Polly Plays Her Part (15 page)

We waited and waited. Jake got very excited crawling around the floor, playing with this noisy dog ball that had a bell inside. The receptionist didn't even get cross. She knelt down and started playing with him, rolling the ball from one end of the reception area to the next.

A few minutes later Dad came bursting through the doors. Diane had called him to come and meet us. Luckily he'd been finishing off a job close by. As soon as I saw him I started to cry all over again and when he asked me what had happened I could barely get the story out. We squashed up together on the hard, plastic seats and waited for Mr. Adesina to come out. After a bit Jake got bored and grizzly.

“Come on, you,” said Diane, scooping him up off the floor and giving him a big kiss. “I'll have to take him home, Polly, but keep me posted. Let me know the second you have some news.”

“It's all my fault,” I said to Dad, when they'd gone. “I'll never forgive myself if he dies.”

“What are you talking about, sweetheart? Of course it's not your fault.”

“It is,” I insisted. “It's all my fault because I didn't go and see him this week. I was so busy playing on my computer I didn't bother to go and see him and that's why he was in the middle of the road. He was waiting for me. I bet he thought I'd forgotten all about him.” I start to cry again. I felt so guilty.

Dad turned me to face him. “No, Polly, love. He was probably chasing another cat or something. He probably saw something on the other side of the road and dashed across just as the van was coming.”

I was about to say that Cosmo had never chased another cat in his life, when the surgery door opened and Mr. Adesina came out, wiping his hands on a wet cloth.

“I've patched him up a bit, Polly,” he said, kneeling down by my chair. “But we're going to have to operate pretty quickly.”

“He's got to have an operation?” I gasped.

Mr. Adesina nodded. His big, kind face was right up close to mine. “He's had a really nasty knock and he's bleeding inside. Unless I operate I won't know where that bleeding is coming from. Now, I want you to go home with your dad and I'll let you know as soon as he wakes up. I promise you I'll call however late it is, okay?”

Dad led me out to the van. I was still trembling and my clothes were stained with dried blood. Back at home, I had a steaming hot bath and then we sat in the kitchen waiting for the phone to ring. I kept thinking about how frightened Cosmo would be, waking up in a strange place, but Diane reassured me that Mr. Adesina was so kind and gentle he'd make sure Cosmo was okay when he came round from the anaesthetic.

In the end he didn't call until after ten. He said he'd finished the operation but he wouldn't know for a few more days whether or not Cosmo was going to make it.

“I've done everything I can to help him, but he's very weak and he's lost a lot of blood. I'll ring you tomorrow and tell you how he's doing and maybe later on in the day, after school, your mum could bring you in to see him.”

I was just about to tell him that Diane wasn't my mum, but I didn't. I don't really know why. I suppose I was too tired and too worried. After that Mr. Adesina had a long chat with Diane and they made arrangements for me to come in and see Cosmo the next day straight after school – if he'd recovered enough.

It was awful at school, I couldn't concentrate at all and I kept getting into trouble. I tried to look like I was paying attention, because I was scared I'd get a detention, but it was impossible. I'd called Phoebe at home the night before to tell her what had happened and she kept giving me lots of hugs and asking if I was okay. She even told Mrs. Bliss, the science teacher, that I was in a bit of a state because my cat was recovering from an emergency operation. Mrs. Bliss didn't look particularly impressed but she did stop picking on me.

At lunchtime Sam and Ellie were going on about watching the dance contest on the news and how they couldn't wait to go over to Phoebe's the following week.

“Not that the result was fair,” said Sam. “I mean it's obvious you and Monty B only won because of your baby brother, Polly.”

“You mean it's obvious you're just a jealous pig!” I snapped, and stormed off to the other side of the playground. Phoebe came running after me and tried to pull me back.

“Don't be like that, Polly! She didn't mean it. I know Sam's a show-off and everything but she's okay when you get to know her. And anyway, why didn't you tell them about Cosmo?”

I shrugged. “I don't want anyone else to know. It's private.”

Phoebe sighed and gave me a look. “What did your mum say about you and Monty B winning the dance contest?” she asked, changing the subject. “I bet she was sorry she missed it.”

“I haven't really got round to telling her,” I mumbled. “I haven't been able to think about anything except Cosmo. I can't stop picturing him lying there like that in the middle of the road, covered in blood.”

Phoebe shuddered. “Well at least you'll be able to see him later today.”

But when I got home from school Diane said Mr. Adesina had called to say that Cosmo
wasn't
doing very well – and it was probably best if I didn't come in.

“It's going to be okay,” said Diane. “He just needs to make sure Cosmo's strong enough for visitors.” But I didn't believe her and I started to feel sick.

“Can't we just go and see him,
please.
What if he dies and I haven't said goodbye?
Please, Diane.
”

Diane put her arms round me and held me close. It felt weird but I didn't try to pull away. “Listen, Polly,” she said, “we have to trust the vet. He really does know what he's doing.”

But Mr. Adesina put us off the next day and the day after. It was awful. I couldn't do anything. I spent all my time moping around, waiting for the phone to ring, convinced that Cosmo was going to die at any second. I knew I was driving Diane mad, but I couldn't help it. I just missed Cosmo so much and I was sure he wouldn't understand why I wasn't there to look after him.

Diane didn't complain at all. She made me one cup of tea after another and asked me heaps of questions about Cosmo when he was a kitten. I loved talking about him, it was really comforting. It almost made me feel as if he was there. I told her all about the day I got him. How Mum had picked me up from school and told me there was a little surprise waiting for me at home. And then when we got back she'd covered my eyes and led me into the kitchen. “You can look now,” she'd said, and there he was; a tiny ball of fluff lying in this big furry basket. He was so small he could practically fit into my cupped hands. It was the most exciting day of my life – I'd wanted a kitten for so long.

Of course I never touched my script all week. I didn't even think about it. Diane asked me a few times if I was learning my lines and she offered to help but I couldn't concentrate on anything while I was waiting for news. Phoebe was great. She really did her best to cheer me up, but I spent most of the time moping about, willing the phone to ring. I didn't even log on to talk to Skye.

On Friday I came home from school and Diane was standing on the front doorstep. For a second I thought it was more bad news, but she was grinning, hopping from one foot to the other.

“What's going on?” I said.

“Hurry up!” She grabbed me by the hand. “Now, close your eyes, Polly, and come with me.”

“Why, what's going on? I'm not in the mood.”

“Come on! Don't argue – just for once in your life!”

She led me down the hall and into the kitchen. “Keep going, just a little bit further.”

“You know I'm seriously not in the mood for this.”

She stopped walking and let go of my hand.

“Okay. We're here. Ta-da!”

I opened my eyes, blinking against the light.

“Look, Polly,” said Diane, leaning down to Cosmo's basket.

And there he was, filling the
whole
basket, purring so loudly it sounded as if he had an engine in his tummy. I knelt down, trembling. Lots of his fur had been shaved off and he had a big plastic hood over his head to stop him from biting his stitches.

“Hello, Cosmo,” I said.

And he pushed his face against my hand over and over again.

I didn't go to drama the next day. I was much too worried about leaving Cosmo, for a start, but apart from that I still didn't know my lines well enough and I couldn't bear the thought of watching Sam take over my part. Diane tried to persuade me to go. She promised she'd look after Cosmo and give him heaps of cuddles, but I decided it would be much better to stay at home and take care of him myself.

He was feeling terribly sorry for himself. He absolutely hated the plastic hood, but Mr. Adesina said he had to wear it until he'd had his stitches removed in about ten days' time. He couldn't get through the cat flap either, the hood was too wide, so we'd gone back to using a litter tray. I thought Diane was going to kick up a big fuss about it but she hadn't said a word.

Phoebe called me during break to ask me what was going on.

“You should've come,” she hissed down the phone. “Sam's doing your part and she knows
all
the lines.”

“Has Mandy actually
said
she's going to be Marcia?”

“I don't know but it wouldn't surprise me. She's teaching her your songs right now, while the rest of us make masks for the viruses.”

“Who's doing
her
part then?” I asked, quietly.

There was a long silence. “Erm…I am, actually,” she said in the end. “I really didn't want to, Polly, I mean, why would I want to be Cydore? But Mandy said it would be a big help and I couldn't let her down, not when it's, like, only three weeks until the show. I'm still doing my song at the end, but Rachel is going to take over the rest of my character's lines.”

We said goodbye and I cuddled up next to Cosmo on the couch. I could just imagine Sam strutting about on the stage showing everyone how brilliant she was, but I couldn't believe Phoebe had gone along with it when she was supposed to be my friend. She called me again a bit later when she was back at home.

“Come over to mine, right now!” she said. “I'll help you learn your lines and we'll tell Mandy about Cosmo getting run over. I mean it's not like she's going to get cross with you if she knows what's been going on. I nearly told her myself but I wasn't sure if you wanted me to or not.”

“Look, forget it, Phoebe. I'm so sick of talking about it. I don't even care about Sam doing my part. It's just not a big deal.”

Phoebe snorted down the phone. “I don't believe that for a second. I don't know why you're being so stupid about all of this. It's obvious you still want to be Marcia even if you won't admit it. Anyway, you are coming over to mine on Monday, aren't you? To watch the news programme?”

“Course,” I said, though the last the thing I wanted was to spend the evening with Sam while she gloated about taking over my part.

I was so hacked off with everything I went up to my room and spent the next couple of hours chatting to Skye. I told her all about Cosmo, but not about the accident. I didn't want to think about that, so I told her that Phoebe and I had entered him in the biggest cat show in the country – and that he'd won first place, just like Sam's cat, Bella.

“It was so exciting, Skye, you wouldn't believe it. He got this beautiful silky red rosette and the biggest silver cup you've ever seen and he purred all the way home, as if he actually knew how well he'd done.”

Skye's mum wouldn't let her get a pet – not even a hamster or a rabbit – so I knew she thought I was the luckiest girl alive. It was amazing, but the second I logged on to the friend2friend website and began chatting to Skye, I was so focused on what we were talking about I forgot all about Dad and Diane – and Mum not being around. And about how Sam had stolen my part in the show. I was Cat-Girl and my life was perfect and none of that other stuff seemed to matter at all.

“You'll never guess what,” Skye wrote, when I'd finished telling her all about Cosmo and the cat show. “I've actually been inside the Diamond Den.”

My hands started to tremble over the keys. I couldn't believe she'd let me go on and on about Cosmo when she had something so exciting to say. “OMG! What's in there?” I typed. “What's it like?” I held my breath waiting for her reply. It seemed to take an age.

“I can't tell you,” she answered at last. “Not until you've reached your target. But it's so worth it, believe me.”

“What's the big mystery?” I wrote back. I was dying to know more but she logged off suddenly and a screen popped up saying I wouldn't be able to talk to her until I had enough points to enter the Diamond Den myself. I only needed thirty-five and I was desperate to carry on, but just then Diane called me down to help out with Jake.