Drama Queen Read online

  Alex looked up just as Rolo reached the breakers. And all of a sudden it dawned on his minuscule doggy brain that the bubbling white stuff was his arch-nemesis, WATER. But he was too close to stop. Instead, he made a desperate leap for her surfboard, landing on it with a scrabbling of claws and a desperate yelp. I expected him to slide right off the other side but somehow he clung on and managed to stay upright.

  “Sorry,” I puffed as I arrived at the water’s edge. “My dog…bit mad…Rolo…get off. OFF!”

  “Don’t worry,” she said, putting one hand on his back to help him balance. “He just wants to catch some radical rip curls, don’t you, boy?”

  “Can dogs do that?” I asked, my eyes widening in amazement. Rolo certainly seemed to be enjoying himself – his tongue was lolling out of his mouth in a happy-dog grin.

  “Of course,” she said. “In California, they have surfing competitions especially for dogs. Maybe Rolo is a future champion surfdog!”

  Ha, she’s clearly never seen the lengths he goes to avoid an appointment with the hosepipe. But he seemed pretty comfortable on the board and the idea of seeing him surf some waves was tempting – imagine if it turned out he was better than Liam? “Can we try?”

  Alex glanced out to sea at the waves. “It looks pretty clean but I don’t have a life jacket for him so we’ll have to stay near the shore.” She threw me a sunny smile. “But we can still teach him a trick or two.”

  I didn’t think it was possible for Alex to get any cooler but she seriously turned into a sea goddess that morning. By the time she’d finished with Rolo, he’d gone from water-phobic to water baby. Every time he slid off into the sea, she helped him back on and soon he was riding the waves and cruising to the shore. I was so proud of him I thought I might burst.

  “The trick is to fake it until you make it, Rolo,” she said. “Never let anyone see you’re clucked. That’s what gets me through the really big waves.”

  CLUCKED? Surely chickens didn’t surf too? And then I realized it was surfer slang for scared.

  I couldn’t imagine Alex being afraid of anything. She seemed like one of those super-confident people who could do anything. “Really?”

  “Really,” she said. “The thing no one ever tells you is that everyone feels the same way ninety-nine per cent of the time, worried and unsure. We’ve all got that little voice telling us we can’t do it. The secret is to do whatever it is anyway.”

  “So I suppose you might say you’ve got a positive mental attitude,” I said slowly. “The principal at my drama academy calls it a PEE EM AIEE.”

  Alex snapped her fingers. “That’s exactly what it is. You’ve got a PMA too, haven’t you, Rolo? Every time you fall off, you get straight back on and try again.”

  Rolo gave a gigantic woof. Then he cocked his head to one side and leaped off the board, racing over the sand towards a figure in the distance. Groaning, I started to chase him again, before realizing the figure was Dad.

  “We thought you’d fallen in, Cass,” he called cheerfully once he was near enough. “But it looks like the victim was Rolo.”

  Alex was staring at Dad like he’d just fallen from PLANET CELEBRITY. “Great show last night,” she said in a star-struck voice, before glancing at me. “You’re so lucky to have such a rad dad.”

  Dad laughed. “Rad dad…I might get that put on a T-shirt.”

  “Alex has been teaching Rolo to surf,” I told him. “She says he’s a natural.”

  He turned an astonished look on Rolo. “Really?”

  “I know!” I said, shrugging like I couldn’t believe it either. “But it’s true. Surfing seems to be his THING. And at least when he’s surfing, he’s not eating my pants.”

  “True,” Dad said, pulling a face. “It’s a shame we live so far from the beach, eh, Rolo?”

  It was a real shame, I decided, as we said goodbye to Alex and walked back to the caravan. Because between Rolo’s surfing and Dad’s Elvis, the Bond family were going down a storm in Cornwall. At the risk of sounding even cheesier than Liam, we were licensed to THRILL.

  Chapter Eleven

  Word has started to get around about Rolo the Radical Surfdog. As we’ve got nearer to the end of our holiday, he’s become almost as famous as Dad. We bought him a doggy life jacket from one of the surf shops in Newquay and Alex didn’t mind him joining in with our surf lessons, mostly because it meant more people were booking lessons, although not for their dogs. The local paper came and snapped some photos, which they put up online with the headline: YOLO ROLO! Huh, maybe that isn’t something Liam made up after all.

  Molly and Shenice have been keeping me in the EDDDA loop.

  Hi Cass, Molly wrote. Same old same old here – you’ll be pleased to know Imani is a terrible Lena – she can hardly carry a tune and I think the musical director is going to have a nervous breakdown if she sings flat one more time. Our costumes are hideous and S is STILL mooning around after H. I think she wishes she’d gone for Blousey because she keeps going on about the number of scenes I have with him. She’s nervous about the KISSING scene – they haven’t practised it yet!

  Hope you are still having fun, catching the waves. How’s Liam? Say hi for me. Loved that photo of Rolo surfing – TOTALLY RAD! M xx

  Ugh, things have hit rock bottom here, Shenice texted. My Tallulah dress doesn’t fit! None of the costumes do – Molly’s Blousey coat looks like a family of six could camp under it. The boy who was playing Knuckles has quit but it’s okay, Miss Skelly asked someone else to step up. Anyway, everyone is doing their best but Harry says there’s no way we’re going to be performance-ready by show night. Save yourself and stay there! S xx

  PS Was that really Rolo surfing? He’s looks better than Liam!

  If you’d asked me at the start of the holiday if I wanted to stay longer, I would definitely have said yes. But Dad has shown me you have to go all in as a performer to get anything back. Together with my PMA, I can’t actually WAIT to get back to BUGSY MALONE. I’m still a bit disappointed about missing out on Lena (especially if Imani is as bad as Molly says) but I’m going to give the show 110 per cent.

  I just wish Mum could see Dad’s show while we’re here. But she won’t let Liam and me babysit the twins on our own and tonight is his last performance. I wonder if Auntie Jane can hitch a lift on a helicopter or something?

  I can’t believe it’s our last surf lesson with Alex – the holiday has gone so fast. How am I going to indulge my mermaid tendencies when I live a zillion miles away from the beach? Wallowing in the bath just won’t be the same. Liam is even more devastated – I think he may actually be in LOVE with Alex and has been desperately trying to find a way to spend more time with her, with the emphasis on DESPERATE. It would be funny if it wasn’t so toe-curling.

  Mum brought the twins down to the beach for our final lesson. She cheered as I zoomed along the top of the waves and cutback neatly. Even Liam managed to stay on long enough for Mum to snap some photos. Afterwards, the twins paddled at the water’s edge. Alex smiled as they gurgled in delight. “They’re so cute. My sister has a little girl and she’s exactly the same – a real water baby.”

  Ethel wobbled and splashed down onto her bottom. For a moment, she looked like she might cry, then she flapped her hands in the foaming waves and laughed. Alex crouched down next to her and patted the water too, sending more foam bubbling over Ethel’s legs. Joshua crawled over to see what the fun was about and all three of them sat among the breakers, laughing and splashing.

  “You’re very good with them,” Mum said, smiling.

  Alex looked up, squinting in the sun. “Yeah, I babysit for my sister a lot. I love babies.”

  And then it hit me – LIGHT BULB! Why hadn’t I thought of it before?

  “Alex,” I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. “What are you doing tonight?”

  It’s pretty obvious who got all the theatrical talent in our family and it wasn’t Liam. But that doesn’t stop him from trying
.

  “I don’t think I’ll have any tea,” he said once we’d gone back to the caravan and he’d finished in the shower. “I’ve got a monster headache.”

  He raised one hand to touch his forehead and pulled the same expression the twins do when they’re filling their nappies. I almost burst out laughing – he couldn’t have been any more obvious if he’d had a flashing neon sign over his head saying “I AM FAKING”. I’m pretty sure Mum saw right through it as well but she just nodded. “Okay. Why don’t you have a little lie-down and see if that helps? You wouldn’t want to miss your dad’s last show.”

  Ha, unless I was completely wrong, that was EXACTLY what Liam wanted. I waited until he’d taken himself off to his room, then sneaked around the back and peered through his window. Sure enough, he was propped up on the bed with his headphones in and the music blasting out was loud enough for me to recognize the lyrics to HOWLING AT THE MOON. I knew it! He was throwing a sickie so he could spend the evening babysitting the twins with Alex. Shaking my head, I backed away and went to get ready. Only on PLANET LIAM could anyone be so deluded.

  He reappeared when Alex knocked at the door. Mum was still getting ready so I got up to answer and suddenly Liam’s door flew back and he practically knocked me out of the way to get there first. “Feeling better, are we?” I said in my sarkiest voice.

  Ignoring me, he yanked back the door. “Hi, Alex. You look nice.”

  Ugh, pass the sick bucket, PLEASE. Alex smiled and thanked him, even though she didn’t look any different to normal, except for not wearing a wetsuit. “Hey, Alex. The twins are through here,” I called from the living room.

  Mum popped her head out of the bedroom. “Hi, Alex, thanks for coming. Kids, will you be ready in five minutes?”

  I nodded but Liam instantly put on his poorly face again. “Urgh, Mum, my head is killing me. Maybe I’d better sit tonight out.”

  I snorted loudly. “Get over it, Liam. Alex doesn’t want to babysit you too.”

  If looks could kill, I’d be dead and buried. I smiled sweetly back. Now I could get my revenge for all the times he’d dunked me in the waterpark over the last week. And boy was it going to feel good.

  Mum came over and felt his forehead. “You don’t have a temperature. Have you drunk enough water today?”

  Liam nodded meekly. “I’ve tried to.”

  She studied him for a long moment, then sighed. “Okay. You can stay here, as long as Alex doesn’t mind?”

  Alex looked up from the floor, where she was playing with Joshua and Ethel. “No, that’s fine. You can tell me all about the WOLVES, Liam.”

  His face lit up. Then he seemed to remember he was supposed to be ill and he gave a little cough. “Maybe. If I feel well enough.”

  Mum turned away and headed back to her room. As she went, her eye caught mine and I swear she dropped me the faintest of sly winks. Liam was fooling no one.

  She came back out a few minutes later, wearing a beautiful sea-green dress. She looked lovely.

  “We’ll be back just after ten o’clock,” she told Alex and handed her a piece of paper. “This is my mobile number in case you need anything but obviously Liam knows how to get hold of me.”

  “Thanks,” Alex said, taking the number. “I’m sure I won’t need to trouble you.”

  “They should go off to sleep as soon as they’ve had their milk. And Liam, mind you don’t pester Alex,” Mum said. “She’s here to look after the babies, not you.”

  “MUM!” Liam groaned, turning red. “Just go already.”

  She bent to kiss each of the twins. “I’ll see you soon.” Straightening up, she looked anxiously at Alex. “Call if you need me.”

  “We’ll be fine, Mrs Bond,” Alex reassured her. “Have a great time.”

  I checked my phone – it was almost eight-thirty. “We need to go, Mum.”

  With one final worried glance, she headed for the door. “Bye, Liam. Be good.”

  I couldn’t believe how packed the bar was. All the tables were full and people were standing in every available space. For a moment I worried we wouldn’t get in, but then one of the staff members recognized us and led us to a reserved table at the front. No sooner had we settled into our seats than the lights dipped. “Ladies and gentlemen, Happy Sands Holiday Village Newquay is proud to present, for his final performance, THE POWER OF PRESLEY!”

  I know this is hard to believe but Dad was even better than he was the last time I saw him. I don’t know whether he was making an extra-special effort because Mum was there, or whether it was the people who got up and danced, but the atmosphere was amazing. And I’m pretty sure even the barman was snivelling when Dad dedicated LOVE ME TENDER to “his beautiful wife”. It was a night to remember for so many reasons, and I was super proud of them both. And this time, I remembered to snap a photo to send to Molly and Shenice.

  NO WAY! Shenice replied instantly. That can’t be your dad. He looks amazing! S xx

  PS Really looking forward to seeing you! M is driving me nutso…

  Wow, Molly messaged me back. You were totally right – he IS The King. M xx

  PS We NEED to talk about Shen. I am pretty sure she thinks I am trying to steal Harry!

  It sounds like I am heading home at exactly the right time – I will be like a United Nations Peacekeeping envoy, sent to diffuse tensions before a full-scale war can erupt. Hmmm…I wonder if I can make a helmet out of seashells before we go tomorrow?

  “Everything okay?” Mum asked Alex when we all got back to the caravan.

  She nodded. “No problems at all. The twins went to sleep without a problem and Liam seems to be feeling better too.”

  Ha, he didn’t look better – in fact, he looked as though he was about to burst into tears. Wow, he really did have it bad. I’d better keep my mouth zipped about that when I get home or the toys would REALLY come out of Molly’s pram.

  Alex came over to give me a hug. “Well done, Cassie, you and Rolo are both surfing superstars. I hope you’re going to keep it up?”

  I grinned. “Are you kidding? Just try and stop me!”

  She waved at Liam. “Good luck with the band. They sound really cool.”

  He mumbled something I didn’t catch, staring at his feet as though the bottom had dropped out of his world. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

  Mum held out some money. “Thanks so much, Alex. We had a great time.”

  “You’re welcome,” Alex said and she waved at us all one final time. “See you around!”

  The moment the caravan door closed, Liam started shuffling towards his room. “Night,” he muttered in a small voice.

  Dad waited until he was almost through the door before he spoke. “Cheer up, Liam. They’ve booked me again for next year!”

  Liam paused and his shoulders became ever so slightly less droopy. “Oh,” he said, sounding a bit more cheerful. “Night!”

  I went to bed then too. I don’t know if it was all the fresh air or the anticipation of seeing Molly and Shenice again but I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. Cornwall is great but I’m ready to go home. And I can’t wait to get back to the academy, especially now that my PMA has had a serious boost. Watch out, EDDDA – Cassie’s coming atcha!

  Chapter Twelve

  Rolo gave me the most disappointed look ever on Thursday morning, when I packed my bag and headed out to Molly’s car. He laid his head on his paws and huffed.

  “Sorry, boy, it’s back to normal for you,” I said, ruffling his ears. “Maybe I’ll get the paddling pool out later and we can pretend we’re at the beach.”

  Molly and Shenice had come round the evening before to get the lowdown on my holiday, and I’d given them the shell necklaces I’d bought from one of the souvenir shops in Newquay. On the surface, everything seemed fine – they oohed and ahhed over my descriptions of surfing and loved the video of Rolo surfing I’d taken on my phone – but there was definitely an undercurrent of tension, exactly the kind of thing Alex had taugh
t me to watch out for in the water.

  Once we really got talking, the situation at the academy didn’t sound like it had improved much.

  “Don’t ask about the dancing,” Shenice said, groaning. “You know that TV presenter on Strictly who couldn’t remember their left from their right? Times that by about ten.”

  “But you guys are okay?” I asked. “You’re enjoying yourselves?”

  “Shenice certainly is,” Molly said, winking.

  “Shut up,” Shenice said, going red. “Harry and me are just friends.”

  “Friends who kiss,” Molly said.

  Shenice blushed even more. “Well, yeah. Although Bugsy does choose Blousey over Tallulah in the end.”

  Remembering Molly’s message, I changed the subject. “But it’s all coming together, right? I mean, it’s only nine days until the show. It’ll be alright on the night?”

  Molly and Shenice exchanged doubtful looks. “Maybe,” Shenice said.

  “It’s not all bad news, though,” Molly said, with a sudden smile. “We’ve got a big surprise for you.”

  “What?” I demanded but they wouldn’t tell me.

  “Wait and see,” was all they would say.

  The general air of chaos on stage wasn’t helped by me – it took a while to remember where I was meant to be and I bumped into more than one person as I fumbled my way around the stage. But every time I thought I might lose my cool, I pictured myself back on the beach in Cornwall, paddling over the turquoise waves on my board, and my irritation melted away. Some of the dances had changed, so I had an extra lunchtime lesson with the dance captain, Charlotte, and got to the canteen very late. Molly and Shenice were acting weird. They kept looking at each other and smiling in a “We know something you don’t know” way.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” I demanded after a few minutes. “What’s with the Smuggly Smuggerson routine?”

  “She hasn’t noticed,” Shenice said in a stage whisper.