, keeping its distance but never losing sight of her. Rhi shook her head. She had to get a grip on her imagination. It always seemed to get her into trouble.
Unable to help herself, she glanced back at the car as she turned into her road. The car was swinging into the road behind her. Adrenaline surged through Rhi’s body. They were following her. This wasn’t good.
She prepared to break into a run as the car coasted up beside her. A window slid down. Rhi opened her mouth, ready to scream for help.
“There’s no need to look like a frightened rabbit, Rhi.” Eve swept her red hair away from her face as she leaned one elbow out of the car window. “I’m not going to kidnap you.”
Rhi didn’t know whether she felt more threatened now, or less. Eve knows, she thought wildly. Someone saw Max kissing me in school today and told her.
“Actually, scrap that,” said Eve. “I am going to kidnap you. But I’m hoping you’ll come quietly.”
“What do you want?” Rhi said in a high, tight voice.
Eve drummed her manicured nails on the car door. “It’s something nice, I promise. Get in. Oh, and by the way? I won’t take no for an answer.”