The Pros And Cons Of Being In Love With The Lead Singer Of A Rock And Roll Band

Chapter Eleven

Alex and I were sitting together at one of the tables, enjoying the music, enjoying the party atmosphere and, most of all, enjoying each other‘s company. I don‘t think I‘ve ever been quite so happy in my entire life. My heart felt like it was going to burst, it was so full of love and joy. “So, what‘s your favourite film?” Alex asked, just as someone interrupted:

“Morgan Sydney? Mrs Hathaway has to speak to you urgently.”

“Oh, right, fine. Thanks, Chloe.” I wondered vaguely why the Year Nine girl was looking at me as if I had come from another planet, so I asked: “Everything OK?”

Chloe snorted. “Wait and see,” she said, ominously, before walking away.

“What have you been up to?” Alex teased.

“Nothing,” I replied, a little confused.

“Then you’ve nothing to worry about, right?”

I nodded, but I wasn’t convinced. I still had that ominous feeling of fear. More than anything, I wanted to grab Alex’s hand and ask him to come with me, because I was scared.

But I’m Morgan Sydney.

I pretend.

I don’t show when I’m scared.

So, I held my head high, walked tall and made my way to the little box room. Mrs Hathaway was sitting there, like a queen on her throne. Next to her sat Emily and Orlando.

“What’s going on?” I asked, looking from one to the other.

“Sit down, Morgan,” Mrs Hathaway ordered, grimly.

I didn’t like that stern look on her face. I didn’t like the smug grin on Emily’s face. I didn’t like Orlando’s sneaky smile.

“What’s. Going. On?” I repeated.

“Sit. Down.” Mrs Hathaway said, tightly, through pursed lips.

I sat down.

“It’s come to our attention, Morgan, that you and Alex have concocted a plan so that The Screams could win the competition.”

“What?” I gasped.

“Emily says you deliberately miscounted the votes.”

My eyes widened and I whipped round to stare at my ex-best friend. “What?”

Emily didn’t meet my gaze. She just looked down.

I stood up. “I’m not listening to any more of this! It’s rubbish! Emily, you know it’s rubbish!”

Emily still didn’t look at me.

“I’m afraid you have to listen to it, Morgan,” Mrs Hathaway said, smoothly. “Orlando?”

“You’re such a liar, Morgan,” Orlando said, calmly. “Remember that day we met in the street, after you danced with Alex? You told me you’d do whatever it took to see The Screams won. Because, that way, Alex might look at you for a change.”

I stared at him. My brain was going really slow, trying to take it all in. I could comprehend, but I couldn’t understand. “You’re mad!” I gasped. “What are you trying to do to me?”

“It’s not what we’re trying to do to you,” Orlando replied, icily. “It’s what you did to yourself.”

I put one hand up to my face and closed my eyes. It felt like a nightmare. I turned to Emily, knowing she was my only hope here.

“Emily! Tell them! Tell them it’s not true!”

Orlando shot a glance at Emily, as if daring her to contradict him. She sat in the corner, not looking at anything. She seemed to have shrunk. Or maybe she was just sitting, huddled into herself. I could tell she didn’t want to do this. I wondered why she was doing it.

Someone knocked on the door and Alex casually walked in. He came up to me and slipped his arm round my shoulders. “Everything OK?” he asked. I knew from the hardness of his voice that he knew everything wasn’t OK.

I let my breath out in one long sigh. I felt less tense now Alex was beside me. As if he could magically make everything better.

“No, it’s not OK, Alex,” I whispered. “They’re saying we rigged the results. They’re saying I deliberately miscounted. They’re saying… we cheated.”

Alex looked at me, then at everyone else. His face was as hard as flint, and the expression in his eyes one of pure anger. “You really think that?” he asked. “Orlando.” He shot his friend a challenging glance. “That would you think? Or are you just saying it because you’ve loved Morgan as long as I can remember? Think if you get me out the way, you’re in with a chance, hmm?”

“How will proving the pair of you to be cheats help me do that?” sneered Orlando.

“It’s obvious,” Alex said, casually. “Her parents ground her. My Dad grounds me. We can’t see each other. And guess who’ll be there to step into the breach, offer a shoulder to cry on. Yeah, you. Not gonna happen, mate. Forget it. This girl’s mine and she’s mine for keeps.”

I won’t deny it. Even in the tense situation, those words sent electric shocks through my heart.

“Morgan should be so lucky,” snorted Orlando.

“Enough!” Mrs Hathaway thumped the table with her fist. “Morgan, you are suspended pending an investigation into this.”

“Wait, you can’t do that!” I exclaimed. “You didn’t even give me a chance to prove my innocence.”

“Quite frankly, you can’t,” Orlando snickered.

Alex let go of me and in one swift movement, he was over beside Orlando. He picked him up by his collar and threw him against the wall. “You…”

“Alex, don’t,” I said. “You’ll just make things worse.”

My tone was dead. I was too weary, too defeated to scream and shout any more. I was condemned without a trial. And nothing I could do was going to change that.

“Carter, let go of Orlando, right now.” Mrs Hathaway’s voice was steely. “Morgan is right. You’ll just make things worse. As it is, you’re now suspended for assault.”

Alex turned to face Mrs Hathaway. A light was in his eyes that I had never seen before. He looked wild. “Don’t,” he said. Just one word, said quietly, but it was more forceful than if he had screamed and yelled.

As I looked at Mrs Hathaway, I thought she was backing down. I thought she was shaken by the look in Alex’s eyes.

But no. She just smiled. Evilly.