Page 25 of A Secret Cornish Wish
‘Apparently she’s starting properly next term. She’s moving from Ireland, but she’s having a few days here before the summer holidays as a sort of taster, I think?’
‘Oh, right. Bit odd, isn’t it, though? New pupils usually just start at the beginning of term.’
‘Don’t ask me. I just heard that Jenny was super pleased to find her. It’s completely revamped their act apparently.’
I look through the door of the drama studio and see Marnie laughing with some of the other ‘Octopi Orchestra’.
‘Bet they’re not as good as we are – even with her,’ I say. ‘Now, we must keep an eye on the time. If it gets near our slot to be on stage and Mandy and Rob aren’t back, we’ll have to go and find them.’
Luckily, Mandy and Rob seem to have some idea of time, as they arrive back in the drama studio just as Miss Kelly is rounding us up to go and wait in the wings at the side of the stage.
‘Here they come!’ I say to Miss Kelly as they dash through the doors of the studio. ‘I told you they’d just gone to the toilet.’ I glance at Mandy as we’re ushered along the corridor. ‘You’re cutting it fine,’ I say.
‘Nah, we knew what we were doing.’ Mandy is, as ever, completely oblivious to any panic or stress. ‘We had a great view of everyone who’s gone so far. And you know something, I think we might have this in the bag.’
‘Don’t get too confident,’ I tell her, lowering my voice as we approach the stage. ‘We haven’t been on yet.’
‘Funny,’ Mandy whispers, as we enter through the door and crowd into a tiny area on the side of the stage. ‘That’s exactly what your boyfriend said.’ She looks ahead of us to Rob, who’s towards the front of our little group with Eddie.
‘Rob’s not really my boyfriend. We’ve only been out a handful of times.’
‘He seems to think he is.’
‘What makes you say that?’ I ask immediately, keen to know more.
Mr Stevens, the drama teacher, who’s also acting as the stage manager, turns to look at us. ‘Girls! Quiet, please. The next act is about to go on.’
‘Sorry, sir,’ I whisper back. I wait until Mr Stevens has turned away from us before I speak again. ‘Why?’ I ask Mandy in the lowest voice I can manage. ‘What did he say?’
‘He couldn’t stop talking about you.’ Mandy grins like she always does when she has a secret she wants to share. ‘Asking me all sorts of questions, he was.’
‘Like what?’
‘Frances and Amanda!’ Mr Stevens raises his bushy eyebrows and gives us a stern look this time. ‘I really must insist you remain silent, or I shall have to ask you to leave.’
I have no choice but to stop with my questioning. But it’s so frustrating. I want to know what Rob said to Mandy about me.
Eddie, Rob and Claire shuffle forward a bit so Mandy and I can see the stage too, and the small movement means I find myself standing next to Rob.
He smiles at me. ‘Nervous?’ he whispers as the Octopi Orchestra begin to play on the stage.
‘A bit,’ I whisper back.
Rob reaches out his hand and takes mine, and for a moment I forget all about where we are and what we’re about to do. Rob Matthews is holding my hand again.Does life get any better than this?
I float back down to earth as I listen to the music, and I notice that rather than the formal attire the Octopi Orchestra said they were going to be performing in, actually they are all wearing jaunty white sailor suits, with little navy ties around their necks, as they play their various instruments.
And then I realise that I recognise the music they’re playing too.
‘This isn’t what we were rehearsing before,’ Rob says, listening intently. ‘It’s completely different.’
‘I think it’s from a musical,’ I reply. ‘It sounds like . . . Yes, it’s fromAnything Goes.’
As the orchestra finish their overture, Marnie floats effortlessly onto the stage from the wings opposite and begins to sing the musical’s title song, in a voice that not only fills the whole of the stage, but the entire school hall too.
‘What has this to do with the sea?’ I hear Mandy whisper behind us.
‘Anything Goesis set on a cruise ship,’ Eddie informs her. ‘The songs aren’t really sea-based, but I guess the show does go with the sea theme. Blimey, this girl can sing, can’t she?’
