Playlist for a Broken Heart by Cathy Hopkins Page A

bed opposite Clover and I and glanced at the CD case in my hand. ‘Been listening to some music?’
    Clover took the case out of my hand. ‘What is it?’
    ‘That CD that Aunt Karen bought for me from the charity shop near here.’
    ‘Oh yeah, there were some good tracks as I remember,’ said Tasmin.
    ‘Yes, it’s really good, although I don’t recognise any of the tracks,’ I replied. ‘From the case, it looks like a homemade compilation.’ I didn’t
elaborate on how the music had made me feel in case they asked why I felt they spoke to me. I would have felt too exposed if I revealed how lost I was at the moment.
    Clover was examining the CD case and opened it. ‘There’s a list of the tracks and the bands on the inside sleeve.’
    Tasmin leant forward. ‘Let’s have a look.’
    She got up and took the CD case from Clover and scrutinised the list inside. I could smell that she’d been drinking alcohol too, but didn’t say anything in case they told me that it
was none of my business. ‘I know some of these bands, most of them in fact. They’re local.’
    Local?
I thought.
In that case, the boy who made the CD probably is as well
.
    ‘Let’s have a listen then,’ said Clover.
    I didn’t admit that I had the music on my iPod because it was my private refuge from the world and I didn’t want to talk about that. However, Tasmin took the CD out of the case, put
it in the CD player and pressed play. A soundtrack filled the room. The girls lay back, Clover on my bed, so we were top and tail, and Tasmin on hers.
    So now your world is broken and dark clouds fill the air,
    And you’re living in the shadows, full of sadness, doubt and fear.
    There’s a light that shines within you, it gets brighter as you learn
    That happiness isn’t given, it’s something that is earned.
    Take a look around you, find the one among a crowd
    And though you’ve never met him, you’ll call his name out loud
    ‘Bit gloomy in the beginning,’ said Tasmin when the track had finished and she clicked the CD off. I didn’t think so. I loved the lyrics and the sentiment that
somewhere out there might be someone who could rescue you from the shadows.
    Clover picked up the CD case. ‘I know this band,’ she said. ‘They’re called Overheated. They’re a Bristol band. I’ve heard them play. Some of the others are
from here in Bath though.’
    ‘Do you think that whoever made it lives here in Bath?’ I asked.
    ‘Maybe, and if not, they live somewhere nearby,’ said Tasmin. She took the case from Clover and looked at the photo on the back. ‘The buildings on the photo on the back
don’t look like Bath, though it could be – there are a lot of new builds here as well as all the ancient buildings. Do you think it’s him on the back, the boy who made
it?’
    ‘I was wondering,’ I said.
    Tasmin picked up my magnifying glass and, just as I had, scrutinised the CD case, then Clover did the same.
    ‘A mystery,’ said Clover as she screwed her eyes up trying to see the boy’s face.
    ‘A mystery boy,’ said Tasmin. ‘I like a mystery.’
    ‘I know this might sound mad,’ I said, ‘but I’d like to try and find him.’
    Clover and Tasmin looked at each other then Tasmin nodded.
    ‘Could be fun,’ she said.
    ‘Yeah, I’m in,’ said Clover.
    The quest to find the mystery boy begins,
I thought.
Excellent.

Chapter Eleven
    Mystery Boy
    ‘A heart to love, and in that heart
    Courage to make’s love known?’
    Shakespeare:
Macbeth
– Act 2, Scene 3.
    I finished the CD last week and spent the weekend making a cover. I wanted to make something that would stand out. Not a heart. Way too soppy. Not flowers. My girl deserves
something unique. A piece of art with a message hidden for her to find. A message that also says I’d noticed her and saw that she was different. I’d leave clues in the artwork so she
can track me down. Will she get them? Or will I have to reveal myself to her later?
    I tried many designs