Teen Queens

by Cathy Hopkins

  ‘No. But I thought I ought to at least make an effort to be friendly to some new boys. New start, new chapter and all that.’ I’d decided back at the disco that it was time I got to know some of the local boys a bit better, especially as all my stupid dreams about Michael had fallen through.

  ‘In that case,’ said Mac. ‘No better way to make a new start than with a quick round of Truth, Dare, Kiss or Promise . . .’

  ‘Oh nooo,’ groaned Cat. ‘It always gets us into trouble of some sort.’

  ‘Oh, let’s play,’ said Becca, then she grinned. ‘Only, because it’s Valentine’s day, you only have one option: Kiss. Sorry.’

  ‘So, who do we have to kiss, Cupid?’ asked Cat.

  ‘And don’t say I have to kiss Seth or Charlie, please,’ I said.

  ‘Well, Mac, you have to kiss me and I have to kiss you,’ said Becca. ‘Um, Cat, I’ll make it easy for you, you have to kiss Ollie.’

  Cat smiled. ‘No problemo.’

  ‘Now. What about Squidge?’ asked Becca.

  ‘How about I choose for myself in my own time,’ he said. ‘I don’t like to rush these things. Let me think about it.’

  I was about to say, Me too, I want to choose in my own time as well, when Becca piped up. ‘OK, but Lia has to kiss Jonno Appleton.’

  ‘No, oh come on, don’t be a wind-up,’ I said.

  Becca shook her head. ‘Sorry, it’s been decided. If you’re going to be such a wimp as to be intimidated by Kaylie, then you need a push from us. All those in favour of Lia snogging Jonno, raise your hands.’

  Mac, Cat and Becca raised their hands.

  ‘You should let her choose herself,’ said Squidge as we reached the top of the drive.

  ‘Sorry, you’re out-voted, Squidge. Lia, did you or did you not say that you fancied Jonno Appleton?’ demanded Becca.

  ‘Yeah, but pick someone else, please . . .’

  ‘Well, who else do you fancy?’ demanded Becca as Mr Squires slowed the van down and parked between a Porsche and a BMW.

  There was no way I was going to admit that I secretly liked Squidge. ‘No one, really.’

  ‘So the only boy you think is fanciable is Jonno, then?’

  ‘I suppose,’ I said, then looked at Mac and Squidge, who are both very good looking in their own ways. Mac is blond, with fine features and Squidge has brown, spiky hair, an open and friendly face, and a gorgeous, wide, smiley mouth, ‘present company excepted, of course.’

  ‘So that’s settled, then,’ said Becca. ‘Better to kiss someone you actually like than being dared to go and kiss some reject. It will be fine, Lia. Live dangerously.’

  ‘OK, but I’ll do it in my own time,’ I said.

  ‘Fine,’ said Becca, then grinned. ‘You’ve got ten minutes. No, only joking. In your own time.’

  Cat gave me a half smile and looked at Becca as if to say, What can you do? I smiled back. Sometimes you can’t argue with Becca. And it might not be so bad if I could get Jonno on his own some time.

  Mum had laid out some amazing masks on my bed for us.

  ‘And there’s more downstairs in the hall,’ I said. ‘Mum put a basket of them out by the fireplace for guests who didn’t bring one.’

  ‘No, these are brilliant,’ said Becca holding up a silver mask to her face in the mirror.

  The girls chose the pretty ones. Becca opted for one with a full white face with delicate gold sequinned patterning on the cheeks, gold lips and gold curls made out of paper around the head. Cat also went for a full face mask with red and gold diamond shapes painted on the cheeks, green rhinestones around the eyes and a red feather plume. Squidge chose a black half mask with a hooked nose. As he was wearing his long black leather coat, the combination with the mask made him look pretty sinister. Not to be outdone, Mac picked a scary one as well – red with a bird’s beak nose. It didn’t look as effective as Squidge’s, as Mac was wearing a fleece and jeans. I picked a Pierrot mask. White with sad eyes, red lips and a tear painted on one cheek. Somehow it seemed to fit the mood of the day. It seemed I’d never be with a boy I liked. The beautiful Michael was attached, getting involved with the lovely Squidge was way too complicated and to respond to Jonno would only cause trouble. Yes, the Pierrot mask would be perfect.

  When we were ready, we headed down and out to join the party. Most of the guests had already arrived as it was almost eleven o’clock and as we made our way through them, it was hard to tell who was who.

  ‘Woah,’ exclaimed Mac as he took in the sumptuous decorations in the marquee. It did look fabulous – like stepping into another world where everything was red and gold. Mum had really surpassed herself. Soft candlelight lit the tented room and the trio of musicians dressed in eighteenth century costumes were playing classical music in a corner. Swathes of silk were draped around pillars and huge arrangements of flowers and grapes adorned every table. The whole effect was rich and romantic. There was even an ice sculpture of a lion with vodka coming out of it’s mouth.

  The classical trio finished playing their pieces and it wasn’t long before one of Dad’s old hits from the eighties blasted through the speakers. Ollie appeared and swept Cat off to dance, then of course, Mac took off with Becca.

  ‘You OK?’ asked Squidge, who by now had his video camera out ready to film the proceedings.

  Squidge wants to be a film director when he leaves school and, ever since I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him without his camera. He takes it everywhere and has a wall full of recorded material in his bedroom. Mum asked him to film our Christmas party last year and she was so pleased with the results that she asked if he’d do this one as well.

  I nodded. ‘Yeah, sure. You go ahead and start your filming.’

  After Squidge had gone, I sat at one of the tables and picked at some grapes. It looked like everyone was having a great time. Cat with Ollie, Mac with Becca, Mum with Dad, Michael and Usha, and Star, who was down from London with some new man. I felt like a spare part sitting there with no one to dance with, but it wasn’t long before Dad spotted me and hauled me up on to the floor. After a few numbers, he had to go and greet some friends who had just arrived, so I sat down again. I was hoping Star would come and say ‘Hi’, but she looked too busy with her new boyfriend. Like Ollie, she’s never short of admirers. I guess I’m the odd one out in our family, in fact Dad even has a joke about it. He calls me the white sheep because, in comparison to the rest of them, I’m quiet whereas they’re all outgoing and mega-confident. Sometimes I think I must be a disappointment to them. They’re all so sociable and popular. Ollie with the girls, Star with the boys and of course Dad, with his enormous fan club. And then me. It’s not that I’m not sociable, it’s just that I’m shyer than they are – until I get to know someone. That’s part of the reason I liked hanging around in a large group at my old school. There were so many of us that people didn’t notice that I was quieter than the rest.

  I was just starting to feel self-conscious sitting there on my own, when I spied Seth and Charlie from school. At least they’d be someone to talk to, I thought. I was about to go over when someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was one of the magicians Mum had hired to circulate amongst the guests and do magic tricks. He was wearing a half mask and a cloak and produced a five pound note and a cigarette from his sleeve. He held up the note, lit the cigarette, then burned a hole in the money with the cigarette, only when I looked at the fiver, there was no trace of a hole. It was amazing.

  ‘How did you do that?’ I gasped. I saw him burn the hole in the fiver and I was so close, I would have seen if he’d replaced the note with another.

  He grinned. ‘Magic’

  Just at that moment, someone else in a full mask and cloak tapped him on the shoulder and said something. The first magician nodded and moved away.

  ‘So, want to see another trick?’ asked the man. I nodded. He got out a five pound note and a cigarette, then lit the cigarette.

  ‘Er, your friend has just done that trick,’ I
said.

  Too late. The magician was pushing the cigarette through the fiver, but this time, it didn’t go through. It set the fiver on fire!

  ‘Oh no,’ he cried as he dropped the fiver on the floor and stamped on it. ‘Looks easier than it is.’

  I started to laugh as I recognised the voice. ‘Jonno,’ I said.

  He peeled off his mask. ‘Hi, Lia. I knew it was you under your mask. Um, Seth and Charlie said you’d invited them. They’re over by the ice sculpture, in fact, I think Seth may have got his tongue stuck to it . . . Hope you don’t mind me, er . . .’

  ‘Gate-crashing?’ I asked.

  He looked sheepish. ‘Yeah, and almost burning down the marquee.’ Jonno gave me a cheeky smile. ‘Er, maybe I’d better go . . .’

  I glanced over at the dance floor where by now, everyone was slow dancing to one of Sting’s ballads. Shall I, shan’t I? I asked myself. Jonno was still looking at me as if to gauge whether I minded him being there. He was very attractive in a Keanu Reeves kind of way . . . Oh, why not? I thought. Kaylie’s not here. Jonno is very cute, why shouldn’t I enjoy myself with him? I got up, took his hand and led him to the dance floor. He pulled me close and put his arms around my waist.

  ‘Bit different here to the school disco.’ He smiled, then leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day,’ he whispered in my ear.

  Over his shoulder, I could see Becca. She was standing with Mac and Charlie who were trying to separate Seth from the ice sculpture. She looked over at me and gave me the thumbs-up.

  IT WAS the following Monday at school that it all started.

  I was in the corridor on my way to the art class and Kaylie was coming the other way with Fran. She was walking towards class and she steered off course and straight into me causing me to drop my books.

  ‘Oh, so sorry, Ophelia,’ she said with a fake smile. ‘Wasn’t looking where I was going.’

  ‘S’OK,’ I said as I picked up my things. ‘And please call me Lia. No one calls me Ophelia.’

  My parents christened me Ophelia Moonbeam. How naff is that? I never use that name as everyone calls me Lia and I certainly never tell anyone, but it was read out on the first day of registration last autumn. I didn’t think anyone had taken much notice. Amazingly, Kaylie seemed to have remembered.

  ‘But it is your name, isn’t it?’ insisted Kaylie.

  ‘Yeah, but . . .’ I started, then I decided to confront what I thought was probably really bothering her. ‘Look, about Jonno. I didn’t mean for anything to happen. He just kind of . . .’

  ‘Yeah, yeah . . .’

  ‘He came after me.’

  ‘That’s not what I saw. You were all over him at the school disco.’

  ‘I wasn’t. He came over to me. In fact, I purposely tried to stay out of his way, because I knew you liked him.’

  ‘Yeah, so that’s why you were snogging him later at your parent’s do.’ said Kaylie with a toss of her hair. ‘Anyway, it’s his loss.’

  ‘Well, I just wanted you to know that I didn’t set out to get him.’

  ‘Yeah, right. That’s not what I heard. Oh, don’t worry, everyone knows you begged him to go to your party.’

  ‘I didn’t,’ I said. ‘He just turned up.’

  ‘That’s not what Seth said.’

  ‘Seth? I did invite him and Charlie, but Jonno came along with them.’

  Kaylie put a finger under her chin and feigned surprise. ‘Oh and what a coincidence that they just happen to be Jonno’s mates from the football team.’

  ‘Honestly Kaylie, he just turned up.’

  ‘Whatever,’ said Kaylie again. ‘That’s your story. But then we all know about you and your stories, don’t we?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  Kaylie shrugged and made a face at Fran. ‘Why you had to leave your old school.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. What are you saying?’

  Kaylie smiled one of her fake smiles. ‘Oh, nothing, Lia. Come on, we’re just teasing you. Lighten up. Honestly, you’re like . . . so intense.’ She put her hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle shove. ‘Don’t take things so seriously.’

  And with that, she flounced into class. I felt close to tears. And confused. Was I being oversensitive? Taking it all too seriously? It felt like she’d had a real go at me, but it was done with such a smile that I couldn’t be sure. Maybe I was imagining things.

  ‘Hey, Lia, everything all right?’ asked a voice behind me.

  I turned. It was Squidge.

  ‘So what was all that about?’ he asked. ‘I saw Kaylie walk into you. What’s her problem?’

  ‘Bad loser, I guess. I don’t think she’s too happy about the fact that I got off with Jonno and she didn’t.’

  Squidge raised his eyes to the ceiling. ‘Sour grapes, huh? Well, you take no notice of her and if she gives you any trouble, you let me know, OK?’

  I nodded.

  ‘So,’ continued Squidge, ‘you and Jonno? You going out with him now?’

  I grinned. ‘Well, it’s still early days, but . . . so far, so good. We’ve got a proper date on Saturday. Going out somewhere, don’t know where yet.’

  Squidge looked at me with concern for a moment, then turned to go. ‘Better get to class,’ he said. ‘Hope it all works out for you, Lia. You deserve a decent bloke, someone who really appreciates you. Don’t let any stupid girl ruin it all for you.’

  ‘Thanks, Squidge. You’re a mate.’

  As he took off down the corridor I took a deep breath and followed Kaylie and Fran into class. I hoped that they weren’t going to make an issue of me going out with Jonno. It wasn’t my fault that he’d chosen me and not Kaylie. And I didn’t have any regrets. I’d had a great time with him at the party and we even saw each other again on Sunday. He came up to the house after breakfast and we talked for hours – about school and what music we like and what we want to do after we finish school. He wants to get into the music business, so he asked me loads of questions about what it was like having a rock star dad. He stayed and had lunch with us and was well impressed by Dad’s gold records. Dad even showed him around his studio and that’s not something he does with many people. I think he realised that Jonno was serious about pursuing music as a career. I really like him. He was clearly starstruck by Dad, but he still paid me loads of attention and seemed genuinely interested in what I was into.

  No, stuff you, Kaylie O’Hara, I thought as I took my place at a table with Cat and Becca. I’m not going to let you run my life.

  The next class was English and I made sure that I was out of the art room first and along the corridor so that Kaylie and the Clones couldn’t ‘accidentally’ bump into me again.

  ‘You’re in a hurry,’ said Cat catching up with me. “What’s the rush?’

  ‘Oh nothing,’ I said. ‘Just wanted to go through some notes before the lesson starts.’

  Cat gave me a look like she didn’t quite believe me, but she let it go. I didn’t want to tell her about the run in with Kaylie before art, because I hoped it would all blow over. If I told Cat and Becca about it, they’d take my side and stick up for me and maybe start something. No best ignore it, I thought, and it will all go away.

  ‘Right,’ said Mrs Ashton, our English teacher, once we’d all taken our places. ‘First, I’ll give you your essays back, then I thought we’d have a quick quiz to see who’s remembered what from this term.’ She began to walk up and down the aisles, putting people’s work in front of them on their desks. ‘Well done,’ she said when she got to me.

  Cat caught my eye and grinned, but behind her, I saw Kaylie whisper something to Susie Cooke and they both looked over at me and giggled.

  When she’d handed out the essays, Mrs Ashton went back to her desk. ‘Some of the work has been to a very high standard and I was impressed,’ she said. ‘George Gaynor, well done. Sunita Ahmed, also good. Lia Axford, excellent. Nick Thorn, keep up the good work. Becca Howard, a
n improvement. I’m glad to see you’re putting your mind to your work at last.’ Then she paused. ‘Sadly, there were a number of essays that . . . how can I put it . . . ? Needed work, would be being polite. What has happened to some of you lately? I won’t mention names, but you know who you are by your low grades and I’ll be keeping an eye on you for the rest of the term.’ She gave Kaylie and the Clones a pointed look, but Kaylie just raised an eyebrow and looked away.

  Mrs Ashton adjusted her glasses and began to read from a sheet of paper in front of her. ‘OK. Question one. Finish this sentence: King Solomon had three hundred wives and seven hundred what . . . ? Frances Wilton, maybe you’d like to stop staring out of the window and give us the answer?’

  ‘Um . . . seven hundred porcupines, Miss.’

  The class cracked up laughing.

  ‘OK, what did she mean to say?’ asked Mrs Ashton looking around.

  Laura Johnson raised her hand. ‘Concubines,’ she said.

  Mrs Ashton looked over at Fran. ‘Exactly. What on earth would Solomon have done with hundreds of porcupines?’

  Frances went bright red and looked at her desk as Mrs Ashton went on to the next question. ‘Caesar was murdered on the Ides of March. His last words were . . .’

  Mark Keegan stuck his hand up this time.

  ‘Yes, Mark,’ said Mrs Ashton.

  ‘Tee hee, Brutus,’ said Mark.

  Once again, the class started laughing and Mark smiled broadly, pleased that his answer had got a laugh.

  ‘I get the impression that you’re not taking this quiz seriously, Mark,’ said Mrs Ashton, then she looked around. ‘The attitude of some of the people in this class will have to change or else it will show on your end of term reports. So. Anyone like to tell me what Caesar’s last words really were?’

  She looked around the class. I knew the answer, but I didn’t want to be a Norma Know-It-All. However, Mrs Ashton looked over at me. ‘Lia?’

  ‘Um, et tu Brute,’ I muttered.

  ‘Correct. Without the “um”, though. Well done, Lia.’

  Kaylie looked over at Fran Wilton and raised her eyebrows. I should have said I didn’t know, I thought. Now they will think I’m a swotty nerd.