Playlist for a Broken Heart
Read Playlist for a Broken Heart Online
Authors: Cathy Hopkins
Other books by Cathy Hopkins
Love At Second Sight
Series by Cathy Hopkins
Million Dollar Mates
Mates, Dates
Truth, Dare, Kiss or Promise
Cinnamon Girl
Zodiac Girls
First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Simon and Schuster UK Ltd
A CBS COMPANY
Copyright © 2014 Cathy Hopkins
This book is copyright under the Berne Convention.
No reproduction without permission.
All rights reserved.
The right of Cathy Hopkins to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act, 1988.
Simon & Schuster UK Ltd
1
st
Floor, 222 Gray’s Inn Road
London
WC1X 8HB
Simon & Schuster Australia, Sydney
Simon & Schuster India, New Delhi
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
PB ISBN: 978-1-4711-1791-6
EBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-1792-3
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
www.simonandschuster.co.uk
www.simonandschuster.com.au
Chapter One
‘Here we go,’ whispered Allegra.
I held my breath and waited for Mr Collins, our drama teacher, to read out who had got parts in the end-of-year play. Everyone who’d auditioned was standing near the wooden stage in the
school hall. It smelt of beeswax and lavender from the polish used by the cleaners who’d started the evening clear-up behind us.
Please, please let me get Juliet
, I prayed.
I’d been rehearsing for weeks with my friend, Allegra, reading all the other parts so I could get it just right. She’s a good mate and knows that it means a lot to me. I’ve
come so close to getting a lead role in school productions before but never quite made it – always the bridesmaid, never the bride sort of thing. I also have an ulterior motive for wanting
the lead female role this time and that is that I’m pretty sure that Alex Taylor, love of my life, though he doesn’t know it yet, will probably play Romeo.
Everyone thinks it’s in the bag that he’ll get it because, apart from being a good actor, he’s classically good-looking with soft brown hair that curls at his shoulders. If he
gets the part, whoever plays opposite him will get to spend a lot of time with him. Normally I am not boy mad like Allegra and so many other girls my age. I think there’s more to life than
drooling over some stupid boy, but Alex is different. He’s clever and motivated and just thinking about the scenes where Romeo and Juliet have to kiss makes my toes curl. So
please,
please let Alex Taylor get the part of Romeo
.
Mr Collins glanced over our group, all of us ready to put on a cheerful face if we didn’t get a part.
‘Romeo. Alex Taylor,’ he read. Alex, who was standing in front of me to the right, punched the air and grinned. I felt a rush of excitement – so far so good. Allegra glanced
over and gave me the thumbs-up.
‘Juliet. Paige Lord.’
Ohmigod. I’d got it! I felt elated and relieved at the same time. All that hard work had been worth it.
‘Yay,’ exclaimed Allegra and gave me a hug. I felt myself blush as everyone turned to look, even more so when Alex glanced round to see who I was. I immediately looked at the floor
and cursed that I didn’t have the nerve to look him in the eye and hold his gaze, the way an article about how to flirt in last week’s
Teen Vogue
had advised. Make the
connection, it had said. Look him in the eye that moment too long and, when you feel a charge of electricity, hold it another few moments and then look away.
So
I’ve blown
that
, I thought.
Up until today, I don’t think Alex has even noticed me despite me accidentally-on-purpose walking past him a million times in the corridor. It’s the only place I see him because
he’s in Year Twelve and I’m in Year Ten and the sixth formers have their own common room. But all that is about to change. Now that we’re playing the lead roles, he has no choice
but to notice me. We’ll be acting the parts of one of the most famous romantic couples in history. We’ll be rehearsing together for months, up until the performance just before we break
up for the summer. I call that a result with a capital R.
When Allegra and I left school later, I was on cloud nine. It had been an excellent day. Besides hearing that I’d got the part of Juliet, some pieces from my art project
had been chosen to hang in the reception hall. I’d been working on a series of portraits from some photographs I’d taken on the London streets over the Christmas holidays. On top of
that, I’d got an A star for an English essay, and the cherry on the cake was that, after Mr Collins’ announcement about the parts, Jason Rice, who would be Tybalt in the play, had
suggested that the whole cast get together over the Easter holidays for a party at his house. My future had never looked brighter and it felt like I was about to embark on an exciting new chapter
in my life.
‘I knew you’d get it,’ said Allegra. ‘With your long dark hair and brown eyes, you have an Italian look. And you’re tall like Alex so you’ll look good
together. Plus – don’t take this the wrong way – you have a sort of innocence about you that I think worked in your favour too.’
‘I have a sort of innocence about me because I
am
innocent! Not that I want to be. I mean, it’s pathetic really. Fifteen and never had a proper boyfriend, unlike you, Miss
Experienced.’
‘You just haven’t met the right boy. Playing opposite Romeo will be a good place to start, and for someone who’s shy like you, it will be the perfect opportunity to get some
confidence,’ said Allegra. She was much more savvy about relationships than I was. Slim but curvy, blonde and cool, she attracted boys while I stood by, feeling tongue-tied and awkward. It
was weird. I was fine if I was acting because it wasn’t really me, so I didn’t clam up like I did when I had to speak to boys in normal life. Acting a part in a play was like wearing a
mask that I could hide behind.
‘It will, won’t it? It’s a great chance to get in with Alex. Life would be perfect if Mum and Dad would sort out whatever it is that’s been bugging them,’ I said as
we waited in the car park for her mum to pick us up. There had been a weird atmosphere at home lately, which of course I’d told Allegra all about because I had to talk to someone about
it.
‘How’s that going?’ Allegra asked. ‘Still no idea what it’s about?’
‘The only thing I can think of that makes sense is that they’re getting divorced,’ I replied. I’d known that something was wrong with my parents for a few months, though
nothing had been said. Dad had been more absent than usual and then quiet when he was home, whereas Mum was acting cheerful but something about her manner didn’t ring true.
‘Sounds like it,’ she agreed. ‘Are they arguing a lot?’
‘Not that I’ve heard. But they both go silent the minute I enter the room as if they have a secret, but not a nice one like a surprise party or holiday. Whatever. I’m not going
to let them ruin my mood.’
‘Good because this is your day,’ said Allegra. ‘It’s probably nothing. You know what parents are like – there’s always something stupid bugging them.
They’re going to be over the moon when you give them your news.’
‘They will,’ I replied. I couldn’t wait to get home and tell them.
Mum and Dad were in the hall at home waiting for me when I arrived back from school.
‘Where’ve you been, Paige?’ asked Dad.
‘Drama. I told Mum I’d be late. I got the part!’ I said. I was dying to share my news but as I waited for the congratulations and questions, I saw that what I’d said
hadn’t registered with either of them.
‘Come and sit down, Paige,’ said Dad. ‘We need to talk to you about something.’
‘Let her get a cup of tea or something,’ said Mum. ‘She’s only just got in.’
They were both acting so seriously, it was beginning to freak me out.
‘No. I’m fine,’ I said. ‘I don’t need anything. Just tell me what’s happened. Has someone died? Gran or Grandpa?’
‘Nothing like that,’ said Mum. ‘Let’s all go into the sitting room.’ I followed them in from the hall and we sat down, Mum and Dad next to each other on the sofa
and me in one of the armchairs opposite. All of us took a deep breath and the room felt heavy with the weight of the unspoken words in the air.
A feeling of dread hit me as I looked at their faces. I had to break the uncomfortable silence. ‘I know what you’re going to say,’ I blurted.
Mum looked taken aback. ‘You do?’ she asked.
I nodded. ‘You’re getting a divorce. But before you do, have you thought of trying counselling?’ A few girls in our class had parents who had got divorced so it was often the
topic of conversation in school lunch breaks, and I remembered that Phoebe Marshall’s parents had been to Relate then stayed together – until her mum ran off with her skiing coach.
A glimmer of a smile crossed Dad’s face. ‘We’re not getting divorced, Paige. No getting rid of me that easy.’
‘Ohmigod. One of you has cancer,’ I said. Another classmate, Mary Philip’s mum had breast cancer last year, but they got it in time and she’s OK now. Maybe there was
hope.
‘No, we don’t have cancer either,’ said Dad. He looked at Mum again and gave a small shrug. ‘Do you want to tell her or shall I?’
‘I will,’ said Mum. ‘So, Paige. It’s not so bad. It’s er . . . it’s just that . . . our circumstances have changed. We . . .’
I listened as words came out of her mouth and then Dad’s, but as they spoke I felt like part of me left the room. My body was there, ears listening, eyes seeing, but everything took on a
dreamlike quality, not real at all. I got the gist of what they were telling me though. My whole life was going to change big time.
Big
time. And not in a good way.