Faking Sweet

by J. C. Burke

  Also by J.C. Burke

  The Red Cardigan

  Nine Letters Long

  The Story of Tom Brennan

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

  Faking Sweet

  ePub ISBN 9781742744827

  Kindle ISBN 9781742744834

  Random House Australia Pty Ltd

  20 Alfred Street, Milsons Point NSW 2061

  http://www.randomhouse.com.au

  Sydney New York Toronto

  London Auckland Johannesburg

  First published by Random House Australia in 2006

  Copyright © J.C. Burke 2006

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  National Library of Australia

  Cataloguing-in-Publication Entry

  Burke, J. C.

  Faking sweet.

  For secondary school students.

  ISBN 978 1 74166 193 4.

  ISBN 1 74166 193 5.

  I. Title.

  A823.4

  Designed by saso content & design pty ltd

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Also by J.C. Burke

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Imprint Page

  Dedication

  Monday, 7 May

  Tuesday, 8 May

  Wednesday, 9 May

  Thursday, 10 May

  Friday, 11 May

  The weekend, 12–13 May

  Monday, 14 May

  The rest of the week, 15–18 May

  Saturday, 19 May

  Sunday, 20 May

  Monday, 21 May

  The rest of the week, 22–25 May

  Monday, 28 May

  Thursday, 31 May

  Friday, 1 June

  The weekend, 2–3 June

  Monday, 4 June

  Tuesday, 5 June

  Blur days, 6–7 June

  Friday, 8 June

  Saturday, 9 June

  Sunday, 10 June

  Monday, 11 June

  Tuesday, 12 June

  Wednesday, 13 June

  Thursday, 14 June

  Friday, 15 June

  Saturday, 16 June

  Sunday, 17 June

  Monday, 18 June

  Tuesday, 19 June

  Wednesday, 20 June

  Thursday, 21 June

  About the author

  Acknowledgements

  The Red Cardigan-Extract

  For the real ‘it’ girls: my sisters

  Mary, Anne, Margaret and Julia

  Calypso was right. She described ‘our liar’ perfectly. Even the way she twisted her hair around her finger as she spoke. And the foundation; she was spot on about that too. It was thick as!

  I marched through the gates of St Clementine’s forty percent excited, sixty percent terrified. At least here, at my sixteenth school, I finally had a purpose. A mission to accomplish. And more than that, I had been hand-picked for the job.

  My instructions said: FIRST STOP … CANTEEN. I didn’t like my chances of finding it, even with the map Calypso had drawn. St Clementine’s was huge, and although each turn was straightforward my sense of direction was not.

  Half my life, that’s at least seven years, has been lost somewhere between Science buildings and gymnasiums.

  Finally, after five wrong turns, I found the canteen. And there she was, just as Calypso said she’d be, tittering away and sipping her skinny hot chocolate: Jess Flynn. And she was beautiful.

  One by one, the ‘it’ girls appeared at her table. Jess greeted them like the Miss Popular she was, and in return they beamed and made a LOT of noise.

  ‘Jess!’

  ‘Saskia!’

  ‘Aggghhhhhh!!!’ This was in unison, followed by hugging and air-kissing. ‘Mwa mwa.’

  ‘Look at your tan, Saskia!’

  ‘It’s straight out of the bottle.’

  Then another shriek. ‘Isabelle!’

  ‘Jess!’

  ‘Isabelle, your hair, it’s awesome! Agghhhhhh.’

  ‘No, honey, my straightening iron is awesome.’

  The hugs continued as each girl, as clear-skinned as the one before, appeared at Jess’s table with a squeal of, ‘Eeegh!’

  The bell rang, but they weren’t in a hurry as their secret ‘it’ girls’ business wasn’t over. I couldn’t drag my eyes away from them: the beautiful, cool, perfectly proportioned ‘it’ girls who used to be friends with Calypso. And Jess Flynn, the girl who once claimed the title of Calypso’s bestie.

  Enjoy your popularity, I thought. ’Cause soon, Jess Flynn, you’ll be the most hated girl in this school. No one will want to be friends with you ’cause no one wants to be friends with a liar!

  Slowly, Calypso’s psych-up mantra began chanting in my brain. ‘Jess Flynn is evil. Jess Flynn deserves to fall.’

  I felt the heat rising off my skin. I wanted to go up to her there and then and shout, ‘I know all about you!’ But that wasn’t Calypso’s plan.

  Besides, I didn’t have the guts. I’d get noticed though. That’s the thing about being the ‘new girl’. Everyone knows you’re new, but they all pretend they can’t see you. At least they do with me. I’m not like Calypso, who bursts onto the scene making friends with every ‘it’ girl at every ‘it’ school she goes to. But I’m Calypso’s bestie now. She says we’ll be best friends forever.

  ‘Jess Flynn is a liar. Jess Flynn deserves to fall.’ The mantra was still singing in my head. It was quite long and there were bits I had to repeat, like a chorus.

  Calypso made it up before I left for Sydney. I had to memorise it until I could say it twenty times straight without stuffing up. I was good too. The bit I liked was, ‘And who is going to bring her down? Who is going to make her fall? I, Holly Hankinson, am going to bring Jess down because I am Calypso’s …’

  ‘Are you okay?’ It was Jess Flynn speaking – to me. Jess Flynn, most popular girl in Year 9, asking me if I’m okay. I stared at my shoes. My forehead had undergone a particularly nasty breakout since arriving in Sydney, and girls with perfect skin only inflamed it more.

  ‘You’re new, aren’t you?’ she pried. ‘Do you know where you have to go?’

  I muttered something back.

  ‘What year are you in?’

  ‘Nine.’ I peered up at her.

  ‘Hey, same,’ she replied, twisting a lock of golden hair around her finger. ‘Do you want me to show you where the hall is? We always have assembly first day back.’

  ‘Errr … I, I …’ Get a grip, girl! This is Jess Flynn, evil Jess Flynn. Don’t fall into her trap. Calypso warned you she’d try this!

  ‘Where did you come from?’ She smiled, perfect white teeth sparkling.

  ‘Err …’ This was my big moment. ‘Melbourne,’ I gulped.

  ‘Oh?’ I noticed a little crack pop up through her foundation.

  I took a deep breath. The liar’s face was going to crack into a thousand pieces with my next line. ‘I used to go to …’

  ‘Jess!’ someone squealed. Her golden ponytail almost whipped me in
the face as she spun around. One of the other blondes was holding up a phone and wildly beckoning to Jess.

  ‘Jess, you’ve just got to see these photos,’ she called. ‘It’s Scott, you’ll love it!’ She started squealing more and jumping up and down like she’d just won the showcase on The Price is Right. ‘Jess! Come on. Quick!’

  ‘Saskia gets a bit excited,’ Jess shrugged, backing away to the safety of her fans. ‘See ya.’

  I’d missed my moment. I didn’t even get to finish my sentence. It was a good one too: ‘I used to go to MLG.’ Then came the next one, the crashing conversation killer: ‘By the way, Calypso says “hi”.’

  But she’d gone. How was I ever going to get a girl like Jess Flynn to come and talk to me again? I’d almost had her eating out of my hand.

  Then a worse thought struck. What was Calypso going to say when I reported back that I hadn’t even managed the MLG line, let alone her name? It was only day one and already I’d stuffed up. My fingers ran across my forehead. Yep, the pus tarts were still there. Every single one of them.

  From: baby_cal666@hotmail.com

  To: holly_hank21@hotmail.com

  Subject: What happened!!!!!!!!!?????????!!!!!!!!!

  What happened!!!!!!!???????!!!!!!!! I’ve been sitting here all day waiting to hear something. Why didn’t you take your phone to school? I’ve sent you about ten thousand texts.

  Did you see her? Did you talk to her? What’d she say when you said you came from Melbourne Ladies’ Grammar? Tell me word for word what she said. Did her eyes pop out of her head when you said my name? Did she say anything about me or did she look you up and down like you had warts all over your face? She does that to girls who aren’t fashionable and stuff. Hurry up and get home and tell me EVERYTHING!

  C xoxoxoxo

  From: holly_hank21@hotmail.com

  To: baby_cal666@hotmail.com

  Subject: You were right!

  Hi Calypso

  I’m sooooooooo sorry. I left my phone at home coz I had no credit. Dumb or what eh!

  You were right. Foundation city or what! You should’ve seen her face crack when I said I was from Melbourne!!!!! Then she kind of had to go and I didn’t get a chance to say the next bit. I’m so so so sorry. Easy steps one and two will be completed tomorrow. I promise.

  At lunch I found that ledge outside the Science lab window where you told me to spy on her. Are you sure no one’s ever fallen off there before? It’s pretty high. Anyway don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. It was the best spot to eavesdrop. You were right, sound sure does rise. I heard it all.

  They were talking about going to the mall after school. You could probably hear them in Melbourne. Those girls don’t talk, they squeal, especially Jess. She was about to wet her pants over some top she was going to buy. ‘Steal you mean!’ I wanted to yell down to her. Don’t worry I didn’t.

  I couldn’t follow her this arvo coz Mum wanted to pick me up from school, first day and stuff, meet my home room teacher blah blah. But tomorrow it’ll be cool and hopefully Jess’ll be planning another trip to the mall and that’s when I’ll get her!

  Have a good day at school tomorrow. Lucky Melbourne going back a day later. Wish I was still there. Oh well, just one term in Sydney, Dad promised. Then I’ll be back.

  Give Miranda ‘the skank’ a dirty look for me. Or better still tell me she died of some slow, painful disease in the holidays.

  Miss you heaps and heaps.

  Hollyxoxoxoxoxoxo

  PS. I’ve forgotten the name of the shop Jess loves at the mall. Sorry.

  I didn’t tell her about the photo of Scott on Saskia’s phone because I knew that would’ve hurt her. Calypso was devastated when Jess cheated with Scott, then stole him for good. It was just another thing Jess had done to her – as if the shoplifting incident wasn’t enough! Calypso didn’t really like talking about it. Not even with me.

  Even when Miranda and Joe, my boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend – hooked up Calypso didn’t tell me about her and Scott. The whole time I’d sobbed and blubbered about Miranda and Joe, Calypso’d had her own pain too.

  Calypso said it wasn’t the right time to dump on me ’cause she wanted to focus on my broken heart. Even then she was the bestest friend I’d ever had, and I’d only known her a couple of a weeks.

  It wasn’t until I found out I was moving to Sydney and going to St Clementine’s, the exact same school Calypso’d just come from and the same school Jess Flynn was at, that she confided in me about Scott and Jess.

  I’ll never forget that afternoon at Calypso’s place. It was like she could finally tell someone all the stuff Jess had done to her. The list was endless. I couldn’t believe what Calypso had gone through and she hadn’t told anyone. I could never be that strong.

  In my opinion, Jess stealing Scott was heaps worse than Jess letting Calypso take the blame for the shoplifting they did. Calypso said she didn’t know what was worse. That it all hurt, and she was glad when she left St Clemmie’s in Sydney and came to Melbourne where she met me at MLG. I s’pose that’s the moment we really became besties.

  Calypso and I were destined. Fourteen years and fifteen schools later I finally had a best friend. Obviously it was meant to be. I mean look at the facts: Calypso comes to Melbourne to my school; we become best friends instantaneously; Dad finds out he’s being sent to Sydney for a few months; where does he find a place for me? St Clementine’s! Just one too many coincidences.

  My mailbox flashed ‘incoming mail’. I giggled and spun around on my chair.

  I would get through these 77 days because Calypso was with me, all the way.

  From: baby_cal666@hotmail.com

  To: holly_hank21@hotmail.com

  Subject: LIPSTIX

  LIPSTIX is the name of the shop Jess loves. How could you forget it? That’s the all important Step 5. Please Holly, refer to the manual. That’s why I went to all the trouble to write it in the first place!

  I could imagine what kind of a skanky top she’d be buying.

  Remember Jess won’t EVER nick stuff from Lipstix coz she worships Pixie, the lady who owns it, and she wants to get a job working there in the holidays. Probably so she can strut around in all that skanky gear! But her days at Lipstix are numbered.

  Go back to the plan Holly. It’s all written down for you. Remember for Step 4 you’ll have to wait for a big shop like Jeans General. Get the practice there. They’re the easy ones to do at the mall. Well, Jeans General was before we got busted there. Or rather I got busted and Jess skipped away like the innocent lamb she pretends to be.

  Actually it’s good you didn’t give her the message from me. If she thinks we’re friends she won’t want anything to do with you and it’s going to be hard enough for someone like you just to break into her group.

  Hang on, don’t even think about breaking into their group. You have a big enough challenge already. You’ll probably end up friends with Nadene Daska. That’s who I spent my first week with at St Clemmie’s.

  Change of plan. Do Step 1 only for now – tell her we’re from the same school. That should rattle her enough. Bypass Step 2 – do NOT use my name until further notice.

  Please get your mum to buy you heaps of credit so you can text me from school and tell me everything she’s doing. I’ll hang in the toilets so I don’t get busted. Lots and lots of messages please! I want to know everything they say! C xo

  PS. I know Miranda isn’t dead coz I saw her and Joe last night. He was all over her.

  PPS. Sorry Hol, I know that hurts. Girls like us need to stick together and protect each other from girls like Jess and Miranda.

  We’re too good for them!!!!!!!!!

  Love ya

  C xoxoxox

  Dear Me,

  Put $20 down on that gorgeous top at Lipstix. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the rest of it off. Maybe if Pixie gives me a holiday job I’ll get a discount. But I know Isabelle wants the job too and she was crawling so badly this arvo. But honestly
Isabelle’s fashion sense is nothing like mine. I belong in Lipstix. Isabelle belongs in Rebel Sport. Even today Pixie said to me ‘Jess, you’re a walking advertisement for Lipstix.’ Surely that has to mean something. I’m gonna start practising my voice coz I’m sooo sure she’s going to give me the job. ‘Can I be of some assistance? What size were you after?’ Aggghhhh!!!!! I’d be so good.

  Term two is going to be the best. We are planning so many parties!!! Bummer about mid-year exams but who cares. There’s a new girl, Holly or Harley or something. Apparently she’s only here for a term. How bad would that be? I wonder if she has to do the exams??? She’s probably a super brain. I’m sure she was talking to herself this morning – probably reciting the Bible or something coz she seemed to know all the answers in Religious Studies. Anyway Isabelle and Saskia have ordered me to keep away from her.

  Scott’s coming back from OS tonight. Can’t wait till he sees that photo on Isabelle’s phone. He will die! Hope he got me the pressie. Pleaze, pleaze, pleaze.

  Well too boring to tell you anything else tonight and it’s been fifteen minutes so time to wash off my face mask. That new girl really has a serious zit situation on her forehead. Nothing a bit of foundation wouldn’t fix.

  Bye Me, love Jessxxxxxxxxx

  Between 7.40 am and 8.00 am Calypso texted me four times:

  Remember bypass step 2 – don’t say my name.

  But do step 1 – you came from MLG.

  Don’t forget that line.

  Go to the ledge at lunchtime and text me. I’ll be waiting in the loos.