by Mel Sparke
When, after about five minutes, he did put the receiver down, he turned to her, complete shock on his face, and said, “You won’t believe what’s just happened…”
CHAPTER 19
BACK TO SQUARE ONE
As she made the short journey from her house to the End, Sonja wondered what was so important that Owen wanted to see her ‘as soon as possible’.
When she had managed to catch him at home an hour ago, she had expected him to be peed off at the very least. She would be if the guy she was seeing had left a club without saying goodbye. But Owen sounded on top of the world.
She was only just coming to terms with the fact the Kyle had been two-timing her, probably for the entire time she had been seeing him. The irony was that he was obviously doing the same to her as she was to him on Saturday night with that nightmare with the pink hair.
No wonder he looked shocked-not delighted, as Owen had been-to see her at the club. It explained why he wouldn’t dance when she suggested it and why he seemed to be as evasive as she was.
And although she had laughed it off at the time, when she mulled over the scene of him with Pink Hair in the mall, she realised that her pride had been hurt, if nothing else. Imagine how she would feel if someone as nice as Owen had found out about her two-timing him. He’d be gutted.
At least Kyle was out of the picture now. It cleared the way for Sonja to concentrate on Owen for whatever time they had left.
Her thoughts returned to Owen and his insistence on seeing her so urgently.
Maybe he’s decided to stay in Winstead? Wouldn’t that be the best thing ever! she mused, her mood instantly lightening at the prospect. He could get a job locally, find a flat and they could get to know each other so much better. It would be brilliant.
Owen was perfect boyfriend material-mature, intelligent, amusing, nice and so damn gorgeous it hurt. Him staying would be the best thing that had ever happened to Sonja.
She was at the café now and she could see Owen from the window, sitting at the little corner table by the jukebox. She waved through the window and smiled as he waved back and stood up. then came to meet her at the door as though he hadn’t seen her for months.
“Sonja, great, come and sit down,” he smiled, his pleasure at seeing her obvious. He took her by the arm and led her back to his table.
Sonja sat down and he asked her what she wanted to drink.
She watched him skip behind the counter to get the Diet Coke she’d requested.
Maybe Nick has offered him a job at the End? she mused. Or in the record shop next door? Nick was often short-staffed, so having Owen work alongside his sister would be an ideal solution for both of them. That would be even better: then Sonja could see him whenever she wanted, a bit like Kerry and Ollie.
Owen came back to the table with a couple of Cokes. “So, how are you?” he asked. “It feels like I haven’t seen you for ages.”
“Well, it’s been nearly two days,” Sonja laughed warmly at the compliment, “so, yeah, you’re right, that is ages. I’m fine, really well.”
“And how’s Kerry?”
Sonja looked down at the table and felt guilt tinge her cheeks pink with embarrassment. “Oh, she’s much better, thanks. She thinks she must have had a dodgy drink, that it made her feel a bit queasy. Anyway, how are you? You sounded pretty upbeat on the phone. Have you won the Lottery or something?”
“Better than that,” Owen beamed. “I’ve got a job.”
Sonja could hardly contain herself. So she was right-he was staying. “That’s great!” she beamed. “When do you start?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh, fabulous! Will you be staying in Winstead then?” said Sonja excitedly.
“God, no,” Owen replied. “It’s nowhere round here. It’s in Newcastle.”
Sonja’s mouth dropped. “What?”
“Newcastle,” repeated Owen.
“Newcastle?” Sonja exclaimed in dismay. “I, uh, mean, what are you going to Newcastle for?”
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe it, it’s a great opportunity!” he enthused. “It’s for a small firm working on the Internet. They were recruiting for new staff. I applied, though I didn’t think I had a hope in hell of getting a job. I’m only a graduate after all.
“Anyway, I had an interview with them a month or so ago and because I hadn’t heard anything, I’d forgotten all about it. But they’ve been trying to get in touch with me at home. In the end, they managed to speak to my flatmate and he gave them my number here. They’ve been trying to get hold of me but never managed to catch anyone in. I only came off the phone to them just before you rang. They’ve offered me the job. Isn’t that brilliant?”
Sonja could have cried. To have all her hopes dashed like this was the cruellest blow imaginable. But she couldn’t let Owen know her true feelings, not now he was going. She turned her smile on full beam, leaned over the table and gave him a hug.
“That’s wonderful news. Owen,” she said. “The best. And I hope you’ll be really happy there. You deserve it.”
“Poor Son, what a rotten way for it all to end.” Matt reached across and ruffled Sonja’s hair affectionately with his hand.
Several days had gone by, Owen had left and Sonja’s life was getting back to normal. So much so that as she sat in the End with her friends around her, a small part of her wondered if it had all been a giddy dream.
Sonja had gone from being a snog-free zone to hormonally hot stuff, in lust with not just one guy but two, and back to zilch again. Life was tough sometimes, she’d decided.
But it wasn’t in Sonja’s nature to be down for long. She’d had a moan and a wail to Kerry, a moan to Matt, and now, as she recounted that final scene with Owen to the rest of the gang, she was just beginning to see the funny side.
“I mean,” she guffawed, “there was I thinking that a university graduate and potential top web designer would be happy cleaning tables and serving up egg and chips in a greasy spoon! Just so we could be together. I must have had my brain on back to front.”
“You’re not going to go in for one of these long-distance love affairs then?” asked Cat.
Sonja shook her head. “I can’t see the point. He might as well live in Timbuktu as Newcastle. He said I could go and stay anytime I like, but I can’t see that happening. In a week or two he’ll have forgotten all about me, and vice versa.”
“That long?” Catrina frowned. “God, you must have it bad, girl.”
“And I don’t suppose Kyle is at the top of your entries in your Little Black Book, either,” Matt chuckled. “Get lost, you rat! Who are you after now, the whole hockey team?” he mimicked, not for the first time since he’d heard about Sonja going full steam ahead in the mall.
“Not my best choice of boyfriend, I have to admit,” conceded Sonja with a wry grin. “Though a good talking point for years to come, I think.”
“But you haven’t got anyone else up your sleeve, have you, Son?” Matt quizzed. “No one else you’ve got your sights set on?”
“Well, I’m always looking,” she answered. “I’d like to think there might be someone else, and sooner rather than later. I think in the future though I’ll stick to one at a time. It’s less stressful that way.”
She watched Matt laughing at what she’d said and thought how good-looking he was when he let rip with a natural laugh, rather than his contrived, look-at-me guffaw that sounded so false.
Matt could be quite good boyfriend material, she suddenly realised. He was funny and hunky, and she already knew him as a friend so she was aware of his bad points as well as the good.
She wondered if that was a thought worth pursuing…?
Sugar SECRETS …
…& Mistake
“If you want to wait a while, I’ll phone for a taxi,” Matt offered. “I’ll pay.”
“No thanks, Mr Moneybags. You don’t have to waste Daddy’s allowance on me,” trilled Cat, always quick to get a dig in at Matt and his cushioned lifestyl
e. “I’ll just keep Joey company. And I fancy a walk.”
She’s up to something, thought Sonja, gazing at her cousin through narrowed eyes as she kissed Kerry goodnight and waved at the others.
Years of growing up with Cat and watching her get in and out of scrapes was qualification enough for Sonja to suss out when trouble was brewing. And apart from that, when was Cat-who never wore anything on her feet less than three inches high-ever in the mood to walk anywhere?
But this is Kerry’s night, Sonja reasoned, so I’m not going to spoil it by saying anything. Cat can’t keep anything to herself for long, so we’ll find out soon enough what she’s up to…
“Well, tonight’s been great, Kerry-I’ve never actually had an Indian meal in an Indian restaurant before. I’ve only ever eaten it out of a foil tray when it’s been delivered,” admitted Matt, gazing round at the ornately papered walls and intricately decorated wall hangings of the restaurant.
“Really?” said Ollie in surprise, sitting up straight and pulling the small, wet towel off his face. While the girls had delicately wiped their fingers with the lemon-fragranced hot towels given to them by the waiter, Ollie had walloped his across his face with a groan of pleasure.
“You didn’t say that when we came in.” As often happened, Sonja was surprised that while Matt was one of the oldest and most ‘privileged’ (big house, posh boarding school, buckets of cash) of them all, he could be pretty naive too.
“Why give Cat more ammunition to have a go at me!” Matt shrugged good-naturedly.
“But you two love sniping at each other!” laughed Sonja.
“Oh, I don’t think Matt loves it, do you. Matt? You’ve just got used to answering her back, haven’t you?” Maya said intuitively.
“She always starts it. All I do is try and give back as good as I get.”
“What is it-a bit of self-protection, then?” asked Anna, whose favourite hobby was working out what was going on inside people’s heads. But she hadn’t had anyone to practise her amateur psychology on since she’d moved to Winstead, until she’d started to hang out with Ollie and his friends.
“Whoa! It’s like sitting in between Ricki Lake and Oprah here!” Matt laughed, holding up his hands.
“Yes, but you haven’t got as hard a shell as you pretend, have you, Matt?” smiled Maya.
“Me? I’m tough as anything!” he jokingly boasted, holding his arms out and flexing his muscles theatrically.
Maya reached over and tickled his armpit, and Matt crumpled up laughing.
“Hey, you know who you sounded like there!” said Ollie, reaching down into Kerry’s bag.
“Furby!” the girls all squealed as Ollie placed the black and white furry toy-Matt’s present to Kerry-on the table. He tickled its tummy and the creature burst into a mechanical rattle of giggles.
Looking over at Matt’s grinning face, Sonja felt guilty at joining in with her cousin’s teasing of him earlier in the evening. She was so used to Catrina and Matt’s constant bickering that it hadn’t really occurred to her that it might sometimes get a bit wearing for him.
So he’s cocky and overconfident a lot of the time, but he’s so sweet and kind too, she said to herself, thinking specifically of the goofy but perfect gift he’d chosen for Kerry. “I just saw it and thought it looked like Barney!” he’d explained when she unwrapped it. It was true-the fluffy toy did look like Kerry’s lovable, daft dog.
In fact. Matt’s a bit like Kyle and Owen rolled into one… Sonja mused.
Before her latest attempt at romance had fallen flat on its face, she’d been torn between Kyle’s fun-loving but full-on character and Anna’s sensitive and adorable brother, Owen. Neither of the relationships had come to anything; Owen had landed a job a long way away, while Kyle had shown his true colours by seeing someone else behind Sonja’s back. Not that Sonja could complain about that, since she was guilty of doing exactly the same thing.
Yep. Sonja decided, Matt certainly has Kyle’s swagger and humour, but at least he’s more reliable. And he’s as handsome and can be as gentle as Owen, but doesn’t live ten trillion miles away…
Catching herself having these strange and unprecedented thoughts about her friend, Sonja experienced something that rarely happened to her-she blushed to the roots of her honey-blonde hair.
“Come on, there’s one shot left-it’s a shame to waste it,” Maya cajoled the others later, as they stood shivering in their summer clothes in the cool evening air.
On her instructions, Ollie and Kerry snuggled up-with their backs to the window of the Kamil Tandoori restaurant and the glances of the curious waiters inside-while Anna stood to their left, and Sonja and Matt posed to their right.
“Son-budge up to Matt! I can’t get you all in!” Maya waved over at them, her face obscured by the camera.
“C’mere, you!” said Matt, boisterously pulling Sonja in close to him.
The heat from his body so close to hers burned through Sonja’s thin cotton dress.
“Matt!” barked Maya, dropping her camera down. “What on earth have you got stuck to your lip? Is it a bit of nan bread you were saving for later?”
“Huh? Where? Son-check it out for me!” said Matt, turning to Sonja.
With one finger, Sonja reached up and brushed the bit of bread away from his lips, wondering for a fleeting moment what it would be like to kiss them…
SOME SECRETS ARE JUST TOO GOOD TO KEEP TO YOURSELF!
Sugar Secrets…
1 … & Revenge
2 … & Rivals
3 … & Lies
4 … & Freedom
5 … & Lust
6 … & Mistakes
7 … & Choices
8 … & Ambition
DO YOU ACT BEFORE YOU THINK?
Cat’s obviously got something up her sleeve at the moment, but Sonja’s definitely got stuff on her mind too! The question is, will their actions come from their hearts or their heads?
Are you the kind of girl that always thinks things through, or do you go with your first instinct and consider the consequences later? Look at the following scenarios and think about how you’d react if they happened to you.
1. Would you describe yourself as…
a) Cautious-although sometimes you wish you were braver?
b) Someone who takes chances-even if they sometimes don’t work out?
2. When you’ve got to make a decision, do you…
a) Think about all the pros and cons before you make your mind up?
b) Co with your first, gut reaction (and keep your fingers crossed behind your back)?
3. Out of the blue, you decide to get your eyebrow pierced/get a pet rat/chuck in school. Would you…
a) Talk it over with your mates or your parents before you went ahead?
b) Act on your instincts and surprise them all?
4. You spill a secret ambition or plan in front of a few mates. If their reaction is a big thumbs-down, would that make you…
a) Stop and think for a bit, before you do anything drastic?
b) All the more determined to do it?
5. You decide to do something-like take a course-that none of your friends are involved in. You feel nervous about going it alone, but…
a) Confident too-after all, you’ve given it a lot of thought.
b) Excited-the thrill of the unknown makes it even more challenging.
6. You’re hanging out with one particular mate and having a great laugh. Thing is, he’s a lad. Does it ever cross your mind that he’d make a great boyfriend?
a) Yes, but you wouldn’t rush anything. Why ruin a beautiful friendship?
b) Yes! It’s obviously destiny!
7. You’ve done something you know your parents are going to flip out over. Do you…
a) Bite the bullet and tell them calmly, hoping to get it over with as soon as you can?
b) Put off telling them for as long as possible?
8. Your parents find out what you’ve done and hit the roof. Do
you…
a) Try to see it their way, and do your best to have good answers for the questions they’re going to throw at you?
b) Lose it completely and tell them they’ve forgotten what it’s like to be young?
9. Do you believe in fate?
a) Maybe, but a little bit of luck and a lot of good sense have more to do with getting what you want.
b) Yes, and that’s why you’ve got to follow your heart when it comes to big decisions.
10. Cupid’s arrow is…
a) Like love at first sight. You feel it all right, but you still want to get to know someone properly before you give your heart away.
b) What life’s all about. You can’t argue when that thunderbolt of love strikes you!
NOW CHECK OUT HOW YOU SCORED…
SCORES
An equal mixture of a and b
There are times when you use reason to work out what to do (something Cat never does!); at other times you go with your feelings. That’s a good balance: you know the importance of thinking things through, as well as being able to tune into your instincts. Learning to use both your senses-your common sense and your intuition-means any decision you come to will probably be the right one.
Mostly a
You live by logic, looking at a situation inside, outside and every which side before you make a decision. It’s a pretty sensible approach, but occasionally, the more you analyse something, the more you can get in a muddle about it. That’s when you need to take a leaf out of Cat’s book and go with the vibes you’re getting, rather than just trusting the bare facts.
Mostly b
Your heart rules your head, and while that’s romantic and exciting, it can also land you in a whole lot of trouble! Like Cat, you leap into things on a whim, and while things could work out OK, you might just end up regretting not listening to that little voice in your head. Nobody’s saying you’ve got to give up trusting your instincts, it’s just that you should also check in with what your noddle’s got to say before you dive in!
