Читать книгу Rosa and the Special Prize - Darcey Bussell - Страница 9

“What do you mean, you’re not going to audition?” Olivia sounded shocked. Rosa had only been home about ten minutes when the phone had rung. It had been her best friend, bubbling with excitement at the news. “You have to go! Oh, just imagine if we both got in, Rosa. It would be so cool! And I heard Delphie, Lola and Sukie have all been asked to audition too!”

Rosa didn’t say anything. The thought of the others from Madame Za-Za’s school going to the auditions, maybe getting in, and going to the Royal Ballet School without her, made her want to cry. And if Olivia went she wouldn’t even have a best friend at Madame Za-Za’s any more.

“You just have to audition,” Olivia told her. “I can’t!” Rosa burst out. “Because…” Just then her mum came into the lounge where Rosa was talking. “Because I don’t want to,” Rosa said quickly.

“But why?” Olivia sounded completely confused.

“I just don’t.” Rosa felt tears starting to prickle in her eyes. “Look, I’ve got to go,” she said, knowing that if she didn’t get off the phone straight away she might really start to cry. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She pressed the off button on the phone.

“Rosa, can we talk about the auditions?” her mum said gently. “There’s something the matter, I know there is. I can’t believe you don’t want to go.”

Rosa looked at her. “You don’t want me to go to the Royal Ballet School, do you, Mum? You don’t want me to board and be away from you?”

“Well, I don’t want you to but…”

“Well, then that’s OK,” Rosa interrupted. She could hear that her voice sounded higher than normal. “Because I don’t want to go either.” She forced herself to smile. “I’m fine about it, Mum, really. I’m not going to audition. I’m just going to my bedroom for a bit.”

She ran out of the lounge and along the corridor to her room. Her mum had left the leaflet about the auditions on her bed, together with her dancing clothes and red ballet shoes. Rosa slowly went over.

Longing shot through her as she looked at the application form.