Sami's Silver Lining by Cathy Cassidy

Author:Cathy Cassidy
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780241321973
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2018-04-10T16:00:00+00:00

14

The Muse

‘You’re going to be immortalized by a famous painter,’ Lexie teases. ‘My boyfriend, the artist’s muse!’

I laugh, because I never imagined I would be anybody’s boyfriend – yet here I am with my defrosted heart and all kinds of crazy ideas unfurling in my mind, ideas for a future I didn’t think I cared about. It looks like I do, after all.

‘I need to be at Greystones tomorrow at ten,’ I say. ‘What will my uncle say when I don’t turn up at the workshop? What will my girlfriend say when I fail to appear with flowers or chocolate bars?’

‘You never give me flowers!’ Lexie declares, in mock outrage, and I swoop down and pick a red poppy from the long grass. She puts it behind her ear and sticks her tongue out at me, and at that moment I know that in spite of everything that has happened I might just be the luckiest boy alive.

‘We have news,’ Lexie says when we arrive for band practice. ‘We’ve just been offered a gig on October the first, playing at the art gallery in town. Louisa Winter is having a private view for her exhibition – and all the proceeds from the paintings sold are going to a refugee charity, the one that helped to rescue Sami!’

‘Cool,’ Marley says.

‘It’s not paid then?’ Bobbi-Jo chips in. ‘I thought we were only looking for paid gigs? If we do things for free, people won’t value us!’

‘This is different,’ I say. ‘She offered to pay, but this is personal! Footsteps to Freedom are an international charity …’

‘You can’t let personal feelings get in the way of logic,’ Bobbi-Jo says scathingly. ‘If they’re an international charity, they can definitely afford to pay us. And if they can’t, that old artist lady definitely can – my dad says she’s probably a millionaire!’

‘Bobbi-Jo, that’s enough,’ Marley says. ‘Sami, mate, we’ll definitely do the gig. No charge. OK? Louisa Winter gives us our practice space for free. No way can we charge her, and that’s final!’

‘Thanks, Marley.’ I heave a sigh of relief. ‘The press will be there – TV too – maybe. It will be something good for us, I promise!’

‘I know, mate,’ he says. ‘We’ll do it.’

Marley Hayes has a ruthless streak a mile wide, but beneath the ego he does care. He’s a complicated person, with kindness and arrogance battling it out inside him. Bobbi-Jo is a different case altogether. She’s determined to get her claws into Marley and hang on to his coat-tails for the rollercoaster ride to fame and fortune, and she doesn’t seem to care how many enemies she makes in the process.

‘We’re going to work on a new song specially for it,’ Lexie is saying. ‘Something with a refugee theme, to help raise awareness. Will you help?’

‘Of course I will!’ Marley says. ‘That’s great news! Exactly what we need. Something sad and dramatic?’

‘You’ll have your song,’ I promise him.

‘More tea?’ Ms Winter asks, pouring out a stream of a dark, woody brew that smells like bonfires into a chipped mug.

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