As the two sat engrossed in conversation, three girls with not much on apart from a pair of roller blades skated towards them. They stopped in front of Rachel and Lewis.
‘Lewis, is that you?’ said one of the girls. She had the typical Sandbanks look: blonde hair, posh accent and breasts spilling out of her top. Lewis looked up, slightly puzzled.
‘Er, yeah. Sorry, do I know you?’ he said.
‘Yes you do, I’m Sophie.’
‘Hi, Sophie,’ he said, and tried to go back to his conversation with Rachel.
Sophie interrupted: ‘You still don’t remember me do you?’
‘No, sorry I don’t.’ Lewis noticed Sophie’s two friends looking Rachel up and down, as if gauging how much of a threat she was. He felt protective over her and wanted to tell her she was just as good as they were. No, they weren’t even in the same league as Rachel.
‘This is the guy I was telling you about,’ Sophie said to her friends.
They sniggered and looked at each other.
‘Sorry, what’s so funny?’ asked Lewis.
‘A few weeks ago we spent the night in your garden, remember?’ said Sophie.
‘Oh. Yeah, I remember,’ Lewis said, looking down at the floor. The memory sent a hot spike of embarrassment straight into his brain.
‘You did a disappearing act in the morning,’ said Sophie. Then she looked at Rachel. ‘Has he done that to you yet, sweetie?’
Rachel said nothing.
‘I’m really sorry about that,’ Lewis replied.
‘You really are a naughty boy, Lewis, but I forgive you.’
‘Sorry, that was a terrible thing to do,’ Lewis replied. He was desperate for this conversation to end. ‘I don’t usually do that sort of thing.’
‘That’s not what I’ve heard.’ Sophie made no attempt to hide her flirtatious tone.
‘Yeah, well I’m trying to change. I’m different now.’
‘Really? Is that the line you’re spinning now?’
‘It’s not a line. I don’t do that sort of thing anymore.’
‘Lewis, come on, you’re always on the prowl - like a tiger. And tigers don’t change their spots.’
‘Actually it’s leopards that don’t change their spots,’ Rachel interrupted.
‘Whatever,’ Sophie replied, not looking at Rachel.
‘Lewis, I think I’m going to go,’ Rachel said, standing up.
‘I’ll give you a lift,’ said Lewis.
‘No it’s okay, I’ll get the bus.’
‘Oh how cute,’ said Sophie. ‘I’ve never met anyone who catches the bus. I don’t think I could ever bring myself to use a bus.’ Her little harpie girlfriends laughed right on cue.
‘You know, I believe you,’ said Rachel. ‘You need to be able to read a timetable and I imagine your little blond head would get confused with all those numbers.’
Sophie couldn’t think of a suitable comeback. She just stared blankly with her mouth open.
‘Could you close your mouth?’ said Rachel. ‘There’s a terrible smell of bullshit coming out of it.’
Again, Sophie had no words to fight with, so she just resorted to her meaningless default reply:
‘Whatever.’
Rachel stood up, As she did, some paper fell out of her bag. She ignored it and walked back towards the bus stop. Lewis scooped up the discarded paper and began trotting after her. The three girls rolled after him like seagulls following a fishing boat.
‘Ah, look, he’s going after her,’ said Sophie. ‘Quick, Lewis, she’s getting away.’ The three girls cackled and it was plain to see that they intended to heckle Lewis and Rachel all the way back to the bus stop.
Rachel kicked off her shoes and headed across the beach to walk along the shoreline, ensuring the roller bitches couldn’t follow. Lewis quickly caught up with her.
‘Rachel, Rachel. That stuff they were talking about. It’s not true. Well it is true, I mean it was true. I was like that but I’m not now.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘Because I want you to know what sort of person I am.’
‘It doesn’t make any difference to me.’
‘Really? That’s great.’
‘It doesn’t bother me. Do what you want, it’s a free country.’
‘It’s not like that. I did some stuff that I’m not proud of, but that’s in the past now.’
‘The past makes it sound like years ago. It was what - two, three weeks?’
‘Something like that.’
Rachel didn’t saying anything and carried on walking looking down at the sand. Lewis didn’t need to be a mind reader to know that he’d blown it with her, or rather Sophie had. But that was also his fault. He’d pissed in the wind and it had blown back in his face. His mind seized and the words backed up in his throat. It didn’t matter - there was nothing he could say to change her mind. Rachel wasn’t stupid and no amount of sweet talking would make it right. She wasn’t that type of girl.
Rachel and Lewis crossed the sand and walked back up the windy path that led to the bus stop. She stopped and faced him.
‘Tell me,’ said Rachel, ‘Why did you start reading Twilight?’
‘Because you said it was good,’ replied Lewis.
‘Is that the real reason?’
‘Of course.’
‘What book did you read before that?’
‘Don’t know, can’t remember.’
‘So you just started reading it because I told you to.’
‘Yes, absolutely.’ Lewis wanted to say he would walk over broken glass if she asked him to. He’d do anything to prove he was serious about her.
‘You’re not a very good liar,’ said Rachel. She folded her arms and carried on walking.
‘I’m not lying. Why would I lie about that?’
‘I’ll be straight with you, Lewis. I don’t really know who you are. There’s the Lewis who talks about Twilight and buys me ice cream, and there’s this other Lewis who’s got a skeleton in the cupboard the size of a dinosaur who basically seems like a complete bastard to women. And don’t say I’m imagining it because I keep meeting these people who think the same way.’
‘You’re not imagining it. Like I said back there, it’s true, I was like that but I’ve changed. You’ve got to believe me.’
‘I really want to, I really do. Look my bus is here now.’ They crossed the road. She climbed onto the bus without saying good bye.
‘Hey what about this?’ Lewis said, holding up the papers she’d dropped. He glanced at the first page: ‘Something about A Love Like Blood.’
‘Keep it, I don’t want it,’ Rachel replied as the doors closed behind her.
Lewis dawdled back to his van in the car park, feeling like the boy who cried wolf. No matter what he said she wouldn’t believe him. Inside he knew he was a changed man since meeting Rachel, but no-one would believe him. They just saw the same old Lewis, and this would keep happening unless he did something drastic. If he didn’t, then there would always be some mysterious girl coming out of the woodwork to sew doubts in Rachel’s mind. He was certainly paying for the mistakes of the past. He had to show her somehow that he’d changed.
As he reached his van, a sudden bolt of anger shot through his body. He clenched his fist and punched the side of it, putting a dent in one of the side panels. Lewis swore as a sharp pain spread across his knuckles. He stood there in agony looking at the little crater he had made in the metal. It reminded him of the bit when Edward stops the van from crashing into Bella. A small idea began to form in Lewis’ head and a tiny glimmer of hope lit up his heart.
Chapter 12
*
Lewis returned home feeling a little more optimistic. A plan was taking shape in his mind. It wasn’t fully formed yet but at least he had something to work to. As he walked in, Olivia came bounding up to him.
‘How did it go with Rachel?’ she asked.
‘Not great.’
‘Oh no. Why?’
‘We were getting on really well, and reading Twilight was a brilliant idea of yours. We didn’t stop talking about it and I felt like I was getting somewhere. Then Sophie showed up.’
‘Sophie, who’s Sophie?’
‘She’s a girl I kind of got off with a few weeks ago.’ Lewis said, leaving out the bit about abandoning her in the garden. ‘Anyway, she started mouthing off about what I was like and Rachel took it the wrong way. So now I’m back to square one again.’
‘Oh, Lewis, that’s such a bummer.’
‘I know, but I think I know how to fix it.’
‘Really? How?’
‘I’ll tell you later. Listen, have you finished New Moon yet?’
‘No, but I’m nearly there.’
‘Come on, Olivia, I really need to read it. Can’t you speed up?’
‘Just give me a couple of hours. Why don’t you watch the Twilight DVD while you’re waiting. It’s really good, and R. Patz is so hot.’
‘Who’s R.Patz?’
‘Robert Pattinson, the guy who plays Edward and he’s brilliant.’
‘Okay, I’ll give it a go. Is it in the cinema room?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Okay but while I’m watching it you promise to keep reading?’
‘I won’t take my eyes off the page.’
Lewis wandered down into the basement of the house to their home cinema. It had ten sleek luxurious leather chairs arranged in two semi-circular rows. Each chair had wide arms and could be reclined with a flip-up leg rest. At the back of the room was a small kitchen, its cupboards stuffed with popcorn and a variety of snack food. There was also a large fridge packed with beers and fizzy drinks.
Lewis threw down the bits of paper Rachel had left behind and grabbed the remote control. A huge screen began to unfurl on the back wall and a series of cylindrical speakers dropped down from the ceiling like hi-tech stalactites. Lewis slid the DVD into the player at the back of the room and took a seat. He sat watching the film as if he’d been hypnotised. Everything about it was flawless and exactly how he’d imagined it in his head. It certainly lived up to the book and every character had been perfectly cast.
The guy who played Edward was like a supernatural James Dean. The image of him seared itself onto Lewis’ brain like a mental tattoo. He felt a strange admiration for him mixed with jealousy. The notion was ridiculous. How could he be jealous of someone who didn’t really exist? But he could, because this was who Rachel was in love with: Edward Cullen.
When the film had finished, Lewis skimmed back through it, pausing on a shot of Bella and Edward together. Edward wore a smart double-breasted grey wool coat and his hair was perfect. Lewis thought he looked like coolness personified. Just at that moment, Olivia entered the cinema with New Moon in her hand.
‘Ta-da, finished,’ she said tossing the book into Lewis’ lap. ‘What did you think of the movie?’
‘Brilliant,’ Lewis said without looking away from the image on screen.
‘What are you doing?’ asked Olivia.
‘Nothing. I need to get my hair cut,’ Lewis suddenly said out of the blue.
‘What? How can you talk about getting you haircut after watching that?’
‘That bloke who does your hair at Toni & Guy, what’s his name?’
‘Stefan? He’s a genius. Why do you want to get your haircut?’
‘I just want my hair cut, all right.’
‘Okay, whatever.’ Olivia took her mobile out, found the number and gave it to Lewis who copied it into his phone.
‘You won’t get an appointment, though,’ she said.
‘What? Why not?’
‘That man is the best stylist on the south coast. You won’t get an appointment for well over a month.’
‘You’re kidding me.’
‘Nope, it’s true. Try it if you don’t believe me.’
Lewis had not been to a hairdresser for several years and even then Lewis was more of a £5-at-the-barbers type of guy. He had no idea of the nuances of modern up-market hair salons. He went mad and kicked the wall.
‘Hey, what’s the matter with you?’ Olivia said, tugging Lewis by the arm.
‘I need to get my haircut right now, okay?’
‘All right, take it easy, you’re starting to scare me. Why don’t you go somewhere else?’
‘No, this needs to be done by someone good. I mean look at me.’ Lewis pulled off his beanie hat and showed Olivia the patch where his stitches were.
‘Wouldn’t it be better to wait until your stitches are out and your hair’s grown back?’
‘No, I want to look different. I’m fed up with having long hair on one side and short hair on the other. I look like I should be in care or something. And I need a change of image.’
‘When have you ever been worried about your image?’ said Olivia, trying to catch his eye.
Lewis sat down, sulking.
‘Look, I’ll tell you what,’ Olivia said as she sat down beside him. ‘I have set appointments with him every month. You can have my next one. It’s on Tuesday, how does that sound?’
‘Cool.’ Lewis’ anger subsided, but only a little.
‘Don’t thank me, then.’
‘Sorry, thanks.’
‘Okay. I’ll make the call, as long as you promise to stay calm until then.’
‘I promise.’
Now Lewis had made the decision to sort his hair out, he couldn’t wait until Tuesday came around. Time slowed and went at the pace of an asthmatic snail, but at least he could read while he waited. The pages of New Moon flipped over like they were being blown by the wind. In between reading, he kept hassling Olivia to read faster so he could get on to the next book. In the end Olivia got so fed up with him that she went and bought him his own copies of the next two books in the series so she could read in peace.
On the morning he was due to get his hair cut, Lewis went on the computer and put in a Google image search for ‘Robert Pattinson Twilight’. He was astounded when the search came back with millions of hits. He printed off five shots of R. Patz as Edward and took them with him to Toni & Guy.
The salon was located in the middle of town and was full of achingly trendy people who buzzed around the place in well-tailored clothes and ornate hairstyles. A smiley receptionist with thick black-rimmed glasses showed him to a seat and gave him a cappuccino.
‘Stefan will be with you soon,’ she said, as if Stefan was some kind of royalty and the mere mention of his name made you speak in hushed tones. ‘Would you like to see a style book?’ she asked.
‘No, I know exactly what I want,’ said Lewis, clutching his printouts.
After about five minutes, the fabled Stefan glided in from the back of the salon. He was small, skinny and dressed head to foot in tightly fitting black clothes. He looked like a burnt matchstick.
‘Ah, so you are Olivia’s sister,’ he said with a slight accent, but Lewis couldn’t place where it was from. ‘I see you share her excellent bone structure. Now how can I improve your life?’ Lewis didn’t understand what this meant. As if reading his mind, Stefan continued. ‘Hair is so important, it defines who we are. The shape of our hair, shapes who we are.’
‘That’s right,’ Lewis replied excitedly. ‘That’s exactly what I think. I want to change my image, I want something different.’
‘You are the perfect client. Now may I remove your hat?’
‘Yes, of course. I’m afraid I’ve got stitches so I don’t know how easy this will be.’
‘Everyone deserves to look good, whatever their condition.’ With a delicate touch, Stefan removed Lewis’ beanie. He looked carefully at the hair around Lewis’ stitches with the care of a forensics expert.
‘Is that going to be a problem?’ Lewis asked.
‘There are no problems, only solutions,’ replied Stefan.
‘I’ve got some pictures of what I want.’ Lewis handed him the print outs of Robert Pattinson as Edward. ‘Could you make me look like that?’
For a second, Lewis thought Stefan was going to laugh at him. But Stefan was a consummate professional who took his job very seriously. Stefan clicked his fingers at a passing junior.
‘Blue tac,’ he said.
The junior returned with a knob of blue gunk. Stefan took it, broke it into five pieces and used it to stick the pictures around the mirror in front of Lewis. Stefan then looked at Lewis and began lifting areas of his hair so he could measure its length and gauge its thickness. After several minutes of prodding and pulling, Stefan seemed to reach a conclusion:
Becoming Edward Page 13
