A Hot Cold Summer

by Nova Weetman

  Because I’d slept all day, I was wide awake. So, while Mum snored on the bed next to me, I started writing a super-long message to Gen. Before I could press send, she sent me one. It was always like that with us. We had this thing where we’d think about each other at exactly the same time.

  She wanted to know about Jack and I told her he had a girlfriend. She sent three smiley faces at that bit of news with a message telling me she was glad because it meant I wouldn’t go falling for him all over again.

  Technically, she was right.

  But I couldn’t help feeling that there was still something between us. When we’d played music together tonight, it felt just like it did on the night we kissed.

  Having a girlfriend didn’t mean he couldn’t still like me. It just meant that he wouldn’t do anything about it. And now I’d never know for sure how he felt about me.

  I had liked him - a lot. And I really wanted to believe he’d felt the same way about me.

  Mum dragged me out of bed to go shopping with her and Tina on the high street. Given that I’d only managed to get to sleep as she was getting up, I was pretty cranky about it. Perhaps if they’d only wanted to go to a couple of shops it might have been okay, but they went into every single middle-aged-lady shop on the street. After suffering through nearly three hours of this, I finally begged off and told them I’d meet them at home.

  Suddenly I was on my own. In London. I could do whatever I liked. And I’d just spotted a record store on the other side of the road.

  One of my favourite things, apart from actually playing music or listening to music, was looking for music. And old vinyl was the bomb.

  Dad gave me his old record player years ago and ever since I’ve had it hooked up to some speakers so I could play whatever I liked in my room.

  That was the other thing about Jack staying with us: we had spent hours listening to music. All sorts of stuff. Jazz and rock, punk and pop. Most kids I knew had an iPod and they listened to the top twenty or they watched music videos on YouTube, but I was a sucker for the old stuff.

  As soon as I walked into the record store, I was in heaven. The shop was huge inside; there was awesome music pumping through the speakers. There were hundreds of crates full of vinyl and heaps of people just standing there, flicking through the records.

  I found a box and started looking. There was a mix of stuff I’d never heard of before, stuff I knew, and stuff I desperately wanted. I had a limited budget so it took me a while to make a decision about what to get, but I walked up to the counter feeling pretty pleased with my first purchase in pounds sterling.

  At the counter, I looked up and noticed a massive sign:

  TONIGHT @ 7PM: THE ANGRY DUCKS

  Jack’s band!

  I looked around again. There was a stage right up the back, where it looked like bands could play.

  I couldn’t believe they were going to be playing here, and that I had a chance to get up on stage here too. I handed over my money and stepped out onto the street, feeling that whatever happened - or didn’t happen - with Jack, London was going to be fun.

  Even though we lived within walking distance of the high street, I couldn’t resist the idea of catching a red bus home. Tina had warned me the bus route was not exactly direct, but I felt like sitting on the upper deck and watching the world go by. I was headed towards the bus stop when I saw a dress hanging in the window of a shop. I’m not a dress girl. But this dress was talking to me. In fact, it really seemed to be waving its gorgeous long black sleeves in my direction.

  I had to go in and try it on.

  The dress was different to anything else I owned, so I wasn’t sure if it would suit me. Usually I shopped with Gen – and I knew she’d never let me buy anything really shocking. But now I had to decide by myself. It wasn’t that I struggled with what to wear all the time, just when it was something like buying a black dress. If it were a new pair of shorts, I’d have no trouble deciding.

  I came out of the change room to look in the mirror.

  It was weird how a dress that had looked so good on the rack could look so awful on me. I started tugging at it, trying to fix it, but it was still all wrong.

  I was about to give up when the shop assistant appeared.

  ‘Do you mind if I just …?’ she said, and started rearranging the fabric. ‘Now look.’

  ‘Wow!’ I said.

  ‘Yep. I know, right? Amazing.’ She smiled.

  And, weirdly, it was. I suddenly looked older and more confident. I never knew a dress could make me look so good. If Jack still wanted me to sing ‘Tomorrow Land’ at his gig, then this was the perfect dress.

  ‘And it’s on sale,’ the shop assistant said.

  ‘Okay. I’ll take it,’ I said, hoping I had enough money left.

  ‘You probably need some heels with that dress.’

  Heels? I never wore heels. I couldn’t even walk in heels. Before I could answer, she held up a little black boot with a heel.

  ‘Cute, don’t you think?’

  It was. I would love to wear something like that, but I’d probably break both my ankles if I tried.

  ‘They are almost made for that dress,’ she said, with just the right amount of knowing.

  ‘It’s fine. I’ve got shoes already,’ I said, my ankles thanking me.

  It was raining when I walked out of the shop. The kind of fine misty rain that somehow causes frizzy, curly hair like mine to transform into a giant puff ball. So I ran to the bus shelter. As I waited for the bus, I saw Jack and Asha on the other side of the road. They seemed to be arguing.

  Then a bus pulled up and I climbed on. As it pulled away, I felt bad for hoping that their fight might’ve had something to do with me.

  ‘Frankie Jones!’ said Mum that night. ‘You look about seventeen.’

  I waited. Was she going to tell me to get changed?

  ‘Amazing!’ she said, as she reached forward and gave me a hug. ‘You look amazing.’

  ‘Really?’ I asked, a bit surprised at Mum’s enthusiasm.

  ‘Really. Money well spent. Are you trying to impress anyone in particular?’ she asked in an offhand way, which I knew was her way of asking me if I liked Jack.

  ‘Just you. And Tina.’

  She smiled. ‘Well, it worked. Now let’s get going or they’ll have finished playing by the time we arrive.’

  ‘Are you two happy to walk?’ asked Tina.

  I pulled a face. ‘Really? It’s raining. And freezing.’

  She laughed. ‘And the easiest way to get there.’

  ‘Okay, okay. I’ll walk in the freezing cold snow!’ I said dramatically.

  ‘Frankie! It’s not snowing,’ she said.

  ‘There’s still time,’ I said as we stepped outside into the icy night air.

  When we walked into the record store and made our way towards the stage, I saw most of the chairs were already taken and lots of people were standing. My heart pounded. I didn’t know if I was nervous for Jack, nervous about seeing him, or nervous about singing.

  Tina stopped to talk to people, so Mum and I found a spot near the front. We always stood down the front when we went to see bands. Mum liked live music almost as much as I did, and luckily she didn’t mind taking me with her. It meant I got to see lots of bands, although she usually made me wear earplugs!

  ‘You made it,’ said Jack as he walked up.

  ‘Of course,’ I said, taking off my giant puffer jacket. As I hung it over the back of a chair, I noticed Jack was looking at me.

  ‘You look great,’ he said, sounding almost surprised.

  I shrugged, like it was nothing special, but inside I was super happy he’d noticed.

  ‘Are you still right to sing?’ he asked. ‘We can do it as the last song. You’d be our special overseas guest,’ he added with a smile.

  I’d probably never get another chance to sing in London with Jack’s band. And it would be pretty cool performing where nobody knew me.

  ‘Yeah
, okay,’ I said, secretly more than a little excited about getting on stage.

  Jack grinned at me, and then the lights dimmed. ‘Better go, this is us,’ he said, and rushed off.

  As I watched him disappear into the crowd, I wondered if he felt like I did whenever I performed. Sort of sick beforehand and then, as soon as it started, totally pumped.

  The spotlight came on, and Asha walked onto the stage, stopping at the microphone. I looked her up and down. And I couldn’t believe it: she was wearing the same dress as me. Along with the cute little black boots from the shop. I might have looked better than I normally did, but she looked like a rockstar.

  I couldn’t go on stage now. It would be totally embarrassing. Wouldn’t it?

  Then the spotlight hit Jack. He brushed his hair out of his eyes. ‘A one, a two, a one, two, three, four.’

  I’d never seen him on stage before. We’d always just jammed at home. But he was incredible. Electric. Once he started playing I didn’t look at anyone else. Just him.

  Even if I hadn’t known he’d written the songs, I would have loved them. They were more upbeat pop songs than I’d expected, and people started dancing. Even Mum.

  The whole band was tight and slick, like they’d played together for years. Asha had a great, gravelly voice; it really suited the lyrics. It was weird, though, watching the two of them on stage together. They didn’t seem very couple-y. Or maybe I was just hoping.

  They sang about twenty songs and then Asha called out, ‘Thanks for coming, everyone, we’re the Angry Ducks, and you’ve been great!’

  The crowd cheered and people started calling out for more. I watched Jack say something to Asha, who shook her head before walking off the stage. I knew Jack was about to call me up and I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to wear the same dress as Asha on stage, but I really wanted to sing.

  Then Jack grabbed the microphone. ‘We’ve sung all our songs, sorry. Next time we’ll write a few extras.’ People in the audience laughed. ‘But I have a friend in the audience all the way from Australia and she’s going to sing a special song for you tonight. Please make her welcome – Frankie Jones!’

  Mum and Tina smiled at me, pushing me forward. I hesitated, and Mum must have sensed I was feeling funny about it, because she leant forward and said, ‘Go on, honey.’

  ‘I’m wearing the same dress as Asha,’ I whispered.

  She shrugged. ‘Nobody will notice.’

  Of course, she was right. What was I worried about? Asha wasn’t even on stage. I reached my hand up to Jack and he pulled me up. I’m sure he held my hand for a second longer than he needed to, but it felt so perfect that I didn’t care.

  ‘Let’s smash it, Frank,’ he said into my ear, sending a tingle down my spine.

  I walked up to the microphone and lowered it. Then I took a big breath, looked out over all the faces and smiled. This was my place. This was my song.

  ‘This song’s called “Tomorrow Land”. I wrote it a while back. Hope you like it,’ I said into the microphone. There was a cheer from the crowd and I heard the guitar start.

  ‘There’s a place where I roam –

  That’s so far away from home –

  Will I stay?

  Will I go?

  Only you will know –’

  I closed my eyes and felt the music rush through me. It didn’t matter what dress I was wearing, only that I was singing my song, with Jack, on a stage in London. Really, how wild was that?

  The crowd went crazy when we finished the song. Jack put down his guitar and rushed up to me. He threw his arms around my waist and picked me up, swinging me round.

  He whispered, ‘We did it, Frank, that was perfect.’

  I agreed. It was totally perfect.

  He felt all sweaty and hot in my arms, and I could have stayed like that all night, except Asha came on stage and Jack quickly put me down and walked over to her. I saw him reach down to hug her, but she said something and stepped away from him before he could. Then Jack followed her off the stage.

  Walking down the corridor from the backstage area to try to find Mum, I passed a little alcove and heard someone laugh. It was quite dark, but as I stepped closer I saw Asha and a guy. I assumed it was Jack, but as he moved, I noticed his long hair and realised it was actually Sean, the drummer from the band.

  I was so surprised that I automatically looked over again, just to double-check what I’d seen. It was then that I saw the drummer lean down and kiss Asha. And she reached up, slid her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

  Shocked, I rushed off.

  Should I tell Jack and break his heart? Or should I keep it a secret? Surely he deserved to know what his girlfriend was up to, but would it sound like I was just trying to break them up if I told him?

  I really didn’t know what to do.

  ‘Frankie, you’re early!’ Dad sounded surprised when he opened the front door on Thursday morning. I’d stopped using my own key after meeting Jan in the bathroom, even though Dad kept telling me it was fine.

  I smiled at his overreaction. I wasn’t usually that late. ‘I guess I’m just feeling organised. Probably won’t last long.’

  ‘Well, I like it,’ said Dad. I put my guitar down in the hallway and he helped me with my heavy backpack. ‘Whoa, what have you got in here?’

  ‘Few things.’ The truth was I’d packed for every kind of weather, and I’d thrown in some nice clothes just in case we did anything other than go to the beach. I didn’t want Jan to think I only owned the old pair of shorts and T-shirt I usually wore all summer.

  As I walked into the house, Dad hurried in front of me. ‘Um, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.’

  Yet another secret girlfriend? I whirled round. ‘What happened to Jan?’ I blurted out.

  ‘Nothing,’ Dad said, laughing, as he led me into the lounge. ‘She’s upstairs getting ready.’

  ‘Oh. Then who am I meeting?’ I asked, still confused.

  ‘Me,’ said a voice.

  I looked round the door into the lounge room and there, sitting on the couch, was a girl who looked about my age.

  Before we could introduce ourselves, Jan hurried down the stairs and did it for us.

  ‘Frankie, this is my daughter, Ellie,’ she said.

  ‘What?’ I asked, much louder than I’d intended. If Jan really had a daughter, why wouldn’t Dad have told me?

  ‘Ellie’s coming with us to the beach,’ added Dad, watching me to check my reaction.

  ‘Oh,’ I managed to say, my head spinning.

  ‘They only just told me about you, too,’ said Ellie, standing up and walking over. ‘They seemed to think it would be a great idea to surprise us.’ She smiled like she found the whole thing amusing.

  ‘Well, I’m definitely surprised,’ I said, trying to smile back at her.

  ‘No kidding,’ she said.

  ‘We thought this could be a chance for you to get to know each other properly,’ explained Dad. ‘You can keep each other company.’

  Ellie and I looked at each other.

  ‘Apparently we’re sharing a room,’ said Ellie. ‘But don’t worry, I don’t snore.’

  ‘Frankie does,’ Dad piped up.

  I glared at him. ‘Only when I have a cold!’

  ‘Well, now that we’re all here, we can head off,’ said Jan. She took Dad by the arm and started leading him out of the room, leaving me and Ellie alone.

  Ellie was taller than me, with long, straight hair. The sort of hair I’d always wanted, particularly when mine was being completely unreasonable. She had gorgeous golden-brown skin, like she belonged on the beach. I bet she didn’t burn as easily as I did, or get as many freckles. She was wearing a strappy green sundress, which I eyed enviously. If I wore something like that in summer, my shoulders would end up looking like two cooked lobsters.

  ‘How old are you?’ Ellie asked.

  ‘Nearly fourteen,’ I said.

  ‘So I’m older,’ she said. ‘I tu
rned fourteen in June. Any other siblings waiting to jump out and surprise me?’

  ‘Nope. What about you?’

  She shook her head. ‘As far as I know there’s just me.’

  As she flicked her blonde hair over her shoulders, I saw her ears were pierced. Lucky her. Maybe I could ask Dad again about getting mine done. It would be awesome if I could come back from holidays with pierced ears.

  Then Dad called out, ‘Come on, girls, in the car.’

  Girls. Great. He made it sound like I had an instasister.

  I was glad Jan had a big car because it meant I wasn’t crammed up close next to Ellie. We both stacked some of our things in the middle of the back seat, like a little fence between us. It wasn’t that I particularly minded her coming to the beach, but I wasn’t going to go out of my way to be her BFF. I was annoyed with Dad for not telling me about her. It felt like what had happened with Jan all over again.

  From the back seat, I watched Jan put her hand on Dad’s knee while he was driving. It made me uncomfortable. She seemed okay, but I’d only met her twice: once in the bathroom and the second time at dinner. I wasn’t used to the idea of Dad having a girlfriend, and now I was expected to watch her putting her hand on my dad’s knee, and hang out with her daughter for the next ten days.

  Maybe I would have been better off going to London with Mum. At least then I wouldn’t have had to share a room with a girl I didn’t know and see my dad with his new girlfriend every day.

  I wondered if Ellie had spent more time with Dad and Jan than I had, and how she felt about her mum having a new boyfriend. I guess I had the whole holiday to find out.

  A couple of hours later we pulled into a driveway and Jan turned round and smiled at both of us. ‘We’re here. Ellie, can you show Frankie around?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Ellie, and climbed out of the car.

  The house was beautiful. It was painted white and was old-fashioned-looking. I spotted a hammock hanging between two trees in the backyard. There didn’t seem to be any fences, so the gardens just ran together from one house to the next.