Free Mates, Dates and Cosmic Kisses by Cathy Hopkins

don’t want us wasting time.’
    I could see he meant it so reluctantly I switched the phone off and turned my mind to the guitar.
    ‘You’re getting better,’ said Mr L at the end of our hour. ‘Now did you bring me some of your songs to look at? Next time, we could start putting them
to music.’
    ‘Er, yes, no,’ I squirmed.
    ‘Er, yes, no. Did you or didn’t you?’
    I had brought my lyrics with me but I didn’t want to show them. Not since that lesson when everyone laughed at my rap song.
    ‘I did bring them,’ I said. ‘But I don’t want to show them.’
    ‘Ah, a songwriter who doesn’t want anyone to hear her songs?’
    ‘I read a few lines of one of them in class and everyone laughed,’ I said.
    Mr L looked at me kindly. ‘It’s hard, Izzie, when you do anything creatively. There will always be people who like what you do and those who don’t. You mustn’t take it
personally. But if you’re going to succeed, and I’m sure you will, you’ve got to be ready to take constructive criticism. Don’t be afraid to stick your neck out. Just be
careful who you show your work to in the beginning. Some people will criticise because they’re jealous but others can give you feedback that you can learn from.’
    ‘Well, will you read them when I’m not here? Then I don’t have to see your face if you don’t like them.’
    Mr L laughed. ‘Sure. Leave them on top of the piano there. You needn’t be afraid, I’m sure I will like them.’
    ‘Well promise you won’t show them to anyone. Promise, not Lal or Steve or even Lucy. I’ve never shown them to anyone.’
    ‘Promise.’
    As I left the room, I noticed my mum chatting to a boy in the kitchen. She looked up as she saw us coming in.
    ‘Er, can I have a word?’ she said to Mr L.
    ‘Sure,’ he said.
    ‘In private,’ she said and went off into the living-room with him. What’s all that about? I thought.
    I looked across at the boy. He looked familiar. ‘Hey, don’t I know you?’ I asked.
    The boy nodded and smiled. ‘Yeah, Ben. From your sister’s wedding.’
    ‘Stepsister,’ I corrected.
    He looked really different from the way he’d looked at the wedding, cute almost, and in the same school uniform as Lucy’s brothers.
    ‘You go to the same school as Lal and Steve?’
    ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘That’s how I heard about the lessons.’
    ‘Where are they all? Lucy and Steve and Lal?’
    ‘Gone to the vid shop, I think,’ he said.
    ‘So you’re the next pupil?’
    ‘Yeah,’ he said.
    At that moment, Mum came back out. ‘Ready? she asked.
    ‘Who was that?’ she asked as we drove away.
    ‘No one,’ I said. ‘He was at the wedding playing those awful songs.’
    ‘I thought I recognised him,’ said Mum. ‘Of course, he’s Jeremy’s younger brother. He was rather good on the piano, wasn’t he?’
    ‘Oh Mum, the music he played was totally naff. I’m surprised he’s bothering to have lessons. He clearly hasn’t a clue about decent music.’
    ‘What were you talking about?’ she asked.
    ‘Nothing,’ I replied. ‘Why, what were you talking to Mr L about?’
    Mum got a really cheeky look on her face. ‘Oh nothing,’ she mimicked then we both burst out laughing.
    It was only when we got home that I realised I’d left my mobile on the table at Lucy’s. And it was switched off.
    ‘I have to go back,’ I said to Mum. ‘I’ve left my mobile.’
    ‘You can live without it for one night,’ said Mum. ‘Call Lucy and ask her to take it into school in the morning.’
    I went to the phone to call Lucy and saw that the answering machine was flashing two messages.
    I pressed the playback button.
    ‘Hi, it’s Mark,’ said the first message. ‘I tried calling your mobile but it’s switched off so I thought I’d try your home number. Anyway, you’re not
there either so I’ll try your mobile again later.’
    ‘Oh no ,’ I groaned.
    Then there was a beep and a message from Angus for Mum saying he was working