by Cathy Cole
“I don’t have to do that any more,” said Alex. “I’m an adult, Dad.”
“Yes you do,” said Lila’s dad firmly. “This is family time, whether you’re fifteen or twenty. Hand it over.”
Alex muttered, but passed over his phone. Tim did the same. They knew their dad too well to offer any serious argument. Lila was about to hand hers over too when she froze. She had remembered something crucial.
“Come on, Lila,” said her dad impatiently. “There’s a plate of fish and chips in the kitchen with my name on it.”
She hadn’t deleted the string of texts she’d got from Santiago. The last thing she needed was her dad knowing she was still in touch with him.
“I . . . I think I left it in my room,” she stuttered.
Buzz.
“I don’t think so,” said her dad, pointedly looking at her pocket.
There was a crash from the kitchen, and the sound of swearing. It sounded like her mum had dropped something. Her dad and her brothers all looked round at the interruption.
Seizing her chance, Lila yanked her phone from her pocket and frantically pressed DELETE ALL. The texts winked at her for a half a second, and the screen went blank.
She pressed her phone into her dad’s outstretched hand. She hoped he couldn’t feel the way her fingers were shaking.
That had been close.
SEVEN
Lila kept her head down on the walk to school the next day. The weather was colder and greyer than the day before, which didn’t improve her mood. Who would ignore her today, she wondered glumly. Maybe Eve had moved things along with Ollie after school yesterday, at some really cool place where the kids of Heartside hung out together in the evenings and laughed about not inviting the new girl along.
By the time she reached the high street, she had created a whole world where Eve and Ollie were going out and her life here had become completely impossible. It was almost a surprise to see Ollie all by himself, waiting at the bottom of the steps. The collar on his blazer was turned up against the wind. It made him look even better-looking than usual. A couple of girls shot hopeful looks at him as they went past.
“About time you got here,” he said, shivering.
Lila was surprised and grateful. “Were you waiting for me?”
“No, I just like hanging out on the steps in a gale,” he joked.
He put his hands out and grabbed her. Lila almost stumbled backwards in surprise. He wasn’t going to kiss her, was he? What would she do if he tried? There was no question that a kiss would cheer her up – and drive Eve mad with jealousy. It was almost worth doing just for that. But Lila Murray hadn’t moved to Heartside Bay to kiss boys on her second day at school. Although maybe she could be persuaded. . .
Ollie squeezed her shoulders and then let go again. “Just checking you’re still alive. I thought Eve might send a squad of assassins down your chimney in the night.”
It was ridiculous to feel this disappointed. Did she seriously want her first kiss at Heartside to be on a set of concrete steps, in the wind and the cold, where everyone could see? It didn’t exactly match the romance of a moonlit midnight on Kissing Island.
She forced a laugh. “They’d have trouble getting down the chimney. We don’t have one.”
The thought of going inside was more bearable with Ollie beside her. A reckless part of her wanted Eve to see them together, to prove that Eve’s campaign against her wasn’t working on the most important person of all. Was Ollie her secret admirer? She’d taken the note out last night and read it again. When she woke up this morning, it had still been clutched in her hand. Now it was folded up in her blazer pocket like a lucky talisman.
“What did you do last night?” Ollie asked as they climbed the steps together. “I would have hung around but I had football practice. The school pitches are right up on the cliffs. It was freezing.”
Part of Lila wanted to punch the air in relief. Ollie hadn’t been with Eve at all. She should have remembered the football practice thing; she’d even heard the PE teacher yelling at Ollie about it.
“Polly took me to the beach. We saw Josh.”
Good move, Lila, she thought, feeling annoyed with herself as soon as the words were out. Mentioning another guy to the guy you’re really interested in.
“Don’t tell me,” said Ollie, rolling his eyes. “He was staring soulfully out to sea and drawing seagulls.”
“I didn’t see what he was drawing.”
“He’s not as interesting as he likes to think,” Ollie said grumpily.
It dawned on Lila with a little thrill that Ollie was jealous. Maybe mentioning Josh hadn’t been a bad move after all.
“Anyway,” she said, trying to contain the smile she could feel growing on her face, “Polly came back to mine afterwards. I think my family freaked her out a bit.”
“Why, have they all got two heads?”
Lila frowned. “She just went a bit funny and left. I hope she’s OK. I could murder my family sometimes.” She looked around. “Have you seen her this morning?”
“She’ll be hiding somewhere, trying to stay out of Eve’s way. There’s nothing like invitation day to make a person feel welcome.”
Lila frowned. “What’s invitation day?”
“Forget it,” said Ollie, suddenly looking awkward. “I have to go and have a word with Mr Slater – PE teacher, you met him yesterday. See you at break.”
Lila watched him jog off down the corridor. Was it her imagination, or had Ollie just made that excuse so he wouldn’t be seen with her inside school? And what was invitation day? Something else to worry about. She felt alone and exposed. Putting her hand in her pocket, she tried to draw strength from the feel of the note nestled into the lining.
She made her way towards the Year 10 corridor, looking for Polly’s familiar hair in the crowd. She caught a drift of conversation from a group of girls she recognized from science the day before, and a flash of something sparkly in their hands.
“What are you wearing? Everyone takes the glamorous dress code really seriously, Eve won’t let you—”
The girls stopped talking as Lila walked past. She hurried on towards her locker, aware of their eyes on her back. Why should she care what they were talking about? I won’t cry, she thought fiercely.
She stopped dead. Eve was standing a little further down the corridor, handing out sparkly envelopes and laughing with Rhi. She had put her hair up today, which made her neck look long and swanlike. She was beautiful, Lila thought wistfully. Beautiful and evil. For a brief moment she imagined what her life at Heartside would be like with Eve as her friend.
The relief she felt when she saw Polly waiting by her locker made her feel a bit dizzy. Only now could she admit how much she had been counting on Polly still being her friend. She wouldn’t have been able to bear another day at Heartside High without her.
There was a red stripe in Polly’s hair today, and red laces in her shiny brogues.
“Sorry about last night,” Polly said as Lila approached. She looked embarrassed.
“Me too,” said Lila fervently. “I was worried about you, but we hadn’t swapped numbers yet so I couldn’t call. I hope no one said anything horrible to you that made you leave? Tim and Alex can be—”
“It’s no one’s fault,” Polly said. “My home life is a little different than yours. Quieter, you know? I was just a bit overwhelmed. That’s all. Let’s talk about something else.”
Lila was happy to change the subject. There was something she really needed to know.
“Polly, what’s invitation day?”
Polly nodded in Eve’s direction. “The Ice Queen has a Valentine’s party every year. They’re incredibly glamorous. Each one is bigger and better than the last. There’s always a band, and amazing decorations, and a love theme. Everyone talks about it for days beforehand, and wee
ks afterwards, about who kissed who and who wore what. I don’t know what she’s trying to prove. That Daddy has pots of money, I guess.”
She sounded bitter.
“Don’t tell me,” said Lila. “You haven’t been invited?”
“Of course not. I’m not in the cool gang any more. But you know what? I wouldn’t go even if she had invited me. I’ve got more self-respect than that.”
The way her hazel eyes flicked towards Eve handing out the sparkly envelopes told Lila a different story. Of course Polly wanted to go. Who wouldn’t want to go to a party like that?
“That makes two of us,” Lila said loyally. “Let’s make a date to hang out, OK? We can have a party of our own instead.”
Polly laughed. “Sounds great. What band are you going to get?”
“Someone really big,” Lila improvised. “Someone to wipe the floor with Eve’s band.”
Polly’s eyes sparkled, getting into the game. “What’s the theme?”
Before Lila could frame an answer, Ollie jogged around the corner.
“Slater wasn’t there,” he said a little breathlessly. “I’ll catch him later. Want to head to class?”
Lila felt a rush of gratitude for Polly and Ollie. Maybe he didn’t mind being seen with her. Whatever Eve Somerstown might do, at least these two were sticking by her.
There was a waft of lemony scent on the air. Polly’s eyes darkened and Lila’s heart gave an unpleasant thump. Eve had swished up to them. Lila didn’t like the smile on her face one bit.
EIGHT
Ignoring Polly, Eve gave Lila a long calculating gaze. Then she switched her focus to Ollie.
“Hi, babe,” she said sweetly, planting a slow kiss on Ollie’s cheek. She wafted a sparkly envelope under his nose. “You are coming to my party, aren’t you?”
“Am I?” said Ollie.
“Of course you are. Here’s your invitation.” She laughed, and ran her fingers through Ollie’s sticking-up blond hair. “It’s going to be a great night,” she purred. “Even better than last year. I promise.”
Ollie took the sparkly envelope with some caution, as if it were a bomb. Eve slid her perfectly manicured hand through the crook of Ollie’s arm.
“Come on, or we’ll be late for class.”
Ollie looked thrown. “I was just waiting—”
“The new girl hasn’t even got her locker open yet,” Eve said, glancing at Lila. There was a look in her eyes that made Lila nervous. “The bell’s about to go. Come on. . .”
“Nice to see you too, Eve,” Polly said drily as Eve pulled a half-laughing, half-protesting Ollie away. “Come on, Lila, put your stuff away and let’s go.”
Trying not to feel downhearted, Lila fiddled with the latch on her locker. It felt strangely sticky. When she finally managed to get it open—
“Oh!”
She jumped backwards as a cascade of pink glitter and white confetti came pouring out. The glitter was the same colour as the sparkly invitations.
For a wild second, she felt a rush of hope. Maybe something from her secret admirer was hidden in the sparkles? She dug through the soft pink mess, feeling for an envelope, just in case. . .
“Lila!” Polly said in horror. “Look at you!”
Laughter rang out on all sides as Lila looked down at herself. Thick trails of pink glitter had run all the way down the front of her uniform. There were shiny little grains stuck to her skin, and her socks, and her tie. There was glitter in her pockets, and she could feel some trickling down inside her shoes. Glancing up, she caught sight of Eve smirking triumphantly as she towed Ollie towards their classroom.
She had been caught out by another of Eve Somerstown’s dirty tricks.
Lila felt close to tears. She brushed at her blazer, but it was no good. The glitter stayed exactly where it was. She felt utterly stupid standing in the corridor covered in bright pink sparkles.
“Come on,” Polly sighed. “I’ll help you get cleaned up. We’ve still got a few minutes before the bell.”
“It’s no good,” Lila groaned in despair. “Glitter’s impossible to get rid of. I’m going to look like a piñata gone wrong all day.”
Polly tapped her nose. “I’ve had all this and worse from Eve in the past. There’s an extra uniform in my locker that you can borrow. Glitter-free.”
Hope flickered in Lila’s heart. “Are you serious?”
Polly shrugged. “It pays to be prepared. I learned that lesson a long time ago. My locker’s open – help yourself. I’ll explain everything to Mr Morrison so he won’t mark you late, OK?”
“You’re amazing,” Lila breathed. Impulsively she gave Polly a hug.
Polly squirmed away, looking both pleased and embarrassed. “I don’t fancy sharing your glitter, thanks,” she joked.
“Sorry,” said Lila, letting go quickly. “But you really are amazing.”
Polly grinned. With sudden mischief in her eyes, she scooped a full handful of glitter from Lila’s locker and ran after Eve’s fast-disappearing back. A sudden cloud of pink sparkles filled the air, and Lila heard a scream of rage. Polly had dumped the glitter down the Ice Queen’s back.
Feeling a little better, Lila pulled the spare uniform – blouse, tie and skirt – from Polly’s locker and spun the combination lock shut behind her.
Holding the spare uniform away from her to avoid any glittery cross-contamination, Lila walked quickly to the toilet down the hall. She hung the uniform on the back of a cubicle door. She washed her hands and legs as best she could at the sinks, with the help of a handful of paper towels. Then she headed gratefully into her chosen cubicle and shut the door.
Leaning her head against the cool cubicle wall, she shut her eyes tightly and willed the tears away. Lila was stronger than this. She couldn’t let Eve win.
She stripped down to her underwear, and wriggled into the fresh uniform. Polly’s blouse fitted OK, and the tie of course was fine. She could live without a blazer for today. The skirt was a lot shorter than she would have liked – more along the lines of Lil than Lila – but it would have to do.
She turned her blazer inside out and wrapped her ruined uniform inside it. Then she tucked the bundle back under her arm and prepared to emerge.
Her fingers froze on the cubicle latch. Someone was coming into the toilets.
“I can’t believe Polly Nelson thought that was funny,” Eve raged. There was a whoosh from the sink taps. “She’s such a bitch. I don’t know why I was ever friends with her. I have glitter all down the back of my blouse.”
“You started it, you know,” said Rhi in her distinctive London voice.
“Lila Murray deserves everything she gets, the silly cow. You of all people should know that.”
Lila flinched miserably inside her cubicle. Rhi had definitely told Eve about what had happened in London. She shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Who does she think she is, coming here and smarming up to Ollie? He’s mine. Everyone knows it. He doesn’t fancy her, whatever people think. I bet she’s gone running to Reception. ‘Ooh, miss, they’re all being horrible to me.’ She’s pathetic.”
Lila’s hand was still hovering on the cubicle latch. She hardly dared to breathe.
Eve was still ranting.
“Miss Goody Two Shoes is nothing special. Everyone will realize that soon enough. If she thinks she can come to Heartside and act all high and mighty, she’s in for a nasty shock.”
“Leave it, Eve,” advised Rhi. “You haven’t invited her to your party, and—”
“I’d rather invite a dead weasel,” Eve said with venom.
Rhi continued as if Eve hadn’t interrupted. “—and you’ve made it clear that you don’t want anyone making friends with her. She’s history around here already. There’s no point starting a vendetta for the sake of it.”
There was the
scrunching sound of paper towels, and the flip of a bin lid.
“I love vendettas,” Eve purred. “They’re so much fun. Believe me, Rhi, that girl will rue the day she ever came to Heartside. The fun and games for Lila Murray are only just beginning.”
NINE
Explaining why she was wearing someone else’s uniform while her own looked like it had been caught in some kind of fairy explosion had been difficult. Lila had invented an art class and a box of glitter with a loose lid, and had just about got away with it.
“Typical,” her dad sighed.
Lila bit her lip. As usual, her mum intervened.
“That’s not fair, Greg. At least it wasn’t a bottle of indelible ink. We have plenty of packing tape left over from the move. Wrap it round your hands, sticky side up, and rub it over your uniform, love. The glitter should come off without too much difficulty. Lucky that your friend had a spare one for you to borrow.”
Lila had got through two rolls of packing tape that evening, meticulously cleaning her uniform from top to toe until close to midnight. Despite her best efforts, she was still picking glitter out of her shoes, books and locker on Wednesday afternoon. Eve knew exactly how to cause maximum trouble with minimum effort.
The silent treatment from the other kids continued. Even Ollie seemed to have disappeared, sucked into the heart of Eve’s gang and guarded jealously. Josh was his usual monosyllabic self, although he did smile at her these days. At least he didn’t completely ignore her like everyone else. And all the time, Lila was wondering when Eve would strike again.
The conversation she had overheard in the toilets was burned into her memory. She cringed again and again as she imagined what Rhi had told Eve. In addition to keeping out of Eve’s way, she now found herself swerving round corners and loitering behind doors whenever she saw her former friend as well.
By the end of school on Wednesday, total exhaustion was starting to set in. To help her cope with everything, Lila started making lists in her head of all the good things about Heartside. Polly. Ollie – when she saw him. The beach. Josh, at least when he smiled at her. Her new house, which was light and airy, with a garden and wide sea views; her old view in London had been of a row of dustbins, enlivened by the occasional urban fox. And best of all: no curfew, or mandatory meal times, or checking in with her parents at all hours of the day and night. Unlike in London, where she had been made to feel like a prisoner in her own life, her parents were giving her freedom in Heartside. She was free, and she wasn’t going to mess it up again. All she had to do was fix the rest of the mess she was in, and her life would be great.
