Playlist for a Broken Heart (20 page)

No idea,
I typed back.
Never been so confused in my life.

Want me to butt out?
she typed.
I can see he’s into you.

No way. He’s into you.

Wake up and smell the hormones, Paige. Niall fancies you. Mind you, so do Alex and FB. Gd job I am going back to London. My confidence couldn’t take much more of this.
Then she
did a smiley face to show she wasn’t upset.

Niall glanced around and down at my phone then at Allegra and her phone. He didn’t miss anything either.

Mystery Boy

I knew straight away that this girl was special, though we got off on the wrong foot. I saw her in town and there was something about her. Dark glossy hair, eyes bright with
curiosity, taking it all in. She took an instant dislike to me. Hah. Apparently some girls do. They either love me or hate me. Like Marmite. But things are getting better. I’m drawn to her.
She occupies my thoughts and I think of things I’d like to tell her. Places I’d like to show her. Does she know how I feel? Does she care or feel the same way? I need to get to know her
better. Not like before when I was so wrong about Sarah. I didn’t know her at all. This girl is different. There’s more to her and I want to get to know everything about her. But what
to do? I need to make a gesture to let her know that she’s got to me. But what?

Alex sent me an email after he’d gone back to London.

I called Allegra to ask what she thought.

‘Only a few weeks ago, I’d have felt flattered, over the moon, but when I read his email, all I felt was pressure. I like Alex, course I do, or did. As you know, I’ve had a
crush on him forever.’
Niall’s and FB’s words of wisdom about projecting on to someone seem to apply more to Alex than either of them
, I thought. In my head, I’d
made Alex into the perfect boy and then felt let down when I found out he was a stoner and he wasn’t there for me when Tasmin was taken to hospital. ‘But I realise now I don’t
know him at all.’

‘Press alert,’ said Allegra. ‘I’ve been asking around about Mr Perfect and it appears that he’s not. I think you were starting to realise that anyway.’

‘So what have you found out?’

‘He’s Mr Charm personified and he uses that to get off with as many girls as he can. I saw him chatting up loads of different ones at the Zoom festival – that’s when he
wasn’t too stoned to stand – and there’s a whole list of girls here at school who were wooed, won then dumped once he’d made his conquest. Although that might be because
he’s looking for the right one, which might be you. What does your gut tell you?’

It wasn’t Alex’s face that came to mind, it was Niall’s, but I reminded myself that I didn’t really know him that well either. ‘To take my time. I’ve been so
obsessed with the CD and finding the mystery boy and now we know it was two boys, Niall and FB. And I also feel confused because I genuinely did feel chemistry with Alex and now I do with Niall
too. How can I feel attracted to two boys?’

‘There will probably always be chemistry with different boys but knowing which ones are good for you and which bad for you is part of growing up, I think.’

‘I guess. I—’

‘You don’t have to make your mind up right now. It will become clear in time. Just leave it. Maybe hang out with Niall and FB. Email Alex. See what happens.’

‘You are very wise, my blonde airhead friend.’

‘I know,’ said Allegra. ‘Just call me Alleguru. Oh, and Paige, if you see FB, tell him I said hi.’

Hi to FB?
I thought when we’d finished our call.
Interesting
. . .

Over the following few weeks I spent time with FB and our friendship was as comfy as ever. He got that we weren’t going to be a love affair and seemed happy to just be
mates especially since I’d passed Allegra’s message on. They’d been texting and emailing and made a plan to meet up next time she was in Bath, which according to her would be
soon. When I told Mum and Dad about FB’s amazing masks, they asked him to make some Georgian ones for the shop, which he agreed to do. He didn’t mention the CD again and nor did I. It
was as if we’d both made the decision to put it behind us and move on.

Niall had clearly come to a similar decision and took his Will.i.am page off Facebook. He added me as a friend to his Niall page though and we often chatted online after school. It was as if
we’d both decided to give each other another chance and get to know each other better. I found out that he was studying art at A level so it was great to be able to talk to him about it as
well as FB. I even found out that the mate that had made the Shakespearian masks on FB’s wall had been Niall and so we were able to talk about those too.

Most nights there would be some message from him, sometimes a quote or a poem or a link to a piece of music or painting. In turn, I sent him things that I’d seen or heard that I liked. I
told him all about my art project and he sent me loads of links to portraits. He suggested that the three of us, FB, him and me, went out some time taking photographs of people that I could work
on. He also told me that he was doing exams and hoped to go to college to do graphic design. I told him he’d be good at designing books, CD or DVD covers. That was the only allusion I ever
made to
Songs For Sarah
though I still listened to the song tracks. It would always be a favourite.

At the weekends I often saw Niall and FB at the usual hang-out places when I went to meet Tasmin and Clover in town or down by the canal. Like with FB, my relationship with Niall was growing
into a friendship and I found him easy to talk to because he listened to what I had to say as well as talked about what he was into, unlike some boys who only like to talk about themselves. I was
also finding myself increasingly attracted to him. Sadly, I wasn’t the only one. He always seemed to have girls hanging round him, though I couldn’t see that there was anyone special.
Tasmin had recovered from the alcohol scare and had sworn off the stuff for life, though Clover teased her and said never say never about anything, a conclusion I had come to about boys.

FB and I would often see each other after school. I helped him with some of the masks he was making for the shop and it felt good to have a shared purpose – though the masks weren’t
the only thing we had to talk about. He took every opportunity to ask about Allegra. They had clearly hit it off at the Zoom festival and I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect for him.

I’d catch Niall looking at me occasionally but he always looked away before I felt the lovely warm feeling that had passed between us at the Zoom festival. I started to wonder if he just
wanted to be friends, in the same way that I just wanted to be friends with FB.
Love is hard
, I thought, especially as in the last week, there appeared to be a new girl hanging out with
our crowd and whenever I saw Niall in town, she was there too.

Molly Myers. Dark glossy hair, same colour as mine. She went to Prior Park College and was really cool and funny. Apparently they’d got off to a bad start too when they first met but had
got to know each other since. Niall always seemed to be laughing when he was with her. I wanted to ask Tasmin to find out what was happening but she’d probably say something to blow my cover
so I kept my mouth shut. I knew that boys liked a challenge and to do the chasing so I didn’t want Niall to know that my feelings for him were growing. If I’d had any doubts about him,
the spark of jealousy that I felt when Molly showed up made things mega clear to me. I liked him a
lot
. But I wanted him to choose me. So many girls seemed to go for him. I wanted to be
different. I just hoped that it wasn’t too late and Molly Myers and he weren’t going to become an item.

Mum and Dad had wasted no time getting the new business up and running. On the last Friday in June, Allegra came to stay and after meeting her at the train station, we went
into town to see how the shop was shaping up.

‘Awesome,’ I said as I looked around. The last time I’d seen the space, it was an empty shell with no colour or character. Since then, while I’d been out at school, Mum
and Dad had been busy. The main room had been decorated in typical Georgian fashion, complete with fireplace and heavy old curtains that Mum had sourced on ebay, plus huge gilt mirrors from a shop
in town that did house clearances. They’d also found furniture, lamps and paintings from the same period to make the room look more cosy. ‘It’s like stepping back in time.
You’ve done a great job. It’s exactly what people come to Bath for.’

Dad nodded. ‘I think we’re about ready for the opening tomorrow.’

I felt so good as I took it all in – proud of Mum and Dad but also that it had been my idea. On one side there was a rail of costumes, some that Mum had made, others she’d sourced in
vintage shops or on ebay with Clover’s help. On the other side there was a counter and area set up for the photographer. Dad had been interviewing all week and had come up with three
employees, two men and one woman, who were to take the photos.

Allegra and I had a great time going through the rails to pick our costumes for the Regency Parade, which was happening the following morning. She mentioned that Alex had said he might come for
the weekend but I no longer cared about him. I’d moved on.

FB came to meet us and it was obvious that he and Allegra wanted to be alone for a while so I made up some excuse about having to do something at the shop for Dad so that they could go off for a
while on their own.

At first, Dad had dismissed the idea of opening the shop on the same day, saying everyone would be in fancy dress so why would they come in the shop? Mum’d talked him round though telling
him that lots of people would see crowds walking around Bath in costume and be inspired to take part so when they came across the shop, they’d come in, try on costumes, get their photo taken
and feel part of the day. The plan was that Tasmin, Allegra, Clover and I were going to go out with flyers to advertise. We’d be dressed up in period costume too, though Tasmin balked at the
idea at first. She relented when Dad offered to pay her. In the evening, there was to be a ball and banquet at the Guild Hall. Half of Bath would be attending and Mum and Dad had booked a table for
us all. It was going to be a top day and I felt a buzz of excitement just thinking about it.

Allegra and I were up early in the morning to go and walk about, Regency style. She was as excited as I was about the day but more because she’d be meeting up with FB
again than about the Parade. ‘He’s the first boy I’ve met in ages that doesn’t play games and is straight about how he feels. I like that.’

I was as pleased as she was – two of my favourite people together.

Tasmin and Clover came over around nine and after coffees and croissants, we got dressed in the costumes that Mum had brought home for us the night before.

‘Uck,’ said Tasmin when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She looked so sweet and girlie in a white muslin dress with pink ribbons. She immediately hoiked the long skirt up on
one side and tucked it in her knickers. She added a pair of sunglasses, a slick of red lipstick then looked in the mirror again. ‘That’s better. I reckon I could start a trend. Sort of
post-Austen punk.’ She did look great and had made the outfit look cool, plus she hadn’t gone back to the heavy make-up she wore before her makeunder.

Allegra looked like she had just stepped out of a BBC costume drama in her pale blue dress, matching bonnet and soft curls. ‘The perfect English rose,’ I said.

‘Thorny and has mildew,’ she replied with a laugh. I knew she was joking – she knew she looked the business.

‘You look like a proper lady of the times,’ said Clover. She managed to look exotic even in Regency dress. She wore a short scarlet jacket that fastened just under the bust on top of
a long olive-green dress, and a red bonnet with green feathers and a scarlet parasol.

My dress was honey coloured with a plum-coloured cape over it and Mum had found me some matching velvet slippers. I put my hair up in a comb at the back and looked in the mirror. A girl from
another time stared back at me.

‘You look good,’ said Tasmin. ‘It suits you.’

‘What? Prim and proper?’

‘No. Actually I think you look sophisticated and interesting,’ she replied.

Clover acted faint. ‘A compliment from Tasmin. Press alert.’

Tasmin replied by making a rude gesture with her fingers.

‘Ever the lady,’ said Clover.

We set off for town in bright sunshine and any shyness we felt soon disappeared when we saw other people dressed in costume. It was as if we’d somehow stepped into a time machine and gone
back to another era.

‘The location lends itself to people dressing from the period,’ said Allegra as a tall handsome boy in a velvet coat and knee-high leather boots walked past. He saw us looking at him
and bowed like an old-fashioned gentleman.

We all curtsied back except for Tasmin who rolled her eyes and then popped a piece of gum into her mouth.

‘So unladylike,’ said Clover.

‘Whatever,’ said Tasmin then winked at the boy.