Destiny Date (14 page)

She narrows her eyes. ‘Not bad,’ she concedes.

Phil hits six and Barbara knocks down eight. After David scores nine, it’s Cindy’s turn.

Will’s lounging on the seat, picking at the popcorn with Barbara.

‘Just watch her, Will,’ Barbara enthuses. ‘She’s a natural bowler.’

Cindy’s limbering up, swinging a pink bowling ball. I wonder if she’s chosen it for its weight or because it matches her cashmere polo neck. She launches it elegantly and it rolls
down the lane, moving slowly, but with pinpoint accuracy. As it takes out every pin, she flings her arms in the air. ‘
Yesss!
’

Will slow-claps her. ‘Not bad, Cinders.’

‘Not bad?’ She gives him freeze-beams. ‘It was
great
.’

My stomach flutters as I realize it’s my turn. I’ll be happy to stay out of the gutter. Cindy and Will have given the evening a competitive edge that I’m not used to. This
should be an evening of fun; it feels more like a bowling exam. I try to ignore Will and Cindy’s gaze as they watch me like terriers watching a rabbit.

Steadying my breath, I heave the ball down the lane.

Relief sweeps over me as it stays on track and smashes through the middle of the pins.

I hear Jeff sucking air through his teeth. ‘You’ve left yourself a tricky split, Gemma.’

My momentary happiness dissolves. I have to bowl again. I aim for the three pins on the left. My heart jumps into my throat as my ball veers dangerously towards the gutter. It holds its line
though, knocking down two more pins.

Barbara records my score. ‘Well done, Gemma.’

Will rubs the side of his nose. ‘Perhaps we should play with the bumpers up.’

‘Too easy,’ Jeff complains.

Mr Harris shrugs apologetically. ‘It might be for the best.’

‘No.’ Cindy puts her foot down so sharply her bob trembles. ‘We’ll all just have to try harder.’

It’s OK for you,
I think furiously.
You’re good at this.

We carry on with the gutters yawning either side of the lane like mini runways to hell.

Mr Harris finds his technique and manages to stay clear of them. I hit them twice. By the last frame, the scores are fairly even. David and Jeff’s scores are making up for mine and
Phil’s. While Barbara and Mr Harris flounder, happy to knock down anything, Will and Cindy are bowling like machines. I’m not sure who they’re competing against more, our team or
each other.

‘The scores are close,’ Jeff announces as Mr Harris prepares to bowl his final ball. I’m going to have to bowl my best game yet if we have any chance of winning.

Jeff makes a strike. So does Will. As Cindy comes up for her final ball, Will’s watching her intently.

‘Come on, Cindy,’ he mutters.

Her gaze is fixed on the end of the lane. She bowls and the ball hurtles down the middle. It knocks the pins flying.

‘Yes,’ Will hisses through gritted teeth.

Cindy spins triumphantly and flashes Will a wide smile. For a moment, it’s like they only see each other. The rest of us disappear. Then Barbara rushes forward and gives Cindy a hug.
‘You’re brilliant, Cindy!’ she squeaks.

Jeff nudges me. ‘It’s not over yet.’

I swallow. ‘But I need a strike for us to win,’ I breathe. My heart’s turning somersaults. Hands trembling, I choose a ball. It nearly slides out of my sweaty fingers. I grip
tightly and focus on the pins. With a long swing, I hurl it forward. It blasts down the lane, curving to one side before smashing through the pins.

I gasp.
Did I do it?

As the ball disappears, I see two pins standing: one either side of the lane.

‘Bad luck, Gem.’ Jeff rests his hand on my shoulder.

There’s no way I’ll knock both pins down. They’re too far apart.

He turns to Will. ‘You win!’

Will throws a fist into the air. Cindy shrieks and leaps at him. She flings her arms round his neck and hugs him hard.

Will freezes.

His face has the look of an eight-year-old on a roller coaster.

Then he wraps his arms round Cindy and hugs her back. I don’t think I’ve seen him smile before – not to show happiness anyway.

And he looks happy.

Really
happy.

I wait for her to realize she’s hugging Will and tear herself free. But she doesn’t; she just loosens her grip and looks up at him. ‘Nicely played, Will.’

He grins down at her. ‘You too, Cindy.’

OMG. Jessica’s prediction came true. Will got his hug! But from
Cindy
? It’s the last person I expected.

I suddenly realize I’m not the only one waiting awkwardly for the moment to end.

‘Popcorn, anyone?’ Mr Harris is the one to break the spell.

Cindy lets go of Will and faces Mr Harris with a smile. ‘That would be lovely.’ She’s glowing.

I head for the table and grab my lemonade. There’s only one warm mouthful left. As I swallow, Barbara bounces up beside me.

‘Did you see that?’ she gasps.

Jeff’s voice sounds beside me. ‘We
all
saw that.’

I glance over my shoulder. Mr Harris has collapsed on the chairs beside Mr Chapman and Miss Davis. David and Phil are checking the scores. Will’s leading Cindy away from the bright
lights.

‘Where are they going?’ I ask.

Barbara’s too busy hyperventilating to answer. ‘It was a
moment
, right? Like a
real
moment?’

‘About time,’ Jeff grunts.

Barbara turns on him, eyes wide. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You must have noticed,’ Jeff shrugs. ‘Will’s either staring at her legs or pulling her pigtails. And Cindy never misses a chance to push his buttons.’

I frown, puzzled. ‘But I thought that’s because they hated each other.’

Jeff ruffles my hair like a patronizing big brother. ‘Poor Gemma,’ he teases. ‘You’ll be a Year Ten in September. Then you’ll understand.’

I knock away his hand. ‘I’m not a total numbskull,’ I snap. ‘But what about Sam? Isn’t
he
dating Cindy?’

Barbara leans close and whispers in my ear. ‘Sam turned her down,’ she confides. ‘She asked him to the prom and he said no.’

The planet rocks beneath my feet. ‘But—’

‘I know,’ Barbara sighs. ‘They would have made
such
a sweet couple.’

‘I thought they already
were
a couple,’ I exclaim.

Barbara tips her head. ‘Why would you think that?’

‘The bracelet.’ Suddenly nothing’s making sense. ‘He bought her a bracelet in Paris. She told me.’

‘Oh, no,’ Barbara says briskly. ‘He didn’t buy her the bracelet, he just lent her the euros so
she
could buy it. She was so in love with it, but she’d no
money left. So Sam offered to lend her enough until she got home and could pay him back.’

‘Oh.’ I stare at Barbara. She’s deconstructed my world. ‘Sam and Cindy never dated?’ I mumble thickly.

‘No.’ Barbara looks curious. ‘Why? Is it important?’

Yes!

I don’t answer her. I’m caught in a thought-storm. So, when Sam said he liked curly hair more than straight hair, he wasn’t being a sleaze. Or a fake. Or a phony. He meant
it!

And I totally blew him off.

He must think I’m psycho.

I check the floor for holes to swallow me. There aren’t any. I have to stand here while my new reality sinks in.

‘Barbie!’ Cindy’s racing towards us. She skids to a halt. ‘Will asked me to the prom.’

‘Ohmygodohmygod!’ Barbara grasps her hands. Cindy nods like a jack-in-the-box.

Barbara’s smile is a mile wide. ‘I knew it!’ she breathes. ‘I told you he liked you.’

Cindy gives her a look. ‘But he was so mean to me.’

Jeff snorts beside me. ‘That’s just Will. It’s how he shows he cares.’

Cindy’s eyebrows arch. ‘Not for much longer.’ Her face sets into Ice Queen determination.

Will may just have signed up for some serious reprogramming.

Savannah’s tiny pink rucksack bounces on her shoulders as she skips round me and Treacle like an excited puppy. ‘I can’t believe we’re going to see
Jessica Jupiter for real!’

We’re walking to school. My backpack is bulging with my Jessica Jupiter costume. It digs into my shoulders and I shrug to shift the weight. The dressage hat is wrapped in a thousand
plastic bags and dangling from my hand.

‘Why aren’t you excited?’ Savannah asks.

Treacle winks at me. ‘I’m very excited. It’s going to be an interesting speech.’

I would glare at her, but Savannah’s already suspicious. The first thing she asked me when we met her at the corner was, ‘Why are you taking so much stuff to school on the last
day?’

I lied and told her I was returning my books late.

She didn’t question further. She wants to talk about Jessica.

‘Do you think I’ll get a chance to actually speak to her?’ Savannah falls in beside Treacle and stares dreamily into the blue sky. ‘I want to thank her for getting me and
Marcus together. I might never have realized how wonderful he was if she hadn’t kept reminding me. Do you think I’ll get the chance to have a word with her face to face?’

Savannah’s innocent question terrifies me. I’m glad I skipped breakfast. It saves me throwing up. Even if I can fool the school from the safety of the stage, if Sav sees Jessica
Jupiter close up, she’ll know it’s me. She’s not a
total
ditz.

I change the subject. ‘Miss Davis and Mr Chapman announced their engagement at bowling last night.’

Savannah screeches to a halt and turns on me. ‘Why are you telling us
now
? You have a phone. You can tweet. This news should’ve been all over my Facebook page by breakfast
time.’

‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Did you want to plan a wedding shower?’

‘Duh.’ Savannah looks at me like I’m beyond stupid. ‘You do realize that being
First to Know
is my school mission statement, don’t you?’

‘Then what’s Sally’s mission statement?’ I ask.

‘
First to Hear it From Savannah
.’ Savannah flicks her hair over her shoulder.

Treacle sniffs. ‘I don’t think teachers should be allowed to marry.’

‘Why not?’ Savannah’s stunned.

‘Think of their kids. Nothing but teacher genes.’ Treacle shudders.

I laugh. ‘Imagine the homework. Teachers 24/7.’

‘I think it’s cute,’ Savannah coos. ‘They’ll be able to see each other at work
and
at home. They’ll never have to be apart.’

I throw my arm round her shoulder as we reach the school gate. ‘You are a hopeless romantic, Savannah.’

‘And you’re not?’ she demands.

‘No,’ I lie while my heart whimpers pitifully. Last night, when I wasn’t lying awake, stiff with terror about today’s assembly, I was thinking about Sam. Between one and
four am, I forced myself to relive every sweet thing he’d ever said or done. For a moment around dawn, it actually seemed possible that he’d liked me all along.

What’s the point?
I’ve been so horrible to him, I’ve crushed any feelings he might have had. He’ll probably never speak to me again.

I shall grow old and die unkissed by Sam.

‘What’s wrong?’ Savannah peers into my eyes. ‘You look like you’re about to cry.’

I swallow and distract her. ‘Can you tell Miss Davis that I can’t make registration because I’ve got webzine business?’ I have to put on my Jessica costume in time for
assembly.

The horror of my coming ordeal sweeps away my heartache.

Treacle glances at me. ‘Do you need help?’

Savannah narrows her eyes. ‘Help with what?’

‘Nothing,’ I say briskly. ‘I’ll be fine.’ I gaze earnestly at Savannah. ‘Cindy wants me to put together a review of the year for the webzine, so I might miss
assembly too.’

Savannah’s eyes bulge. ‘You’re going to miss Jessica?’

I wish. I’m going to witness the whole car crash from the driving seat.

‘I’ll try and sneak down and watch from the doorway if I get the chance,’ I promise.

Treacle hugs me suddenly. ‘Good luck,’ she whispers in my ear.

She drags Savannah into school before she can start asking more questions. I wait for them to disappear before hurrying towards webzine HQ.

Cindy’s waiting for me. ‘Have you got the costume?’

I drop my bag on the floor, puffing from the weight. I’ve run up the stairs and sweat is prickling through my antiperspirant.

‘Sit down, you look exhausted.’ Cindy pulls a chair close and pushes me into it. ‘You’re going to do brilliantly, Gemma. I just know it.’

I hardly recognize Cindy. She
looks
the same, but she’s not acting. No Ice Queen. No freeze-beams. No dripping honey to get what she wants. She sounds
sincere.

I stare at her, wondering whether to trust this new incarnation. Perhaps she’s just had too many Coco Pops.

‘Can I see what you’ve brought?’ Cindy picks up my bag. I nod, catching my breath.

‘This is
heavy
! Did you carry this all the way to school? No wonder you’re out of breath.’ Cindy unzips my bag and starts pulling out the costume. ‘Oh,
fabulous.’ She holds up the riding habit and boots. ‘What about your hair?’ She frowns. ‘It’s very distinctive.’

‘Wig.’ I point to the bulging parcel of plastic bags. ‘It’s in with the hat.’