‘You thought it was cool before,’ said Susie.
‘I never did,’ said Kaylie. ‘Who’s side are you on?’
‘Yours, of course,’ said Susie. ‘I’ve always thought that she was full of herself, so stuck up. She makes me sick.’
‘Yeah, with her designer clothes and her private chauffeur,’ said Jackie.
That’s Jackie’s voice! I thought. But she was just so friendly to me and now she’s slagging me off with the rest of them. What’s going on?
But they weren’t finished yet.
‘And I bet her hair is dyed,’ said Fran. ‘No one has hair that blonde without spending some serious money on it.’
‘Which we all know darling daddy has,’ said Jackie. ‘She probably thinks she can buy friends as well.’
‘And she’s such a show-off,’ said Kaylie. ‘With her real Carrier watch. Like who cares? And why does she have to get driven to school every day in a Mercedes? Just to rub our noses in it. Like, look what I’ve got and you haven’t. I mean, she could get the bus with the rest of us, but oh no, she wouldn’t mix with us, would she?’
‘I don’t think she’s that pretty anyway,’ said Fran.
‘No, me neither,’ said Susie. ‘Only in a really obvious way. Honestly, Kaylie, I couldn’t believe that e-mail she sent you. What a cheek. Let’s be friends – like, who’d want to be her friend?’
‘And she didn’t mean it,’ said Jackie. ‘I spoke to her two minutes ago in the hall and she said she thought you were a total bitch, Kaylie.’
‘Really?’ said Kaylie.
‘Really. Her very words. “A total bitch.” She was trying so hard to be friendly with me and get me on her side, but course, I wasn’t having any of it.’
I felt my shoulders sag and I hung my head. So it was all an act from Jackie. Talk about two-faced! And to think for a moment, I’d thought she might be OK.
‘No one will be her friend,’ said Kaylie. ‘Like it’s so obvious that Cat and Becca only hang out with her because they wanted to get in with a famous family. If she wasn’t Zac Axford’s daughter, I bet they’d have nothing to do with her.
‘Yeah,’ said Fran, ‘everyone knows that Cat only spends time with her because she wants to get off with her brother, Ollie.’
‘And Mac and Squidge,’ said Susie, ‘they’re such hangers-on. Wanting to be part of a glam lifestyle.’
‘I bet she left her old school because she had no friends there either,’ said Jackie.
‘Yeah.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Poor little rich girl,’ said Fran. ‘I wonder if she knows she’s a has-been.’
‘We’re the Teen Queens and she’s the has-been,’ said Kaylie, and they all started laughing.
Then I heard the door open and close again. I felt like I’d been stabbed in the stomach and the tears I’d been holding back started to fall. There was no way I could go into class after what I’d heard, especially with red, swollen eyes. I waited five minutes, until I heard the first bell go when I knew that they’d all be in assembly, then I ran for the door and out the school gates.
I went straight down to the Cremyl ferry, then caught the bus into Plymouth. I knew what I had to do next. They’d left me no option.
‘WHAT DO you mean, you don’t want Meena to drive you to school any more?’ asked Mum on Saturday morning as we had breakfast.
‘There’s a bus,’ I said.
‘But you’d have to walk about half a mile to get it. Don’t be ridiculous, Lia. Meena’s always taken you to school. What’s this really about?’
I took a deep sigh and got ready to explain. My new tactic: I was going to do everything I could to fit in and not stand out, and that meant some things had to go. First, the chauffeur-driven lift to school. Second, my watch. I’d bought a new one at the market in Plymouth yesterday – cheap, pink strap, plastic. Third, my clothes. I’d got some new outfits from a discount warehouse – all for under a tenner. From now on, I’d wear my hair scraped back and no make-up. No one would be able to accuse me of showing off. I’d be grey, blend with the crowd. I was going to fit in if it killed me. In fact, more than that; I was going to be invisible so that no one would notice me at all.
‘It’s really important that I don’t stand out in any way, Mum. Being the only one at school who is chauffeur-driven in a Mercedes makes me stand way out.’
‘But loads of the kids get dropped off or picked up.’
‘Yeah, but not in this year’s Mercedes. And the others get picked up by their mums and dads – not by the housekeeper.’
‘Are you saying you want me to drive you in?’
‘Yes. No.’ Mum drives a silver Porsche. Imagine what they’d make of that! ‘No. But how about Meena drives me in in her car? Her old Ford wouldn’t stand out so much.’
‘Has that girl been getting at you again?’
‘No,’ I lied. ‘I just want to fit in, and it’s so different to my old school, that’s all.’
Mum didn’t look like she believed me. ‘Well, you’re going to have to wear a paper bag over your head, Lia. You’re a stunning girl, and I’m not just saying that because I’m your mum. You’ll always stand out in a crowd.’
‘Not if I dress down and don’t wear any make-up.’
‘Lia, have you looked in the mirror lately? You look just as good without make-up as you do with it on.’
‘I have to blend in, Mum. It’s really important. Please support me on this.’
Mum sighed. ‘I’m not happy about this, Lia. Something’s not right and I get the feeling that you’re not telling me the whole story, but . . . if that’s what you want, then fine. I do understand how important it is at your age not to feel like the odd one out. So Meena will take you in her car from now on. And you’re going to wear drab clothes . . . I don’t get it, but fine.’
It seemed to work to a degree. Nothing major happened. The Clones just ignored me or sniggered if I ever said anything within their earshot. I could deal with that. I no longer wore anything to school that would draw attention to me. I stopped putting my hand up in class when a teacher asked a question. Meena picked me up in her old banger. I made sure I saw Jonno out of school and kept out of his way in school. If I saw Kaylie or one of the Clones coming, I’d turn and walk the other way. They’d won, they knew it, and they seemed to lose interest.
As the weeks went on and life settled down, I carried on seeing Jonno. However as I began to feel slightly better, I also began to feel that Jonno and I didn’t have much in common. I found I was making excuses so that I could hang out with the old crowd – Mac, Becca, Squidge and Cat. Jonno preferred coming up to the house to going out, so he could watch the footie with Dad, and it just wasn’t fun like it was with my mates.
We did spend a little time on our own, though – going for a pizza, to a movie, round the Old Town in Plymouth. Those were the times when I began to realise that it wasn’t really happening for me with him. We didn’t talk in the way that I’ve been able to talk with boyfriends in the past and, some of the time, I felt like Jonno was just agreeing with me and not really listening when I tried to share some of my ideas or views about things. There were only two topics of conversation that Jonno was interested in: sport and music. And it was getting boring. That and his new joke collection, which had made me laugh in the beginning, but was starting to wear a bit thin. Every time I saw him, he had a new one for me.
‘How do you make Kaylie’s eyes light up? Shine a torch in her ear.’
‘Why does Kaylie hate Smarties? Because they’re hard to peel.’
‘What’s the difference between a Kaylie Clone and a supermarket trolley? A supermarket trolley has a mind of its own.’
‘What does a Kaylie Clone do when someone shouts, “There’s a mouse in the room!”? Checks her highlights.’
‘What’s the similarity between a Brazilian rainforest and Kaylie O’Hara? They’re both dense.’
And on and on they went. I think he got the jokes from the
Internet, then adapted them. I think the jokes were his way of being supportive, but as the weeks went on, I was beginning to wish he’d just shut up about Kaylie. I didn’t even want to hear her name.
Thank God for Squidge. He phoned one Saturday afternoon when Dad and Jonno were ensconced in their usual positions on the sofa and asked if I’d go up to Rame Head with him.
I leaped at the chance. We took the dogs with us and had one of the best afternoons I’ve had in ages. Cat told me that Squidge plans to do a film about the tiny church up there. It’s right on the peninsula, on top of a small hill that looks out over the sea. There’s something about the place. It’s magical. I always feel so peaceful there, like nothing in the world matters.
‘So how’s it going with lover boy?’ he asked as we made our way up the steps to the church.
‘Och, he’s football crazy,’ I sang in a Scottish accent. ‘Football mad.’
Squidge laughed. ‘Not your scene, huh?’
‘No thanks. I think he should be dating my dad – they’re clearly madly in love.’
‘It must be hard for you sometimes . . .’
‘What do you mean?’
‘All the trappings that come with you. Fab house. Your dad. You must get hangers-on.’
Yeah. In fact, I overheard Kaylie and the Clones saying that you and Mac were only interested in me because of the glam lifestyle.’
I expected him to laugh it off, but Squidge looked serious. ‘Just be careful, Lia,’ he said. ‘Sometimes you don’t know who your real friends are.’
I wasn’t sure who he was talking about, but I didn’t want to pursue it and ruin our afternoon. It did make me wonder, though. Cat? Becca? Mac? Who was he referring to?
THE FOLLOWING Tuesday morning, I was going into school as normal and spotted Cat and Becca just inside the gates. They were deeply engrossed in conversation about something and didn’t see me until I’d almost got up to them.
Becca jumped as soon as she saw me and nudged Cat to shut her up.
‘Oh,’ said Cat, looking awkward. ‘Lia.’
‘What were you talking about?’ I asked. ‘You looked totally absorbed.’
Becca glanced guiltily at Cat. ‘Oh, nothing,’ she said.
‘Um, we were talking about the show,’ said Cat.
Yeah right, I thought. My heart sank. I knew they were lying.
As we walked into school together, I felt gutted, even more so when I saw Cat look at Becca and make a face, as if to say, Oh dear, she almost caught us. I felt like turning around and running. It was the last betrayal. Cat and Becca, my two best friends. And now even they were talking about me in secret.
It was too much. I no longer knew who to trust. I was beginning to think that maybe changing schools had been the worst idea of my whole life. I resolved that when I got home, I’d speak to Mum about going back to my old school. I had my friends up there and even though it would mean being away from home again and I’d miss Mum and Dad, at least Star and Ollie were in London and I’d be away from this nightmare.
In the break, I went off to find Squidge. At first, I thought that I wouldn’t say anything to him as I know that Cat and Becca are his friends too, but somehow I felt I could trust him. He had tried to warn me about who my real friends were.
‘I just don’t understand it,’ I said after I explained what I’d seen. ‘I really thought that there were no secrets between Cat, Bee and me, and now . . . I don’t know what to think. They were clearly talking about me.’
Squidge shook his head. ‘No. You’ve got it wrong. They are your mates. Honest. Look, they were probably trying to protect you.’
‘Against what?’
‘Same ole, same ole. Kaylie.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘She’s been OK lately. Lost interest.’
‘I don’t think so . . .’
‘Why?’
Squidge bit his lip.
‘Oh, please Squidge. If they’re doing something I don’t know about, please tell me. Please.’
‘Look, promise you won’t say that I told you . . .’
‘Promise.’
‘Apparently Kaylie’s still trying to stir it about you. She told Cat and Becca that you’d been slagging them off to her.’
‘What? I never even speak to Kaylie. That’s mad!’
Squidge shrugged. ‘Well, she is, isn’t she?’
‘How do you know this? When did it happen?’
‘Last night at rehearsal. I saw her talking to Cat and Becca, then Becca told me what she’d said.’
My stomach tightened into the familiar knot. ‘And what did she say?’
‘Something about you saying that you only hung out with Cat and Becca because they were nice to you when you first arrived and now you can’t shake them off. Then she told them that really you wanted to be in with Kaylie and her lot and that’s why you’ve been so upset about them not accepting you.’
‘But surely they wouldn’t believe her? I’d never slag them off. Why didn’t they phone and ask me? Why didn’t they tell me about it this morning?’
Squidge faced me squarely and put his hands on my shoulders. ‘Because they didn’t believe a word of it and didn’t want to upset you. Look, Lia. They’re your best mates. They know what Kaylie’s like.’
‘Do they? Do they? But they were whispering about me this morning. I just don’t know who to trust any more. And . . . and on Saturday, you said to be careful about who my real friends were.’
‘I didn’t mean them, you doofus,’ said Squidge.
‘Then who?’
This time it was Squidge’s turn to look uncomfortable.
‘Who?’ I insisted.
Squidge hesitated for what seemed like ages. ‘OK. Jonno,’ he said finally.
‘Why? He’s not in with Kaylie,’ I said. ‘He doesn’t even like her.’
‘I know,’ said Squidge. ‘Look, forget I even said anything. It’s probably just me coming over all big brothery about you.’
‘Oh, tell me, Squidge. Do you know something about Jonno that I don’t?’
Squidge glanced around the playground to make sure no one was listening. ‘Not exactly. Just . . . you know what we were talking about on Saturday. About hangers-on. Well, sorry, but I think that’s what Jonno might be doing. When you talk about him, it sounds like he used you to get in with your dad. You know he’s desperate to get into the music business when he leaves here. He must know that your dad could help him and it sounds like he spends more time with him than you.’
I couldn’t deny it. It had begun to really annoy me lately, and privately, I had been thinking of calling it a day with him. Not so much because I thought he was a hanger-on, but because I didn’t think I really fancied him any more. There was no chemistry – not on my side anyway. Even though he was good looking and nice, I wanted more than that. I preferred to be with someone I could really talk to and have a laugh with, and if I had a boyfriend, I wanted one who made me feel tingly when he kissed me. Snogging Jonno was like eating porridge. A bit dull.
‘I hope I haven’t spoken out of turn,’ said Squidge anxiously. ‘In fact, take no notice of me. Deep down, I’m probably jealous.’
‘Jealous?’
Now Squidge looked really awkward. ‘Look, got to go. Class starts in a minute.’ And with that, he turned and fled.
Squidge jealous? That stopped me in my tracks for a minute. Could he possibly fancy me? I felt my brain do a gear shift, as I’d never let myself imagine being with him. But we do get on well. He’s so funny and full of life and new ideas, and he has the most amazing brown eyes, with thick black lashes and a lovely wide mouth . . . Hmm. Jealous? Maybe he felt the same about me. Yes, interesting. Very interesting.
‘SO PLEASE, no secrets,’ I said to Cat and Becca when I caught up with them at lunch-time. ‘I know that Kaylie was stirring it again, but please, tell me when she tries a stunt like that.’
‘We didn’t want you getting upset,’ said Becca. ‘And it wasn’t as if we took any
notice. In fact, Cat asked how many times she’d have to flush before Kaylie would go away.’
I laughed. ‘I’d be more upset if I thought you weren’t my mates any more. I knew something was going on when I saw you this morning. I felt awful. I thought I’d lost you. I’m sorry, I guess I’m getting paranoid with everything that’s been going on, so please, no secrets from each other.’
Cat looked at Becca questioningly and Becca gave her a nod.
‘We were talking about you, Lia,’ she said. ‘It’s true. But not what you think. We weren’t talking about Kaylie – I wouldn’t waste my breath. No. We were trying to think of a surprise for you. We know you’ve had a rough time lately, and we wanted to do something to cheer you up.’
‘Just be my friends and always tell me what’s going on. That’s the best thing you could ever do.’
‘Yeah, but we wanted to do something . . . I don’t know,’ sighed Becca. ‘It’s like you haven’t been yourself lately. You’ve been sort of defeated, like a shadow of yourself. You’re so quiet. You can even see it in your posture. You’ve stooped in on yourself – it’s as though you’re trying to disappear.’
‘I am,’ I said. ‘I don’t want anyone to notice me.’
‘But that’s not you,’ said Cat. ‘It’s like Kaylie’s rubbing you out somehow. We wanted to do something to bring the old Lia back. Make you laugh again.’
‘Like what?’
Well, that’s what we were trying to decide. A movie, a sleepover . . . dunno. We didn’t know if you’d like to do something on your own or whether you’d want Jonno along.’
‘OK, seeing as we’re being totally honest, I don’t think I want to go out with Jonno any more.’
‘Why?’ asked Becca.
I shrugged. ‘Don’t know. I mean, he’s a really nice guy and cute and everything, but I don’t think we’ve got a lot in common.’
‘This isn’t part of your campaign to be invisible, is it?’ asked Becca. ‘You’ve ditched the watch, the nice clothes, the Mercedes and now you’re going to ditch the cutest boy in school, all so that Kaylie O’Horrible won’t give you a hard time . . .’
Teen Queens Page 7