Page 2 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘See you at the harbour at seven tonight,’ Eddie sings as he hurriedly makes his way down the steps from the stage and across the assembly hall. ‘We’re rehearsing on the beach tonight.’
I shake my head as he exits through the door at the back of the hall. It was bad enough being on stage and singing, let alone dancing as well.
I’m about to turn back to the scenery and finish up my artwork for tonight, when a girl carrying a violin case enters the hall, followed by a group of other boys and girls all carrying various musical instruments, some of them in cases, some of them not.
‘Don’t let us stop you, Frankie!’ Jenny, one of my classmates, calls, as she lifts a chair from where they’re stacked at the side of the hall. ‘We’re just going to rehearse for a while.’
‘No worries,’ I reply, about to turn back and finish off my waves – one of the parts of my scenery I’m most proud of – when I notice Robert Matthews enter the room behind the others. He’s carrying a guitar case and he looks a little lost.
‘Over here, Rob!’ Jenny gestures to a chair she’s just laid out. ‘I’ve saved you a place.’
Robert, looking a tad embarrassed, nods and heads over towards Jenny. He glances up at me standing on the stage staring down at him.
‘Hi,’ he says with a half-smile. ‘Nice waves.’
‘Th . . . thanks,’ I reply, for some reason waving my brush at him so a little of the blue paint flicks down onto my face. I hurriedly wipe it away with the back of my hand, and I know it will have left a smear on my now flushed cheeks, so I hurriedly turn back towards the huge backdrop I’ve been working so hard on this week and try to remember what I’m supposed to be doing. But for some reason I’ve not only forgotten what I’m working on, but how to paint too.
I pretend to be mixing some paint while I gather myself.
Robert Matthews has just spoken to me! Not only that, but he also noticed my artwork – he said,‘Nice waves.’
Ever since Robert came to our school as a new pupil at the beginning of this term, my heart has felt like it’s going to burst out of my chest every time I see him. Either that or my stomach begins doing all sorts of complex gymnastics whenever he’s near.
It’s so embarrassing that my body decides to behave this way around a boy. I spent most of my fifteen years on this planet detesting them, but he’s the first one to make me feel this out of control – it is very annoying.
But Robert is different to all the other boys at school – his short sandy hair is soft and shiny-looking. He has the most amazing pair of dark-brown eyes – and the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen on a boy, or a girl for that matter. He’s sort of quiet, but not too quiet. He’s smart – I know this because he’s in a lot of the same classes as me – but he’s not a swot.
He fitted in right away, and the other boys appeared to accept him into their groups with very little resistance. I was quite jealous – I’ve spent my whole time at this school trying to fit in, trying to find my place in the right crowd, and Robert seemingly managed to do it within a few days.
I’m not the only girl to notice his presence, of course. There are often a lot of dreamy looks and overly long gazes when he’s around, followed by much giggling. Robert quickly became the best-looking boy in our school by a long shot, and it didn’t come as any surprise that a lot of other people seemed to think so too.
Finally, my hand remembers how to paint again and, while the musicians practise their pieces for the show behind me, I continue working on the set.
The ‘Enchantment Under the Sea’ dance that I’m painting a backdrop for is to be our school’s official leavers’ event this year. At fifteen, me and my friends won’t be leaving school until next year, but the tradition is that we, as the year below, are allowed to attend as a sort of transition to becoming the oldest in the school. But to earn our place, we provide the evening’s entertainment.
The theme was a popular choice, after the success ofBack to The Futurea few years ago, where there was a school dance of the same name. All sorts of committees were formed to organise the event, and I found myself volunteering to paint the backdrop for the evening – this year, a talent show of sorts, where all the acts had to have a sea theme to gain entry.
I love to paint and draw, and to be allowed to create something on a large scale such as this is very exciting. I am probably just as excited about creating my backdrop as most of the other girls are about creating their outfits for the evening.
I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy, happier in trainers, jeans and a baggy sweatshirt than a pair of fancy shoes and a dress. But even I’m making an effort for the dance – that’s if I haven’t first been laughed off the stage for my singing, and now it seems my dancing ability too.
The musicians practise for about an hour behind me, while I carry on with my painting. I try not to make it too obvious that I keep sneaking the occasional glance in Robert’s direction. I make sure I only do it when I load my paintbrush up with more paint or change the colour on my pallet.
Eventually, as I’m just about to finish up for the afternoon, the musicians decide to call it a day too. As chairs are replaced and instruments packed up below me, I do the same on the stage with my art equipment.
After gathering all my dirty brushes in a pot, so I can wash them in the sinks in the girls’ toilets afterwards, I jump as I realise Robert is now up on the stage behind me. He’s holding his guitar case in one hand, while he admires my backdrop.
‘It’s very good,’ he says, not looking at me but at the sea in front of him. ‘Did you do all this yourself?’
‘Yes.’ I’m trying desperately to stop myself – and my voice – from shaking. ‘Yes, I did.’
‘I wish I could paint, but I’m pretty rubbish at it.’
‘I’m sure you’re not.’
‘Frankie, we’re in the same art class. You must have seen how awful my work is. Miss Simpson never offers to hang any of my paintings on the school walls, does she? Whereas they’re covered in your work.’
I’m not sure if I’m more shocked he knows my name, or that he’s noticed my artwork displayed around the school.
