Chapter 22
ROBYN
‘It’s no good, Miss. I told you. I can’t act or sing.’ Joel Sinclair sat on the floor underneath the one window in St Mede’s drama studio, head in his hands. ‘I’ve broken my side of the bargain – I’ll have to leave Jess’s house.’
‘Yes, you can, and no, you won’t. And when we’re not in school, for heaven’s sake, call me Robyn.’
‘We are in school.’ Joel moved his head slightly, looking up at her. ‘This, if you didn’t realise it, is a school. Dump that it is.’
‘Oi, don’t get cocky.’ Robyn grinned down at him. ‘Joel, if I thought you weren’t up to it, if I thought you didn’t have the potential – the ability – to get up on that school stage and be Danny Zuko, then I’d be tearing down the posters and giving it all up as a bad job.’
‘A lot are already down,’ Joel observed. ‘Or graffitied in a way Olivia Newton-John would turn in her grave over.’
Robyn smiled at that. ‘Look, don’t forget I’ve done years in musical theatre.
Been in the chorus of loads of productions, both amateur and professional.
Your dancing is superb – you know that. Your acting’s not bad at all.
Honestly. And this is a simple amateur school production, not something in the West End. ’
‘But I’ll be leading man with Sorrel. You know how good she is. I don’t want to let her down.’
‘OK, so yes, she is fabulous, but she’s practised and practised. She’ll just fall back into the part when she returns in July. Listen, once we’ve got you up and running, when you know the words, we’ll arrange a Zoom meeting between the pair of you…’
‘Dancing on Zoom? Now you are being daft.’
‘No! The lines, I mean. You learn all your songs, and then she’ll help you as will the rest of the cast. Miss Preston in the music department has already agreed to give you singing lessons to get you up to scratch.
I messaged her this morning. She’s been great coaching the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds.
’ Robyn was thinking on her feet. ‘And’ – Robyn felt she was now clutching at straws somewhat – ‘we can get the technical people in to have you sing along to a recorded version through an earpiece maybe – you know, a bit like singers do in the pub when it’s karaoke evening? ’
‘You want me to drink five pints first?’ He grinned up at her and Robyn felt real affection for the boy.
‘If it helps.’ She smiled along with him.
‘And these “technical people”? What technical people?’ Joel actually laughed out loud at that.
‘Oh, you may scoff, but we have that in hand.’ (Robyn crossed her fingers behind her back, hoped her nose wasn’t growing longer.) ‘Mr Davies, the science technician, is big into sound systems. He DJs in his spare time.’
‘Does he? Old Dithery Davies? He’s always dropping Bunsen burners and test tubes. Can’t imagine him going for it in the nightclubs.’ Joel laughed again. ‘And he must be forty if he’s a day.’
‘Hey, there’s no monopoly on age when it comes to the turntables. Look at Fatboy Slim.’
‘Who?’
Robyn tutted.
‘OK, all right, I’ll give it another go. I want to show Sorrel that I’m up to it. Even though I’m not…’
‘Of course you do.’ Robyn patted Joel’s arm.
‘Mind you, she’ll soon forget me when she’s down there with all those talented people.’
‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself,’ Robyn said, reaching for a couple of bottles of water and handing one to Joel.
‘That’s not the way to go about it. And listen, remember, I’ve seen and heard you take Shakespearian parts in my English Lit classes.
You have good intonation; you read well.
This is something you’ve never done before.
No different from the rest of the cast who started out back in October when I was tearing my hair out.
The others will be so pleased the whole production is back on – I’ve already emailed them and their parents – they’ll be willing to give you every bit of help there is. ’
They both looked up as Mason Donoghue popped his head round the door. ‘I thought I heard voices. What are you two doing here? It’s the Easter holidays, if you hadn’t noticed.’
‘Mr Donoghue.’ Robyn sighed. ‘Do you never read your emails? I’ve been keeping you up to date with what Joel here is up to.’
‘Not if I can help it,’ Mason said. ‘What Joel’s up to?’ He frowned, turning to the boy. ‘You’re not back with the lot that put you in hospital?’
‘No!’ Joel tutted, cross, Robyn could see, that Mason might think that.
‘Joel’s moved in with Jess…’ Robyn started.
‘Yes, I’m aware of that. I did see the texts you sent me and also the ones from both the Youth Justice Service and from Andy somebody…’
‘Andy Somerville – he’s my social worker,’ Joel muttered, obviously embarrassed at the entourage of support workers he’d had foisted on him.
‘So, I’m in school to do just that. Answer emails, see what’s afoot with the closing-down plans, etcetera, etcetera. Who let you in?’
‘Mr Donoghue, the school’s open all the holiday for revision classes in the library. You must know that?’ Robyn frowned.
‘Duh, of course. I knew there was another reason for me coming in. I need to check the Year 11 staff who’ve volunteered to do a stint are actually here.’
‘They are.’
‘And shouldn’t you be up there, Joel? Revising? You’ve missed six months of actual school, you know.’
‘I’ve kept up with it all, Sir. Probably done more over at my Aunty Judith’s than if I was here.’ He smiled. ‘Had to do something to combat the boredom.’
‘Well, these holiday revision sessions I’ve arranged are there for you as much as the others.’
‘Ms Allen here is constantly quoting Shakespeare at me, and I reckon I know War of the Worlds better than she does.’
‘Shh,’ Robyn frowned. ‘I told you that in confidence.’
‘And the other Ms Allen…’
‘The other one?’ Mason frowned.
‘Jess,’ Robyn said. ‘She will now answer only to Ms Jessica Allen – her former name – as opposed to Mrs Jess Butterworth.’
‘…is an absolute whizz at maths,’ Joel finished. ‘I tell you, Sir, I’ve learned more from her in one day than the last two years at school.’
‘Does she want a job?’ Mason smiled.
‘She’s got one.’ Robyn laughed. ‘She’ll be up at The White House in the morning getting things ready. Kamran Sattar has got the experts in: some promotional company that does just that, apparently. You know, advises on staffing, trains front of house, answers every question going.’
‘Really?’ Mason was most interested. ‘Mind you, the Sattars have the funding behind them to get the place off to a flying start.’
‘And, Mr Donoghue,’ Robyn went on, trying to get Mason back on to school matters, ‘I emailed you that Joel here is going to be the new Danny Zuko. The production is back on.’
‘You sure about this, Joel? Has Ms Allen here bullied you into it?’
‘Well, it was all part of the deal.’ Joel sighed heavily.
‘Joel needs to concentrate on his revision, Ms Allen.’ Mason folded his arms in an attempt at asserting any authority he might still have over Robyn.
‘Of course he does. And he will. He’s off up to the library now and I’ll pick him up later.’
‘I’ll drop him off at your sister’s place.’ Mason patted Joel’s arm. ‘I’m going up to Hudson House when I leave here to see my grandmother. They’re all missing Jess up there, you know.’
‘Jessica now. New name, new job…’
‘New lodger.’ Joel smiled, picking up his gear and heading for the library.