Viva Alice! (11 page)

Chapter Twenty-Three

W
e decided to hang out in Grace’s place for a while.

‘Is Gavin home?’ I asked, trying not to sound too interested. I wanted to tell him that I’d already been to the swimming pool to practise the strokes he’d helped me with.

Grace nodded. ‘I think he’s home – and he’s totally happy. José rang this morning to tell him that he’s definitely got the lifeguard job.’

‘That’s fantastic news,’ I said, as we followed her upstairs.

‘Yeah,’ said Grace. ‘It is. And he spent about an hour on Skype to Robyn, planning the amazing summer they’re going to have together.’

‘Totally sweet,’ said Alice. ‘Happy ever after,
and it’s all down to us.’

‘There’s one weird thing about Melissa’s family that I forgot to tell you,’ said Grace when the three of us were lying on her bed.

‘What?’ I asked, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

She sat up. ‘Well, can you remember why Melissa’s parents didn’t like our school?’

‘Yeah,’ said Alice. ‘The biggest reason was that her sister went a bit crazy while she was there, and she started to hang out with all these weirdoes.’

‘Only thing is,’ said Grace. ‘Melissa’s sister and her friends are really nice. They’re not crazy at all.’

‘Are you sure?’ I asked, remembering the girl I’d met once. She had black lipstick and spiky hair and about five nose-piercings. One Saturday I’d seen her coming towards me with a big
gang of girls all dressed in black, and I was so scared I ran into a shop to hide.

‘Suzie
looks
a bit crazy,’ said Grace. ‘But that’s just an image. Mostly she dresses that way to annoy her parents.’

‘I’m guessing it works,’ I said, giggling.

‘Totally,’ said Grace. ‘But underneath, Suzie’s really sweet. She adores animals, and helps out at the animal shelter every week.’

‘But didn’t she drop out of college?’ asked Alice. ‘Her parents can’t have liked that.’

‘She
did
drop out of college,’ said Grace. ‘But that was only because her parents made her do a computer course that she found totally boring. She’s going to art college now, and doing really well. She won a big prize for sculpture a few months ago.’

‘Did that make her parents proud?’ I asked, kind of guessing the answer.

Grace shook her head. ‘No. They didn’t even go to the award night. They think art is a waste of time.’

‘Oh,’ I said, suddenly feeling sorry for the pale-faced girl who’d once scared me so much. I felt kind of stupid. Mum always gives out to me for judging people by the way they look. I know she’s right, but usually I can’t help it.

Just then the doorbell rang. Grace jumped up and looked out the window. When she turned back to us, she was smiling.

‘OMG,’ she said. ‘This is going to be totally amazing.’

‘What?’ I asked. ‘Is it a pizza delivery man – with a big stack of boxes with our names on them?’

‘No,’ said Grace. ‘This is something much better. It’s Witch-girl. She’s all dressed up and it looks like she’s got her hair done. I bet she’s come crawling back for Gavin, and this time she’s going to be totally disappointed. Come on, girls, you can’t miss this.’

The three of us raced downstairs, and Grace opened the door.

‘Hey, Kiddo,’ said Witch-girl. ‘Is Gavvy
home?’

She was pretty, but she had cold, hard eyes. She looked confident, and kind of mean, like if you got in her way, she’d trample right over you with her pointy-toed, high-heeled boots.

‘I said, is Gavvy home.’ she repeated. ‘I haven’t got all day.’

Grace was smiling at her in a way that must have been totally annoying.

Alice couldn’t resist. ‘He’s definitely here somewhere, isn’t he, Grace? But didn’t you say he’s Skyping his girlfriend?’ she asked sweetly.

‘I’m
his girlfriend,’ said Witch-girl, narrowing her cold eyes. ‘Or I will be in a few minutes.’

‘Hmmmm,’ said Alice. ‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that.’

‘He’s in the living-room,’ said Grace, pointing. ‘Knock yourself out.’

Witch-girl went into the living room, and closed the door behind her.

‘Leah,’ we heard Gavin saying. ‘What are
you
doing here?’ He didn’t sound happy.

We couldn’t make out the words, but we could hear Leah’s voice, all sweet and syrupy. Gavin wasn’t answering, and slowly Leah’s voice became louder. It kept changing from begging to flirty to angry to whining like a spoiled toddler. It was totally weird, like there were five girls in the room with him, all fighting to be heard.

‘But I told you I was sorry,’ she kept saying. ‘And you’ve always taken me back before. I don’t understand what’s changed this time.’

Gavin said something we couldn’t quite catch, and then there was the sound of Leah’s high heels marching towards the door. Grace, Alice and I raced upstairs, and sat on the landing.

We watched as the living room door opened, and Leah marched out. Her high-heeled boots click-clacked on the wooden floor. ‘One day, Gavvy,’ she said. ‘You’re going to wake up and realise that you’ve made the biggest mistake of
your life – and then you’ll be sorry.’

Gavin was standing in the doorway with his arms folded. ‘I don’t think that’s going to happen,’ he said calmly. ‘I think I’ll wake up and realise what a very lucky escape I’ve had.’

‘Yessss!’ whispered Alice. ‘Go, Gavin. You tell her.’

Witch-girl tossed her silky hair, and stamped towards the front door. She stood with one hand on the doorknob and turned back and looked at Gavin.

‘Because I’m a nice girl, I’m going to give you one last chance,’ she said. ‘But if I walk out this door, I’m not coming back. Ever.’

‘Is that a promise?’ asked Gavin.

Witch-girl hesitated for a second, and then she flung the door open, and went out, slamming it behind her.

Gavin went back into the living room, and Grace, Alice and I jumped up and down and hugged and laughed until our throats were sore.

Chapter Twenty-Four

A
few days later, I was lying on my bed with Domino curled up on my feet. I was in the middle of a really good book, when Mum came into my room.

‘Sorry for disturbing you, darling,’ she said. ‘But I’m doing some baking, and I’ve run out of organic quinoa. Would you mind running down to the shop for me, please?’

I wanted to argue, but there was no point. Arguing with my mum is a total waste of time – she always has an answer for everything I say.

I got up from my bed and stroked Domino. ‘Won’t be long,’ I said. ‘Keep the bed warm for
me.’

‘Thanks, love,’ said Mum as she handed me the money. ‘And it’s cold outside – be sure to wear your coat and scarf.’

‘But Mum ……’

My mum can move like lightning when she wants to. Before I could finish the sentence, she’d opened my wardrobe, pulled out my jacket, and found the scarf that I’d hidden under a heap of old school-books. She wrapped the scarf round and round my neck like she was wrapping up a wriggly human present.

‘There,’ she said. ‘Now put on your jacket and you’ll be ready for anything.’

I loosened the scarf in an effort to breathe. It was the scarf Mum had knitted for my thirteenth birthday, and I have to admit, it was soft and warm. It was also brown and ugly. Worst of all, that scarf was like a Melissa-magnet. Every time I wore it, she showed up as if by magic, all ready to give me a hard time for having a mother who wants to save the world.

As soon as I had put on my jacket, Mum pushed me towards the door.

‘Off you go,’ she said. ‘Organic quinoa, don’t forget.’

I made it all the way to the shop and most of the way home without meeting anyone. I was starting to feel confident as I came up to the last corner before my road. Two more minutes and then I’d be safely back on my bed with my cat and my book.

And then I heard it.

‘Hey, Megan, how’s it going?’

I recognised the voice before I turned around.

Melissa.

Why hadn’t I run all the way home?

Why wasn’t Alice with me?

Why was I wearing the ugly scarf?

‘Hey, Melissa,’ I said, as I continued to walk towards the safety of my home. ‘I’d love to chat,
but I’ve got to bring this stuff home for my mum. I’ve got to––’

But Melissa put her hand on my arm, stopping me.

‘Before you go,’ she said. ‘There’s something I …’

Reluctantly I turned around to face her.

‘That’s the scarf your mum made for your birthday, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘It looks totally––’

Suddenly I didn’t want her to finish. It was like my brain was a pinball machine and all Melissa’s old insults were rattling around inside it, making me feel sick and dizzy. I had to make her be quiet.

‘Stop right there, Melissa,’ I said. ‘Don’t say another word – not a single, solitary word. You’ve been picking on me and insulting me for years and years, and now I’ve had enough. I don’t care what you think about me, or my mum or my clothes, or … anything. I’m not going to let you bully me any more. It’s over. Forever. Now, you should probably close your
mouth, I think you might need a licence to catch flies around here.’

Melissa slowly closed her mouth and stared at me like she’d never seen me before. In a way, she hadn’t ever seen me before. She’d only ever seen the scared Megan, the one who wasn’t brave enough to stand up to her. I smiled to myself. I liked the all-new Megan.

‘So anyway, Melissa,’ I said. ‘Sorry for interrupting you. What were you going to say about my scarf?’

‘Actually,’ she said. ‘I was going to say that it looks totally soft and warm.’

Now it was my turn to be speechless. ‘I’m not sure I believe you,’ I said, when I finally found my tongue.

She gave a big sigh. ‘It’s the truth, but I don’t blame you for not believing me. I know I’ve been kind of mean to you in the past.’

‘
Kind of
mean?’

‘OK,’ she said with a small smile. ‘I’ve been totally mean. I think I’ve worked out why, but
I’m not sure I can explain it properly.’

I was confused.

Was she playing some kind of mean trick on me?

Or was my timing all wrong?

Just when I was learning how to to cope with the old, mean Melissa, why had this new, nice one shown up?

What was going on?

I needed time to think. I put the organic quinoa down on the wall next to us, and folded my arms, trying to look like I was calm, like I was in control.

‘So go ahead,’ I said. ‘Give it your best shot. See if you can explain why you’ve been picking on me ever since you’ve known me.’

Melissa took a deep breath. ‘It’s just that … I think … you see … and I know this sounds kind of weird … but … I’ve always been kind of … jealous … of you.’

I was wiping the tears of laughter from my eyes, when I realised that she hadn’t been
joking. She was standing there, patting her shiny hair and looking as confused as I felt.

‘I don’t get why that’s so funny,’ she said.

‘
You
jealous of
me
?’ was all I could say.

‘Yes,’

‘But that’s crazy. What exactly were you jealous of?’

‘It started years and years ago, when we were little kids,’ she said. ‘When your mum used to wait outside the school for you every afternoon.’

I remembered those days. Mum used to stand right outside the school gate, and when I came out, she’d run towards me and hug me like she hadn’t seen me for six months. Even though I was tiny, I used to be totally embarrassed.

‘Your mum always looked so happy to see you,’ she said. ‘Like you were perfect. Like you were the centre of the universe. Mostly, I was picked up from school by a babysitter.’

‘Yeah, but your mum had a job. She probably found it hard to get away in the middle of the day.’

Melissa shook her head sadly. ‘Lots of the other mums had jobs, but still they found time to come to the school. Mine was the only one who never showed up.’

‘But I remember your mum coming to pick you up one time,’ I said. ‘She had a briefcase and a laptop and she looked like someone important. I think that was the same day that
my
mum was in such a hurry, she’d forgotten to take her apron off. It was totally embarrassing.’

‘Occasionally my mum did come,’ admitted Melissa. ‘When she had a day off from work. But when that happened she was usually late, and we had to run all the way home, so she could ready for some really important meeting. I always felt like I’d messed up her day, just by needing to be picked up.’

‘Oh.’ I couldn’t think of anything else to say to that.

‘And when you were little, your mum always had some special treat for you. I often heard her say, ‘Look Megan. I’ve brought you a surprise.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Those treats were never a big deal. It was usually a bird’s feather or a sugar-free cookie, or a chopped-up carrot or something pathetic like that.’

‘Maybe,’ said Melissa. ‘But those treats were for you. Your mum had brought them especially for you.’

All of a sudden I remembered the heart-shaped stone my mum had given me one afternoon. It was still on the locker next to my bed. It’s not exactly pretty or useful, but I like knowing that it’s there. For the first time, I could see where Melissa was coming from.

She leaned across and touched my scarf. ‘I remember the first day I saw this scarf,’ she said.

‘I remember that day too. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. You mocked me and said it looked like a snake.’

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I shouldn’t have done that. It’s just that …… my birthday had been the day before. My mum was in London on business and it was very late that night when
she called me. I think she’d forgotten until then that it even was my birthday. The next day, a courier showed up with a dress for me. It was really expensive and pretty, but it was completely the wrong size – I think Mum might have sent her assistant out to buy it or something. And then I heard Alice saying that your mum had knitted you a scarf, and I thought about how long that must have taken her.’

‘Not that long really – she’s a really fast knitter – and she doesn’t get out much.’

‘Whatever. She did it for you. She made you something special, and my mum …… well my mum would never, ever do something like that.’

‘Oh,’ I said again.

‘And your mum is forever doing amazing things for you,’ she said. ‘Like the welcome home banner she made for you when you were in Lanzarote with Grace.’

‘You saw that?’

Melissa smiled. ‘
Everyone
saw that. It was there for most of the week. I think your mum
put it up half an hour after Lorna and Eddie picked you up to bring you to the airport.’

‘That’s totally embarrassing,’ I said.

‘Maybe it is a bit,’ said Melissa. ‘But mostly it’s cute. It was really sweet of her to make that banner for you. It shows how much she loves you.’

‘Your mum loves you too,’ I said, hoping it was true.

‘I know she does,’ she said. ‘It’s just that she’s not very good at showing it – and that’s kind of a problem.’

I felt sorry for Melissa, but I still didn’t understand what she was saying. How did all this explain why she felt it was OK to bully me?

‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘But what’s all this got to do with me?’

‘I think I gave you a hard time – because I felt so bad. I know it’s stupid but it was like, if I couldn’t be happy, then I didn’t want you to be happy either. Can you understand?’

I thought I could. Mum always says that
when someone does a mean thing, it says more about them than it says about you.

‘And then there was Alice,’ said Melissa.

‘What about Alice? What’s she got to do with this?’

‘I’ve never had a friend like Alice. Every time I saw you two together, it made me feel bad about myself.’

‘But in primary school you had lots of friends.’

She shook her head. ‘They weren’t real friends. Mostly they just hung out with me because they were afraid I’d thump them if they didn’t.’

‘But …’ I stopped when I remembered that Grace had said pretty much the same thing.

‘You and Alice have this perfect best-friend thing going on,’ she said. ‘It’s like, no matter what happens, she’s got your back, and you’ve got hers. And I was totally jealous of that.’

I tried to imagine life without Alice, but I couldn’t.

‘And the other day, you and Alice and Grace did that really, really nice thing for me. Because of you, I won’t be going back to boarding school in September. And it was so kind, and I’m so grateful, but I feel totally bad too, because I’ve always only ever done mean stuff to you.’

Maybe I should have argued, but how could I? Everything she said was true.

‘I’m really, really sorry, Megan,’ she said. ‘Can you forgive me?’

I looked at her for a long time before answering.

She was the girl I’d hated for years.

She was the girl who’d made my life a misery.

She was pretty and cool, and her clothes were so nice, and thinking about her being jealous of me was just weird.

‘Sure,’ I said in the end. ‘It’s fine. Everything’s just fine.’

Melissa gave a little squeal and then she leaned forward and hugged me. Her hair brushed against my face. It was totally soft, and
it smelled like coconut and lemons.

OMG!
I thought.
I’m hugging Melissa.

And I couldn’t quite make up my mind if it was a dream or a nightmare.