Starring Meg

by Mac a'Bháird, Natasha;

  ‘Fine.’ I stomped off upstairs. Mum might be ready to forgive and forget – but I wasn’t. Not yet, anyway.

  * * *

  Over pancakes in the Rainbow Diner, Dad explained (or tried to) why the film was coming out so soon. The producer had had a change of heart and decided it would do better in the autumn, so it had been a huge rush for everyone involved to get the film ready for release.

  ‘I’ve known for a while now that it would be an autumn release instead of a spring one,’ he admitted. ‘But I thought we were talking November – just in time for the Christmas market, you know?’

  ‘November would have been so much better,’ Mum sighed. ‘Meg would have had two whole months in her new school as just Meg. Now she’s barely had two weeks, and she has to face the attention of being a film star!’

  ‘I know,’ Dad said, squeezing my hand. ‘I’m sorry, Meg. But it was out of my hands.’

  ‘And to find out like this!’ Mum went on. I was glad to see she’d rediscovered a little bit of her irritation at least. ‘Walking through a shopping centre with her friends and suddenly seeing herself on a great big poster! And Sadie telling me about it after she saw it in the newspaper! Really, Doug, what were you thinking?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Dad said again. ‘I did try to tell you last week on the phone, but you might remember you hung up on me.’ He tried his famous puppy-dog expression on Mum, but she was having none of it.

  ‘Don’t even think about trying to turn this on me!’ she said. ‘You could have tried a bit harder! Anyway, that was days ago! You had plenty of opportunities since then.’

  ‘I know,’ Dad said, spreading his hands out with an air of resignation. ‘I guess I just stuck my head in the sand and hoped it would all go away.’

  ‘Typical,’ Mum said, but her voice was a bit softer now.

  Dad took her hand in his. Mum’s hand looked so small in his big ones.

  ‘We’re here now, so let’s try to make the best of it, will we?’ he said, his voice pleading. ‘It’s all happening sooner than we would have liked – but we always knew it was going to happen. Our Meg was always destined to be a shining star in the acting world.’

  They both turned and smiled at me, and even though I was trying to stay cross I couldn’t help smiling too.

  ‘And besides, this is a good thing!’ Dad said, seeming to grow in confidence, now that it looked like we were prepared to forgive him. ‘Now everyone will get the chance to see how wonderful you are, Meg! You’ll have the critics eating out of your hand.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see it on the big screen!’ Mum said. ‘I wonder if my hair looks all right.’

  ‘Well, that’s my other bit of news,’ Dad said. ‘You won’t have to wait to see it on the big screen. The premiere is scheduled for Thursday, and I have the precious golden tickets for us to attend!’

  Thursday! That was the day before our Cinderella performance. I’d have to have everything organised for the next morning before we went, I thought to myself.

  ‘Ooh, fabulous!’ Mum said. ‘We’ll have to go shopping. I’ve got absolutely nothing to wear.’

  ‘Why don’t you take Meg shopping now …’ Dad said, ‘and I’ll go home and book our flights.’

  ‘Flights?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes, didn’t I mention?’ Dad said. ‘The premiere is in LA.’

  On Monday morning, I put my costume and all my accessories into my schoolbag. Mum gave me a lift to school. We had planned it so that I got there a little later than usual. I didn’t want to have to tell my story dozens of times to different groups in the yard. I was planning to do like Laura had suggested and just tell everyone in one go at news time.

  ‘Good luck, darling, I’ll be thinking of you,’ Mum said, blowing me a kiss. She didn’t drive off right away, but sat in the car watching as I walked in the school gate. It felt good knowing she was there.

  The bell rang and I ran to join my line, glad we’d managed to time it right. If other kids had seen the posters or the newspaper ads, I didn’t have to know about it just yet.

  When Miss Brennan asked if anyone wanted to share some news from the weekend, I put my hand up straight away. Miss Brennan looked surprised. Probably because I hadn’t put my hand up for anything, I thought to myself, never mind sharing news.

  ‘Yes, Meg?’ she said.

  Hannah had turned around in her seat and was smiling encouragingly at me. I took a deep breath. ‘Before I moved to Carrickbeg I lived in Los Angeles for a while, and when I was there I had a part in a film,’ I said. ‘It’s called Power Struggle. It’s not a very big part, but it was fun to do. And now the film is about to come out, so it will be in the cinemas soon.’

  There were gasps all around the classroom. I glanced over at Tracey, who just looked bored.

  ‘How wonderful, Meg,’ Miss Brennan said. ‘What’s the film about?’

  ‘It’s about three politicians all fighting for the top job,’ I told her. ‘My mum plays one of them, and I play her daughter.’

  ‘It sounds fantastic,’ Miss Brennan said. ‘I can’t wait to see it. So, does anyone else have any news?’

  And just like that it was over and done with. I listened as Aaron told Miss Brennan how his team had won their soccer match on Saturday, and Aoife described how she’d been at her cousin’s birthday party.

  ‘Well, what a lot of good news we have to share today,’ Miss Brennan said. ‘Exciting times for lots of the class. And now we have our performance to look forward to on Friday! So please line up at the door now, we’re going down to the hall to practise our songs. And then we’ll have the dress rehearsal of Cinderella!’

  Miss Brennan was amazing. I couldn’t believe how she had handled the whole thing. And now I got to put it all out of my head for a while, and concentrate on our dress rehearsal!

  The four of us watched the rest of the class singing their first song, then Miss Brennan excused us so we could go and change. Filled with excitement, we gathered up our costumes and made for the girls’ toilets. Ruby showed us the outfit her mum had bought her for the disco scene – a very short silver dress.

  ‘That’s so cool!’ I told her.

  ‘And you’ll get to wear it again, too,’ Hannah said. ‘I’m not sure we’re going to get a whole lot of wear out of these leggings, Meg.’

  She pulled the stripy leggings out of her bag, and we giggled again at how hideous they were. Soon we’d managed to make ourselves look almost unrecognisable. I had a scarlet wig, a purple feather boa, and the horrible green stripy leggings. Hannah wore a very similar outfit, but in different colours – her feather boa was orange, her leggings were pink and black stripes, and her wig was electric blue. Both of us were dripping in beads and sequins, as over the top as we could make ourselves look. Ruby was wearing a dowdy brown dress that had come from Sadie’s attic. It was frayed at the bottom and had patches sewn on. The dress was baggy enough that she could wear the silver dress underneath, so she could change quickly for the disco scene. Laura looked much older in her pointy glasses, skinny jeans and a glittery top, stumbling slightly in her high heels.

  Miss Brennan knocked on the door. ‘Are you girls nearly ready? Your audience is waiting.’

  Ruby squealed in alarm. ‘I’ve forgotten the disco ball, Miss! It’s still in the classroom.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Miss Brennan said soothingly. ‘I’ll go and get it while you set everything else up. I’m really looking forward to seeing this performance.’

  ‘Don’t forget your other costume,’ Hannah said to Laura as we gathered up our props. Like Ruby, Laura would have to change for the disco scene, swapping her top and high heels for a boy’s shirt and trainers, and tucking her long black hair underneath a short brown wig.

  ‘Got it,’ Laura said, patting her bag. ‘Come on, let’s go!’

  In the corridor outside the hall, we could hear the class talking at full volume, taking advantage of the fact that Miss Brennan hadn’t come back yet. We went through the
stage door and into the wings, taking a sneaky peek at our classmates waiting in the hall. I felt the familiar surge of adrenalin before a performance, longing to throw myself into the part. At the same time, I was glad it was only our own class we were performing for now. It was a bit less daunting than performing for the whole school and all the visitors for the School Centenary would be. That’s if I got to take part, I reminded myself. I squashed down that thought, determined to focus on my performance.

  Miss Brennan appeared behind us with the disco ball. ‘Now, have you got everything?’

  ‘I think so,’ Hannah told her. ‘We’re going to use that folding table for the soft drinks table, and we’ve got the sheet hung up behind it – they’re behind the second set of curtains, so they won’t show in the early scenes.’ She showed Miss Brennan the sheet, which Hannah and her brothers had painted with silhouettes for the disco scene.

  ‘It looks wonderful,’ Miss Brennan told her. ‘All right, get set up there and I’ll go and settle down this noisy lot!’

  She stepped out in front of the curtain and the class immediately fell silent. Miss Brennan was a kind, warm sort of person, I thought, but she also knew exactly how to make the class fall into line.

  ‘Now children, remember this is a dress rehearsal, which means we behave exactly as if it’s the real show. We run through the whole thing without stopping. Meg, Laura, Hannah and Ruby are all ready and waiting to give us a fantastic performance, and we’re going to be a fantastic audience too, aren’t we?’

  The class responded with a big round of applause and there were even some cheers from some of the noisier people. I gulped. I hoped we could live up to their expectations.

  The curtains swung back, and it was time to begin.

  The first scene went wonderfully. Hannah and I got straight into our parts, jeering and mocking Cindy, talking in screechy voices and trying to outdo each other. I couldn’t believe how different Hannah was from her usual friendly self – she had really thrown herself into the role. I wondered if I was doing as well as she was. Then I heard the audience laughing loudly at one of my lines, and immediately I felt better. After all the times we’d said those lines just between the four of us, it was so great to get the reaction of an audience to whom it was all new. Ruby was such a contrast to the ugly stepsisters, looking lonely and bedraggled in her torn dress. I was thrilled to see that the movements I’d helped her come up with really did help to convey the fact that she was totally subdued by their bullying.

  Before I knew it, our first scene was over, and Hannah and I left the stage, calling insults to Cindy as we headed to the disco. Laura tottered onto the stage, her heels making a clacking sound. ‘Cindy, darling, whatever is the matter?’ she exclaimed. ‘Now do dry those tears and tell your Auntie Faye all about it.’

  In the wings, I smiled at Hannah. Laura really did sound exactly like my mum! We were glad to have a little breather and a chance to watch the other two acting. We could almost see Ruby, as Cindy, swell in confidence as her cool aunt told her, ‘Cindy, you SHALL go to the disco!’

  There was a short scene before the disco bit with just Hannah and me on the stage, giving the other two a chance to quickly change their costumes. My initial nerves were gone, and I relaxed into the role, enjoying the interaction with Hannah and how we brought out the best in each other’s performance.

  The disco scene was the best. Ruby drifted onto the stage, looking gorgeous in her new outfit, and as light as a feather as she floated through her dance.

  ‘Who does she think she is?’ Hannah exclaimed. ‘She looks so plain. She’s not even wearing any beads!’

  ‘I know!’ I responded, as the audience laughed. ‘What a fashion disaster! She clearly doesn’t know anything about how to put an outfit together!’ I twirled my feather boa as I spoke and the audience laughed again.

  ‘The boys are never going to notice her!’ Hannah sneered.

  That was Laura’s cue to come on. Looking completely different, she strode onto the stage in her boy outfit and started chatting Ruby up. Hannah and I looked on in disgust and started making lots of jealous remarks.

  Although the class had seen bits of our show before, they hadn’t seen the ending. Our original twist to the story, where Cindy decides she’s going to go off and live with Auntie Faye, went down really well, and Isabel and Aoife cheered. As Ruby finished her final line, everyone broke into applause. We looked at each other, thrilled with how well it had all gone, and grabbed each other’s hands to take a bow together.

  ‘That was wonderful, girls!’ Miss Brennan said. ‘Wasn’t it, class? You’re going to be the stars of School Centenary day.’

  Just like that, the joy at our great performance disappeared, and the agonising knowledge that I had to make a choice rose up within me once again. I knew I couldn’t keep it from my friends any longer. ‘Can you guys meet me behind the hedge at break time?’ I said as we started to tidy up. ‘There’s something else I have to tell you.’

  At break time I made sure Tracey wasn’t watching before sneaking off to the junior yard. The other girls were already there, squeezed into the little hiding place.

  ‘There must be a better place we can meet than this,’ Laura said. ‘Somewhere we can actually breathe would be nice.’

  ‘We won’t stay long,’ I promised. ‘I just needed to tell you something that I don’t want everyone knowing.’

  ‘I’ve never known a girl with so many secrets,’ Laura muttered, but Hannah shushed her.

  ‘What is it, Meg?’ she asked.

  I sighed. ‘Dad wants me and Mum to go back to LA with him for the premiere of the film.’

  ‘Oh wow, that’s so exciting!’ Ruby said. ‘What are you going to wear?’

  ‘You are going to go, aren’t you?’ Laura asked, seeing my hesitation.

  ‘I want to, of course,’ I said, ‘even though I kind of hate the thought of all the press and everything. But the thing is, it’s on Thursday.’

  ‘This Thursday?’ asked Hannah, looking distraught. ‘In LA?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said, feeling terrible as my friends’ faces all fell. ‘I haven’t decided anything yet,’ I told them quickly. ‘I really don’t want to miss the show. We’ve put so much work in, and we were all looking forward to it so much. And especially after that dress rehearsal – it went so well, I feel like I can’t wait to perform for real now!’

  ‘But it’s the premiere of your first film,’ Hannah said. ‘You can’t miss that.’

  ‘I have to miss one of them,’ I said.

  ‘What did your mum and dad say?’ Ruby asked.

  ‘They’ve said it’s up to me,’ I said. ‘Dad can’t understand why I’d even think about missing the premiere, but he shut up when Mum told him he had no right to start laying down the law after the stunt he’d pulled last week.’ I grinned, thinking of Dad’s hangdog expression when Mum told him to butt out and let me make up my own mind. ‘Mum said it’s totally up to me and she’ll support me either way.’

  ‘I hate when parents say that,’ Hannah commented. ‘It sounds like they’re doing you a favour, but sometimes it would just be so much easier if they told you what you had to do.’

  ‘That’s all part of growing up, darling,’ Laura said in her Auntie Faye voice, which made us all laugh.

  ‘Anyway,’ I said, ‘I just wanted to let you know. I’m not asking you what I should do, or anything …’

  ‘Oh good, because I don’t know either!’ said Hannah. ‘It’s like a really horrible game of “Would You Rather?”!’

  ‘Except that both options are lovely,’ Ruby pointed out.

  They all looked at me, waiting for me to say something else. I sighed. ‘Sorry, guys. I know I need to decide, but it’s so hard.’

  ‘Well, I hate to sound like your parents, but we’ll support you too,’ Hannah said. ‘It would be horrible if you missed the show, but maybe we’ll get another chance to perform it.’

  ‘Maybe,’ I said, but I knew it wo
uldn’t be the same.

  One way or the other, I was going to have to choose.

  The big day was finally here. I took my time getting dressed, knowing that soon I’d be the focus of so many people’s attention. I’d spent a lot of time planning this outfit, and I wanted everything to be just perfect. I examined myself in the mirror. Yes, I decided, I would do.

  Sadie tapped on the door. ‘Are you ready, darling?’

  ‘Yes, come in,’ I called. I turned around so Sadie could get a clear view.

  ‘Oh, Meg, you look amazing!’ she told me. ‘Now all you need is a little bit of make-up. I know you’re only twelve but this is a special occasion after all. Let me see what I have.’

  When she had finished Sadie stood back to admire her work. ‘Fabulous, darling! Let me take a photo, and then we’d better get going.’

  In the car, Sadie kept up a steady patter, commenting on everything we passed by. I replied in monosyllables, too nervous to focus on what she was saying. This was it!

  Sadie parked just outside the hall. I got out of the car, my beads clacking together, and untangled my purple feather boa which had got caught in the seatbelt.

  ‘Meg, you’re here!’ Hannah came running up to me, squealing in excitement. She looked fantastic in her outfit, and she had put on thick orange foundation just like mine, and bright green eyeshadow. Laura and Ruby weren’t far behind, dressed in their costumes too and looking completely hyper.

  ‘Well of course,’ I said, smiling around at my friends. ‘I wouldn’t miss this for the world!’

  ‘I love your beauty spot!’ Hannah said, admiring the spot Sadie had drawn near my top lip. ‘You really look the part!’

  ‘So do you,’ I told her. ‘Everyone does. I’m so excited!’

  ‘Me too!’ Hannah and Laura said.

  ‘I’m terrified!’ Ruby said.

  ‘Me too,’ the rest of us admitted, laughing.

  ‘Well, ladies, we’d better go in, your audience will be here soon, and you can’t be seen in costume!’ Sadie said. ‘I believe there’s going to be quite a turn-out today.’