Free Centre Stage: A Novel by Linda Chapman Page A

sure.
    After lunch we learnt a dance that came halfway through the play when the children were having a feast with Asian, the great lion.
    Parts of the dance were very fast and I just couldn’t seem to get my arms and legs moving together. The only trouble was, everyone else could.
    After I had stumbled and got lost for the fourth time, Dizzy stopped everyone. ‘Take five,’ she called.
    She came over to me. ‘You seem to be having a problem, Sophie. Let’s go through it.’
    Dizzy took me through the sequence very closely, showing me every hand and arm movement. I had to repeat it several times but in the end I just about got it.
    ‘That’s better,’ Dizzy said.
    I glanced across the room. Colette, Jack and Mark were watching me curiously. I felt my face flush. ‘Can I go now?’ I asked.
    Dizzy nodded. ‘You mustn’t worry if it takes you a little longer than some of the others to pick up the steps, you know, Sophie. You’ve had less formal training than anyone else. Just ask if you need help.’
    ‘OK,’ I mumbled, but inside I was shaking my head. I wasn’t going to ask for extra help. There was no way I wanted to have to go over dances with the rest of the cast watching. It made me feel like a complete idiot.
    I hurried over to Colette, Mark and Jack.
    ‘Couldn’t you get the sequence?’ Colette said.
    I shook my head.
    ‘Never mind,’ she said kindly. ‘You’ll soon pick it up. I can go through it again with you, if you like.’
    ‘No, I’ll be fine,’ I said brightly. ‘I’ve got it now.’
    I hoped I was right.
    When Dizzy called us back together, I managed the dance just about OK.
    ‘See you tomorrow, Sophie,’ Colette called as I picked up my bag at the end of rehearsal.
    Justine came over to me. She looked a bit awkward and I could tell she was remembering what had happened at lunch. ‘I’ve hardly seen you all day,’ she said.
    ‘It’s been really busy, hasn’t it?’ I said.
    ‘Yeah, but fun,’ she replied. She hesitated. ‘Though I didn’t like the music rehearsal this morning.’
    ‘And I didn’t much like the dancing rehearsal after lunch,’ I admitted. ‘I was useless.’ Somehow I felt I didn’t have to pretend to be better than I was with Justine.
    ‘You weren’t as bad as me with the singing,’ Justine said. ‘I couldn’t get the note at all.’
    ‘You got it in the end,’ I reassured her. ‘You sounded really good. Much better than I was when I danced.’
    ‘You’ll work it out,’ Justine said.
    ‘Justine!’ It was Samantha. ‘Do you want to walk to the bus stop with me?’
    ‘OK,’ Justine replied. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Sophie.’
    ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘See you.’ I smiled at Samantha but she ignored me.
    She and Justine walked off. I hoisted my bag on to my shoulder. I had to be positive, I told myself. Justine was right. The dance was going to be fine. I just needed to practise, that was all.
    When I got home, I rang Ally to find out whether she’d had any luck getting Harriet to talk about Kelly picking on her.
    ‘No,’ Ally sighed. ‘She just kept changing the subject. I’m sure it’ll blow over.’
    ‘Yeah, I guess,’ I said slowly.
    ‘So how was your rehearsal?’
    I told her about my day, and she told me how she and Harriet had gone out on a two-hour hack and then helped out with some of the little kids’ riding lessons.
    Finally Mum knocked on my door and said she needed me to get off the phone so she could use the internet.
    Saying goodbye, I went downstairs. My tummy rumbled and I headed for the cupboard where the biscuits were kept. Yum! Jaffa Cakes. My favourite. I pulled out the box eagerly. It was strangely light. Opening it, I saw that someone — and I was betting it wasn’t Mum or Dad — had eaten the Jaffa Cakes and slung the empty packet back. I sighed. Sometimes I could really dream about being an only child.
    Just as I was throwing the empty packet into the bin, Dad and Tom came in. ‘Did you eat all the