by Jo Cotterill
Fliss shook her head. ‘I thought of that. How can we prove it was Samantha who did it? There’s nothing to link her with anything. It’s not enough.’
Mari’s forehead creased in frustration. ‘But you can’t let her get away with it.’
‘I don’t see . . .’ said Victoria slowly. ‘I mean, we have no proof. Fliss is right.’
Mari looked obstinate. ‘We’ll just have to come up with a way to prove it.’
There were footsteps on the stairs. Fliss shot a warning glance at her two friends as Jeanette came into the room, looking flustered. ‘I quite lost track of the time,’ she said. ‘I was on the phone to Vivienne, and I didn’t realize you two were still up here.’ She gestured towards Mari and Victoria. ‘Come on. You’ve been here long enough. Fliss needs to rest. She’s still weak from the accident.’
‘I was thinking she was looking a bit better, actually,’ said Mari, glancing towards her friend.
Jeanette frowned at Mari’s tone of voice, but glancing at Fliss, she had to admit that her daughter had more colour in her cheeks than she’d had since yesterday. ‘Well, even so, time’s up,’ she said decisively.
‘But we haven’t finished discussing the thing we were discussing,’ said Fliss.
‘Bad luck,’ said Jeanette. ‘Come on. Out.’
Mari stood up. ‘We’ll think about it,’ she told Fliss meaningfully. ‘You got your phone with you?’
‘She’s not leaving this house,’ said Jeanette suspiciously. ‘I know it’s the dress rehearsal this afternoon. She’s not going.’
‘We know, Ms Richards,’ said Victoria. ‘Don’t worry. We’re not trying to persuade Fliss to act in the dress rehearsal.’
‘Or the performance,’ said Jeanette. ‘She’s out of the play completely, you understand?’
Mari and Victoria nodded. ‘See you then, Fliss,’ said Mari. She leaned forward to hug her friend and whispered in her ear, ‘I’m not giving up. Keep your phone on.’
Fliss nodded. As she waved her friends out of the room, she felt all mixed up. Mari was right, she couldn’t let Samantha get away with it. But Victoria was right too – they had no proof! Samantha wasn’t stupid. How could they ever prove it was her?
Fliss lay back on her pillows, her head spinning. There must be a way, there must . . .
Chapter 14
I can’t do that!
MARI RANG FLISS at lunchtime, two hours before the dress rehearsal was due to start. ‘We haven’t come up with anything,’ she said in a depressed tone.
Fliss felt a wave of disappointment. ‘Neither have I,’ she admitted.
‘I wanted to plant some oil in her bag,’ said Mari, ‘but Victoria went ballistic. Said it was completely immoral or something.’
‘You could get in trouble for doing something like that,’ said Fliss.
‘I don’t care,’ said Mari. ‘You should see her, Fliss. We’re at the park. She’s trying on your costumes right now, and she’s being so smug about the whole thing. Laughing about how short your skirts look on her and how she’s going to be a much sexier Juliet. Keeps flicking her hair around and asking everyone if she should wear it up or down. And how sorry she is about your accident but she’s sure you’ll be OK because, after all, skulls are very thick.’ She made a noise of disgust. ‘She makes me sick. But I don’t want you to get in trouble. We need to catch her out fair and square.’ She sighed. ‘But I can’t think of anything. Except . . .’
‘What?’
Mari paused. ‘You won’t like it.’
‘Just tell me.’
‘Well,’ said Mari, ‘I think maybe if Samantha is confronted with the evidence – you know, your shoes and everything – I think we might stand a chance that she’d give herself away.’
Fliss thought for a moment. ‘That could work. Do you want to come get my shoes?’
‘No.’ Mari hesitated again. ‘That’s the thing. I think you have to do it.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You have to confront her, Fliss. You have to be the one to face her. It won’t have the same effect if we do it.’
Fliss nearly dropped the phone. ‘Are you crazy? I can’t do that!’
‘You have to,’ said Mari. ‘You have to be the one to say what really happened.’
‘You would do it so much better than me,’ said Fliss, feeling as though she might faint from fright. ‘You’re good at standing up to people. All that confidence. You know it’s not my thing.’
‘Look here, Fliss.’ Mari’s voice suddenly sharpened. ‘Do you want justice done or not?’
Fliss squirmed. ‘Well . . .’
‘Because if you don’t,’ said Mari, ‘then you might just as well lie around in bed and mope for the next week. Do you really want Samantha to get away with it? Seriously? Do you really want her to play Juliet tomorrow?’
‘My mum said . . .’
‘Never mind your mum. You’re fine, you know you are. Even the doctor said you’d be OK within forty-eight hours, didn’t he? And Candy said you’d be perfectly capable of doing the performance even if you’d missed the dress rehearsal.’
‘Yes, but . . .’
‘Does your head still hurt?’
‘No.’
‘And you can easily play Juliet with your wrist strapped up.’
‘How would I get onto the balcony?’ objected Fliss.
Mari tutted in frustration. ‘Someone will help you. I’ll get Sean to give you a leg up.’
‘Sean? Do you mean you . . .’
‘Yes, yes,’ said Mari impatiently. ‘I asked him if he fancied me and he said yes. We’re going out, sort of. Next week maybe.’
‘But that’s amazing!’
‘We’ll see. But that’s not what we’re discussing here.’ Mari took a deep breath. Then she said, ‘Fliss, we know you. You don’t like to stand up to people. But this is about your dream. You love playing Juliet. You’re crazy about Tom. This is your big chance. Are you really going to let a sneaky, weaselly, rat-faced creep take it all away from you?’
Fliss was silent. Could she really do it? It would be the scariest thing she had ever done. Far scarier than being on stage. She’d have to confront Samantha in front of everyone. Every part of her body screamed in terror at the thought.
But on the other hand, if she did nothing, then Samantha had won, hadn’t she? If it really was her who spread oil on the ladder – if Fliss said nothing then Samantha would get away with it. And maybe she’d think she could do things like that to other people too. Not to mention the fact that Samantha would be playing Juliet, the part Fliss had wanted to play for so long. She wouldn’t get another chance like this. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn’t. But if she never tried, she’d always wonder.
‘Fliss?’ Mari’s voice came down the phone. ‘You still there?’
Fliss took a deep breath and let it out very slowly. She held the phone to her ear. ‘All right. I’ll do it.’
Mari let out a whoop. ‘She’ll do it!’ Fliss heard her say to Victoria. ‘Right,’ Mari said, becoming practical. ‘I think you should sneak in so that no one knows you’re there. That way, when you accuse Samantha, she’ll be even more shocked . . .’
The next couple of hours felt like days to Fliss. Jeanette bustled in and out with cups of tea and tiny sandwiches, ‘Just in case you feel tempted.’ Fliss was ravenous and asked for more. Jeanette was surprised. ‘I thought you might have lost your appetite.’
‘I’m not ill, Mum.’
Jeanette felt her forehead. ‘You’re a bit hot.’
‘No, I’m not. You’re imagining things.’
Jeanette looked hurt. ‘I just want to make sure you’re all right.’
‘I know, Mum. And I do appreciate it, really.’ Fliss patted the bed beside her. ‘Stop rushing around all the time. I feel bad enough you’ve had to take the day off work. I’m fine, honestly.’
‘Your head doesn’t hurt?’
‘No.’
‘What about your wrist?’
Jeanette sank onto the bed with a sigh. ‘You hear such terrible things about people who’ve banged their heads. Think they’re OK and then two hours later they fall down dead.’
‘It’s been way over two hours,’ said Fliss gently. ‘And the doctor did check me over at the hospital. He wouldn’t have sent me home if he thought there was anything to worry about.’
‘I know.’ Jeanette rubbed her eye. ‘I can’t help it, that’s all. I don’t want to . . . lose you.’
Fliss felt a wave of sympathy for her mother. ‘Oh Mum, you’re not going to lose me.’
‘Aren’t I?’ Jeanette looked at her. ‘You’re growing up so fast,’ she said sadly. ‘You don’t tell me everything any more.’
‘What do you mean? Of course I do!’
‘No, you have secrets you only tell your friends,’ said Jeanette. ‘Like this morning. What could you tell Mari and Victoria that you couldn’t tell me?’
Fliss reached forward to put her good arm around her mum. ‘I will tell you, honestly,’ she said. ‘Later today. It’s something I have to face up to. I’ve been a scaredy-cat for too long.’
Jeanette stroked her hair. ‘That’s probably my fault, isn’t it?’ she said with a sigh. ‘I protect you too much, I know I do.’
‘You’re my mum, you’re supposed to look after me.’
‘I get it all wrong,’ said Jeanette, shaking her head. ‘I only want what’s best for you, but it always seems to come out wrong.’
Fliss pulled back to look into her mum’s eyes. ‘You don’t get it wrong,’ she said gently. ‘Maybe sometimes I’m just ungrateful. I know you’re only trying to make sure I have a good future. I should listen to you more.’
‘But I don’t listen to you enough, do I?’ asked Jeanette. ‘I worry so much about you making the right decisions, I don’t ask you what you want.’ She sighed again. ‘Being a mother is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.’
Fliss gave her another hug. ‘You do it really well. Honest.’
Jeanette squeezed her back. ‘You are the best daughter in the world. And I will try to listen more to what you want. I know being in this play meant a lot to you. I’ve booked my ticket, you know. Maybe we can both go and watch it tomorrow, eh? It won’t be sold out, will it?’
Fliss smiled. ‘That sounds good.’
Jeanette touched her gently on the nose. ‘I love you, Felicity.’
Fliss felt her eyes fill with tears. ‘I love you too. And you’re a great mum. I know you only want me to be happy.’
Jeanette hugged her again and Fliss hugged her back, but inside she felt like a traitor. Here she was, promising to be a better daughter, when she knew that within an hour she would be slipping out of the house against her mum’s wishes. Jeanette had just told her she was the best daughter in the world – and she was about to betray that trust. But if she didn’t, she would lose the chance to fight for her dreams.
Fliss buried her face in her mother’s shoulder and wished there were another way.
‘She’s still not here,’ Victoria whispered to Mari, as they both peered anxiously through a crack in the set. ‘We’re nearly at the end.’
‘Maybe she’s hiding round the corner until the right moment,’ said Mari.
‘Maybe she’s not coming,’ said Victoria.
Mari turned to face her friend. ‘She has to come!’ she hissed. ‘She agreed!’
‘But this is Fliss we’re talking about,’ argued Victoria. ‘You know she’s terrified of confrontation . . .’
‘Sssh!’ said several people.
Mari took Victoria’s hand and they headed back along the path towards the tent. When they could be sure they were out of earshot, they stopped and stared at each other. ‘She has to come,’ said Mari again, but her voice was uncertain.
Victoria sighed. ‘I miss her. It’s not the same without her.’
‘You’re so right,’ said Mari, glancing back the way they had come. ‘Samantha is murdering the lines.’
‘She just sounds so harsh,’ said Victoria.
‘Nasal,’ Mari said, pursing her lips. ‘Sounds like she’s talking through her nose. And she’s not even getting the words right.’
Victoria frowned in puzzlement. ‘Is that what it is? I thought the words sounded a bit different but I assumed it was because it was a different person saying them.’
Mari shook her head. ‘She’s making half of them up. They’re nearly right, but little words here and there are wrong.’
‘I suppose Candy is just grateful that there’s someone who knows any of the lines at all,’ mused Victoria.
‘It would have been better if they’d got someone in to read the lines from the book than have Samantha do it,’ said Mari.
‘Oh, come on,’ said Victoria. ‘She’s not that bad. Her voice is a bit annoying, and she’s making some little mistakes, but she’s doing OK. I mean, if we hadn’t been used to Fliss doing it, we might even have thought Samantha was quite good.’
‘I wouldn’t,’ said Mari. ‘She stomps around as though she owns the stage. She doesn’t wait for you to finish your lines – she interrupted me twice in one of our scenes. And did you see the way she flirted with Tom in the balcony scene? Juliet wouldn’t do that. Samantha was outrageous!’
‘Well, unless Fliss turns up, Samantha will be doing it for real tomorrow,’ said Victoria.
‘I don’t think Tom would be impressed,’ said Mari, her mouth twitching into a reluctant smile. ‘Did you see him when they were meant to be kissing? He could hardly bear to touch her. I reckon that relationship isn’t going to last.’
‘It’s too late for Fliss though, isn’t it?’ said Victoria sadly. ‘She’s given up on him.’
‘Don’t you believe it,’ Mari began, but she stopped as she saw a familiar tall figure with red hair coming towards them. ‘Sean,’ she said coolly. ‘You OK?’
‘Yeah,’ said Sean. ‘Just came to say we’re nearly at the last speech. Candy wants everyone on stage to practise the bow.’
‘Oh, cheers,’ said Mari.
Sean hesitated, then turned to go.
‘Oh, by the way,’ Mari suddenly said.
Sean turned back, his face lit up with expectation. ‘Yes?’
‘Your left sleeve is torn,’ Mari pointed out.
‘What?’ Sean twisted to see. He swore. ‘Mrs Carstairs is gonna kill me!’
‘You are naughty,’ said Victoria to Mari as they watched Sean head off again. ‘He thought you were going to say something sweet.’
‘Treat ’em mean, keep ’em keen,’ said Mari. ‘Don’t want him to think I’m too easy to please, do I? He won’t make the effort.’
Victoria shook her head in amusement. ‘Where do you get these ideas?’
‘Oh, come on,’ said Mari. ‘Everyone knows you’ve got to play hard to get. At least a little bit. Boys like the thrill of the chase.’
Victoria let out a snort. ‘You read too many magazines.’
They headed back to the stage. The Prince was just declaiming the last lines of the play: ‘For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.’
‘Good,’ came Candy’s voice from the audience. ‘Can I have everyone on stage please?’
Mari and Victoria clambered up behind the other cast members, and Candy began sorting them out into groups. ‘You guys come on first – from stage right. Stage right, Simone, that’s the other side. And this group, you come on next. From stage left this time. First group, you move to the back of the stage so the next lot can have a bow . . .’
From the shadow of a tree, Fliss watched the company shuffle around the stage, and felt as though her knees might give way. Sneaking out of the house had been easier than expected, since Jeanette had had to go to the shops for more bread and milk. Fliss had felt terrible about it. She’d left a note, telling Jeanette she had to
do something important, but she knew her mother would be angry with her, especially after the conversation they’d just had. And now that she was here, clutching her shoes in her hand, a large part of her wished she’d just stayed at home. How could she possibly face Samantha in front of everyone? More than ever Fliss wished she’d had the courage to tell Candy what she suspected. But then, would Candy have believed her?
The curtain call practice was coming to an end, and Samantha and Tom were taking their bows. Samantha wore such a smug expression on her face that Fliss felt the anger rise inside her. How dare Samantha look so self-satisfied? She might at least have the decency to look modest; to give off the air of, ‘well, I only got the part by a piece of luck.’ Instead she was stalking from one side of the stage to the other, giving several bows and acting as though she were the best in the play. By contrast, Tom looked somehow smaller as he watched her in bewilderment.
‘I think that will do, Samantha,’ said Candy drily. ‘Four bows is quite enough for anyone.’
Samantha let out a silly laugh. ‘But I am the leading lady. Surely I get a couple more?’
Before she knew what she was doing, Fliss had moved out of the shadows and towards the stage. A small gasp went up from the cast members who caught sight of her. ‘Fliss!’
Mari and Victoria, standing towards the back, looked up and saw her too. ‘Fliss!’ yelled Mari. ‘I knew you’d come!’
But Fliss only had eyes for Samantha, who had gone quite white. ‘Hello, Samantha,’ she said.
‘Fliss,’ said Candy, ‘you shouldn’t be here. You should be resting.’
‘Well,’ said Fliss, her eyes still firmly fixed on Samantha, ‘I would be, Candy, but there was something I had to come to tell you.’
Candy looked puzzled. ‘What, here? Now?’
Fliss nodded. If she kept her feet planted firmly on the ground, somehow she didn’t feel so nervous. ‘You see, Candy, when I fell off the balcony ladder – well, it wasn’t exactly an accident.’
There was a sudden murmur from the cast on stage. Many of them were staring at Fliss in astonishment. Victoria reached for Mari’s hand and gripped it tight. ‘Go on, girl,’ muttered Mari.
