Chapter three: Dad Finds Out
‘But I’m seventeen years old, Dad! I’m not a baby anymore!’
‘I don’t care! You’re living in my house. That means you do what I tell you to do! There will be no rock concerts.’
‘It’s an arts festival. Not a rock concert.’
‘I don’t care what it is! You’re not going! You lied to me, Ellie!’ He turns to Liz. ‘A party. A day with her friends making a study plan. I was so stupid to believe all of that!’
‘I’m sure you went to concerts when you were my age!’
‘That was different. Things were different then,’ says Dad.
‘Can’t you talk to him?’ I ask Liz, but she shakes her head.
‘I’m sorry, Ellie.’ She tries to put her arm around me, but I don’t let her.
‘Leave me alone!’ I shout pushing her arm away. ‘I’ll never forgive you both for this! NEVER!’
I run up the stairs and throw myself onto my bed. It’s not fair.
Everyone else’s parents let them go to concerts. Why can’t mine?
I pick up my mobile phone and try to phone Cassie, but I have no credit left. I throw my phone onto the bed just as Liz knocks on my door.
‘Ellie, dinner’s ready.’
‘I’m not hungry.’
‘You’ve got to eat, Ellie.’
‘Leave me alone! I don’t want anything!’ I shout. How can I eat ever again? Seeing Murphy was going to be the best day of my life.
But half an hour later she is back. This time she comes in before I can stop her. I close my eyes, hoping she’ll think I’m asleep.
‘I made you a sandwich.’ She sits on my bed and touches my arm gently. ‘I brought you a magazine too. There’s an article on that singer you like… Murphy isn’t it?’
‘I don’t want your stupid magazine. I was going to see Murphy live at Glastonbury, not that you can understand!’
I pick up the magazine and throw it across the room. It hits the photo of her and Dad’s wedding. It falls to the floor and breaks. Liz gets up and slowly starts to pick up the pieces of broken glass.
I tell myself that it’s their fault. I’m angry because Dad won’t let me go to Glastonbury… because he thinks I’m seven not seventeen. But I still feel horrible as I watch Liz leave my room. She looks sad and there are tears in her eyes.
When she has gone, I pick up the magazine. On the cover there is a photo of Murphy.
The thought of missing Glastonbury makes my stomach hurt. But I still look through the magazine.
When I get to the article on Murphy more tears fill my eyes. But then I read something that makes me stop crying…
Do you want to meet Murphy?
Would you like to go to Glastonbury, tour backstage and meet the star himself?
We are going to make one lucky reader’s dream come true. If you can sing, then we want to hear from you! To enter, just send us a tape of you singing your favourite Murphy song to MUSIC NOW!
Send us your entries by 10 May.
10 May! Oh no! That’s Monday! Today’s Friday! If I want to enter I must send my entry tomorrow morning.
Suddenly, my anger disappears. I feel excited. I know that thousands of people will enter the competition. And I don’t have a lot of time to prepare. But could I be the one? Dreams come true for some people sometimes, don’t they?
First I have to decide which song to sing. I pick up my MP3 player and finally choose a romantic song. I listen to it twice, but I know that it’s the right one.
I close my eyes and listen to the words.
I forget about Dad and the sadness in Liz’s eyes when she picked up the broken photo. I forget about school and the homework I still haven’t done.
I take a deep breath and press ‘record’ on my CD player. I pick up the microphone and start to sing, and when I stop five minutes later I know that I can’t do any better.
All I have to do now is wait.