Sugar Secrets…& Flirting
Page 12
“But, Matt,” gasped Anna, not quite able to take in the significance of what he was saying.
“And OK, so you might have to waitress for a while out there, but it’ll be a lot more fun than here and it’ll give you plenty of time to think about what you want to do next, like studying or whatever…”
At last, he turned away from the night sky and looked into Anna’s face, wondering what her reaction was to his words.
“Matt… I… that would be perfect!” she whispered.
Matt slid both his arms around her and pulled her close. “Anna, it’s me and you, all the way, from now on,” he muttered, holding her tightly.
For a few minutes they stayed that way, aware only of the happiness cocooning them both.
“Hey, listen!” said Anna, suddenly pulling away from him. “Isn’t that Cat’s voice?”
Matt tilted his head to one side and heard roars of laughter coming from the yard - with Cat’s voice booming loudly over the top of it all.
“What’s she doing here? What’s happened to that fancy-pants party of hers?” he frowned.
“Come on then, let’s see what’s going on!”
Hand in hand, they hurried towards the doorway and out on to the metal verandah at the top of the stairs.
“Hey, you two, come on down!” Sonja called up to them, “you’ve got to hear this stuff!”
Anna led the way, clattering down the steps - past Billy and Gaby standing at the kitchen door, fingers, Anna noticed, entwined - and grabbed the nearest chair.
“What’s happened to your party, Cat?” she asked as Matt flopped down next to her.
Cat was sitting at the end of the table, the gold of her outfit making her look like a person-shaped glitterball in the candlelight.
“Oh, you haven’t missed out on much,” Cat shrugged, sending twinkles of light reverberating around the walls of the yard. “Only me, making a fool of myself over a boy! Again!”
She rolled her eyes and slumped theatrically in her seat. Clearly, she hadn’t had the best of nights, but to Anna and Matt it was also obvious that Cat was now loving being the centre of attention as she relayed her sob story.
“Wait till you hear this!” Sonja giggled. “It’s the best! Ben Fitzpatrick never turned up at the party tonight so Cat only tried to flirt with that Daniel guy instead, and Daniel only went and—”
“Thank you, Sonja, I’m perfectly capable of telling my own story!” Cat snapped at her cousin.
“Go on then,” grinned Matt. “Tell us!”
“Well, like I just told the others,” Cat began, ignoring the fact that Andy was groaning and had his hands covering his face, “I start flirting with Daniel and he starts getting very flirty back. Or so I think.”
“And?” asked Anna, wondering what the others were all snickering at and what was up with Andy.
“And so the next thing, Daniel says he’s got something to ask me,” Cat continued, one of her blonde knots of hair now unfurling into a tangled ponytail on the side of her head.
“Which was?” Anna prompted as the sniggering all around the table reached epic proportions.
“Which was…” said Cat, dragging her story out for dramatic effect, “is Andy seeing anyone?”
“You mean…” gasped Anna.
“Yep,” said Cat, nodding. “He fancies him and not me!”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Cat!” Andy blushed. “I sussed as much on Thursday, but…”
“Anyway,” Cat interrupted, rifling around in her bag and pulling out a piece of paper, “Andy, this is for you - Daniel’s mobile number - if you want it.”
Andy reached out to take it from her - but Cat snatched it back. “Ah, ah, ah!” she told him off. “I think you owe me a big fat kiss for that one!” Cat grinned at him, pointing to her cheek with her finger.
Andy grinned back, leant over the now-empty plates of food and landed a smacker on her face.
“Well,” smirked Cat, passing him the paper, “I don’t know if it really counts, but at least I got one kiss off a bloke tonight!”
“So the whole party was a waste of time then?” Kerry piped up.
“Don’t get her started on that again, please!” Vikki rolled her eyes.
“No - I’m not going to moan about that any more!” Cat announced. “And anyway, it’s helped me see that maybe I’ve been getting it all wrong. Maybe acting isn’t really for me after all.”
“Oh, yeah?” frowned Sonja. “Why not?”
Every one of her friends around the table silently wondered if Cat had finally seen sense. Cat was a great actress - and didn’t they all know that, on a day-to-day basis, as well as what they’d seen her do on the stage - but they all suspected that what she really wanted was fame. Nothing would stop Cat from having stars in her eyes.
“Well, it’s just not… glamorous enough!” shrugged Cat, a little dusting of gold make-up shaking off her as she did so. “No, I think I should maybe think about a new career!”
“As what?” barked Matt, a smile splitting his face.
“Well, tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be… a singer. Tra-la!”
“What?” squawked half her friends around the table as the others sat open-mouthed.
“Well, I sang when I did that panto at college, didn’t I?” said Cat defensively. “So I’ve got an OK start. I just need to take a few more singing lessons for technique, and work on my image, and I could be out there - being the next… I dunno - Kylie or Madonna even!”
It wasn’t Kylie or Madonna wafting out of the speakers at that moment, but that didn’t stop Cat. Before anyone could make any comment, she leapt to her feet, clambered up on her chair and began singing along at the top of her voice.
Ollie looked across the table at Anna and Matt and behind them at Billy and Gaby. “Whoo-hooh!” he called out encouragingly and started clapping his hands. Soon they, and everyone else, joined in as Cat threw her arms out and gave it all she’d got.
Maya raised her camera and, as she caught Cat in action, she spotted lights going on in the upstairs flat next door, where Nick and Cyndi must have been disturbed from their romantic night in by Cat’s caterwauling.
“She’s not bad!” Kerry giggled in Ollie’s ear as she clapped along.
“She’s not good either!” Ollie laughed back. “But with Cat, I’d never say never. She’s the one out of all of us who could be a star - she wants it badly enough!”
Kerry gazed at her boyfriend’s face then around her, at all her friends.
Maybe, way in the future, Cat will end up with a hit record, or starring with Tom Cruise in some blockbuster, she decided. But this is what makes me happy - being with my best mates, right now.
And, with that, Kerry kicked off her shoes, clambered on to her seat and surprised everyone - including herself - by singing along with Cat.
CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
Do you think that keeping a secret is delicious - or too much like hard work? Are you the type who’ll open your mouth and spill straight away, or can you be trusted to keep those lips zipped tight shut? Try our quiz and find out…
1. Your drama teacher tells you that you’ve got the lead in the school play, but asks you to keep it quiet till he’s told the other girl who was up for it. You spend the rest of break…
a) In a huddle with your mates, telling them your amazing news.
b) Chewing your fingernails, waiting impatiently until you can let people know.
2. A friend admits that she’s got a thing for this obnoxious loser of a boy you both know. She begs you not to tell anyone else. You swear you won’t…
a) But you know you will. It’s just too freaky to keep to yourself!
b) Cause you can see how mortified she is, and - hey - everyone’s allowed to make a mistake!
3. A boyfriend once confessed that he’s got a phobia… about ladybirds. You promised never to breathe a word - except now you’ve split up and you’re dying to tell your girlfriends…
a) And why not? It’s n
ot like you owe him any loyalty if you’re not dating him any more!
b) But you don’t. He told you that secret in confidence, and just ‘cause you’re not an item any more, doesn’t mean you should break that trust.
4. Your friend tells her parents that she’s been out with you, when really she’s been seeing a boy they disapprove of. You run into her dad next day, and he if asks if you two had fun. You…
a) Say straight off that she wasn’t with you. You can’t handle getting into some big complicated lie.
b) Shrug and say something non-commital, then corner your mate and tell her that she’d better sort it out - it’s not fair to involve you in secrets like that.
5. You’re looking for something in a cupboard when you find a plastic bag full of goodies. It’s your birthday next week, so this stuff’s obviously meant for you. Do you…
a) Brandish the bag at your mum and say. “You didn’t hide this very well, did you!”
b) Keep schtum, and act dutifully surprised when you tear off the wrapping paper on your big day.
6. People are bitching about your best mate, saying she’s gone sulky and moody. You know it’s because her parents are splitting up, but she wants to keep it to herself right now. Next time you catch someone having a go, you…
a) Can’t hold it in any longer. You’ve got to set people straight and put an end to the moaning.
b) Say nothing, but advise your best mate to get it out in the open so the rest of her friends can be understanding too.
7. A friend is driving you all nuts, so you organise a night out without her, just this once. But during the day, she gets you on your own and asks if there’s something going on. You look her straight in the eye and…
a) Tell her yes; you’re all going out, and she’s not invited, simple as that.
b) Tell her no, ‘cause you don’t want to hurt her feelings. But you realise that you and your other friends have got to sort out the problem properly.
8. Your sister has ‘borrowed’ a fiver from your mum’s purse, and says she’s going to put it back when she gets paid from her Saturday job. Then you see your mum checking her purse, looking concerned. You…
a) Put your mum out of her misery straightaway and point the finger at your sister.
b) Get hold of your sister and lay a serious guilt trip on her about how stressed out she’s made your mum. She’d better fix it, or else you’re telling.
9. Your gran has won a chunk of money on the Lottery. She’s buying everyone in the family a present, but has asked you not to tell anyone else about her win. You…
a) Immediately tell all your friends - well, they don’t really count, do they? And how else can you explain your new personal CD player?
b) Don’t really understand why your gran wants to keep her good news secret, but she is your gran, so of course you won’t blab.
10. You’ve just been asked out by the coolest guy around. Your head’s spinning and you feel like yelling out your news for the world to hear. Instead you…
a) Restrict yourself to phoning up every friend in your address book and letting them know who’s a lucky girl!
b) Tell only your best friend - for now. After all, if the date doesn’t work out, there’ll be less explaining to do.
NOW CHECK OUT HOW YOU SCORED…
SO, CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
Mostly a
Keep a secret? You couldn’t - not even if you were offered a million pounds and a hot date with all of Five! Admittedly, some secrets can be a bit dodgy (see questions 4 and 8), but on the whole, when you hear a secret, you tend to see it as an excellent piece of gossip and don’t really think of the consequences, like making a fool of the person who told you the secret in the first place! Here’s a tip: next time you hear something juicy, try keeping it to yourself for a day before you decide whether or not to share it around. Give your conscience a chance to work, before your mouth gets you - and other people - in trouble!
Mostly b
Anyone would be glad to have a friend like you. You’re loyal, trustworthy and thoughtful - and you sure know how to keep a secret. Be proud of your self-control in the face of excellent gossipworthy material! But there’s one thing you should remember - not all secrets are good. If keeping a secret means covering up for someone else’s bad behaviour (see questions 4 and 8) then you really should think twice before you get involved and land yourself in an uncomfortable situation. Keeping quiet isn’t always the right thing to do!
SOME SECRETS ARE JUST TOO GOOD TO KEEP TO YOURSELF!
Sugar Secrets …
… & Revenge
… & Rivals
… & Lies
… & Freedom
… & Lust
… & Mistakes
… & Choices
… & Ambition
… & Dramas
… & Resolutions
… & Scandal
… & Guilt
… & Luck
… & Love
… & Conflict
… & Confessions
… & Sunburn
… & Shocks
… & Jealousy
… & Flirting
Copyright
Published in Great Britain by Collins in 2000
Collins is an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
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Creative consultant: Karen McCombie
Copyright © Sugar 2000. Licensed with TLC.
ISBN 0 00 710103 1
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EPub Edition © OCTOBER 2010 ISBN: 978-0-007-40146-8
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