The Rapunzel Dilemma Read online

  ‘So let’s do Hamlet,’ said Gemma. ‘There’s loads of parts in that and there’d be no need for double-casting. I say we do Hamlet.’

  ‘Are you nuts?’

  ‘That’s a terrible idea!’

  ‘Hamlet is way beyond us!’

  The objections came thick and fast and Lily almost felt sorry for Gemma as all around her, people scoffed at her suggestion, while others called out their own ideas.

  She racked her brains for a suitable play – preferably one with a large cast and a good enough role for her that, when he saw her act it, the Drake would know she deserved to stay at the Academy.

  Thinking of her one-term trial made her heart race but, as the clamour died down, she managed to say calmly, ‘What about A Midsummer Night’s Dream?’

  There was a pause before Harry said firmly, ‘How about a Harold Pinter play? Or something by Alan Bennett.’

  ‘Or a Caryl Churchill play?’ suggested Rachel, casting a sideways glance at Lily.

  ‘Could be good,’ said Max, ‘But what about A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Lily’s –’

  ‘Great idea, Max,’ called Justin.

  Lily stared at him. It was her idea not Max’s, but before she could speak there was a chorus of approval.

  ‘Yeah, the Dream has plenty of great parts,’ agreed Rachel. ‘I’d love to play Titania.’

  ‘So would I,’ nodded Charlotte, ‘Or Hippolyta, and Puck’s a brilliant role. Plus there’s Lysander and Demetrius and Oberon, as well as Bottom and Helena and Hermia.’

  ‘And all the fairies,’ said Fatima.

  ‘It must have over twenty parts,’ added Liam.

  ‘And all of them are good roles,’ said Gemma.

  ‘And we could still double-cast if people wanted to,’ suggested Imran.

  ‘Nice call, Max,’ said Harry, slapping him on the back. ‘And you’d be great as Puck.’

  ‘Let’s put it to the vote,’ said Charlotte.

  Lily pulled her phone from her bedside table and dropped onto her bed. She needed to hurry if she wanted to talk to Angel before the others came back from the common room.

  She hadn’t stayed for the vote. She was pretty sure Max’s proposal would get up without her help. Max’s proposal! thought Lily bitterly as she stabbed the number into her phone. It was my idea to do A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

  She pushed her ugly grey pillow behind her and settled back to talk to Angel, only her call went straight to voicemail, so she typed a text:

  Hey, Angel, you there?

  She waited a few minutes and was wondering if she should try calling Nick when her phone chirped.

  Yes. But can’t talk. At Grandmama’s reception.

  OMG. If she sees you on your phone!

  She won’t. You okay?

  Fine. Just wanted to talk.

  How’s the Academy?

  Lily hesitated, her fingers hovering over the keypad. She’d desperately wanted to talk to Angel – to blow off some steam and tell her how mean people were being . . . But how to explain it all in a text? Plus, now that she thought about it, did she really want to tell Angel that people hated her or that she was on probation? Once she started venting she might find it hard to stop and, whatever happened, she mustn’t tell Angel about Philip’s ultimatum . . .

  Lily’s phone chirped again

  You there?

  Lily chewed her lip and then typed:

  Yes. Things are great. Classes are amazing.

  Awesome. Much acting happening?

  More than you know, thought Lily ruefully.

  We’re doing Midsummer Night’s Dream at Christmas.

  Wow! Can’t wait to see you in it. What part did you get?

  Lily felt a sudden urge to throw her phone across the room. What part? She’d be lucky to be cast as a lowly courtier or a nameless fairy if the group in the common room had their way.

  Don’t know yet but Max will probably be Puck.

  Who’s Max?

  New friend.

  Nice?

  Very. Talented, cute, funny.

  Sounds promising.☺

  Except he has a huge crush on a third year.

  I’ll bet she’s not as gorgeous as you!

  No, HE’s much cuter than me.☺☺

  Ah. Gay friend. Excellent. Any other talent?

  Lily thought of Ronan, but again, how to explain him in a text? After all, she barely knew him. Maybe when she talked to Angel, she’d tell her everything, but for now . . . Her phone chirped.

  Gotta go. Grandmama’s coming.

  Okay. Talk tomorrow?

  But there was no answer.

  Lily rolled off the bed and paced the floor. It felt weird not confiding in Angel, but maybe it was for the best. After all, people’s resentment might not last. Although, if tonight was any indication, she was probably doomed to being excluded and ignored for as long as people believed she’d bought her way into the Academy.

  At least Max had stuck by her – he’d repeated her suggestion. It wasn’t his fault they’d leapt at the chance to give him credit for her idea.

  As she passed Charlotte’s bed Lily saw that her Charlie Bear had a second medallion around his neck in the shape of a silver star with the words ‘You’re a star, Charlotte’ engraved on it. For a moment, Lily felt like tearing it off and stamping on it. It was Charlotte who’d turned everyone against her; but for her, Lily was sure she’d be making friends.

  She thought of Phoebe and the way she’d come and talked to her in the bathroom. Left to herself, Phoebe would probably be a friend and maybe even Rachel and Fatima and some of the others, too.

  Ronan was right: people were followers – mindless sheep taking their cues from a girl who believed the lies she’d heard about Lily and decided she had the right to act as her judge and jury.

  Well, let them follow Charlotte! Lily wasn’t going to let her or anyone else dictate her path at the Academy. She was going to make the most of her chance, and if the Drake or the Dane were watching, good! She’d show them what she could do. Lily felt the familiar passion rise within her. She loved acting! To feel and think and be someone else up there on the stage – that was a feeling like no other.

  ‘To hell with Charlotte and her minions,’ she said aloud, giving the silver medallion a flick. She crossed back to her bed and picked up her phone. She’d call Angel tomorrow and tell her in detail how brilliant things were.

  Lily opened Google and typed A Midsummer Night’s Dream into the search bar. She’d start reading tonight. She’d learn every part by heart and be ready for whatever they threw at her. From now on she was going to practise every spare second she could find. And when it came time to perform, she’d show Charlotte – she’d show them all.

  CHAPTER 15

  Saturday came and Lily went shopping. It felt good to embark on a little retail therapy and she enjoyed exploring Selfridges, the big department store on Oxford Street that Mrs Wilson had recommended when she’d given Lily her pass out. Philip had told her she could spend whatever was necessary on essentials and so Lily put her platinum credit card to work.

  She wasn’t entirely sure her dad would consider a £1500 Gingerlily silk bedspread and a £350 Missoni throw essential, but the thought of seeing Charlotte’s face when she put them on her bed was irresistible.

  It was late afternoon when the taxi dropped her back at the Academy. She gathered her parcels and headed upstairs. She was hoping to find the bedroom empty, so it was disappointing to hear voices as she stopped outside the door.

  ‘Come with us, Charlotte.’ Gemma’s voice was insistent.

  ‘No thanks,’ said Charlotte.

  Lily paused outside the door. She didn’t want to eavesdrop, but she didn’t want to interrupt a private conversation either. All she wanted was to put down the two enormous bags she’d just lugged upstairs.

  ‘But why not? I know you’d love it, and we could go round to the stage door afterwards and try to get his autograph.’

  ‘
I got David Tennant’s autograph after we saw him in Hamlet.’

  ‘But we’d get to see him again.’

  ‘We’d love it if you’d come, Charlotte,’ said Phoebe.

  ‘I can’t, I’m busy.’

  ‘Doing what?’ demanded Gemma.

  Lily held her breath.

  ‘None of your business,’ Charlotte snapped. ‘Now would you please drop it?’

  Lily pushed open the door. ‘Hi,’ she said.

  ‘Listening at the door, were we?’ said Gemma.

  Lily met her gaze. ‘I did hear a bit, but it didn’t seem to be terribly important. Believe it or not, Gemma, I have zero interest in either you or your social life.’ She crossed to her corner of the room and dumped her parcels on the floor. Ignoring her roommates, she quickly stripped her bed and pulled the throw and the blue silk bedspread from their bag.

  ‘Oh, wow,’ said Phoebe. ‘That’s gorgeous.’ She stepped across and touched a corner of the bedspread. ‘It’s Gingerlily, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Lily shortly. She’d have liked to tell Phoebe all about her shopping expedition, but what was the point? Phoebe was under Charlotte’s influence and therefore in the enemy camp. She unwrapped her new sheets and set about making her bed.

  By the time she’d laid the Missoni throw across the blue silk bedspread, she was feeling better. Her corner of the room was beginning to feel more like home. She plumped up both her new pillows and tenderly placed her ancient, much-loved brown teddy bear against them.

  She’d had Cinnamon since she was a baby and, along with the gold locket she always wore, he was one of the few things that her mother had given her before she’d died. Lily didn’t remember much about Catherine, but when she hugged Cinnamon it seemed to bring her mother close, as if some element of her lingered in his furry body. Admittedly, these days he was looking a little bald in places, but Lily still loved him.

  She’d kept him in her duffel bag all week, not wanting to share him with the others until they’d become friends.

  That wasn’t going to happen now, but after last night in the common room, Lily didn’t care. Hereon in, she’d make her own way, without worrying what Charlotte or Gemma or anyone else might think. Their presence was a matter of total indifference to her. As if to prove it to herself, Lily plonked herself down on her bed with her back to the three girls, pulled out her notepad and fountain pen and wrote:

  Dear Dad and Simone,

  I promised you a ‘real’ letter and here it is. I hope you’re having a wonderful time in Tahiti. Everything at the Academy is great and

  Lily put down her pen. There it was in black and white – the sort of lie she’d been telling her family all summer. Everything wasn’t great, not at the Academy and especially not between her and her dad. For the millionth time she wished he understood her passion in the way he understood Angel’s. How could he let her go to the Academy and then ask her to give up acting forever? Didn’t he understand –

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Gemma’s voice suddenly rising above the quiet murmur at the other end of the room. ‘Oh, go on, Char, let me wear it tonight! I promise I’ll take care of it.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Charlotte, and Lily could hear the reluctance in her voice.

  ‘She does look amazing in it,’ said Phoebe. ‘And we’re only going to the theatre – straight there and straight back,’ she added coaxingly.

  ‘What about David Tennant’s autograph?’ asked Charlotte. ‘I don’t want you wearing it in the scrum outside the stage door.’

  ‘I won’t go,’ replied Gemma. ‘Like Phoebe said, I’ll come straight back to the Academy.’

  It was too much for Lily. She simply had to see what was so fabulous that Gemma would offer to forego seeing David Tennant up close in order to wear it.

  As quietly as she could, she swivelled around on her bed to look. Gemma was wearing the most divine leather jacket. Even Lily, whose knowledge of fashion was limited to the few bits and pieces that Angel had managed to drum into her over the years, couldn’t help but admire it. It was obviously vintage and in perfect condition and, to her surprise, Gemma did look great in it, just as Phoebe had said.

  ‘Wow,’ she said before she could stop herself.

  The three girls turned to look at her.

  ‘What?’ said Gemma, and for the first time Lily noticed that she tensed as she spoke, as though bracing herself for an unkind response.

  ‘It looks great on you,’ said Lily mildly. ‘You should totally wear it.’ She looked at Charlotte, ‘That is, if Charlotte will let you.’

  ‘I just don’t want it to get damaged,’ said Charlotte a touch defensively. ‘It’s an original Antoine Vidal jacket.’

  ‘Really?’ Lily put down her writing things and stood up. ‘Can I see?’

  The three girls exchanged a look, then Charlotte shrugged and said, ‘Sure. Why not?’

  Lily crossed to the wardrobe and took the jacket from Gemma. The leather was sable black and baby soft. It was lined with red-and-black plaid silk and had silver zips in the sleeves and across the front panels in place of pockets. In the neck was a faded black label with the words Antoine Vidal embroidered across it in gold. Lily couldn’t help smiling.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ demanded Gemma. ‘It’s the real deal, you know.’

  ‘I know,’ replied Lily. ‘I was just thinking of my best friend and how she’d kill to see this jacket.’ She smiled at them. ‘She started working at Vidal’s last month.’

  ‘You’re kidding?’ said Charlotte, startled into speaking without her usual iciness. ‘You mean in Paris?’

  Lily nodded. ‘Uh huh. She works as an apprentice designer at his salon in the Avenue Montaigne.’

  ‘Have you been there?’ asked Phoebe.

  ‘A few times. Angel – that’s my friend – is totally into fashion, and she’s made me go to a couple of his shows.’

  ‘Made you?’ said Charlotte. ‘I’d adore to see one of Antoine Vidal’s shows!’

  ‘Me too,’ said Gemma fervently.

  ‘And me,’ added Phoebe. ‘Don’t you like fashion, Lily?’

  Lily wrinkled her nose. ‘It’s just never been my thing. Though when I see something like this,’ she held up the jacket, ‘I can sort of see why people get excited about it.’

  ‘It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?’ replied Charlotte. ‘It was my mother’s, which is why I’m a bit reluctant to lend it.’

  ‘I will totally look after it, Char, I promise,’ said Gemma.

  ‘If she wears it every moment, I don’t see what harm it can come to, even outside the stage door,’ said Lily.

  For the first time, Gemma smiled at her and Lily was startled by how completely it transformed her face; she’d never thought of Gemma as pretty before.

  ‘I suppose –’ began Charlotte, before a sharp knock on the door interrupted her.

  ‘Anyone home?’ called a voice and Max poked his head around the door. He studied them for a moment and then said, ‘Ooh, is it a girl thing? Can I join in? I love talking fashion.’

  ‘What is it, Max?’ asked Charlotte, a slight edge in her voice. ‘You know you’re not meant to be in the girls’ dorm.’

  He rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t fuss, Charlotte. I’m pretty sure your virtue is safe around me.’ He came into the room and looked around. ‘Oh my god, what a divine bedspread!’ he said, pointing at Lily’s new blue duvet cover.

  ‘What do you want, Max?’ demanded Charlotte. ‘We’re busy.’

  Anger flashed in his eyes for a second, before he smiled and said, ‘Always the charmer, aren’t you, Charlotte?’ He held out a handful of tickets. ‘The Dragons are handing out free tickets for the new art installation at Tate Modern and I wondered if you girls wanted to go?’

  ‘Sorry, I’m going out,’ said Charlotte.

  ‘Oh, Max, what a shame,’ said Phoebe. ‘We’d love to have gone with you, wouldn’t we, Gem?’ She looked at Gemma, who nodded stiffly. ‘But we got last-min
ute tickets to the new David Tennant play.’

  ‘Yummy,’ said Max. He turned to Lily. ‘Guess that just leaves us. How about it?’

  Lily hesitated. It was great to be asked out, but she couldn’t help wishing that Max hadn’t interrupted the first pleasant conversation she’d had with her roommates. ‘Sure,’ she said after a moment, ‘Sounds good.’

  ‘Great,’ said Max. ‘Meet you in the entrance hall in ten minutes? We can get the Tube.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Lily.

  CHAPTER 16

  Lily got back from the Tate Modern just before eleven. She’d enjoyed seeing the special exhibition with Max. He was funny and intelligent, and he knew just enough about art to make it interesting.

  They’d spent a couple of hours wandering through the gallery, then walked back across Blackfriars Bridge to Fleet Street, where Max suggested they try one of the local cafes before heading back to the Academy.

  They’d exchanged life stories over coffee and cake and, by the time she got back to her room, Lily felt as though she and Max had become real friends. Admittedly, she hadn’t told him about her one-term trial or mentioned her family dilemma, but she was sure she would eventually. Max seemed like someone she could confide in. He’d told her lots about himself and obviously trusted her enough to tell her things she didn’t think he’d told too many people.

  It occurred to her that, if she were going to tell anyone about her dad’s unreasonable demands, Max was probably a good choice.

  An image of Ronan flashed into her mind and she thought of how he’d sat with her in the dining hall when no one else would, and how their silly banter about rare diseases had made her feel so much better. It was odd, but she could imagine herself telling him about her dad and the family business and how trapped she felt . . .

  Except that was ridiculous. She couldn’t tell her secrets to Ronan Carver – she barely knew him. She didn’t know where he was from or if he had a family or anything about him. Whereas Max had told her all about being an only child and the shining hope of his pushy, overbearing mother and how awful she’d been when he’d finally come out, even demanding that he give up acting and think about a ‘real’ career. He’d described his kind, but all-too-absent father and how hard it had been to get him onside in the fight with Max’s mother over going to the Academy. He’d even confessed his huge crush on Darcy Johnson.