Liam and I finish our dance and go to join them. Liam tries to practise his French on Dad, which is sweet and very sexy. Dad, out of kindness, pretends his English isn’t half as good as it is and talks back in French. I could listen for hours.
And then I spot it. From behind his decks, I catch Harry staring vaguely in our direction with a look of hopeless devotion in his eyes. Even though he was devastated about Isabelle, Harry is not the sort of boy to stay downhearted for long. The room is crammed to the brim with leggy blonde model friends of the family. I wonder which one he’s fallen for this time.
Crow comes to join us.
‘Harry’s in love again, isn’t he?’ I challenge her. For some strange reason, Crow is always the first to know. She’ll have it totally worked out by now.
She grins, but won’t say anything.
‘It could be anyone here, practically. At least give me a clue.’
She shakes her head.
Edie leans across the table.
‘What are you talking about?’ she asks.
‘Well,’ I say confidentially, ‘Harry’s in love, but Crow won’t tell me who with.’
‘Oh!’
Edie gasps and goes her usual shade of lipstick pink. She crosses one long leg over the other, fiddles with the hem of her cute little mini-dress and shakes her adorable blonde bob in a sort of panicked gesture.
I catch Crow’s eye and laugh. She grins.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve just guessed,’ I say. ‘God, I’m stupid.’
‘What?’ asks Liam, joining the gang and perching me on his lap.
Edie buries her head in her hands. She’s muttering something, but I can’t hear what it is. Eventually she looks up.
‘It may not be me,’ she says. ‘How can you tell?’
Of course, Edie’s been in love with Harry for ages. Since she was twelve, really, with a brief gap for Hot Phil. I hadn’t realised how serious it was, but looking at her now, it’s obvious. As for Harry, I’m not sure why I’m suddenly so certain that he’s fallen in love with her too. But I think I have a clue.
‘He likes kind-hearted, gorgeous women,’ I say. ‘You’re both. Trust me. And don’t worry, you have my blessing. Just don’t snog him in front of me, OK?’ I can handle a lot of weirdness, but even I have my limits.
Ten minutes later, Harry comes over and asks her to dance, while one of his friends minds the decks. Edie ignores our whoops and giggles and soon she has her head buried in his shoulder. I’ve never seen her look so happy, or him.
‘Right,’ says Liam, looking at Crow and me hovering on the edge of the dance floor. ‘What about the rest of us? What shall we do?’
‘Well, where Crow goes, I go,’ I say. Maybe it will be to Paris one day, to write for French Vogue while she launches her own fashion house, or New York, to be a fashion blogger while she studies art and gets more tips from top designers. But meanwhile, it’s back onto the dance floor.
Liam joins us. We throw some crazy moves. We look good.
THE END
What can you do?
Sometimes, it’s not about what you can do, but what other people can do for you. If you’re living with someone with a mental illness (which a lot of people are), you don’t have to cope alone. Charities like SANE (through SANEline and SANEmail) and Childline know what it’s like, and they’re there to help. Find them on the web. Call them or email them. Find out what they can do.
According to the charity 1GOAL, 72 million children around the world don’t have the chance to go to school. That is something you can help with. How? Well, charities such as Actionaid and Unicef have some ideas. Check out their websites at actionaid.org.uk and unicef.org.uk. Maybe you can sponsor a child through school. I support SOS Children’s Villages. It may not seem like it when exams are looming, but the more children we educate, the better this world will be.
Acknowledgements
Not often, in the course of research, does someone say to you, ‘Sorry if I have to answer the phone – I’m expecting a call from Shirley Bassey.’ I loved the line so much I borrowed it. I owe a big debt of gratitude to the legendary Don Black, who was charm and courtesy itself, and helped a lot.
Kasia Steyn, Ivan Dubovsky and Alison Clayton-Smith thought they were meeting me for yoga or coffee, but ended up giving me some great insights for the book. That’s what happens when your friend turns into a writer. Sorry, and thanks.
Emily and Sophie knew what they were letting themselves in for: a research trip with me to New York. It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it. Ann Ceprynski helped as ever, by suggesting cool places to go. Siobhán McGowan and the team at Scholastic made us feel so welcome when we got there. Felicity Pett didn’t come, but told me about the polar bears. Freddie and Tom also didn’t come, but wanted to. I owe you. I know.
Jewel Simpfendorfer designed the cover dress and lent us her sample for the shoot. Thanks, Jewel! I still love it as much as I ever did. And thanks to Steve Wells for my lovely cover.
As always, I owe big thanks to Barry, Rachel, Imogen, Nicki and the rest of the Chicken House team. And to Caroline at Christopher Little, who knows the best coffee joints.
Rachel McHale and Jane Ward – thanks for your support. I hope you like the results.
Darling E. Thank you for everything. I couldn’t do it without you.
And finally, CJ Skuse, who waited. You know what for. I hope you’re happy now.
Two books were very useful and regularly referred to: one new, one old. The new one was ‘How to set up & run a fashion label’ by Toby Meadows. The old one, which I’ve had for years, is ‘The Queen’s Clothes’, by Anne Edwards, illustrated by Robb.
About the author
Sophia Bennett would have loved to be an artist, fashion designer, or the lady who does costumes for Jane Austen films. However, not being able to draw or sew very well made those careers unlikely. Luckily, she also loves to write. She is the author of the internationally successful Threads series, as well as The Look, You Don’t Know Me and The Castle, and has written for The Times and The Guardian.
She lives in London with her family, and is known for her shoes and her writing shed. You can find out more about her on her website: www.sophiabennett.com
@sophiabennett
SophiaBennettAuthor
ALSO BY SOPHIA BENNETT
THE LOOK
Ted is tall. Freaky. When she’s spotted by a model agency, she can’t believe it.
At the same time, her gorgeous sister falls seriously ill.
With her world turned upside down, Ted must choose between fame and family. Can she be a supermodel and a super sister? All in five-inch heels?
‘. . . one word, BRILLIANT. A difficult topic, sensitively handled.’
CATHY CASSIDY
Paperback, ISBN 978-1-906427-91-7, £6.99 •, ebook, ISBN 978-1-908435-16-3, £6.99
ALSO BY SOPHIA BENNETT
YOU DON’T KNOW ME
Me and Rose. In a band. Singing together, all the way to the live finals of Killer Act.
Only to be told one of us must go.
But no girl would drop her best friend in front of millions . . .
Would she?
If this is fame, it sucks.
Everyone’s talking about us, but nobody knows the truth.
‘. . . her best yet.’
AMANDA CRAIG, THE TIMES
Paperback, ISBN 978-1-908435-46-0, £6.99 •, ebook, ISBN 978-1-908435-80-4, £6.99
ALSO BY SOPHIA BENNETT
THE CASTLE
It’s not just the bridesmaid’s dress that Peta has a problem with – it’s the whole wedding. How can her mum remarry when Peta’s army-hero dad isn’t dead?
When Peta receives clues that seem to prove he’s alive, she sets out on a crazy mission. Somewhere across the sea, her father’s being held in a billionaire’s castle.
Dad would do anything to save her – and now it’s her turn to rescue him.
‘. . . a fun, frolicking, and
increasingly frightening adventure.’
TERI TERRY
Paperback, ISBN 978-1-909489-78-3, £6.99 •, ebook, ISBN 978-1-909489-79-0, £6.99
Text © Sophia Bennett 2011
First paperback edition published in Great Britain in 2011
This electronic edition published in 2015
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Sophia Bennett has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.
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Cover design and interior design by Helen Crawford-White
British Library Cataloguing in Publication data available.
PB ISBN 978-1-910002-96-4
eISBN 978-1-910655-38-2
Stars Page 22
