by Cathy Cole
“Ryan,” she said quickly, “could you get us some serviettes? I’ve spilled my hot chocolate…”
Eve patted her arm. “That can wait, babe. This is much more interesting. What about Ms Andrews, Ryan?”
Don’t say it! Rhi pleaded silently.
Ryan was clearly stringing this out for maximum effect. “It’s pretty juicy,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t know if I should say anything…”
“You can’t start something and not end it,” Ollie objected.
“Ask me nicely,” smirked Ryan, examining his nails. “If you’re nice enough, I’ll tell you.”
“And if you don’t tell us right now,” Eve said in a sweet-sounding voice, “we’ll make your life a living hell.”
“She means it, mate,” said Max, sounding amused.
“OK,” Ryan said hurriedly. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Ms Andrews is having an affair.”
Rhi felt completely powerless. Make a fuss and everyone would realize something was up. Stay quiet and Polly’s life might be in tatters. Here was yet another angel and devil to contend with. What could she do?
“Who with?” said Lila, startled.
I’m sorry, Polly, Rhi thought in desperation. I should have told you first—
“I don’t know,” Ryan confessed.
Everyone groaned. Rhi sagged against the bench cushion in relief.
“Call this gossip?” said Eve in disgust. “I get more interesting news from my father.”
“I’m telling you everything I know!” Ryan protested, looking annoyed. “She’s having an affair with a parent at the school, OK? I overheard her talking to the principal about it.”
Eve’s gaze sharpened. “Now that’s a little more interesting. An affair technically means she’s seeing a married man.”
“Naughty Ms Andrews,” said Max with a laugh.
Polly suddenly spoke up. Hearing her voice made Rhi realize she hadn’t joined in the conversation at all to this point.
“Leave Ms Andrews alone,” she said, setting down her hot chocolate mug. “She’s a friend of my mum’s and she’s lovely. Gossip ruins lives, Ryan. Teachers are allowed as much privacy as the rest of us.”
“Hear, hear,” said Lila, banging the table.
“Maybe she’s seeing your dad, Ryan,” said Eve blandly.
Ryan coloured. “Dad wouldn’t cheat on Mum!”
Eve spread her hands. “Who knows? Teachers are weird. I mean, who would choose to go back to school after leaving school? No one sane, that’s for sure.”
Rhi couldn’t stand another moment. She stood up.
“Bathroom,” she said abruptly.
Sometimes her friends were so frustrating. How could they be so casual about people’s lives? She had lived with rumours and gossip after Ruth had died. As if life hadn’t been difficult enough, she’d had to contend with people talking in corners and looking at her all the time with pity in their eyes. She would never inflict that on anyone.
Leaning against the bathroom sinks, she concentrated on calming down. It was killing her, knowing Polly’s mother’s secret. She had to talk to Polly about it, especially now that the gossipmongers had started their dirty work.
The bathroom door opened.
“Everything OK?” enquired Eve.
“I just needed some space,” Rhi sighed. “I can’t stand gossip. It’s so… ugly.”
Eve folded her arms and leaned against the bathroom wall. “It’s just human interest,” she said.
“It eats you up,” Rhi said passionately. “Knowing people are talking about you behind your back. Not knowing if the next person you see will flicker their eyes at you in that horrible furtive way. I’ve been there, and believe me – it’s bad. It makes a difficult time even more difficult.”
Eve nodded. She knew about the problems Rhi had faced when her sister had died. “What’s this really about?” she asked curiously.
I need to tell someone, Rhi thought. Before I burst under pressure.
“Ms Andrews,” she said, rubbing her temples. “When it gets out who she’s seeing, it’s going to be different. It’s a woman. And not just any woman.” She looked unhappily at Eve. “It’s Polly’s mum.”
As soon as she’d spoken, Rhi wished that she hadn’t. Eve was so unpredictable. How on earth would she react to the juiciest piece of gossip in Heartside High?
“A woman?” Eve’s eyes were wide and astonished. “Are you saying… are you saying Ms Andrews is gay? And seeing Polly’s mum? Does Polly know?”
Unease was crashing over Rhi in waves. She shouldn’t have said anything. Especially not to Eve. But the damage was done now. She just hoped it wouldn’t backfire.
“Polly doesn’t know anything. I saw her mum and Ms Andrews together a few days ago. They didn’t see me.” She swallowed. “You won’t tell anyone I told you?”
Eve smoothed back her hair. “Of course I won’t.”
Why don’t I believe her? Rhi thought. “What do you think I should do?” she blurted.
“Why should you have to do anything? It’s not up to you to fix everyone’s lives, Rhi.”
Rhi thought she caught a wobble in the red-haired girl’s voice. She dismissed it almost at once. Eve never wobbled at anything.
“You don’t think I should warn Polly?” she said hesitantly. “The rumour has started now. I’d hate for Polly to find out that I… we… knew and didn’t say anything.”
“You said it yourself.” Eve looked more serious than Rhi had ever seen her. “Teachers are entitled to a private life. Even Ms Andrews. Maybe especially Ms Andrews,” she added after a moment. “She’s one of the decent ones, after all.”
Rhi didn’t know what to make of this. It was unlike Eve to be so compassionate.
“Stop looking at me like I’ve grown two heads,” said Eve impatiently. “Let’s go back to the others or they’ll start a rumour about us. Plus this bathroom stinks. Cheap air freshener is such a short-term solution.”
She marched out of the bathroom. After a moment’s hesitation, Rhi followed.
FIFTEEN
At school on Monday, Rhi felt hyper-aware of people’s conversations. The group of girls hanging around the lockers: were they talking about Ms Andrews? Had someone heard her and Eve talking in the bathroom? The shouts of laughter in the corridors: had someone made a joke about Polly’s mum? It was exhausting.
Rhi watched Polly carefully as well. She had been her normal chatty self in English, giggling with Lila and batting off admiring compliments from boys about her new hair colour. Rhi wished she could stop the gossip from breaking over Polly’s head. It was bound to, sooner or later. At least, for now, it was looking more like later.
“Lunch?” said Polly as the bell rang, signalling the midday break.
“I’m so hungry I could eat a unicorn burger,” announced Lila. “Arrest me now, fairy police.”
Rhi quailed at the thought of enduring any potential whispers of the canteen. “You guys go on,” she hedged. “I need to, uh, fetch something from my locker.”
When Lila and Polly had gone, Rhi wandered over to her locker in the vague hope that there might be a packet of crisps or an apple or something that she could eat. She poked around without much expectation, then locked up and braced herself for the canteen.
Voices were coming from Ms Andrews’ class. Rhi slowed as she passed the door, recognizing the hum of both voices. It was Ms Andrews – and Eve.
Eve didn’t even take her classes. What was going on? What would Eve have to say to Ms Andrews that had to be done in private? It must be about the secret Rhi had sworn Eve to keep. Had she broken her promise already?
The voices were muffled and unclear, but Rhi got the sense that it was a serious conversation. She moved a little closer to the door with her heart in her mouth. There were a fe
w more murmured words, then silence.
The classroom door flew open unexpectedly.
Rhi backed away in a panic, stumbling over her own feet. This was going to look really bad, she knew. But it was too late. Eve was in the doorway, staring at her in what Rhi could only interpret as horror.
Pulling the door tightly shut behind her, Eve took a step towards Rhi. “What were you doing outside the door?”
She looked scared. I can’t back down on this, Rhi thought. It’s too important. She stepped even closer to Eve until their noses were almost touching.
“What were you talking to Ms Andrews about?”
Eve’s eyes darted from side to side, like this was the last conversation in the world that she wanted to have. She looked so guilty that Rhi knew her suspicions were correct.
“I told you about Ms Andrews and Polly’s mum in private,” she reminded Eve in a trembling voice.
The red-haired girl folded her arms tightly across her body. “I didn’t say anything about that.”
“Then why are you looking so nervous?”
Eve’s eyes flashed. She said nothing.
“What were you talking about?” Rhi repeated.
“None of your business.”
“If it was about a secret I told you to keep, then it is my business, Eve,” said Rhi.
Eve leaned back against the corridor wall. “Stay out of it,” she said coldly.
Rhi didn’t know what to think. She didn’t want to fall out with Eve again, but there was something Eve wasn’t telling her.
“Hey,” said Max, sauntering up the corridor towards them.
On top of all her fears and doubts about Eve’s trustworthiness, Rhi couldn’t handle Max as well. She abruptly turned to go.
“Wait,” said Max, pulling her back and smiling into her eyes. “It’s you I want to talk to, Rhi.”
Rhi didn’t feel up to any of this. Now all she needed was for Eve to suspect what was going on between her and Max, and she might as well pack her bags and catch the next boat out of Heartside harbour. What was Max thinking of, smiling at her like that with Eve standing right beside him?
“What?” she snapped.
Max pulled out his phone. “I did a video montage to go with your demo. I put it on the internet for you this morning.”
Rhi stared at the images scrolling across the phone screen that Max was holding under her nose. She felt a confusing mix of emotions at seeing herself laughing over an ice cream on the beach, walking on the cliffs, dancing at the Heartbeat with her head thrown back and her arms held up high… Confusing because she remembered all the occasions when the pictures had been taken. She remembered the kisses that had followed most of them as well. Max had shot them when they were still going out together. She felt embarrassed, pleased, sad and happy all at the same time.
“Um, thanks,” she mumbled, horribly aware of Eve beside her. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Well guess what? I did,” Max said easily. “I’ve uploaded the montage and your songs on a number of music sites. You’ve had hundreds of hits already.”
Rhi gulped. Her songs were out there? With these pictures? And had Max said hundreds of hits? That was… huge.
“Are you serious?” she said weakly.
Max laughed. “Of course I’m serious. What will it take for you to believe in your own talent?”
Rhi stared at the photo montage again, still scrolling across the little screen. She looked so happy. She hadn’t felt that good in ages. Even after the whole business with Andy Graves. What was the matter with her? Why couldn’t she enjoy herself any more?
Her phone rang.
“Is that Rhi? Susi Wilks here, Andy Graves’ PA. I’m calling to fix a time for your makeover. Will tomorrow after school suit?”
“Um,” said Rhi, panicking at the sudden sense of freefall. “Yeah, well—”
The PA cut in briskly. “Four o’clock it is. There will be a team of professionals waiting for you. Don’t be late.”
Listening closely, Eve jabbed herself in the chest with her thumb.
“Um, great,” Rhi stuttered. “Can… can I bring a friend?”
“Bring as many as you like. But don’t be late.”
The buzzing sound of the dialling tone told Rhi that Susi Wilks had rung off. She stared stupidly at the screen for a few seconds.
“Andy Graves wasn’t messing around when he said the music industry moves fast,” Eve observed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Tomorrow?”
Rhi rubbed her temples. “I don’t have anything to wear,” she groaned. “And how will I get there?”
“I’m sure Polly will sort you out with one or her funny boho numbers,” said Eve. “We’ll borrow Dad’s car and the driver again. I’ll tell him to pick us up from the school steps.”
“Leave it to Eve, Rhi,” said Max. “She’ll sort everything out. So it’s really happening for you! Well done, superstar!”
He folded Rhi into a warm bear hug which seemed to go on for a lot longer than necessary. Rhi didn’t know what to do with her hands. She wanted to hug Max back and breathe in his special smell. But she couldn’t hug him back, not with Eve standing so close. She limited herself to a couple of weak pats on Max’s shoulders.
Pulling back as casually as she could, Rhi sneaked a glance at Eve. Could she see the first inkling of suspicion on Eve’s beautiful face? Was that little frown appearing between her neatly plucked eyebrows aimed at Rhi, or at Max, or at life in general?
Rhi realized that she didn’t want to know.
SIXTEEN
Rhi gazed out of the car window, deep in thought. In twenty minutes, she would meet the people promising to transform her into a megastar. People with real-life contacts in the real-life world of music. The world Rhi so badly wanted to make her own.
Lila sighed with contentment and leaned her glossy brown head against the leather upholstery as Eve’s dad’s big car purred through Heartside. She patted Rhi’s leg. “Are you excited?” she said eagerly. “Polly’s got some amazing outfits for you, I know they’ll go nuts when they see you wearing them.”
Rhi had seen the dresses Polly had customized for her. They were every bit as gorgeous as the angel dress and the zombie dress Polly had made for the weddings. Probably even better. She had tried them on at Polly’s house last night, standing still as patiently as she could while Polly stuck pins under her arms and Lila turned up the music and danced around by the window.
“Hmm?” said Rhi now. “Oh. Yes. Of course I’m excited. Who wouldn’t be?”
Right now she felt like she had a large rock sitting in her stomach. She wished they were going to the Heartbeat instead of Andy Graves’ massive house in Cliffside.
“It’s going to be like The X Factor,” Eve pronounced, brushing her hair vigorously and then tucking the brush back into her tiny clutch. “They’ll wave their magic make-up wands and turn you into someone else, Rhi. You won’t recognize yourself when they’ve finished.”
That’s what I’m afraid of, Rhi thought.
“X Factor shmex-factor,” said Polly. “Rhi’s better than that.”
The X Factor always made Rhi think of a sausage factory of identikit boys, girls and songs. Was that her fate? To be a flash in the pan? A one-hit wonder? She balked at the thought. But she couldn’t speak. Her throat was too dry, and her brain too confused. She shook her head, feeling impatient with herself. She was in a position millions of girls would kill to be in right now.
Polly and Lila craned their necks in excitement as the big car swept up to the grand white floodlit gates of Andy Graves’ beach house. Lights were on all over the house. Rhi could hear laughter, and pumping electronic music. She got out of the car on shaky legs.
A slim girl in neatly coiled dreadlocks and a red jumpsuit opened the big front door, clipboard in hand, in
a blast of loud music. She flicked dark, beautifully made-up eyes over Eve, Lila, Polly and Rhi as they stood in a nervous huddle on the doorstep.
“Which one of you is our girl?” she asked.
Rhi felt the others pushing her forward. “I’m Rhi,” she said. It came out in a squeak.
The girl smiled briefly. “Susi Wilks. Andy’s not here yet, but the rest of the team can’t wait to get started.”
They all followed Susi Wilks through the big hallway. Rhi clutched her bag of outfits close to her stomach. It felt like a lifejacket in a stormy sea. There were people everywhere. Rails full of clothes. A large trunk full of what looked like hair products. Make-up cases. Wires trailing around the floor, and at least five different hairdryers waiting on a table.
“Gorgeous!” exclaimed a muscular man in a tight blue vest as Rhi and her friends entered the living room. Rhi wasn’t sure, but it looked like he was wearing eyeshadow. “I don’t know which of you Andy’s lined up for the slaughter but I could eat you all for breakfast.”
“It’s this one, Gary,” said Susi, flicking a finger in Rhi’s direction. “The rest of you? Take a seat. There’s drinks, nibbles, magazines.”
“Well, we have plenty to work with, don’t we?” said Gary, fingering Rhi’s hair and sucking his teeth. Rhi felt like a dog in a show.
The room had been set out like a beauty salon. A rail of clothes stood to one side, while a large reclining white leather chair stood before a huge mirror studded with lights.
“How long is Andy going to be, Susi?” Gary called.
“Who knows,” came an answering shout from the kitchen. “He was seeing EMI this afternoon.”
“Typical,” Gary sighed. “We’ll do what we can until he gets here.”
Rhi found her voice. “We’ve had a few thoughts about my look,” she began hesitantly, looking at her friends for support. “My friend Polly, the blonde one” – Polly waved – “she’s put together some great outfits that sum up my style. Do you want to see them?”
“Be my guest,” Gary said.