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“IF THAT OTHER FELLOW doesn't know his happiness, well, he'd better look for it soon, or he’ll have to deal with me.”
Bram Stoker, Dracula
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FLORA LAY ON HER BED, chewing a pen and feeling hopeless and miserable.
“So it’s all over school that Gabriel and Vanessa are back together.” Flora bit the pen and ink leaked over her lip. The weird thing was that she didn’t really want to date Gabriel any more; after their encounter she had decided he was too old, too cynical and way too experienced for her. But she still thought he was the best-looking boy on the planet and so far no one else had made any impact on her. The problem, she decided, was that you need to have a crush on someone, you need someone to make an effort for, otherwise you don’t bother. Since Gabriel had squashed her feelings for him, she had noticed a distinct lack of effort on her part to look good every day.
After a really bad day at school Ellie would sometimes say, “Well, today was a total waste of makeup!”
Flora knew exactly what she meant. Gabriel was never going to notice her as a woman, let alone dump Vanessa for her, and therefore it was a waste of makeup to even try. She wished there was someone else to make her take the trouble over her appearance.
“Don’t look so glum! I have exciting news.” Ellie pelted Flora with mint humbugs from the bag she was working her way through.
Flora picked one up and peeled off the wrapper. She mused how satisfying the humbug was in the way it clacked against her teeth.
“What’s your news?” Flora failed to appear enthusiastic.
“I’m not telling unless you cheer up!” Ellie teased.
Flora cracked a fake smile. “Isn’t it your job to cheer me up?”
“Okay, I can do that.” Ellie bounced on her bed. “You know the end-of-year dance for Years Twelve and Thirteen? Well, did you know they are allowed to bring dates from other years?”
Flora nodded. She had assumed that Ellie would be going to the dance – her boyfriend Nate was in Year Twelve.
“Well, Cinderella, you shall go to the ball!” Ellie held her arms wide with triumph. “You’re coming too. I’ve got you a date.”
Flora sat up sharply, not at all sure if this was good news. Of course she wanted to go, desperately in fact, but what strings were attached?
“Who with?” She said suspiciously.
“I’m not telling.” Ellie looked smug. “It’s a surprise. A nice surprise, I promise.” She nodded reassuringly, as Flora didn’t look convinced.
“One of Nate’s other room-mates?” Flora was less than enthusiastic.
“Nope! Way better, just trust me, okay?”
Flora nodded. She was cheered up by the news. Whoever it was didn’t really matter, the point was that she now had an invitation to the dance; and going with Ellie would be a blast. They would be the envy of most of their year.
“Oh my goodness, I don’t have anything to wear!” She bounded up with excitement at the thought of a new dress. Surely her mother would give her an allowance advance to buy a dress for the dance? Her mom was understanding about that sort of thing. Flora would make her realise how important it was socially, not to mention the fact that the dance could be her very last night at Compass Court and she wanted to leave a fabulous impression behind her if she had to go.
Thinking about leaving Compass Court made her insides dip. Her Easter holiday back home had been a total disaster. Her dad had spent most of the time working, leaving her with a stepmother she loathed. All her old friends seemed to have moved on with their lives and she had trouble connecting with their news and gossip. She had spent so much time missing America that she had not considered that America hadn’t missed her.
She had a best friend here, she was happy here, Gabriel was here – though did that really matter anymore? She pushed those thoughts aside and tried to get excited about a new dress instead.
She gave Ellie a quick hug. “I definitely feel better, thank you. I’m gonna go to the library to email Mom right away.”
Ellie hugged her back. “I’d take a look in the mirror before you go, you’ve got ink all over your chin.”
***
SPRING DRIFTED INTO summer and Beatrice was happier than she could ever remember being. Over the Easter holidays she had hired a personal trainer who had controlled everything she did, from what she ate, to how long she slept, and who most importantly had taken over her exercise plan. He had drilled her mercilessly, but getting on the scales every night had made it all worth it. She had lost over two stone since first starting her diet plan back in February, and she had dropped three dress sizes. None of her clothes fit her anymore and so she had indulged in a few shopping trips to London, blowing obscene amounts of money on an entire new wardrobe.
Her skin was hugely improved too, thanks to her new diet and Gabriel’s tips, which she followed religiously; and a trip to the hairdresser for some highlights had been followed by a manicure and a pedicure, leaving her feeling almost attractive.
Gabriel didn’t comment on her new look, but gave her a very sultry smile, which was another confidence boost. He too seemed in a better mood, and their rehearsals together were paying off as the play really began to take shape around them.
Owen, however, was becoming increasingly short-tempered with both Beatrice and Gabriel. He stomped around the set criticising everything. Pam and Jerry trailed around after him. Pam agreed with everything Owen said and wound everyone up further; Jerry then had to work hard to placate them all again and mop up a few tears where Owen and Pam had been particularly vicious.
Beatrice had now lost so much weight that her costume didn’t fit correctly anymore, and Pam seemed to find this particularly annoying.
“What’s the matter with you?” she challenged Beatrice one afternoon in the rehearsal room, “You look like you’re sick or something, have you got bulimia? Stop losing weight, you’re causing massive problems for the costume department! We shall have to buy you a smaller corset as it is, and the budget isn’t made of elastic, you know!”
Beatrice looked quite stricken and Jerry charged in and told Pam off. “What an awful thing to say, Pam. Beatrice looks lovely and a smaller corset is hardly going to break the bank.”
“Well, I think she’s taking it too far,” Pam said crossly, “If you hope to make Gabriel or Owen fall for you then you have a big shock coming!” With that Pam flounced out of the room.
Beatrice looked miserable. “I just want to do the part of Mina justice,” she told Jerry, “Mina is supposed to be elegant, not an elephant.” She looked sadly down at her figure.
“You were never an elephant!” Jerry was assertive, “You had wonderful curves, you still do,” he added. “You’re not bulimic, are you?” he asked with concern.
“No.” Beatrice shook her head, “Do you think I should stop dieting?”
“I think you’re perfect just as you are.” Jerry blushed slightly and continued, “I know I’m not exactly the catch of the day, but do you think you might want to go to the end of year dance as my date?”
Beatrice’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
“No, she doesn’t,” Owen stood in the doorway looking furious. “I think that as the leading lady in the play, Beatrice should go with me. I’m the producer, after all, it would be fitting.”
Beatrice looked between them dumbly. No one had ever asked her on a date before and now she had two, and one of them was Owen!
“I think I need to change,” she said quietly, “If you’ll both excuse me.” With that she locked herself into one of the tiny dressing rooms.
She changed back into her school uniform with shaking hands, then sat on the floor to collect her thoughts.
Owen wanted to go to the end of year dance with her. But he hadn’t expressed any kind of liking towards her. She had a feeling that maybe he was starting to like her again, that he just needed more time to get comfortable with his feelings, but was that good enough?
Jerry had confused the issue for her too. She really liked him as a person. He was kind and she was growing increasingly fond of him. Watching the rugby before Easter had been an eye-opener; Owen had just sulked through it, but Jerry had been brilliant. He didn’t excel academically, but on the sports field he was a powerhouse – she had been amazed by his ability. It took great skill to play at the level he had shown.
Then there was Gabriel, Beatrice didn’t harbour any illusions with regard to his feelings, but she couldn’t help getting a bit lost in his kisses, they were the most thrilling thing to happen to her yet. She would scarcely be female if she weren’t a little attracted to him.
Well, she told herself, getting to her feet, she would have an awful lot to put in her diary tonight!
***
GRACE WAS BLISSFULLY unaware that anyone involved in the play might be unhappy. As far as she could see, everything was wonderful pretty much all of the time. She and Ben were officially an item and that was all that mattered. She was aware, however, that not everything was perfect with her best friends.
Grace tried to keep her joy to a minimum around Sophie, who was miserably single again; and Rose and Leo seemed to be acting out their own Greek tragedy and doing a lot of wailing about it.
“I don’t mean to be unsympathetic,” she said one evening as Rose and Leo discussed yet again how on earth they were going to bring around their parents, “but you are both still here at Compass Court and you still have each other. Isn’t that a pretty good outcome?” Grace smiled bracingly.
“You don’t understand, Grace!” Rose moaned, “It’s like having a sword hanging over our heads. We don’t know what they are going to do to try to separate us. What if I was moved to another schoolhouse? Or even another school. We wouldn’t share a room any more, would you care then?”
“I do care.” Grace looked hurt.
“Sorry, Grace,” Leo was the one to say, “we’re both just so worried.” He put an arm around Rose, who began to cry again.
Grace resisted the temptation to roll her eyes, still unable to see it as a big deal. “Buck up, Rose. They can’t stop you being together. It’s the twenty-first century, they can’t send Leo to sea or force you into an arranged marriage with an elderly duke.”
“You read too many historical romances,” Sophie teased Grace. “Next you’ll be suggesting they head for the Scottish boarder and get married at Gretna Green.”
Rose stopped crying and looked at Leo, an idea clearly forming in her mind.
Leo read her mind and nodded slowly. The two of them were very attuned to each other’s thoughts.
“Oh, you’re not serious!” Sophie looked at them in horror. “I didn’t mean it, for god’s sake. You can’t get married now, you’re only seventeen.”
“People do it all the time.” Leo shrugged. “I love Rose.”
Rose nodded, “Anyway, we don’t actually need to get married now. Just engaged. It would show them how serious we are, and it would force our families to at least talk to each other.”
Leo smiled at her. “Let’s do it! I’ll get you a ring and everything. In fact I’ll ask my mother for my grandmothers ring, that should really rattle her!”
Rose threw her arms around his neck and they kissed until Grace and Sophie got uncomfortable and decided it was time to be elsewhere.