Soul Love (17 page)

‘We missed you in Florida,’ he said. ‘Mum cried, you know, because she felt so bad that you weren’t there.’

‘I missed you too,’ I said. ‘But those postcards you sent me made me feel as if I was there.’

‘Is that a love letter you’ve got in your hand?’ he asked me, teasingly.

I’d forgotten that I was still holding on to Gabe’s note. ‘I suppose it is,’ I whispered.

I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I would sort things out as soon as I could tomorrow.

We all had to get up early the next morning, because Sarah had begun cooking her Soul Food wraps. She seemed in much better spirits. I think she and Mum had been up half the
night talking. Marcus was painting a sign for the poetry tombola.

‘Take lots of warm clothes. It gets cold at night in a tent,’ Mum fussed.

‘Not if you’re sharing with three sweaty boys and a girl,’ I said.

Mum raised an eyebrow and said, ‘I don’t know if I’m totally comfortable with that . . .’

But Sarah said, ‘We shared a tent with six boys once, remember? That was all perfectly innocent.’

Mum sighed. ‘I suppose there is safety in numbers . . .’

‘These boys are really nice,’ said Sarah. ‘One of them is Lord Netherby’s son.’

‘Cleo will be there as well,’ I snorted. ‘She can keep an eye on me.’

Mum raised another eyebrow. I comforted myself slightly with the knowledge that at least I’d be seeing Gabe today.

‘I think it’s Charlie who has got the key to Jenna’s heart,’ Sarah said, smiling.

The rest of us pretended to stick fingers down our throats.

‘We all just get along as mates,’ I insisted.

‘But it’s obvious both Charlie and Freddie are besotted with you,’ Sarah continued, biting on a piece of toast.

‘Obvious to whom?’ I said.

‘Anyone who’s got a pair of eyes. The only one who isn’t interested in you is Gabriel.’

‘You are so wise,’ I said. ‘How do you do it?’

‘My poetic intuition,’ Sarah said with a grin.

Chapter Thirty-Three

T
he plastic bracelets that Charlie had given us worked like a charm. I was given instant access to the site. I was
desperate to see Gabe. As he didn’t have a mobile I tried the Netherby Hall phone again this morning, but his line was still engaged. It seemed that the whole world wanted to speak to Lord
Netherby about the festival.

All paths leading to Netherby Hall were now sealed off with metal fences, and patrolled by mean-looking security guards in black bomber jackets.

It was shaping up to be another hot day. The sky was bright blue and there were no clouds. All the fields were filling up with tents. The sound of builders yelling and swearing filled the air as
the main stage was erected.

I should have been feeling excited to be a part of it all, but instead I felt tiny and small and hurt. It felt like everything was working against Gabe and me. He had probably convinced himself
by now that I was finished with him. He had been so sure that I would leave him.

‘Of all the fields in the world and you had to walk into mine! Hello there, old chum!’

‘Julius!’ I was so pleased to see a familiar face.

‘I spotted you standing amidst this flotsam and jetsam.’ He nodded at the groups of campers that were already coming into this field. ‘I’ve got the photos. Pulled a few
strings with the wedding photographer in Greater Netherby and he let me use his dark room last night.’

He handed me a brown envelope. Inside it was a wodge of black-and-white photographs.

‘Haven’t lost my touch, have I?’

‘They are brilliant,’ I gasped. There was one picture in particular that caught my eye. I was standing at one end of the counter, Charlie and Ava were dancing in the centre, Freddie
was posing and Cleo was draped around Gabe. Funny thing was he was looking up at me and I was looking back at him.

Julius cleared his throat. ‘They say a picture says more than a thousand words.’

I slipped the photo back in the envelope.

‘I am an old fool who has wasted many a year walking the primrose path of dalliance, but I do believe in love,’ Julius said.

I half-expected him to come out with one of his silly jokes or bad puns, but for once he didn’t. He just said, ‘I’m off to deliver these to the publicity office –
otherwise known as the kitchen at Netherby Hall.’

‘Could you do me a big favour?’ I asked.

Julius nodded.

‘Tell Gabe that I need to see him, right away.’

‘Your word is my command.’ Julius bowed and I hugged him.

I sat down underneath a large tree on the edge of the field to wait.

The sun moved higher in the sky. I could feel its heat on my face. I closed my eyes and rewrote life for a while.

In my first daydream, Ms Rose had taken her credit card with her that day. We had all got caught messing about in her office and were sent to the head’s office where Mia was so rude to the
headteacher that she got expelled and was dragged kicking and screaming from the school.

My second daydream involved a discovery of a pill that killed the HIV virus. This was followed by a fantastic dream about the huge success of Goats in a Spin. I pictured thousands of
Julius’s photos on posters plastered all over London. There would be rave reviews in all the indie music magazines.

‘Jenna?’

I half-opened my eyes as Jackson sat down beside me.

‘How you doing?’ he asked.

‘How did you manage to find me?’ There must have been thousands of people around the place.

He smiled at me. ‘You stand out in a crowd, Jenna.’

Jackson had lost none of his charm over the summer break.

I laughed, then sat up and looked around me in an exaggerated way.

‘Where’s your fan club? Or are they your minders?’ I asked.

He chuckled softly. ‘That’s what I like about you, Jenna. You’ve got a great sense of humour as well as being gorgeous.’ He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

I fanned the air. ‘Phew, it’s so hot already and it’s not even midday.’

‘Look, Jenna. I’m really sorry about what happened. I think it’s great that you haven’t grassed us up. You know I’d do the same for you if the circumstances were
the other way around.’

I shook my head as my lips formed a tight smile. ‘Here’s your big opportunity, Jackson. When you stop and think about it, “the circumstances” are the other way around.
I’m taking all the blame. My reputation is in tatters and you could rescue me with a few simple words.’

He looked at me with his deep, big brown eyes of his that for a second I wished I still loved him. I remembered how I’d felt after he had first kissed me. I recalled all the fun we’d
had messing around, playing silly games and having a laugh. Jackson was fun to be with. If I were back with Jackson things could go back to the way they were. My life would be so much easier if I
still loved him and not Gabe.

Then I reminded myself about all the other times that had not been so good and I said, ‘Thing is, Jackson. If the roles had been reversed, I wouldn’t have expected you to take all
the blame. That wouldn’t be right. I would have been scared witless, but I would have owned up. My conscience would’ve made me.’

Jackson moved closer. I took a deep breath. He was as handsome as ever.

‘Things aren’t always that clear cut, Jenna. I’d had a few problems at my other school. Got myself a bit of a reputation. The slightest whiff of trouble and my mum’ll
pack me off to school in Nigeria.’

‘If we had all stood together and explained, then maybe not. I’m sure your mum values honesty. Besides, didn’t you and Mia promise to come clean when the time was
right?’

Jackson nodded.

‘Trouble is the time will never be right, will it?’

Jackson shook his head and sucked his teeth. ‘Jenna, will you stop giving me a hard time? Things haven’t turned out too badly, have they?’

I thought about my life in Netherby – Gabe, the band and the job in the bookshop . . . and I smiled.

‘Better than I could have imagined, actually.’

‘Well then, let’s kiss and make up. No hard feelings?’ He put his arms around me and nuzzled in my hair.

At first I pulled back, but Jackson only laughed and pulled me closer.

What could be the harm in sharing one uncomplicated farewell kiss?

Chapter Thirty-Four

I
’m not sure exactly how long Gabe had been standing there, but judging from the expression on his face it
was long enough to jump to the wrong conclusion.

‘Julius said you wanted to see me,’ he said. ‘But I really should be going. Charlie needs a hand with the tent. Is this your
friend
from London?’

I didn’t like the way he put the emphasis on friend. Like it meant more than that.

‘This is Jackson. He’s come with Mia and some mates,’ I said.

I turned to Jackson. ‘This is Gabe. We’re in a band together. We’re performing in the Fringe Tent tomorrow.’

Jackson looked surprised. ‘My girl is in a band. Jenna, you are full of surprises.’ He hugged me again.

‘I’m not your girl,’ I snarled, and pulled away from him, but it was too late. Gabe was already walking the other way back across the field.

Jackson laughed and reached for me again, but this time I stood well back. I had to keep my distance from him, because letting him get close was dangerous. The look on Gabe’s face had
proved that. Now I had even more explaining to do. What had I been thinking of letting him anywhere near me?

In the distance I could see Aurora racing towards us, waving her arms in the air. She caught up with Gabe first and then he turned round and pointed in my direction. Gabe stayed put and Aurora
kept running towards me.

Between gasps she said, ‘Jenna, come quick! Sarah needs help! Come on.’

Although I didn’t ask him to, Jackson came along as well.

Aurora pulled on Gabe’s arm as she ran past him.

My first thought was that Kai had shown up and things had got ugly. But when I got there, everyone was standing around a large tree, looking up. Marcus was holding his jumper open under the
tree.

‘It’s Tallulah. She followed us here, got frightened by the crowds and ran up the tree in a panic’

Sure enough, at the top of a large oak tree – and perched on a branch too thin for her fat body – sat Tallulah.

‘We’ve got to get her down before something awful happens to her!’ Sarah wailed.

‘What goes up by itself must come down,’ Jackson said with a laugh.

‘Your boyfriend’s got a point,’ said Gabe churlishly.

I sighed helplessly. Gabe should have more faith in me and not expect the worst. After all, I trusted him and coped with watching Cleo draped all over him at every chance she got. He
shouldn’t have been so quick to jump to conclusions when he saw Jackson and me.
And
he should have waited for me at the treehouse the other night. Now we are both hurting.

Something inside me snapped. I launched myself into action.

‘Why is everyone just standing around? I’m going up to get her.’

‘I’ll be your ground back-up, Jenna,’ Marcus said as he stretched his jumper out even further.

‘I’ll help.’ Aurora unbuttoned her cardigan and stood beside Marcus.

Jackson just laughed again and said, ‘This is crazy, man.’

But I wasn’t listening. I was climbing and trying to blot out that voice in my head that kept asking, ‘So, what are you going to do now?’ as I wobbled my way up the tree
towards Tallulah.

I missed my footing a couple of times and snapped a few branches on the way, but at least I was leaving the ground and my problems behind me for a while.

If I had any idea that Tallulah would be grateful for this act of heroism I was wrong. The first thing she did was hiss and lash out at me with her claws. Then she wriggled like she was about to
take a flying leap.

‘Cats are not suicidal,’ I reassured myself and I began to talk to her in that pathetic itsy-bitsy voice that Sarah always used with her.

It seemed to calm her down for a while. She backed off to the thicker end of the branch and closed her eyes. I tried to ignore the stinging on my arm where she’d scratched me.

‘Just keep talking to her,’ Gabe said. To my surprise, he was following me up the tree on the other side and was positioned behind Tallulah.

‘Gabe, I have no idea what to do next. I’m scared,’ I hissed at him.

He smiled. ‘So am I, but we have to look as if we know what we’re doing. Can’t let our audience down.’

I swallowed, looked down at the others and tried to calm the dizzy feeling in my stomach.

A crowd had formed and now I became aware of a babble of voices I recognised. I could make out Charlie, Freddie and Mia.

‘I think I’m going to be sick,’ I said.

‘You’ll be fine.’

‘What if I’ve just made things worse? What if I end up frightening Tallulah into jumping? This is such a bad idea.’

‘Just deal with it, Jenna. There’s no time to be afraid,’ Gabe said fiercely as he began to take off his T-shirt.

‘I don’t think doing a strip will help,’ I said, trying to focus on that familiar torso to calm my nerves.

Gabe ignored me and said in a serious tone, ‘I’m going to count to three, then I’m going to grab her from behind, wrap the T-shirt around her to disable her claws. You keep
talking to her.’

I put on that soppy voice again. ‘Who’s a silly sod of a mangy old pussy cat, then? Getting yourself wedged up a tree.’

Gabe lunged at her with the shirt. After an initial struggle she settled down and allowed herself to be tucked up in the T-shirt. Gabe balanced her under one arm and climbed down.

They both looked up at me. Tallulah blinked and Gabe said, ‘Jenna, you can do it.’

He didn’t give me chance to respond as he moved further down the tree. All those feelings of fear for Tallulah and anger at the world in general had evaporated. Another chance to be alone
with Gabe had been missed. Now I was just a wobbly jelly, stuck up a tree afraid for myself, with a large audience watching my humiliation.

I heard Mia saying, ‘She’ll never get down by herself,’ followed by Rebecca’s giggles.

That spurred me on. I slid down and landed with a back and knee-jarring thump on the ground below.