Pride & Princesses (34 page)

When I arrived at Mouche’s house an hour later, Trey was fixing his car. He had his head under the bonnet. The sleek sports car was kind of like Trey – long, old-fashioned and lean.

   
‘Where’s Mouche?’ I asked. I knew Mrs Mouche had either taken the weekend shift (rare) or decided to take Wednesday shopping.

    
‘She went out, with some guy...better be careful, Mouche is starting to get more than a little big for her boots...’

    
‘What do you mean?’

    
‘Well I’m not completely stupid, watching you two girls play whatever dumb little popularity game you’ve got going...you better be careful you don’t hurt too many feelings in the process...kids can be cruel.’

   
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I said, and started to walk back to my place, reluctantly, to finish my paper.

   
‘Oh, by the way, Mouche has gone hiking or to play tennis or something with some guy...named after a plane....Jet. Yeah, that was his name: blonde hair, dorky smile...’

   
‘Thanks,’ I said.

   
I texted Mouche:
need 2 talk now

   
She texted back immediately and I was shocked when she sent me Jet’s address and also the words
can’t talk, come over @ midday, bring swimsuit pls.

   
I ran back to Mouche’s house and ran upstairs to her room. Trey arrived and stood in the doorway going all big brother on me: ‘
where are you guys going?’
and ‘
what are you doing?’
and ‘
be back before ten pm because you know what your moms will say if you are not...’

  
‘Oh, I’m so not twelve years old anymore Trey.’

  
‘Then maybe you should stop acting like you are...’

   
He wandered off.
  

  
As I sorted through Mouche’s belongings I was kind of shocked to discover a few pages of notes where the name Mark featured prominently, notes that Mouche hadn’t yet added to the diary. At first I resisted reading them because I assumed that Mouche would tell me whatever she had to say, whenever she was ready. Then I changed my mind and took a quick snap of the loose pages, to read later. I felt like a spy. Help me. Was the
Boy-Rating Diary
encouraging me to become a person I may not like? I was certainly more pro-active than I’d ever been and that was surely a good thing.
   

  
Did I not trust Mouche to tell me about her date with Jet because I still hadn’t told her about Ethan? Maybe she just hadn’t gotten around to it. Was it because Mouche was beautiful that the girls (I noticed the Princesses were trying to be more cosy with me than Mouche) had started to distance themselves from her as we began to integrate the game?

   
It really wasn’t fair. Most of the game had been Mouche’s idea. When I thought about the dates and how the Princesses had secretly been divvying up the spoils and giving me pages on the sly and adding to the locker, I felt Mouche had been somewhat excluded. After all she was the engine behind the fun. Even though we’d changed the rules slightly to involve the Princesses, which we had once so disliked, it wasn’t fair to exclude Mouche from information and spy on her. It seemed like the Princesses were taking over. Where did my loyalties lie? Mouche, of course, had way more going for her than just looks and charm.

   
I pulled out Mouche’s favourite swimsuit – ice blue with a ruffle across the top and like something from a 1920’s silent film. I figured Jet had already witnessed the bikini reveal and Mouche would now benefit from something more demure. Then I ran downstairs, past Trey and across the pathway between our houses and back to my room to get mine. Once again, all I could find in my wardrobe was my old navy school swimsuit. I reluctantly grabbed it. It wasn’t very exciting, but after all, it would just be Jet and I wasn’t planning on seriously dating him.

 
   
I paused in my girly bedroom. Mouche’s was more neutral creams but mine was a lot of pink. I read somewhere that pink turns boys off. Suddenly, I decided to look at Mouche’s recent notes. After all, they were sure to be pasted into the
Boy Rating Diary
that night.

   
This is what the first page said:

   
The Princesses have joined the game. Yay! I have no idea why Jet Campbell rang me this morning but I found this in the letter box. I will text Phoebe later. She will be so surprised:

 
Dear Mouche

  
I am writing to apologize for cancelling our date and not inviting you on the skiing trip. My family had made the reservations weeks ago and didn’t explain that they couldn’t be cancelled. Please accept my apologies. I’d like to invite you and Phoebe to a barbeque at my place this afternoon. You know the address, midday, Hope to see you there. Please forgive me.

 
Jet

    
Jet was quite the author. Although I suspected Mark had encouraged him to put pen to paper, Jet should at least have requested Mouche’s cell by now.
The Good Girlfriend
guide suggests offering your cell number but Mouche and I discussed this. On the subject of ‘who should request details,’ we are sticking by the old-fashioned advice. Boys should be forced to do some work if they really want to date you.

    
I was surprised to read such a humble note that I dropped my cell on the carpet as I ran out to check my own letterbox. It seemed old-fashioned but possible.

   
A letter was also there (I was beginning to like that he had the hang of this writing habit):

Dear Phoebe

   
Jet has sent a note to Mouche by way of apology. I hope you will forgive me for everything we discussed. I know you may not wish to come but please do. BBQ, this afternoon, at Jet’s place.
  

  
PS. I didn’t realize Jet was so into your friend or I never would have encouraged him to break the date. On the subject of your family and the things I said about you at the dance, please accept my apologies once again. Joel, however, is another story and best left to another day. I know he’s out of town so that information can wait. Till later,

Mark

    
My head was swimming. The diary entries, which Mouche had held back, were written before we’d joined forces with the Princesses. Mouche had walked in on
Teegan
and Tory gossiping about me in the cafeteria. Mouche relayed the conversation thus:

   
‘Phoebe only got the part of Julie because Miss Tartt thinks she’s good enough, but not so good she’ll be competition for her.’

   
‘I believe,’ Tory said to Mark, ‘when you came over last weekend that you thought she was quite pretty.’

   
‘Which one?’ Mark said, seemingly not caring if anyone around them was listening even though a group of emos actually looked up from divvying up their play lists,‘the blonde one?

   
‘Yes, Mouche Macintosh.’

   
‘I did,’ Mark announced in his deep voice.

   
‘You also said her friend Phoebe wasn’t much of an actress...’

   
‘That is true,’ he admitted.

   
‘You seemed to think her less talented, perhaps, than us?

   
‘Yes, I thought so.’

   
My heart was racing, my face almost red with anger. So this is why Mouche had kept these notes secret from me.

   
Then, Mark said very loudly so even the mathletes looked up, ‘but that was before we all went to the dance together...’

  
 
‘Yes?’ Teegan said gleefully with a knowing glance at Tory.

   
‘Jet told us how inappropriately Phoebe’s family behaved, when you went to pick them up. I’m sure that must’ve put you off her,’ Tory added impishly.

   
‘It did, almost totally.’

   
‘So,’ Teegan pushed, ‘do you still think she’s a bad actress?’

   
The girls sniggered again then looked up, surprised, as he spoke, offering the immortal words, ‘not at all...’

   
‘Really?’ Teegan looked less than amused.

  
‘That was before I got to know her. Now I think Phoebe is one of the cleverest, most talented and prettiest girls I’ve ever met...’

   
‘As pretty as Mouche Macintosh?’ Tory added.

   
‘Different.’

   
‘I heard Ethan tried to hit on Phoebe so there could be a dent in the friendship right there,’ Tory added triumphantly.

   
I read this outraged. Was Tory subverting the rules herself? Surely she wasn’t clever enough for that.

   
High praise indeed!!!
Mouche wrote. I’m not sure if the three exclamation marks were necessary.

   
I will pass this to Phoebe this afternoon,
she added,
her ears must be burning - I can’t wait to tell her. Even though all these ‘compliments’ are backhanded, Mark Knightly is really not the man we thought he was. And Jet? Perhaps I have already forgiven him. As for Ethan? I’m still waiting for Phoebe to tell me about that one...but it is only a game after all and I’d never lose a best friend over some boy. Perhaps Ethan said some mean things that Phoebe wants to spare me from hearing.
 
I should definitely re-type this and delete a few of the more hurtful phrases...