Rising Star by Cindy Jefferies

Author:Cindy Jefferies
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2011-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

It was great to be home. Ben came and bounced on Chloe’s bed to wake her the next morning, and she tickled him until he squealed. He was too little to understand all the complications of her life. He didn’t care what went on at Rockley Park School. He was simply happy to have his big sister home again, and thought she was perfect just the way she was.

Later on, Jess came over to see Chloe. Chloe had been so looking forward to confiding in her oldest friend, but Jess only wanted to hear about the famous people Chloe had met. She didn’t seem to realize how much her friend needed to talk.

“If I give you last month’s magazine, will you get Pop ’n’ Lolly’s autographs for me?” Jess pleaded. “They can sign beside the pictures of themselves. It’ll be really cool to take that to school. Everyone will be so jealous!” She settled herself more comfortably on Chloe’s bed. “Who else do you know?”

“Jess! ”

“What?”

Chloe looked at her friend miserably. “I need to talk to you. I’ve got a huge problem.” She hesitated, hearing her parents’ voices downstairs. “Not here. Let’s go for a walk.”

While they dawdled into town, Chloe told Jess all her woes.

“It’s not your fault,” Jess told Chloe stoutly. “It’s because of Mrs. Pendle. You can blame her.”

“But I’ve still got to find my voice,” Chloe said. “What if the teachers at Rockley Park don’t want me anymore? I wouldn’t blame them.”

Jess shook her head. “Well, I would. They’re supposed to be teaching you. They can’t just give up. You’re not giving up. Are you?”

“No!” Chloe bit back her tears. Part of her was almost tempted to give up the whole idea of being a pop singer. “I’m not giving up. But Mr. Player told me that I can’t be in a concert until I can sing properly. And, I really like Pop and Lolly, but they won’t want to be my friends if I’m a failure.”

“Why not?”

“Oh, Jess! Because they’re famous. And successful. And they won’t want to mix with failures.”

“Is that what they said?”

Chloe tried to be fair. “Well, no, but then, they don’t know why I’m not in the concert.”

“You mean you haven’t told them?”

Chloe’s face told Jess all she needed to know. “I couldn’t tell them,” she mumbled, scuffing a few dry leaves underfoot. “Or Mom and Dad.”

“Chloe, you’re so stupid.” Jess told her. “If you don’t tell people your problems, they can’t help.”

“I am telling you,” Chloe said, nearly in tears.

“Yes, but you need to talk to Pop and Lolly to get them on your side. How can they be friends if you don’t trust them? It’s horrible if a friend doesn’t tell you something important.”

They walked on in silence for a few minutes while Chloe digested what Jess had said. Chloe hadn’t told Jess immediately when she’d got her place at Rockley Park and that had really hurt poor Jess. Now Chloe had made the same mistake with her Rockley Park friends.

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