Drama at Silver Spires Read Free Page A

and all her friends think she’s God. I mean, she looked at me like I was completely dumb. And fancy asking me if I realized that Amy was a main part!” I put on a posh showy-offy voice to imitate her. “Woo-hoo, look at me ! I’m an actor !”
    Mia immediately broke into giggles, which set the others off.
    It was Grace who recovered first. “What made you so crazy about acting in the first place, Georgie? Or did you just kind of realize you were good at it?”
    I love talking about my favourite subject, so my crossness with Cara soon melted away. “Well… I’ve always loved acting, but when I was eight…” I felt on top of the world as my mind filled up with the coolest memory of a golden theatre. “Mum and Dad took me to see the play of The Witches – you know the Roald Dahl story – in London. I remember Roxanne falling asleep, but then she was only little. I’d seen pantomimes before that, and one musical, but I’d never seen an actual play, and something just kind of clicked inside me because it all made perfect sense, even though the characters and the setting were nothing like I’d imagined them in the book.”
    I stopped talking and saw that my friends were looking totally gobsmacked.
    â€œGeorgie!” said Mia. “I knew you loved drama and everything, but I never realized until now just how serious you are about it all!”
    â€œMe neither!” said Katy. “I reckon that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you actually being totally serious!”
    â€œI think it’s really interesting,” said Naomi, frowning. “What do you think about films?”
    I was so loving this conversation with my friends taking me seriously for a change. I know they usually think I’m totally laid-back. That’s because I’m not that good at schoolwork so I pretend I don’t care too much about it, otherwise it would be embarrassing to try so hard and get such rubbish results. Plus, I’m also terrible at sport and anything energetic. But acting is my big passion and always will be.
    At that moment I noticed Grace sneak a little look at her watch, and it was obviously catching because next thing they were all at it.
    â€œBetter go to the bathroom,” said Grace. “It’s nearly nine. Matron will be here in a sec.” And everyone started to get up.
    But I didn’t want the conversation to end yet so I spoke at about a hundred miles an hour before they all disappeared. “Films-are-completely-different-from-the-theatre- and- from-books, Naomi.” There was a knock at the door and I knew it would be Matron.
    â€œWe’ll talk in bed,” whispered Naomi.
    But I was desperate to finish what I was saying so I talked even faster until the words all tumbled into each other. “’Coseverythinghappensintheblinkofaneyeinfilms…”
    And we all burst out laughing, even me, which was how Matron found us when she opened the door.
    â€œWhat’s all this hilarity in aid of?” she asked, looking round suspiciously as the others grabbed their toothbrushes and toothpaste and rushed off to the bathroom. Then she gave me what I call her dry look. “Why are you sitting in the middle of the room instead of getting ready for bed, young lady?”
    Mia hung back. “Georgie’s excited about auditioning for a main part in the junior play, Matron.”
    â€œI see. Well, I can tell you that Miss Pritchard doesn’t put up with any nonsense, you know. Come on, Georgie! Chop-chop!”
    â€œI won’t give her any nonsense,” I said, flashing my biggest smile at Matron.
    She didn’t smile back, just looked round our dorm and spoke extra briskly. “Bathroom. Now!” But her eyes definitely twinkled as I scuttled past her with my washbag.
    Later, when I was lying in bed, I realized Matron hadn’t actually made any comment about me auditioning for a big