Read Online Olivia Flies High by Lyn Gardner - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lyn Gardner
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very public hug of support.
“Come on, Tom. You, me and Georgia, we’ll go to the café around the corner together. My treat.” They settled into a corner table and ordered paninis and a Greek salad to share. To take Tom’s mind off things, Abbie and Georgiastarted chatting about Katie.
“Cassie’s getting a bit sick of her. She’s always going into her dressing room and trying to chat. She even marched up to Cassie’s agent when she came to take her out to lunch and introduced herself as if she was Cassie’s best friend. Asked the agent if she might take her on! Talk about pushy. She’s only twelve.”
“When she was at the Swan, she once told me that she asked her mum and dad to get her an agent when she was three,” said Georgia.
“Oh well,” said Abbie, “at least while she’s busy furthering her career, she’s leaving you alone. I thought she might be spiteful when she realised that you’d been cast and get up to some of her old tricks, like that time she pushed you off the stage at the Swan newbies’ concert so that she could take your place. It’s good it hasn’t happened. Maybe being asked to leave the Swan has taught her the lesson she needed.”
“Maybe,” replied Georgia. “Apart from the odd bitchy comment, she’s given us no beef. In fact, she doesn’t really mix with the rest of us. Alps team is beneath her. I don’t even think the others like her very much. With theexception of Mia, who’s taken a bit of a shine to Katie because she thinks she looks like Sharpay Evans from High School Musical . But nobody is ever going to cross Katie whatever she does. She’s Chuck Daniels’s niece. Josie made it quite clear on the first day that the rules are different for her.”
“Ah, Josie,” said Abbie. “How are you getting on with her? She can be a bit sharp. But I think her bark is worse than her bite. The rumour is that she wanted to direct The Sound of Music herself and felt humiliated when Jon James was brought in over her. So she’s been even more bad-tempered than usual. She keeps on getting assisting jobs. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
Tom had said nothing during this exchange. He just picked at his cheese and ham panini, crumbling it into small pieces.
“Oh, Tom,” said Abbie. “What are we going to do with you? You’re not yourself at all. What’s wrong?” Tom felt his colour rise and his throat got scratchy. For a terrible moment he thought that he was going to embarrass himself and the girls by bursting into tears in front of them. Abbie squeezed his hand.
“Can you try and tell us about it?” she said gently.
“It’s no one thing. Well, there’s Liv, of course. We’re still not talking. But it’s everything here too. Things keep on going wrong and I know that everyone’s losing patience with me.” He told them about Josie’s phone call to his house.
“But that’s so weird. Why would she do something like that?” said Abbie, looking puzzled. “It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no benefit to her in trying to make you look bad.”
“I can’t explain,” said Tom miserably. “I wish I could. But I feel I’m letting myself and everyone else down. And the Swan. If Miss Swan gets to hear what’s happening, I’ll feel so ashamed.”
“She’s miles away in Hollywood,” said Georgia soothingly.
“Actually, it’s a pity she’s not around,” said Abbie. “She’d sort it out.” She looked at her watch. “Come on, time to get back to the glamour and the greasepaint.”
Chapter Ten
In the Swan school hall, Pablo and Olivia watched as the children built their structure made from flesh and bone. The tallest, oldest and strongest children were gathered together in a group at the base, packed as tightly together as a rugby scrum. Kasha and his friends Ryan and Jazz had proved to be real team players, never complaining however heavy their load. Even Kylie had won everybody’s respect for her uncomplaining attitude and
“Come on, Tom. You, me and Georgia, we’ll go to the café around the corner together. My treat.” They settled into a corner table and ordered paninis and a Greek salad to share. To take Tom’s mind off things, Abbie and Georgiastarted chatting about Katie.
“Cassie’s getting a bit sick of her. She’s always going into her dressing room and trying to chat. She even marched up to Cassie’s agent when she came to take her out to lunch and introduced herself as if she was Cassie’s best friend. Asked the agent if she might take her on! Talk about pushy. She’s only twelve.”
“When she was at the Swan, she once told me that she asked her mum and dad to get her an agent when she was three,” said Georgia.
“Oh well,” said Abbie, “at least while she’s busy furthering her career, she’s leaving you alone. I thought she might be spiteful when she realised that you’d been cast and get up to some of her old tricks, like that time she pushed you off the stage at the Swan newbies’ concert so that she could take your place. It’s good it hasn’t happened. Maybe being asked to leave the Swan has taught her the lesson she needed.”
“Maybe,” replied Georgia. “Apart from the odd bitchy comment, she’s given us no beef. In fact, she doesn’t really mix with the rest of us. Alps team is beneath her. I don’t even think the others like her very much. With theexception of Mia, who’s taken a bit of a shine to Katie because she thinks she looks like Sharpay Evans from High School Musical . But nobody is ever going to cross Katie whatever she does. She’s Chuck Daniels’s niece. Josie made it quite clear on the first day that the rules are different for her.”
“Ah, Josie,” said Abbie. “How are you getting on with her? She can be a bit sharp. But I think her bark is worse than her bite. The rumour is that she wanted to direct The Sound of Music herself and felt humiliated when Jon James was brought in over her. So she’s been even more bad-tempered than usual. She keeps on getting assisting jobs. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.”
Tom had said nothing during this exchange. He just picked at his cheese and ham panini, crumbling it into small pieces.
“Oh, Tom,” said Abbie. “What are we going to do with you? You’re not yourself at all. What’s wrong?” Tom felt his colour rise and his throat got scratchy. For a terrible moment he thought that he was going to embarrass himself and the girls by bursting into tears in front of them. Abbie squeezed his hand.
“Can you try and tell us about it?” she said gently.
“It’s no one thing. Well, there’s Liv, of course. We’re still not talking. But it’s everything here too. Things keep on going wrong and I know that everyone’s losing patience with me.” He told them about Josie’s phone call to his house.
“But that’s so weird. Why would she do something like that?” said Abbie, looking puzzled. “It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no benefit to her in trying to make you look bad.”
“I can’t explain,” said Tom miserably. “I wish I could. But I feel I’m letting myself and everyone else down. And the Swan. If Miss Swan gets to hear what’s happening, I’ll feel so ashamed.”
“She’s miles away in Hollywood,” said Georgia soothingly.
“Actually, it’s a pity she’s not around,” said Abbie. “She’d sort it out.” She looked at her watch. “Come on, time to get back to the glamour and the greasepaint.”
Chapter Ten
In the Swan school hall, Pablo and Olivia watched as the children built their structure made from flesh and bone. The tallest, oldest and strongest children were gathered together in a group at the base, packed as tightly together as a rugby scrum. Kasha and his friends Ryan and Jazz had proved to be real team players, never complaining however heavy their load. Even Kylie had won everybody’s respect for her uncomplaining attitude and
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