Centre Stage: A Novel

how much dancing you’ve done and she wouldn’t have asked you to the audition if she felt that you wouldn’t be able to cope.’
    I felt a bit happier. Mum was right. Surely this dancing audition couldn’t be that hard — could it?

Chapter Three
    ‘OK, everyone, settle down!’ Mr Davey clapped his hands together as he came into the classroom the next morning.
    Ally hastily jumped off my desk. ‘See you at break!’ she said to Harriet and me. Grabbing her bag, she slipped out of the classroom before Mr Davey could shut the door.
    When Mr Davey had finished taking the register, he told us about a noticeboard where you could sign up to join all kinds of different school clubs. ‘There are clubs to suit everyone,’ he told us. ‘Art club, the computer club, quiz club…’
    ‘I’d like to join the quiz club,’ Harriet whispered to me. ‘Can we go to the noticeboard at breaktime?’
    I nodded.
    Mr Davey told us some more about the different clubs and then we moved on to the day’s form activity. Each day our form had a different theme for the day. On Fridays, the theme was going to be reading.
    ‘Next week I’d like you all to bring along a book you are reading,’ Mr Davey explained. ‘But for today, I thought we’d start with a discussion of your favourite books.’ He walked round to the whiteboard. ‘Now, who’s going to start us off?’
    Harriet’s arm shot up into the air.
    ‘Harriet?’ Mr Davey said, smiling at her. ‘Tell me your favourite book or author.’
    ‘I like loads of books,’ Harriet answered. ‘All the C. S. Lewis books and the Harry Potter ones; and then there’s Philip Pullman, I really like his books, and William Nicholson.’
    Mr Davey could hardly write fast enough to keep up with her. ‘Well, that’s certainly given us a few to start off with. You obviously read a lot, Harriet.’
    ‘I love books!’ Harriet replied enthusiastically
    I heard a muffled giggle from behind me. I swung round. Kelly was rolling her eyes at Leanne and Rachel. They sniggered.
    ‘Settle down at the back,’ Mr Davey said, looking sharply at them.
    ‘Wasn’t that interesting?’ Harriet said, her face glowing happily as we all picked up our bags to go to Geography after the bell had rung. ‘It was really cool to talk about books like that.’
    ‘Very cool!’ Kelly said sarcastically as she walked past. ‘If you’re teacher’s pet.’
    At her side, Rachel and Leanne grinned.
    I saw the happiness fade from Harriet’s face. ‘What?’
    Kelly, Rachel and Leanne walked off giggling together.
    ‘Swot,’ I heard Kelly say in an undertone.
    I glared after them. ‘Idiots!’ I said witheringly. I looked across at Harriet, expecting her to shrug off the comments and nod in agreement. But to my surprise she was looking upset.
    ‘What did they mean?’ she protested. ‘I wasn’t being a teacher’s pet. I was just answering the questions Mr Davey asked. It was really interesting.’
    I felt taken aback. Harriet might be quiet but she’s never been bothered about what people say about her. At primary school people used to tease her for being brainy but she always just laughed it off. ‘Forget it,’ I advised. ‘They’re not worth stressing about.’
    Harriet nodded slowly but she still looked unhappy.
    ‘Come on,’ I told her. ‘Let’s go to Geography.’
    ‘Art club, that sounds cool!’ Ally exclaimed as we stood on tiptoe and peered over people’s shoulders at breaktime. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who’d decided to come and take a look at the clubs’ noticeboard.
    ‘Can you see anything about a drama club?’ I asked as Ally wormed her way to the front of the crowd. There was a tall boy in front of me who was signing up for the computer club and his head was blocking my view.
    ‘Yeah, there’s a notice here. It says that they meet on Friday lunchtimes,’ Ally told me. ‘They’re doing a production of Grease at the end of term but you have to be free to rehearse in the evenings.’
    ‘Oh,’ I said. I wondered whether to sign up. I wanted to but if I got the part in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , I would be too busy to rehearse. I decided to wait until after the weekend.
    ‘I’m going to sign up for the art club. It meets on Monday lunchtimes,’ Ally said. ‘How about you, Soph?’
    I shook my head. I like art but I didn’t want to spend a lunchtime doing it.
    A girl from Ally’s class was writing her name on the art club list. She