Free Centre Stage: A Novel by Linda Chapman Page B

Jaffa Cakes, Tom?’ I demanded.
    ‘Hi, Soph,’ Tom said, ignoring my question. ‘How’s my favourite little sis’, then?’
    I stared at him. He sounded positively cheerful. ‘What’s up with you?’ I asked suspiciously.
    ‘He’s had some good news,’ Dad said, patting Snowy, who was leaping round his legs like a demented — and very fluffy — bouncy ball.
    A broad grin split Tom’s face. ‘A guy from the Junction is going to come and hear the Blue Lemons play. If he likes us he said we can play at some of the Junction’s under-eighteen nights. And we’ll get paid!’
    ‘That’s brilliant!’ I gasped, Jaffa Cakes forgotten. The Junction was a cool club in town. All Jessica and Tom’s friends went there. ‘When’s he coming to watch you?’
    ‘Two weeks,’ Tom replied. He ran his hand through his hair enthusiastically. ‘This could be the start of something. Something really big.’
    ‘Well, as long as it doesn’t interfere with your schoolwork,’ Dad warned. ‘You know it’s really important you do well in your GCSEs this year.’
    ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Tom said airily. He rolled his eyes at me, in a way that said parents and then he smiled. ‘So, you want some Jaffa Cakes?’ I nodded and he reached into his pocket. ‘Tell you what, I’ll go to the post office and buy you some, then.’
    I almost fell through the floor in astonishment. Wow, he really was in a good mood.
    The next day we had an acting rehearsal. Only the principals were called in and the room seemed very quiet compared to the day before. Claire began by showing us a model of the set with all the scenery.
    ‘Now, get out your scripts,’ she told us at last. ‘We’ll read through scene one and then block it.’
    I knew from filming that blocking meant walking through the scene. Claire told us when and where to move and we had to write it in our scripts so that we wouldn’t forget.
    Justine’s team blocked scene one while my team sat and watched and made notes.
    ‘We’ll swap over for the next scene,’ Claire told us.
    It was odd hearing Justine reading out Lucy’s words. She said some of the lines differently from how I would have. Sometimes she sounded happy when I thought Lucy would be more thoughtful and sometimes she just seemed to put the wrong emphasis on the words.
    When it was my team’s turn to block scene two, I jumped out of my chair eagerly. I couldn’t wait to have a go. In the second scene the children explore the house and find the wardrobe which eventually leads them to the magical land of Narnia. I think I did quite well. Claire certainly seemed pleased.
    ‘That was excellent, Sophie,’ she told me. ‘You really seem to have got under the skin of Lucy. You actually made me believe in her. Well done.’
    For a moment I wondered if Claire was just being nice because I was the youngest, but then I realized that she hadn’t praised Justine in the same way in the scene before.
    My doubts were further pushed away when Claire told us to take a ten-minute break, and Colette and the boys hurried over.
    ‘That was really good, Sophie!’ Colette exclaimed. ‘You were just like Lucy should be.’
    ‘Yeah, you were great,’ Jack said, looking really impressed. ‘I felt like you were really my little sister.’
    ‘We’re so lucky to have you as our Lucy,’ Colette said, shooting a look in the other team’s direction. ‘Justine’s nowhere near as good as you.’
    I could feel myself glowing. It was brilliant to have Colette and the others looking really pleased to have me in their team again. I made a resolution. From now on, that was the way it was going to stay.

Chapter Nine
    ‘The Junction!’ Ally exclaimed, when I announced Tom’s news the next day on our way into school. She’s really into music and I knew she’d be very impressed. ‘That’s so cool!’
    ‘What’s the Junction?’ Harriet asked.
    ‘It’s a club in town. It does under-eighteen nights,’ I explained. ‘Jessica and her