Pop Princess
Page 11
I felt all ten of us stiffen in anticipation as Tanya walked over to Sarah. Who would it be?
Tanya seemed to whisper something in Sarah’s ear, then Sarah nodded and turned to the audience.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said into the microphone, ‘but there will be a slight delay in announcing the winner. The technicians are having problems with a couple of the phone lines and people haven’t been getting through. Perhaps while we’re waiting, we could ask our Pop Prince to come forward and sing for us again. ‘I’ll keep you informed and let you know as soon as we have some news.’
‘Oh argghhh,’ said Sushila, leaning against me.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘Argh, argh, argh . . .’
THE MORNING after we got back from London, I had a lie-in until eleven o’clock. Mum said that even though it was a bit naughty, I could have the morning off school. She and Dad were even taking time off. It felt like bliss to sleep in and not have to think about songs or rehearsals or what I’d wear or losing half a stone. Bliss, bliss, bliss.
When I finally got up and went down to breakfast, I found Dad grinning and waving an envelope at me.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘Good news,’ he said. ‘Nothing definite yet, but it’s a step in the right direction. It’s a letter from an agent. A very good agent in London. She likes the outline and chapters I sent her and wants to see the rest of the book.’
‘So does that mean you’ll have a deal?’ I asked.
‘No,’ said Dad, ‘but it means someone is taking me seriously. These guys don’t waste time if they’re not really interested. If she takes me on, she’ll try and get me a deal. So fingers crossed for me, Becca.’
‘So will you give up your job?’ I asked. Although I was glad he had received a positive response, I didn’t want to go back to those nights lying awake listening to him and Mum arguing.
‘No, I won’t give up the job,’ he said. ‘In fact, I’m beginning to enjoy it. I missed being in a working environment, missed the stimulation. I’d only give up work if I made it on to the bestseller lists and stayed there for the better part of a year. I can write and work for the time being.’
‘That’s fantastic, Dad,’ I said. ‘You deserve a break.’
‘Too right,’ said Mum, coming in through the back door with a carrier bag. ‘I’m going to cook your dad a celebratory breakfast. Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and . . .’ She pulled out a bottle of champagne, ‘. . . a bit of bubbly.’
Dad looked really chuffed. ‘Oh Megan, you needn’t have . . .’
‘No bother,’ she said and kissed the top of his head. ‘I think it’s important to celebrate the small successes in life as well as the big ones. And Lord knows, you’ve tried hard enough to get someone to pay you some attention. And of course, there’s Becca’s news . . .’
Mum put the champagne in an ice bucket, then found three glasses.
‘Who else is coming?’ I asked.
‘It’s for you, you daft nonce,’ she said, then she popped the cork and poured three glasses. ‘You can have it with some orange juice.’
I took the glass she offered me and held it up the way people do at weddings. ‘A toast,’ I said. ‘To my dad, the famous novelist.’
Dad lifted his glass. ‘To my lovely family, without whom none of it means anything.’
‘So you’re not going to split up, then?’ I asked.
Mum looked shocked. ‘Split up? Of course not!’
‘Whatever made you think that, Becca?’ asked Dad.
I shrugged. ‘Nothing. Just heard you rowing sometimes.’
‘All couples row sometimes, love,’ said Mum. ‘It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.’
‘You’ve not been worried about this for long have you?’ asked Dad.
‘No . . . Yeah, sort of. People do break up, you know,’ I said. ‘Like Mac’s mum and dad.’
‘Well, you don’t need to worry about us,’ said Dad. ‘We’re in for the duration. It would take a lot more than a few rows to break us up.’
Mum raised her glass. ‘To us,’ she said. ‘Our little family. To you, Joe – wishing you every success. And to you, Becca – singer extraordinaire and our very own Pop Duchess.’
‘Duchess?’ I asked.
‘Well, that lovely Indian girl won the title Pop Princess. You came third, so I reckon that makes you a Duchess.’
I laughed and gave a royal wave. ‘It was top, wasn’t it?’
‘I’ve never felt so proud of you,’ said Mum. ‘You were brilliant.’
It had been brilliant. We only had to wait half an hour for the phones to start working again then the results came through. Sushila won, with thirty-five per cent of the vote, Jade came in second with twenty-one per cent of the votes, then . . . me. Me! With nineteen per cent of the votes. I was over the moon. Delirious. Ecstatic. Sushila deserved to win – she stood out a mile. And Jade – well, I’ve always known Jade was good. She wasn’t too happy about coming second, though, and couldn’t help showing it. Shame, because when the press pictures come, everyone’s going to see what a sulky cow she really is.
I was gobsmacked that I came third. I really, really, really didn’t expect it. I was hoping for sixth or seventh or something, so coming in third had far exceeded my expectations.
After a lovely morning with my parents, I finally got into school at lunch-time. Everyone in the playground cheered. It was fantastic. Loads of people came up and said, ‘Well done’ and ‘You were fab’ and ‘We saw you on telly’ . . . I felt like a real star. The press had put our school on the map for having two competitors in the finals. One paper said there must be something in the Cornish air that breeds talent. That should keep my teachers happy, I thought. Maybe they’ll give me a better report next time.
As we were going into classes for the afternoon, Miss Segal waved for me to go over to her.
‘Yes, Miss Segal,’ I said.
‘Well first, I believe congratulations are in order,’ she said. ‘I saw you and Jade last night. You were both fantastic. I felt so proud. That’s why I wanted to have a word. It’s about the Easter show. I don’t know if you’ve noticed yet, but I put a notice up about it last week and I wondered if you’d like to take part this time.’
I felt really chuffed. To actually be asked this time.
‘Of course Jade will be wanting a leading role, but I’m sure there will be room for both of you,’ continued Miss Segal. ‘We’re going to be casting next week. So what do you think? Would you like to be in it?’
I glanced over at Mac, who was standing behind her. ‘Um, yes, sort of, but I . . . I don’t want a lead part. In fact, I don’t even really want to be in it.’
Miss Segal looked puzzled. ‘So what would you like, then?’
‘How about if I get involved in the other side of things. – like producing?’
Miss Segal was obviously surprised. ‘Why produce and not sing?’
‘Couple of things. First: I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do when I’m older. I could carry on with my singing, but most singers, unless they’re Kylie or Madonna or someone, they only have a short time at the top, and then what? What would I do if that was me? It would be back to all the angst I felt throughout that competition.’
Miss Segal smiled. ‘What a sensible girl you are, Becca. Most girls your age wouldn’t have that kind of foresight. So what’s the other reason?’
‘Something Mac said to me ages ago. About managing and producing and the people who make it all happen. I think maybe I could go into producing or management when I’m older and the school show would be good practice to see if I’d like it.’
‘Well, yes. And I’m sure your experiences from the show will stand you in good stead if you want to pursue producing. But that’s my job, really.’
‘Maybe you could use an assistant? I think I learned a lot doing that competition, about people needing encouragement and ways to relax, as it can all be pretty stressful.’
‘I
t can indeed,’ said Miss Segal, looking closely at me. Then she smiled again. ‘This is a surprise, Becca. Very encouraging that you haven’t got your head in the clouds and been carried away by it all.’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I’ve seen how good the competition is out there. It won’t be an easy ride for anyone, not even Sushila or Elliott, who won first prize.’
‘So you’d rather be a big fish in a small pond?’
‘For now, I guess,’ I said. ‘Until I know what I want to do. Then, well . . . you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it and work hard.’
Miss Segal leaned back against the wall in mock shock. ‘I can’t believe I’m hearing this,’ she laughed.
‘And with the Easter show, could I be involved from the beginning – with the casting as well?’
Miss Segal nodded. ‘Yes, I don’t see why not. You could sit in on that as well.’
Fab, I thought. It would be interesting sitting on the other side of things and I decided I wouldn’t be mean to anyone, even if they were rotten. And I wouldn’t be horrid to Jade, but I doubted she’d even want to be in it once she heard I was producing.
‘And, um, you know what you just said about me being sensible and having foresight and stuff?’
‘Yes, Becca?’
‘Well, er, could you put that in my next report?’
Miss Segal laughed. ‘Yes, of course I can. How about this: Becca shows great ambition, but her head isn’t in the clouds; in fact, her feet are firmly planted on the ground and she seems to know exactly where she’s going.’
I beamed back at her. ‘Sounds excellent to me.’
The complete Cathy Hopkins collection
The MATES, DATES series
1. Mates, Dates and Inflatable Bras
2. Mates, Dates and Cosmic Kisses
3. Mates, Dates and Portobello Princesses
4. Mates, Dates and Sleepover Secrets
5. Mates, Dates and Sole Survivors
6. Mates, Dates and Mad Mistakes
7. Mates, Dates and Pulling Power
8. Mates, Dates and Tempting Trouble
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10. Mates, Dates and Chocolate Cheats
11. Mates, Dates and Diamond Destiny
12. Mates, Dates and Sizzling Summers
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Mates, Dates Guide to Life
Mates, Dates and You
Mates, Dates Journal
The TRUTH, DARE, KISS, PROMISE series
1. White Lies and Barefaced Truths
2. Pop Princess
3.Teen Queens and Has-Beens
4. Starstruck
5. Double Dare
6. Midsummer Meltdown
7. Love Lottery
8. All Mates Together
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1. This Way to Paradise
2. Starting Over
3. Looking For a Hero
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