‘You did. You went, “Mwahahaha.” Like an evil villain laugh.’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘You definitely did. It wasn’t a very good one, but it was one nonetheless.’
‘What do you mean it wasn’t very good?’
‘There was no power in it; you didn’t use your diaphragm. Like this.’ She threw me a mischievous smile before flinging her head back and really going for it. ‘MWAHAHAHA!’
‘Wow.’ I laughed, trying to ignore how surreal this all was and act as though I chat to famous pop stars all the time. ‘Much better than mine.’
‘Aha! Then you do admit you did it!’
‘Fine, I admit there was a slight cackle.’
‘So, then.’ She folded her arms triumphantly. ‘Why?’
I hesitated. ‘Long story short, I got in a bit of trouble recently so Mum grounded me and is making me help out around the hotel.’
‘If you’re grounded, doesn’t that mean you can’t leave your house?’ she asked, with furrowed eyebrows.
‘Right. I’m stuck here.’
‘Wait a second.’ She looked at me in disbelief. ‘You live here?’
I nodded.
‘In the hotel? In Hotel Royale?’
‘I know, it’s weird.’
‘Weird?’ Her expression broke into a wide grin. ‘It’s SO COOL!’
‘I guess it has its moments.’
‘You must order room service the whole time. I would.’
‘Mum doesn’t let me,’ I admitted, pleased to have someone else on my wavelength. ‘She likes to keep everything as normal as possible. Our flat has a kitchen and everything, so I’m not allowed to use any of the hotel perks.’
‘You have a flat in the hotel?’
‘Yeah, it takes up most of the fifteenth floor.’
She shook her head in amazement. ‘So, being grounded in your terms means you get to hang out in the most amazing hotel in the city?’
‘That’s one way of looking at it.’ I shrugged. ‘But it’s just home to me.’
‘And part of your punishment is helping out? Doesn’t sound like much of a punishment. Must be cool to see how it all works.’
‘Wait until you see the number of forks there are.’ I sighed. ‘Your turn.’
‘My turn what?’ she asked, baffled.
‘I told you why I did the evil cackle, now you tell me why you’re on your own hiding out in a piano room when you’ve only just arrived in London.’
It was her turn to sigh. ‘Sometimes all the photographers, and the fans, and being told exactly where to be and when, with no time to myself . . . I just haven’t stopped.’ She bit her lip. ‘Sounds selfish, doesn’t it?’
I shook my head. ‘Not really. I can see why sometimes you’d want to sneak away and have a breather from it all.’
‘Right.’ She nodded slowly. ‘I could have just played the piano in my room, I guess, but I didn’t want to kick my team out when they’re so busy sorting the schedule. I needed a bit of space and your mom mentioned you had a piano room so I thought I’d sneak out for a bit. Playing the piano is very calming. I feel much better now.’
‘Then you should sneak out more often.’
She smiled and then held out her hand. ‘I’m Sky, by the way.’
‘I know. And it’s Flick, rather than Felicity,’ I said, stepping forwards to shake it.
‘It’s really nice to meet you. Hey, do you –’
Suddenly the main door swung open and my mum marched in, followed closely by Audrey and a worried-looking Timothy.
‘Flick, I can’t believe . . . Oh.’ Mum came to a halt when she saw who I was talking to. ‘Miss Chase.’
‘Hi, Christine.’ Skylar gave her a cheery wave.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said quickly. ‘I can’t believe my daughter has been disturbing you when you’ve obviously been trying to rehearse. She was meant to be helping Timothy with . . . Well, never mind. Flick, I thought I made myself clear, you were –’
‘Actually,’ Skylar interrupted, ‘this is all my fault.’
‘It is?’ Mum said.
‘It is?’ I squeaked.
‘Yes, of course,’ she said breezily. ‘You see, I’ve been writing a new song and I was desperate to show it to someone. I couldn’t tell if it was any good and I was going to call up to the room and see if anyone could come down, but I’m sure you understand, Christine, my team are extremely busy.’
‘I . . . I can imagine,’ Mum replied, looking from Skylar to me very suspiciously.
‘I didn’t want to disturb them so I popped my head through this door here and I saw Flick placing the . . . forks.’ She turned to me. ‘Right?’
‘That’s right.’ I nodded vigorously. ‘The fish fork, the dinner fork, the salad fork and the cocktail fork.’
Mum and Audrey looked surprised. Behind them, Timothy gave me a very proud thumbs up.
‘I asked her if she wouldn’t mind listening to my song and she came through to offer her criticism. She took a lot of persuading, because she was really focused on the . . . um . . . silverware, but I begged her to help. It was very kind of her to risk getting in trouble for me.’
‘Anything for a guest. Right, Mum?’ I smiled sweetly.
‘So, as you can see –’ Skylar sighed heavily – ‘it was all my fault and I’m sorry for causing trouble.’
‘No need to say sorry,’ Mum said quickly. ‘I hope we didn’t interrupt.’
‘It’s a good thing you did, actually –’ Skylar checked her sparkly diamond watch – ‘I better go back before my tour manager loses her mind.’
She strode past the three of them to the door and, pulling it towards her, she stopped to look back at me. ‘See you around, Flick.’ She grinned.
And with that she swanned out of the room, all of us watching her go.
What’s she like then?
Who is this? I don’t have this number saved
Ouch. That hurt. No, wait. I don’t care. What’s Skylar Chase like?
WHO IS THIS?
Caps lock, eh? Must be getting angry
?!?!?!?!?!
When’s your vlog going to be up and running? I need to subscribe. But WAIT! How can you possibly do anything without your selfie stick?! PRINCE GUSTAV, YOU ROGUE! CALL THE NATIONAL GUARD! ALERT THE QUEEN! TELL MI6 TO SEND THEIR BEST AGENT!
Cal. I should have known it was you
From my wit and charm?
From how annoying you are. What do you want? How did you get this number?
Audrey gave it to me. She said you and Skylar were hanging out
What’s it to you?
No need to get so touchy
Look, I’m very busy. In answer to your question, Skylar is very nice. OK? Leave me alone now
Busy watching YouTube videos of puppies barking at themselves in the mirror?
ARE YOU IN MY FLAT? EW!
Chill out, Audrey said you were obsessed with those stupid videos. It was a lucky guess
Audrey needs to stop talking about me to you. It’s invasion of privacy.
I told you what Skylar was like. So leave me alone
Fine. I was actually texting you to let you know that Chef has saved a plate for you from dinner but I’ll let him know that you don’t want it. I was just asking you about Skylar Chase to be polite
Wait, what?? NO don’t tell him that!
Sorry. Too late. I just threw it away
You are such a moron
I didn’t tell anyone at school about Skylar Chase.
I know, weird, right? Usually if I meet anyone remotely famous I phone Ella straight away and know it will be all over school by the next morning, but it just felt different with Skylar. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It’s not like I didn’t get the chance to tell anyone, either – Grace ambushed me the moment I stepped on to school property, asking me a hundred questions all at once about whether she was actually staying there, if I’d spoken to her and whether or not it’s true she had a fling with Justin Bieber.
Without even thinking, I lied and said I hadn’t seen her, before changing the subject.
Grace looked disappointed but cheered up at lunch when she excitedly announced that the Daily Post had confirmed Skylar Chase was staying at Hotel Royale. She’d been spotted leaving the hotel with a huge entourage that morning. Everyone turned to wait for my reaction but I just shrugged, saying I’d let them know if I saw her. Satisfied with my answer, Ella turned the discussion to who was wearing what to her party and which boys were going to be there, a conversation that continued at my locker as I got my books out for the last lessons of the day.
‘So, definitely the green top over the pink?’ she asked for the fifth time that day.
‘Yes,’ I replied irritably.
‘Tights or no tights?’
‘Uh-uh,’ I said automatically, struggling to find my maths book in the bomb site that was my locker.
‘I guess it depends on the shoes I’m wearing.’ She sighed heavily, as though dealing with a world catastrophe. ‘And I don’t know whether to curl my hair or leave it straight. Maybe I’ll get a blow-dry. There’s so much to think about.’
‘Sure,’ I answered, finally tugging out my maths book.
It sent everything else in my locker flying out with it, scattering books and loose paper all over the floor. I groaned and crouched down to start picking it all up when I noticed someone else bend down next to me to help. Oliver, Grace’s brother, gathered together the loose sheets and handed them to me.
‘Thanks,’ I said gratefully, standing up and awkwardly trying to balance everything in my arms.
‘That’s OK.’ He laughed, immediately catching a book falling from my grip. ‘You got it all?’
‘Yep.’ I shoved everything back into my locker, taking the final book from him, throwing it on the top of the pile and closing the locker door quickly.
‘You do know that it will all fall out again as soon as you open your locker door,’ he commented.
‘I know,’ I grumbled. ‘I need a new locker. This one’s WAY too small. I did formally request they get bigger lockers last term but they just ignored me. This school is so mean. If I get flattened by one of these books falling on top of me, I will be able to sue.’
Oliver laughed as though I’d told a hilarious joke.
Quite frankly I see nothing funny about this school’s clear lack of concern for their students’ well-being but whatever, he clearly has a weird sense of humour.
Since Oliver had come over, Ella had been too busy vying for his attention to help me pick anything up. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and twirled a lock of her glossy brown hair.
‘That was kind of you, Oliver,’ she said in a sickly sweet voice. ‘Flick’s locker has always been a disaster. She’s so lazy.’
I did a double take at her face as I noticed her lips were much shinier than they had been a moment before. She must have added a slick of lip gloss as soon as Oliver bent down to help me pick everything up.
‘I’m looking forward to your party next week, Ella.’ Oliver smiled, showing off his prominent cheekbones.
Ella giggled stupidly. ‘It’s going to be so fun.’
‘You going, Flick?’ he asked, his eyes flashing towards me.
‘She’s grounded,’ Ella replied flippantly.
‘What did you do to get grounded?’
‘I hope you’ve invited all your friends,’ Ella interrupted, before I could answer. ‘I’ve got a proper DJ and a photo booth.’
‘Sounds cool. Well, I better get going. See you around.’
Ella watched him stroll down the corridor and join his friends who were waiting for him. When he turned the corner, Ella leaned back against the locker. ‘Did you see his eyes?’ she said, still in a daze. ‘So dark and mysterious – and he has such good eyelashes. They’re so long, aren’t they?’
‘I didn’t notice.’
‘They are amazing. Are you sure he’d like the green top? Not that I care.’
‘Why don’t you ask Grace?’
‘That’s a good idea.’
She swanned off and I sighed with relief. I don’t think I could have faced the last five minutes of lunch break listening to her drone on about Oliver Dillon’s long eyelashes. I watched her pootle down to where Grace was glued to her phone – no doubt reading the latest about Skylar Chase – and then I turned to slam straight into Cal Weston.
‘Watch where you’re going!’ I snarled.
‘You walked into me,’ he huffed. I moved to step around him but he grabbed my arm.
‘Hey,’ he said, so quietly I could barely hear him, ‘how come you’re not telling anyone about your run-in with Skylar Chase?’
‘None of your business,’ I snapped. ‘Don’t say anything, OK?’
He held up his hands. ‘I wouldn’t dare.’
‘Good.’
‘I’m just surprised you’re not basking in the glory of your new-found friend.’
‘Are you this annoying with everyone or do you just save it all up for me?’
‘I like to keep the top of my game just for you.’ He grinned. ‘Does that make you feel special?’
‘Urgh, you are so weird.’ I looked around quickly to make sure no one was watching and lowered my voice. ‘Seriously, I don’t want to tell anyone about talking to Skylar. Whatever you do, don’t tell Grace Dillon.’
‘What’s wrong with Grace Dillon?’ he asked, craning over me to watch her nodding vigorously at whatever Ella was saying. ‘I thought she was all right. Well, she was, until she started tagging along with you and Her Royal Highness over there.’
‘Just don’t say anything, OK?’
‘Fine, your secret is safe with me. It just seems –’ he paused – ‘unlike you.’
‘Is that a compliment?’
‘If you want it to be.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘I can’t explain it. Skylar was . . . normal. I don’t know, it seems wrong to blurt about it to everyone. I can’t explain,’ I repeated.
Cal nodded, watching me closely. ‘No need to.’ He shrugged and then ended the conversation by sauntering off down the corridor.
I glared at his back as he walked off. I don’t know why he has to be so cryptic all the time, as though he knows something that no one else does. Whatever. I had more important things to think about than Cal Weston. Like, how I was going to escape tonight’s boring hotel chore. Please, please don’t let it be anything to do with Matthew and the hotel booking system.
PLEASE.
‘And that leads you on to the main booking system,’ Matthew announced proudly, clicking the mouse and loading what looked like the most boring spreadsheet of all time. ‘Easy, eh? Just one click. I tell you, technology is a marvellous thing.’
I tried and failed to seem enthused. Matthew sighed.
‘Is any of this going through into that brain of yours?’ He reached for one of the many dust cloths he kept next to the branded fountain pens and began to polish away a barely noticeable smear on the shiny desk.
‘Honestly, Matthew? No.’ I yawned, leaning back in my chair.
‘I thought as much. Always been a fan of your honesty, though.’ He smiled, winking at me. I stood up briefly to see over the reception desk and check on Fritz, who was sitting in his armchair as usual, greeting guests. At that moment, he was having his belly rubbed by a duchess, who was speaking to him in a baby voice, so I left him to it and sat back down.
‘How did it go with Prince Gustav?’ Matthew asked.
I shrugged. ‘Fine. He was nice about it. I gave him some selfie-stick tips and by the end he was practically begging me to stay to teach him more. I wish he’d tell Mum that I’ve been punished enough.’
‘Do you think you have?’
‘Are you kidding? I’ve had to do a hundred boring things.’
He raised his eyebrows.
‘Mum’s being so harsh.’
‘Can you blame her? She’s under a lot of stress, what with the Christmas Ball approaching.’
>
I snorted. ‘Like she has much to do with that. Audrey organises the whole thing.’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure.’ Matthew folded the dust cloth and placed it neatly back next to the fountain pens. ‘Audrey does a huge amount, of course, but your mother heads up the entire operation. Not to mention how much she does to run this place.’
‘She doesn’t have to take her stress out on me.’
‘She just wants it all to go smoothly. And this time of year there’s always plenty to do – the Christmas Ball means a lot to her.’
‘Duh, it’s the best night ever. And she gets to flirt with George Clooney.’ I rolled my eyes.
Matthew shook his head. ‘It’s not that. Maybe you should ask her sometime.’
‘Whatever, she’s been totally unfair to me. I apologised to Prince Gustav so I don’t understand why I’m still being punished,’ I huffed.
He laughed and shook his finger at me. ‘That stubborn expression of yours reminds me of the time when I caught you swapping the keys around so all the guests got the wrong key to their room. Do you remember?’
‘That was Cal’s idea,’ I lied. ‘But I was the one who got in trouble.’
‘I find that hard to believe.’ He smiled, his eyes twinkling. ‘You were the brains behind all your operations.’
‘I always took the fall for Cal, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Trust me, he didn’t get away with anything. I may be a jolly worker, but make no mistake, I’m a very strict father.’ He straightened up as a guest approached the desk, greeting them like they were an old friend whom he hadn’t seen in ages.
While I waited for him to finish, the phone began to ring next to me. All the phones at reception were gold-plated vintage ones, with a rotary dial and everything, and they had that old-fashioned trill ring. They totally suited the decor.
Secrets of a Teenage Heiress Page 5
