Sugar Secrets…& Mistakes Read online

  “Catrina, you’re a stupid, stubborn little girl and you infuriate me!” said her mother finally, angrily stubbing out her cigarette. “Oh, I give up…”

  Cat tilted her head to one side, gazing off sorrowfully into space, while letting a smile break out on the inside.

  She knew she had won.

  Kerry spent the rest of her Sunday striding purposefully to the phone in the Bellamy household, standing over it for a few moments, rehearsing some lines in her head as her hand hovered over the receiver, then skulking guiltily off again. However much she tried, however much she practised their imaginary conversation in her head, she couldn’t bring herself to pick up the phone.

  Eventually, Kerry convinced herself that it would be far better to see OIlie face to face, rather than confront him on the phone. She decided to call in on him at work on the way home from college next day and felt relief wash over her – albeit temporarily – with the knowledge that she had another twenty-four hours’ grace.

  Sonja Harvey – being the confrontational sort – badgered Kerry for most of Monday at school.

  “Kez, after everything that we discussed yesterday,” she’d sighed wearily during lunchbreak, “I can’t believe you still haven’t spoken to OIlie…”

  “I know,” Kerry had hissed back. “It’s just that my parents were at home all day, so I was limited as to when I could call. And then when I could, I chickened out in case they overheard. I’ll do it on the way home from college tonight. I promise.”

  To make sure that she did. Sonja practically frogmarched Kerry from the college gates to Nick’s Slick Riffs where Ollie was working that afternoon.

  “The longer you leave it, the harder it will be,” said Sonja as she stood outside the café next door. “So I’ll be in here waiting for you. Stop by when you’ve finished and let me know how you got on.”

  “OK,” said Kerry weakly.

  She knew Sonja was right. She had to get this sorted once and for all, even though the thought of it made her feel physically sick.

  Kerry walked past the poster-clad window of the record shop and opened the door. The musty smell that came from deep within the place hit her immediately, whiffed up her nostrils, rendered her immobile and brought on the biggest, most ungainly sneeze she had ever experienced.

  “Aaa-aaa-aaaa-CHOOO!”

  Kerry looked up from where she had found herself bent double in the doorway and saw two pairs of startled eyes peering at her in the semi-gloom. Ollie and his Uncle Nick were standing behind the counter and Kerry watched, mortified, as grins as wide as dinner plates spread across their faces.

  “Great entrance, Kerry,” laughed Nick as he turned and disappeared into the stockroom at the back. “Can you warn me if there’s an encore? I’m not sure the old ticker will stand another shock like that.”

  “Oh… uh… ouff, sniifff,” Kerry spluttered. She dug into the pockets of her jacket and pulled out a ragged tissue. The opening lines she had planned in her head had deserted her and she was left with the overriding feeling that she looked like a berk.

  Typical, she thought. Just when I want to be compos mentis, I end up like a bumbling twerp!

  She took a few steps forward to where Ollie was standing, still grinning.

  “Um, hi, Ollie,” she said, “sorry about that. I didn’t mean to make quite such an entrance…” Her voice trailed off.

  “That’s OK,” he said. “At least you woke us up. We’ve been catching up on paperwork for most of the afternoon and were on the point of dozing off.”

  “I, uh… only stopped by to apologise for Saturday night,” continued Kerry. “I thought perhaps it was my turn to make the first move.”

  She stood staring nervously at the till for a moment, unsure of what to say next.

  Then she felt Ollie’s hand take hold of hers and give it a little squeeze.

  “It’s OK,” he said softly. “It doesn’t matter. I was going to call you later anyway.”

  Kerry felt her heart melt. As she looked into Ollie’s all-forgiving face she wondered why she’d been getting so anxious. Ollie was such a decent, caring boyfriend – he would understand once she’d explained to him how she was feeling. All she had to do was tell him…

  “I’m sorry, Ol,” she said, grasping his hand tightly in hers. “I’ve been such a misery guts recently and I’ve been taking it out on you. It’s just that there’s… there’s something I need to talk to you about. It’s kind of important.”

  Kerry looked beyond Ollie to the stockroom behind. She could see Nick’s head bobbing up and down between cardboard boxes and knew now wasn’t the right time to launch into what she had to say.

  “Could we meet up?” she continued. “One evening this week?”

  “Sure,” Ollie replied. “I’m a bit tied up here tonight, but how about tomorrow night? I should get off at about six. I could meet you next door.”

  Kerry didn’t want to talk to Ollie in the End, not when the others were likely to be in there too. If she was going to tackle the issue that had been tearing her insides out these past few weeks, she needed them to be on their own.

  “Uh. I’m not sure.” she replied uncertainly. “Perhaps we could meet there, then go on somewhere else. Some place a bit quieter.”

  “OK,” replied Ollie. “Whatever you like. I’ll have a think. Maybe we could go and get something to eat in the Plaza.”

  “That’d be great. Um, how did the band meeting go last night?”

  “Brilliant! We all had loads of ideas – it’s going to be fab. I can’t wait to start rehearsing again—”

  “When you’ve finished, Ollie, could you come back here and give me a hand?” He was interrupted by Nick’s voice from the storeroom.

  Kerry backed away towards the door. “I’ll let you get on,” she said. “I’ll meet you in the café just after six then.”

  She turned round, suddenly keen to get out.

  “Kerry?” Ollie’s voice came from behind her.

  She turned back to face him. “Hmmm?”

  “Is everything going to be OK?”

  “Yes, of course it is. Look, I’ll… uh, see you tomorrow.” Kerry returned to Ollie, leaned over the wooden counter and gave him a little kiss on the lips. The corners of her mouth turned up into the ghost of a smile and she left the shop, relieved that at least now she’d set the wheels in motion.

  SOME SECRETS ARE JUST TOO GOOD TO KEEP TO YOURSELF!

  Sugar Secrets…

  1 … & Revenge

  2 … & Rivals

  3 … & Lies

  4 … & Freedom

  5 … & Lust

  6 … & Mistakes

  7 … & Choices

  8 … & Ambition

  9 … & Dramas

  ARE YOU A WORRIER?

  Kerry’s got a lot on her mind, but will she tackle the problem head on, or will she keep it to herself and hope it goes away?

  How would you react in Kerry’s situation? Do you get uptight at life’s little niggles, or are you a laid-back lass? Answer these questions and rate your score on the stress-o-meter.

  Look at the following questions and decide if your answer would be YES, NO or SOMETIMES.

  1 Fretting about life?

  • Do you get wound up by stuff really easily?

  • Do you hate it when things have to change?

  • Do you worry yourself silly about teeny-weeny details?

  • Do you feel really tired out all day but can’t get to sleep at night?

  • Do you get a bit weepy (and not just when Animal Hospital’s on)?

  • Do you ever wish you could get away from everyone and everything for a little while?

  • Do you think other people are having an easier time of it than you?

  2 Fretting about love?

  • Does your tongue tie itself in knots when you try to talk to the boy you like?

  • Are you scared he won’t stay interested in you?

  • Do you look for all sorts of hidden meani
ngs in things he says?

  • Do you worry that he’ll think you’re silly or just being a baby?

  • Do you constantly analyse how you feel about him?

  • Do you keep things in rather than say them out loud to him?

  3 Fretting about friends?

  • When you’re with your friends, do you sometimes feel like a bit of an outsider?

  • Do you ever imagine bad things happening to your friends or family, and get in a right old state about it?

  • Do you get in a panic about saying the wrong thing in front of people?

  • Do people tell you you’re over-reacting when you try to tell them your troubles?

  • Do you get in a tizz when people spring surprises or changes of plans on you?

  • Do you think your friends wouldn’t understand if you tried to tell them what’s whizzing through your mind?

  4 Fretting about everything?

  • Do you lie in bed and dread getting up in the morning (and not just because you’re so comfy)?

  • Do you have zillions of things to do yet never seem to get anything done?

  • Do you duck out of situations rather than face them?

  • Do you find it hard just to relax and veg out?

  • Do you find yourself snapping at people and you don’t really know why?

  • Do you ever worry about how much you’re worrying?

  COUNT UP HOW MANY TIMES YOU ANSWERED YES, HOW MANY TIMES YOU ANSWERED NO AND HOW MANY TIMES YOU ANSWERED SOMETIMES. THEN TURN THE PAGE TO SEE WHAT IT MEANS…

  SO, ARE YOU A WORRIER OR NOT?

  If you answered mostly YES:

  Uh-oh, you’re so stressed you could win the Eurovision Stress Contest! Everyone worries about stuff, but the reason you get it so bad is ‘cause you tend to keep it to yourself and not to discuss it with anyone. Even when you do talk to friends, you don’t listen to what they say and so stay miserable. The three rules are: talk, listen and lighten up – which is good advice for Kerry too, if only she’d take notice!

  If you answered mostly SOMETIMES:

  You’re pretty normal; you get wound up more than you’d like to and suffer the odd stress-related twinges, but for the most part you can shake it off. You know that a heart-to-heart with your mum, or a natter and a giggle with your mates can clear your head of whatever’s cluttering it up.

  If you answered mostly NO:

  Boy are you lucky; nothing much ruffles your feathers. Do a good deed and turn counsellor if you see any of your friends showing signs of stress. That’s what Sonja and Maya are trying to do for Kerry – but will she listen to their advice, or carry on fretting about Ollie?

  Copyright

  Published in Great Britain by Collins in 1999

  Collins is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

  77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

  The HarperCollins website address is

  www.fireandwater.com

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  Creative consultant: Karen McCombie

  Copyright © Sugar 1999. Licensed with TLC.

  ISBN 0 00 675444 9

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  EPub Edition © OCTOBER 2010 ISBN: 978-0-007-40074-4

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