about anybody else, blah, blah, blah.” She rolled her eyes. “You can’t pull your prima-donna stunts here, OK? If you want my help, you turn up when you say you’re going to turn up.” She sipped her drink through a straw. “I have plans later, you know. I do actually have a life. Now, tell me what this scene is you’re too stupid to be able to act and let’s get on with it.”
I tried to smile, but suddenly the thought of going through with this plan seemed more ridiculous than ever. All I could think was that I needed to escape somehow. I needed to get Nydia and me out of there before Nydia told her the whole story.
“Your house is amazing,” I said, hoping to stall herwith some small talk while I thought of a way of leaving. “Where are your parents?” Anne-Marie looked bored.
“Dad’s in LA. Again. Mum’s in Milan until next week, and then she’s going to Tokyo. My brother, Chris, is in Ladbroke Grove staying at his girlfriend’s place – as usual.” I frowned.
“So you’re living here in this enormous house on your own?” I said, not sure if that was really great or really terrible. “Is that even legal at your age?”
“No, idiot, not on my own. Pilar, the housekeeper, lives here too. And the man that does the garden comes in every day. Chris is supposed to be here but he never is. It’s no big deal,” she said breezily, her eyes masked by her shades.
“But…aren’t you lonely?” I asked her. She pushed her sunglasses up her nose and shook her head. For a moment, she looked sort of smaller and younger. More like an average thirteen-year-old girl instead of a hard-as-nails vixen. Then she opened her mouth.
“Of course I’m not lonely , I’ve got hundreds of friends, and a boyfriend who’s coming over later. You and sad-sack here are the lonely ones. Anyway, I don’t mind, it means I can do what I like.” She sat up and looked directly at me. “It means I can have people like you over with no one having to know about it. Now, stop trying tostall and tell me what it is you want. Otherwise I’ll be so bored you’ll have to leave before I slip into a coma.”
And I knew then I was too late; I wasn’t getting out of this plan.
We told her. Well, actually, Nydia told her. First of all Anne-Marie looked horrified, then delighted, and then she just laughed and laughed and laughed until she went perfectly pink from her ears down. Either that or she hadn’t got sun block on.
“Oh my God!” she shrieked as she reached for her phone. “Just wait until Jade hears about this!” Nydia reached out her hand in a stopping motion.
“Hang on, remember what we agreed,” she said, sounding quite cross for her. But not cross enough to stop Anne-Marie.
“That was before I knew what you wanted me to do. You want me to teach her how to kiss. Me? You must think I’m crazy; I always thought you two were weird. You’re probably lesbians.” She keyed in Jade’s number and held the phone to her ear. “This is brilliant,” she said as she waited for Jade to pick up. I looked at Nydia, wide-eyed with panic, waiting for her to come up with one of her plans. She didn’t. She just sat there as if she were frozen solid, even under the heat of the sun.
“OK,” I said, desperately trying to act as if I didn’tcare. “OK, fine. I’ll just cancel the meeting I made for you next week with our producer Liz Hornby then.”
Anne-Marie’s laugh froze on her face.
“Oh, hi, Jade. Yeah, yeah, I do, but listen I’ll call you back, OK? Something’s just come up.” She put her phone down. “You’ve already set up a meeting? With Liz Hornby?” she said looking at me.
I am an actress, so really I should be very good at lying. After all, everything I do on screen is basically me trying to convince people I’m someone I’m not. But when it comes to actual lying, off set and in the real world, I’m terrible at it. I can’t look at the person I’m lying to and my voice goes all silly and
I tried to smile, but suddenly the thought of going through with this plan seemed more ridiculous than ever. All I could think was that I needed to escape somehow. I needed to get Nydia and me out of there before Nydia told her the whole story.
“Your house is amazing,” I said, hoping to stall herwith some small talk while I thought of a way of leaving. “Where are your parents?” Anne-Marie looked bored.
“Dad’s in LA. Again. Mum’s in Milan until next week, and then she’s going to Tokyo. My brother, Chris, is in Ladbroke Grove staying at his girlfriend’s place – as usual.” I frowned.
“So you’re living here in this enormous house on your own?” I said, not sure if that was really great or really terrible. “Is that even legal at your age?”
“No, idiot, not on my own. Pilar, the housekeeper, lives here too. And the man that does the garden comes in every day. Chris is supposed to be here but he never is. It’s no big deal,” she said breezily, her eyes masked by her shades.
“But…aren’t you lonely?” I asked her. She pushed her sunglasses up her nose and shook her head. For a moment, she looked sort of smaller and younger. More like an average thirteen-year-old girl instead of a hard-as-nails vixen. Then she opened her mouth.
“Of course I’m not lonely , I’ve got hundreds of friends, and a boyfriend who’s coming over later. You and sad-sack here are the lonely ones. Anyway, I don’t mind, it means I can do what I like.” She sat up and looked directly at me. “It means I can have people like you over with no one having to know about it. Now, stop trying tostall and tell me what it is you want. Otherwise I’ll be so bored you’ll have to leave before I slip into a coma.”
And I knew then I was too late; I wasn’t getting out of this plan.
We told her. Well, actually, Nydia told her. First of all Anne-Marie looked horrified, then delighted, and then she just laughed and laughed and laughed until she went perfectly pink from her ears down. Either that or she hadn’t got sun block on.
“Oh my God!” she shrieked as she reached for her phone. “Just wait until Jade hears about this!” Nydia reached out her hand in a stopping motion.
“Hang on, remember what we agreed,” she said, sounding quite cross for her. But not cross enough to stop Anne-Marie.
“That was before I knew what you wanted me to do. You want me to teach her how to kiss. Me? You must think I’m crazy; I always thought you two were weird. You’re probably lesbians.” She keyed in Jade’s number and held the phone to her ear. “This is brilliant,” she said as she waited for Jade to pick up. I looked at Nydia, wide-eyed with panic, waiting for her to come up with one of her plans. She didn’t. She just sat there as if she were frozen solid, even under the heat of the sun.
“OK,” I said, desperately trying to act as if I didn’tcare. “OK, fine. I’ll just cancel the meeting I made for you next week with our producer Liz Hornby then.”
Anne-Marie’s laugh froze on her face.
“Oh, hi, Jade. Yeah, yeah, I do, but listen I’ll call you back, OK? Something’s just come up.” She put her phone down. “You’ve already set up a meeting? With Liz Hornby?” she said looking at me.
I am an actress, so really I should be very good at lying. After all, everything I do on screen is basically me trying to convince people I’m someone I’m not. But when it comes to actual lying, off set and in the real world, I’m terrible at it. I can’t look at the person I’m lying to and my voice goes all silly and
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