Playlist for a Broken Heart (16 page)

‘Hi Paige,’ said a male voice behind us.

‘Hey, look who was in my carriage,’ said Allegra.

It was Alex. I’d been so busy hugging my best friend that I hadn’t noticed him standing behind us. I had to hang on to Allegra so that I didn’t swoon. He was every bit as
gorgeous as I remembered and looked genuinely pleased to see me. He came and gave me a hug too. ‘Looking good, Juliet,’ he said.

‘You too, Romeo,’ I said. ‘How are the rehearsals going?’

He shrugged as we set off, crossed the road and headed up to town with streams of other visitors here for the day. ‘Bit spaced out. People have got exams so there’s not the focus
that’s really needed. And of course, we haven’t got the right Juliet.’

Allegra punched him playfully. ‘You smooth talker.’

Alex didn’t take his eyes off me. ‘I mean it.’

I know I blushed but it felt great to have to him look at me so intently and, unlike the old me, I held his gaze for a few moments. I know he felt a connection. So did I.
This new more
confident me is definitely more fun,
I thought as I felt a tingling sensation that anything could happen.

We took the streets leading to the park. We chatted about school (he couldn’t wait to leave and go to university), when he’d lived in Bath, (which was until Year Seven when his dad
got a job in London), who he knew in Bath (loads of people, which I already knew from his Facebook page).

‘And do you know a lot of musicians?’ I asked.

‘Yeah. You’re probably finding this. Bath is like a big village. Everyone knows everyone, especially on the school circuit.’

‘Do you know Callum Casey?’ I asked, careful not to say that I already knew that he did. I didn’t want to appear to know too much about him. That would be so not cool.

‘Yeah. Do you know him?’

‘I saw him play at Walcot Street. He’s good. And I . . . I have a CD with one of his tracks on it.’

Alex smiled and looked pleased. ‘One of his tracks?’

‘Yes. The CD’s a compilation but Callum’s song is track one.’ I scrutinised his face to gage his reaction.

He looked puzzled and hesitated for a few seconds before he asked. ‘Compilation?’

‘He didn’t make it. Someone else did. It’s on a CD called
Songs for Sarah
,’ said Allegra.

Alex looked surprised. ‘Sarah?’

‘Yes. Does that ring a bell?’ I asked still looking carefully at him.

Alex looked away. ‘Not really.’ I glanced at Allegra and shrugged. It was hard to tell whether he’d just happened to look away or was shocked that we knew about the CD and was
trying to hide it.

‘So how do you know Callum Casey?’ asked Allegra.

‘He’s my cousin.’

‘No way,’ I said.

‘Yes. I’ll be staying with him. Don’t tell me you fancy him? Most girls do.’

I decided that there was no harm in letting Alex know that he might have competition. I didn’t want him thinking that I’d been just sitting about looking at pictures of him on the
internet and waiting for him to come to visit Bath. ‘He’s good. I like his songs and he’s cute.’

‘And gay. So don’t get your hopes up.’

That shut me up. So much for my make-Alex-a-bit-jealous tactic. I decided to forget being cool, just be myself and ask what I want to. ‘I noticed that there was someone on your Facebook
page who calls himself Will.i.am Shakespeare. Is that his real name?’

Alex looked blank. ‘Will.i.am? I . . . I can’t say I’ve noticed him. So you’ve been looking at my page?’

I wondered how to answer this. Whether to be honest or make a joke of it. I didn’t want him to think I was obsessing over him so I decided to fill him in on the story and why I had been
looking at his list of friends. I began to tell the story with Allegra joining in some of the bits she knew. When I’d finished, I pulled out the
Songs for Sarah
T-shirt. ‘This
is the CD on the front of the T-shirt and on the back is the black-and-white photo. That’s the photo he uses as his profile photo and he uses the name Will.i.am Shakespeare.’

Alex’s expression gave away nothing. It was hard to tell if he was bored by the story or deliberately keeping cool. I reminded myself that he was a good actor and could easily disguise
what he was feeling. ‘And why is it so important that you find this boy?’ he asked.

‘Don’t tell me you’re not intrigued,’ said Allegra. ‘I know I am.’

‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘But what if you find the guy and he’s a disappointment.’

I looked him straight in the eye. ‘It depends on who he turns out to be.’

Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘And what if he doesn’t want to be found. What if the CD and all that went with it is history or a fantasy?’

Allegra nodded. ‘Fair point, Paige. There has to be some reason that CD ended up in the charity shop. That’s where people take unwanted items – emphasis on unwanted.’

‘In a charity shop?’ This time Alex couldn’t disguise his shock but I wasn’t sure whether that was because he was surprised to hear that’s where the CD ended up or
whether he had the snobby mentality that I used to have about second-hand things.

‘Yes, That’s where I got it,’ I said. ‘My aunt bought it for me.’

‘I see,’ said Alex. ‘But sometimes I think you have to leave the past in the past and embrace what’s in front of you.’

He looked right at me when he said that and again I felt that sweet sensation inside.

‘Oh get a room,’ said Allegra.

We both laughed, me more nervously than Alex, who seemed to enjoy the exchange. He put his hand on my arm. ‘Seriously though, Paige, I wouldn’t go about wearing the T-shirt. Not
until you know more about what happened. Otherwise, you may be opening up old wounds for him and for her.’

I got the feeling he was talking from personal experience about a painful past. ‘Did
you
make it?’ I asked.

He raised an eyebrow again and smiled. ‘Ah, that would be telling wouldn’t it?’

‘Oh come on, Alex, don’t be a tease. If it’s you, tell us.’

He grinned. ‘And ruin a good mystery? No way. Anyway, I would have thought that if the CD really did speak to you then you would feel a connection when you find the boy who made it.’
He gave me a meaningful look when he said the last part. There was no doubting that I was feeling a connection so why wouldn’t he just admit it if it was him?

‘You’re being very annoying,’ I said.

He grinned even more. ‘Good. I like to know I’m causing a reaction.’

It
was
him. I just knew it. I had a million questions I wanted to ask. When did you make it? Who’s Sarah? Where is she now? But we’d reached the top of Milsom Street and
Alex spotted Callum with his guitar outside a café. He went charging over and I was about to follow him when my phone bleeped that I had a text.

It was from FB.
Meet me to the right of the stage ASAP. Important info about your mystery boy. FB.

I quickly texted back,
It’s OK. I think I’ve found him. He’s here.

He texted back.
??? Not possible. He’s here.

I clicked my phone shut. ‘Woah. Things are getting confusing,’ I said to Allegra as I linked her arm and began to run towards the park.

Mystery Boy

Battle of the bands. Everyone was there. I looked for Sarah in the crowd and saw her down the front.
Hang back
, I told myself.
Hang back. Let her come to
you
. First Cybermentor played. I strained to see her reaction over the heads in front of me. As they started playing, she turned to a friend to say something. Had she recognised the song? I
think she might have. It was track eight on the CD. Overheated were on next. They played track six. Then Lady B singing, Make your life. A personal favourite of mine and was track four on my CD. It
was going like a dream. I couldn’t have orchestrated it better. I edged forward. She turned and saw me, waved. I went to join her and asked her what she thought of the music.

‘I’m blown away,’ she said. ‘I know most of it.’

‘How?’ I asked.

‘It’s from a CD,’ she replied.

‘What CD?’ I asked acting cool.

‘It was made specially for me,’ she replied. ‘Custom made.’

My heart stopped. ‘Who by? And how do you know that?’ I asked.

‘He told me,’ she replied.

That can’t be
, I thought.

‘Sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me,’ she said.

‘Who is he?’ I asked. ‘Where is he?’

Sarah pointed. ‘There he is,’ she said.

I looked over the crowd to where she pointed.
Unbelievable
, I thought when I saw who it was.
The snake. I am going to kill him
.

From the throbbing bass notes resounding through the park, we could hear that the battle of the bands was underway.

Allegra was more interested in the beautiful Georgian architecture evident everywhere we looked. ‘Ohmigod,’ she said when we got up to the Royal Crescent and she saw the sweeping
curve of the thirty tall houses towering over the parkland in front. They made an impressive sight. She pulled out her camera and starting taking photos. I couldn’t blame her. I remember the
first time I saw the Crescent and how blown away I was. I wanted to stay with her but I was also eager to find FB and see what he had to say.

‘You go,’ she said. ‘Give me five minutes up here and I’ll come and find you. Give me your T-shirt and I’ll see if anyone recognises it.’

I pulled my
Songs for Sarah
T-shirt out of my bag and she put it on over her shirt. ‘Well I’m not undressing in this weather,’ she said when she saw me laugh. ‘I
wish I’d brought a coat!’ In the twenty minutes it had taken to walk from town up to the park, the sky had grown overcast and looked like it might rain. ‘Go on, you go,’ she
urged. ‘See you in a minute.’

I followed the music and raced down through the trees to find the stage area where a band of four boys was finishing their set to rousing applause from the audience. I soon spotted FB, who was
standing to the left of the stage. He waved when he saw me.

‘So what’s all this about you knowing who made the CD?’ I panted when I’d got to him. ‘Did you find another clue when you scanned the cover.’

He took a deep breath and hesitated as if unsure what to say. ‘Not exactly. Nothing new anyway. I . . . I guess I should have told you . . .’ he said. He stopped mid sentence when he
saw a new performer get up onto the stage, his expression turning black. ‘I don’t believe it.’

‘What is it? Do you know him?’

‘I do. We all do. Keiron Mills. He’s a creep.’

I looked back at the boy who was getting out his guitar. ‘He looks familiar. I think I may have seen him somewhere, at school . . . around Bath . . .’ I searched my mind to try and
remember where it was.

‘Probably playing in Bath. He busks a lot on the main drag near the Abbey,’ said FB.

‘That’s it! I knew I’d seen him somewhere. It was on my first day here. He was playing in the square next to the Abbey and this idiot who lives next door to Tasmin was heckling
him.’ I suddenly remembered that I’d seen Niall’s name on FB’s list of Facebook friends. ‘Oh! Sorry. I think you know him. Niall Peterson. He was giving Keiron a
really hard time.’

‘Niall? Good,’ said FB. ‘Someone needed to.’

‘Why? What’s he done?’

‘What hasn’t he done? Keiron’s trouble. He nicks people’s material and lyrics, changes a few things ever so slightly and then passes them off as his own. He’s
notorious for it, as well as being a liar. He might look sweet-faced but he’s got no morals at all. It’s an unspoken rule amongst musicians: you don’t steal other people’s
material. He does – he changes a few words here and there but everyone knows that he does it.’

‘So that’s why Niall was giving him a hard time. I thought he was just being mean.’

FB shook his head. ‘Niall? Nah. He hasn’t got a mean bone in his body. He’s a good mate.’

‘Maybe for boys but he’s a player when it comes to girls.’

FB looked shocked. ‘Niall? I doubt it. I’ve known him a long time and know where he’s at. He’s one of the good guys. What makes you think he’s a player?’

‘I saw him with three girls in one day.’

FB laughed. ‘Girls like Niall. No doubt about that, but that doesn’t make him a player. When was this?’

‘When I first arrived in Bath. First there was a blonde one, then a redhead, then I saw him in town with his arm around a girl with short hair.’

‘Chestnut coloured?’

I nodded.

‘OK, she’s his friend, Carol. Just mates. He’s known her forever. The blonde is his ex. She follows him around like a puppy dog and chances are, if you saw them kissing,
actually it was her kissing him. She’s always turning up begging him to go back with her. The redhead was his new girlfriend. Was. She didn’t last long. She was still hung up on her old
boyfriend and went back to him. So back to the drawing board.’

‘He seems a bit full of himself too.’

FB laughed. ‘Not really. He’s been a good friend to me, especially last year when I was down when my dad was ill. He’s the kind of guy who’d do anything for a mate. And
Niall’s not a player, I do know that. He’s a bit of a romantic in fact. Looking for The One he says, but then aren’t we all?’

I felt a fool. I remembered Niall telling me that things weren’t always as they seemed. Having heard what FB had said about Keiron, I realised that I’d jumped to conclusions and
judged Niall.
He must think I’m a first-class bitch
, I thought. I owed him an apology.

Up on the stage, Keiron started playing and there was cheering from the crowd and some booing. ‘See what I mean,’ said FB. ‘Niall isn’t the only one who doesn’t
like him. I can’t believe his cheek actually, getting up there in front of the very people he’s stolen from. But forget him for a moment, what did you mean, you’d found the boy
who made the CD?’

‘Yes. Well I think I have. I’m pretty sure it’s my friend from London. I think he might be one of your Facebook friends too, though I looked at so many last night that I
can’t remember who knows who. I’ve got a list somewhere, though it doesn’t make as much sense today as it did last night. Anyway, it doesn’t matter any more because
I’m sure it’s Alex.’