Worse Than Boys Read online

  Wizzie held up her hands. ‘It’s OK. No applause. Not at the moment. Autographs later.’

  We took our seats at the back and spread ourselves out. Mr Hammond hurried towards us. ‘What are you doing here? You better not be here to cause trouble.’

  ‘Us, sir?’ I said, all innocence.

  ‘We’re here to audition.’ He stared at Wizzie when she said that, disbelief written all over his face in big letters. Don’t know why he looked so surprised. Seeing her sitting there, with her wild hair and her eyebrow pierced, I thought she would have made a great Rizzo, the leader of the Pink Ladies.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Wizzie said. ‘I’m not going into your daft play.’ She pulled at Lauren’s pink cardigan. ‘She is.’

  Mr Hammond’s eyes travelled to Lauren, all pink and fresh and pretty, and stayed there, as if he was trying to figure out if he knew her. ‘My goodness, Lauren, I wouldn’t have recognised you. I didn’t know you could sing.’

  ‘Wait till you hear her,’ I said. ‘Hidden talents.’

  He turned his attention to me then. ‘Ah, so this is your doing. And what part is Lauren auditioning for?’ He was asking me, not Lauren. I could almost see Lauren ready to say she’d take anything, but I was having none of that.

  ‘The main part. Sandy. That’s the only one she’s interested in.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘I see,’ he said.

  ‘You’ll give her a fair shot at it, won’t you, sir?’

  Mr Hammond didn’t think Lauren stood a chance. None of them did. He still thought we were here for a laugh, to make a complete mess of his audition. ‘Of course I will. But I’ll be keeping my eye on you,’ he said, and then he hurried back down to the front of the stage.

  It would have been hard not to make a fool of the auditions. How some people have the nerve to get up and sing beats me.

  The boys were first. And that was such a laugh. Everyone knew the main part would go to big Anil. He didn’t even need to sing. But he did, just so the girls could swoon at him.

  Another couple of boys tried out for the same part, but they didn’t stand a chance.

  There were no surprises when Mr Hammond announced that Anil would play the lead. I called up to the teacher, ‘Cheat! He was definitely miming, sir!’

  Almost everyone laughed, even big Anil. Only the Lip Gloss Girls kept their faces straight and solemn. And Mr Hammond. He shook his head in a warning, still sure we were here to make trouble.

  Zak Riley got a part too, as one of the more stupid members of the gang. ‘Type casting!’ I called up when we heard that news.

  Then it was the girls’ turn, and that was even funnier. Mary Fortune got up and belted out ‘Simply the Best’ as if she was Tina Turner herself. She was awful. We stamped and whistled when she’d finished as if she’d been brilliant. She knew we were making a fool of her and glared daggers at us. She was so busy glaring she tripped and fell off the stage. That only made us whistle and cheer even louder. Mr Hammond came up and warned us to shut up. ‘I’ll put you out if there’s any more of that.’

  Lauren whispered as he walked away, ‘I’m definitely not getting that part now.’

  She looked nervous. Little bubbles of sweat dotted her top lip. I glanced at Rose. She didn’t look nervous at all. Confidence oozed from her. I could see Erin and the new girl, Geraldine Mooney, whispering in her ear, probably telling her how wonderful she was going to be. They would be sure she would walk this one. So had I, once.

  Until I had heard Lauren sing.

  Eventually, it was Rose’s turn. She stood up, smiling, and walked straight-backed to the stage. Erin and the rest started cheering and stamping and whistling, just as we had done, but Mr Hammond didn’t rush to silence them.

  And Rose started to sing ‘Summer Lovin’.

  Lauren turned to me. ‘That’s the song I’m going to sing!’

  I grinned at her. ‘I know. But you’ll sing it better.’

  And she would.

  Rose was a good singer, can’t take that away from her. She could carry a tune, she kept time. I have to admit she even looked pretty. But there was nothing special about her voice, nothing at all. I could tell that now, now that I had heard Lauren. Mr Hammond wandered around the auditorium as he listened, finally standing right at the back.

  Then she was done. Everyone applauded apart from Erin and the rest, who went wild.

  Lauren leant across to me. ‘I think she already has the part. I’m going home.’ She was ready to stand up and leave and I could understand why. Even Mr Hammond was clapping and he hadn’t done that with anyone else.

  ‘Lovely, Rose. Thank you.’ It was almost as if he had made up his mind too.

  I gripped Lauren’s hand, squeezed it. ‘It’s Lauren’s turn now, sir.’

  He turned towards us and his smile disappeared. But if there was something I could say about Mr Hammond, it was that he was fair – one of those teachers who always tries to do the right thing. I just hoped he wasn’t going to let me down now.

  ‘OK, Lauren. On you come.’ Then his beady eye settled on me once again. ‘And this had better not be a joke, Hannah.’

  I realised then that he thought Lauren was going to be deliberately rubbish, and the whole audition would end in chaos. In fact, when I looked around I knew that was what they all thought. They weren’t interested in Lauren’s singing at all. Some were slumped on seats, talking, or flicking through magazines. If they were watching it was only because they were ready for a laugh.

  Lauren almost tripped on to the stage and that sent Erin off, whistling again.

  ‘Go for it, Lauren!’ I called out from the back, just to let her know we were all there for her, no matter what.

  And Lauren started to sing, and then they all listened.

  Boy, did they listen. They stopped riffling through magazines, they all shut up, they all watched her. No one had ever heard her sing before. I had never heard her sing so well. Just a few bars in and Lauren forgot her nerves. Her voice carried right to the back of the auditorium and as Mr Hammond wandered up and stood behind us, I knew he was impressed with that too. And Lauren didn’t just sing. She moved with the music, her face animated, singing as if she meant every word.

  People started clapping, swaying with the rhythm, joining in the chorus – really enjoying the song. They hadn’t done that with Rose. I knew then that if Lauren didn’t get that part it would be a total cheat.

  When she’d finished everyone was silent. Lauren blinked and looked round the auditorium, wondering why no one was clapping her. It was big Anil who clapped first. This was his leading lady. And he liked it. And then everyone in the auditorium erupted, whistling, cheering, stamping feet. Lauren blushed and smiled. Wizzie slunk down further in her seat. ‘Now she really does look like a Lip Gloss Girl.’ But she wasn’t smiling about it.

  Mr Hammond had to shut everyone up. The only ones who didn’t applaud were Erin and the rest. A rage hung over them like a wet blanket.

  Mr Hammond strode to the front of the stage, still clapping.

  ‘Was that all right, sir?’ Lauren asked.

  ‘That was better than all right, Lauren,’ he said. ‘Where have you been hiding yourself?’ Lauren looked out towards us. ‘It was Hannah’s idea. She heard me sing and said I should try out for this.’

  Then he turned, looked directly at me. ‘Ah, so you only discovered you could sing since you’ve been in Hannah’s gang.’

  I felt Wizzie stiffen beside me. Hannah’s gang. Not Wizzie’s. She didn’t like that.

  But I did.

  Hannah’s gang.

  Mr Hammond consulted his flip chart where he’d been jotting down notes all through the auditions. ‘Well, you’ve all been wonderful, but I think we’ve found our Sandy.’ And he stepped forward and held out his hand to Lauren. ‘Congratulations.’

  The place went wild. We leapt on to the seats, cheering and shouting. It was a great moment, especially when I watched Erin and Rose, almost in tears, run from
the auditorium. Rose turned to me at the door. I’d never seen her so angry. Her heart had been set on this part. She’d been sure it was in her pocket. And Lauren had won it over her. Good.

  Let her be angry. I wanted her angry and disappointed and hurt. Let her stew.

  This was my great moment, and I was going to enjoy it.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  I wasn’t surprised to find them all waiting for us when we strode out of the auditorium. Lauren had been kept back by Mr Hammond so we were outnumbered. Not a problem. Everyone else had cleared off. They knew trouble was coming.

  ‘You bitch!’ Erin screeched at me, and before I could think of a good answer she ran at me and brought her nails down my face. ‘You did this on purpose.’ The fury of her assault had taken me by surprise. My face stung.

  ‘I can’t help it if Lauren’s a better singer than pudding face there.’

  Rose was ready to run at me when I said that. ‘You knew that was my song!’

  ‘I only knew you were going to murder it.’ I looked round at my mates. ‘Can you get charged with murdering a song?’ Rose really did leap at me then.

  It was Sonya to the rescue. ‘Get your paws off my mate.’

  Erin pulled Rose away from me. ‘With pleasure. She might catch something if I don’t. Anyway, you can have her. She’s got what she deserves at last.’

  I was right in her face. ‘Yeah, I deserve the best. And that’s what I’ve got.’

  ‘I hate you, Hannah Driscoll.’ Erin said it through her gritted teeth. ‘Hate you.’

  ‘I hate you as well.’ Rose’s eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

  Wizzie had had enough. She spat on the ground, pushed at Rose’s shoulder. ‘Are you snivelling because you lost a part in the school musical? What a wimp.’ She turned her back on Rose and laughed. ‘She wants to get a life, eh?’

  She hardly got the words out of her mouth. Rose leapt on her back, tried to claw at her face – took Wizzie so much by surprise she was pulled down. Then Erin was on me again, and I was going down for nobody. She reached out to punch me and I caught her wrist and twisted it up her back. She yelled and kicked me hard on the shins but even that didn’t make me let her go. ‘Thought you could drag me down, Erin, and I’d never get up? Well, I did, and look who’s on top now … and don’t think I’ve finished with you yet … I’m coming to get you.’

  ‘LET HER GO!’

  Mrs Tasker’s voice boomed down the corridor. She ran at us, grabbing me by the collar, yanking me away from Erin. ‘Did you just threaten Erin there, Hannah?’

  ‘She did, Mrs Tasker. She’s a witch.’ Erin pulled herself away from me.

  ‘Takes one to know one.’

  Mrs Tasker already had Wizzie by the arm. ‘All of you are coming with me to the headmaster.’

  ‘We’ve got season tickets for his office,’ I said cheekily.

  We were practically frogmarched to the office. Mr McGinty railed at us. ‘You’re worse than boys when you get started.’

  Did he think that was an insult? We loved hearing that. Worse than boys.

  It was me he was singling out. ‘I’d have thought you’d had enough of gangs, Hannah. Now you seem to have taken over from Wizzie.’

  I’d taken over from Wizzie? Was that what they all thought? Wizzie shuffled beside me. It was getting to her, I could tell that.

  * * *

  Lauren was waiting for us at the gates when we all came out, anxious to hear what had happened.

  But she hardly listened really. She had lots to tell us too. She was more excited than I’d ever seen her. ‘There’s going to be loads of rehearsals. I’ll hardly ever see you lot.’

  ‘You’re going to be brilliant,’ I told her.

  ‘Do you get to kiss big Anil?’ was all Grace wanted to know.

  Lauren laughed. ‘Don’t think old Hammond approves of kissing. But I might just jump him anyway. You know how us actresses like to improvise.’ Then she stopped and grabbed me. ‘Thanks, Hannah. I’d never have done that without you.’

  Sonya patted me on the back. ‘Good one, Hannah. Did you see the look on Erin’s face?’

  ‘And that wimp, Rose, crying. I’d pay money to see that again.’ Even Grace approved.

  The only one who wasn’t laughing was Wizzie. She was standing back, watching me.

  ‘Are you OK, Wizzie?’

  She didn’t look OK. She was angry, I could tell. I couldn’t blame her really. Her friends were all crowded round me as if I was the leader, as if I had taken over from her.

  Wizzie stood apart from us, glaring at me. And it scared me.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Over the next few days we hardly saw Lauren. She was always at rehearsals for the show. Even during break times she seemed to spend more time with the other members of the cast, waving to us in the canteen, or grinning at us whenever she went by. I’d see her with big Anil, as he bent down to talk to her. ‘Do you think he fancies Lauren?’ Grace asked one day.

  ‘I only think he fancies himself,’ I said. But I began to wonder. Lauren looked so different. She always seemed to look clean and fresh. She even came in to school one day wearing a pale blue sweater. That made Wizzie really mad.

  ‘What’s all this about?!’ She plucked at the sweater. ‘Pastel shades and a ponytail? Have you been taken over by the bodysnatchers?’

  And I remembered Wizzie’s words – I was turning them into the Lip Gloss Girls.

  We seemed to be seeing less of Wizzie too. In the evenings she sometimes didn’t come to the Mall. Me and Sonya and Grace would meet up, but not Wizzie.

  ‘She wasn’t in when I phoned her,’ Sonya would say.

  But she never answered when any of us phoned her. Phone always turned off.

  ‘I’m worried about her,’ I told them.

  It was my mother who surprised me most. ‘I’m so happy about Lauren getting that part,’ she said. ‘You must get me tickets to see that show.’ Was Lauren turning into the next Erin? I hoped not.

  ‘I see Erin Brodie’s still mad at you,’ Wizzie said one day in the canteen when we caught Erin doing her glaring act at me.

  ‘She’s waiting for me to get her,’ I said. ‘Well, she’ll have to wait.’

  ‘As long as she doesn’t have to wait too long,’ Wizzie said. ‘Then she might think you’re talking through your hat.’

  There was something in that. So as Erin walked past our table I called out to her, ‘Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you … I’m still going to get you.’

  Everyone heard me. They turned to watch, waiting for me to ‘get her’ right now. Waiting for me to jump at her, start a fight.

  Sonya was ready to do just that, but I held her back. ‘I’ll get her some other way. I’m thinking about it.’ Then I laughed. ‘Although, I think I’ve had a pretty good revenge just watching her squirm when Hammond shouted, “I think we’ve found our Sandy!” and the whole place went wild!’

  Erin glared at me and walked on. We all giggled, all except Wizzie.

  ‘Lighten up, Wizzie,’ I said. ‘What’s wrong with you lately?’

  ‘Is that what you really want … to get your own back on Erin?’

  ‘What’s wrong with that? You do it all the time. Revenge.’

  ‘Her pal didn’t get a part in a show. You call that revenge? I’m beginning to think I’m too grown up for you lot.’ She was angry, but she was angry at me.

  ‘And what would you call revenge?’

  ‘Something a bit better than that.’

  ‘When you come up with something let me know. And I’ll decide what I think about it.’

  Wizzie’s face went red with rage. ‘You’ll decide? You’re only in this gang five minutes and you think you make the decisions! Not for me you don’t.’

  I had taken over from Wizzie, everyone seemed to think that, and Wizzie wasn’t happy about that at all. But I had meant to make her laugh, not shout at me. ‘Lighten up, Wizzie,’ I said again.

&nb
sp; ‘Yeah, Wizzie. It was a joke,’ Sonya said.

  Wizzie turned on her too. ‘What’s happened to you lot? You stick up for her! You back her up. You do what she wants. She’s changing us!’

  ‘No, she’s not,’ Grace said. ‘We’re still the Hell Cats, Wizzie.’

  ‘The Hell Cats? More like the Pussy Cats now.’ Wizzie’s little face was tight with anger. ‘Maybe it’s me that’s changing then. Maybe I’m just a bit too cool for you lot.’ She turned back to me angrily. ‘You want revenge? I’ll show you what getting your own back on Erin Brodie is.’

  Chapter Fifty

  Did I hear the siren that night? I imagine now that I did – that it wailed in and out of my dreams. Mum told me next morning at breakfast that she had heard it during the night, but it was when I got to school that I knew the worst.

  Rose came flying at me like a wild woman. Running out of the school gates and down the road towards me, screaming. At first, I thought she was heading for someone behind me. I even looked round, and by the time I looked back she was on me, grabbing me by the lapels of my blazer, shaking me. ‘You’d g-get her. You said that. You’d g-get her!’

  She was sobbing so hard she could hardly get the words out. Stuttering like Sonya.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ I asked.

  I glanced toward the school gates. Heather stood there, crying her eyes out, being comforted by some other girls. What was happening?

  ‘I could kill you!’ Suddenly, Rose butted me so hard I fell back. It hurt her as much as it did me for she stumbled too. The blow made me feel sick.

  ‘What’s happened? I don’t understand.’

  ‘Don’t pretend you don’t know!’ There were people around her now, holding her back from leaping at me again.

  ‘She’s not worth it,’ someone said. I looked round them all. They were staring at me with disgust in their eyes.