‘My mum’s really handy with a needle. She’d fix them.’ Lauren laughed. ‘You really think I could look like that?’
‘Well, they’re always doing makeovers on television. Why couldn’t you have one?’
And I knew then Lauren would definitely go for the part. Thanks to Mum. They seemed to genuinely like each other!
By the end of that night Lauren had my mum eating out of her hand.
Later, when Lauren had left I went into Mum’s room. She was reading her book in bed. I sat beside her. ‘Thanks, Mum,’ I said. ‘For the shortbread and everything.’
She laid down her book. ‘She seems a nice girl,’ she said.
‘She is. They are, they all are.’
She wasn’t sure about that. But Lauren had made a difference. Mum liked her. Maybe she was thinking – I was sure of it – that if she met the others, she might like them too.
All except Wizzie.
Chapter Forty-Five
Wizzie was a softie, Lauren had told me. That was even harder to believe just a few nights later when we met at the Mall. One more scar, looking raw. ‘Were you in another fight?’ Lauren asked her.
Wizzie only shrugged. ‘Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.’
Wizzie and her scars. Yes, I decided. I would have to pluck up a lot of courage to bring Wizzie home.
We were still laughing when I saw Erin coming out of Top Shop, doing some late-night shopping. She saw me too. She glanced at me, then just as quickly looked away and kept her eyes straight in front of her. My gaze never left her. She was on her own, clutching her bags close. Nervous. It would have been so easy to confront her, to surround her, make her scared the way she’d made me scared. But all I did was stare. She was bold enough, finally, to look back, and there was something in her eyes that looked like hate.
I felt Wizzie’s hand on my shoulder. ‘Not worth it,’ she said.
‘I know,’ I said. ‘But I’m going to get her. I’m going to get them all.’
And I was, one by one.
‘And the first one’s going to be Rose,’ I said. ‘I can’t wait to see her face when you win that audition, Lauren.’ It was out before I could stop myself.
There was a sudden silence. I was still staring at Erin’s back as she hurried out of the Mall. I realised at once that I had put my foot right in it. Not just one foot. Both of them. I turned quickly to see Lauren blowing out her cheeks, Grace and Sonya standing back. And Wizzie. She had one hand on her hip, and she was glaring at me.
‘What’s all this about an audition? I thought that was all forgotten.’ She swivelled round to Lauren. ‘Are you doing this behind my back?’
She didn’t wait for Lauren’s answer. She swung right back to me. ‘Your idea? Using us to get back at your old pals.’ She looked round at them all. ‘Come on, can you not see that’s what she’s doing?’
I saw Lauren swallow before she answered her. ‘Well, we want to get back at them too, Wizzie.’
‘So let’s start a fight with them. But we don’t get them back like this.’ She put on a little girlie voice. ‘Ooo, we’re so bad, we’re going to sing better than them.’ Her voice became harsh again. ‘That’s really going to scare them to death, that is.’
‘Lauren’s a r-really good singer,’ Sonya said.
To my surprise it was Grace who spoke out boldly. ‘So why shouldn’t one of the Hell Cats get a part in their daft show? Lauren’s the best singer in the school.’
That only made Wizzie madder. ‘So every one of you knows about this … except Wizzie. What else are you doing behind my back?’
Lauren tried to protest. But there was nothing any of us could say. Wizzie was right. We had talked about it and decided it behind her back, because we knew this would be her reaction.
Lauren touched her arm and Wizzie pulled away. ‘Come on, Wizzie. We knew you wouldn’t like the idea … I didn’t like it at first, but I’m up for it now.’
Wizzie turned on her. ‘No, you’re not, Lauren. She’s making you do it.’ She pointed a black-nailed finger at me. ‘You wouldn’t have thought about it if it wasn’t for her.’ Then she turned to me and poked her finger into my chest. Her little white face was red with anger. ‘You’re every bit as manipulative as that Erin.’
That really hurt. ‘Don’t say that, Wizzie.’
But she wasn’t going to stop. ‘You’re trying to turn us into the Lip Gloss Girls, and I don’t like it!’
Chapter Forty-Six
The night before the auditions we all gathered at Lauren’s house. All of us except Wizzie. We waited and waited and she didn’t turn up. She’d been annoyed since she’d found out that Lauren was still going to audition, no matter what she said.