nodded.
The four of us set off across the floor. We got some candy floss from the stall then went back into 70
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the first room. The music was a little quieter in here, and the room was full of adults talking to each other.
I suddenly couldn’t wait to get back to Emmi’s and have fun with the others, chatting about the party and school and all the things that were becoming part of my new, grown-up life. I took my purse out of my bag and tore the photo of Frankie Clarke off the plastic.
‘Good call,’ Shaz said.
I smiled, then took out my new phone. ‘I’m replacing the picture of him on this, too,’ I said. I held the mobile out in front of me, huddling closer to Emmi and Grace. We bent our heads together.
‘Come on, Shaz,’ I said. ‘You can be in the picture too.’
She walked behind me and squatted slightly so her head was at the same level as mine.
I took the picture. It was a good one. Shaz looked kind of elegant, Grace looked sweetly demure, Emmi looked really pretty and even I didn’t look too hideous.
‘My dad will be here to pick us up in about twenty minutes,’ Emmi said.
I nodded. Shaz shuffled from foot to foot.
‘D’you want a lift, Shaz?’ I asked. ‘I’m sure Emmi’s dad won’t mind.’
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‘You can come back to mine if you’d like,’ Emmi added.
‘Thanks, but I have to get home,’ Shaz said. She sounded a bit awkward but I could see she was pleased to be asked.
Emmi and Grace wandered away to get a last drink each. I was about to follow them, when Shaz pulled her jacket around her chest and I remembered Emmi’s cardigan was still in Madame van Persiana’s fortune-telling hut.
‘I just need to fetch something,’ I said.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Shaz said.
We set off towards the hut.
‘River?’ Shaz stammered as we reached the funfair room.
‘Yeah?’ I said.
‘I’m sorry I was so nasty to you,’ she said quietly.
‘I was . . . I was a bit jealous, to be honest . . .’
I stopped. The music was loud in here and the smells from the hot dog stand filled my nostrils.
Shaz was jealous? What was she talking about?
‘Huh?’ I said.
Shaz shrugged. ‘You reminded me of me that first day of school, walking in all nervous like I did last year. But you looked really good. You’re so pretty, especially in that top you’ve got on.’
I stared at her, completely shocked.
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‘I hated that first day,’ Shaz went on. ‘I mean, I was coming into year seven again . And all my friends were in year eight. It . . . it wasn’t fair.’ Shaz paused.
‘Anyway, I just wanted . . . to . . . to explain. And to tell you I’ll be out of your hair soon . . . I mean, away from Langton...’
I frowned. Her older sister had said something similar earlier.
‘Why are you leaving school?’ I said. ‘Where are you going?’
Shaz looked embarrassed. She wiped her hand across her face, pushing back a strand of red hair.
‘We’ve got to move because Mum and Dad spent all their money taking me to America for an operation last year.’
My mouth fell open. I knew Shaz had been ill –
that was one of the first things I’d found out about her – but not that she’d had to travel for an operation.
‘All the way to America?’ I said.
Shaz nodded. ‘We couldn’t get it done here,’ she said. ‘And it was good, I mean the operation worked. But Dad had to remortgage the house so . . . now we have to sell it and move somewhere smaller.’
‘Oh, Shaz,’ I said. I couldn’t imagine how hard that must be, to know that your whole family was affected because you’d been ill. I wanted to ask Shaz 73
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what had been wrong with her. But it seemed too pushy. Shaz looked uncomfortable enough with the conversation as it was.
‘When are you going?’ I asked.
‘Half term,’ Shaz
The four of us set off across the floor. We got some candy floss from the stall then went back into 70
Acting Friends CS5.indd 70
21/12/2011 11:48
the first room. The music was a little quieter in here, and the room was full of adults talking to each other.
I suddenly couldn’t wait to get back to Emmi’s and have fun with the others, chatting about the party and school and all the things that were becoming part of my new, grown-up life. I took my purse out of my bag and tore the photo of Frankie Clarke off the plastic.
‘Good call,’ Shaz said.
I smiled, then took out my new phone. ‘I’m replacing the picture of him on this, too,’ I said. I held the mobile out in front of me, huddling closer to Emmi and Grace. We bent our heads together.
‘Come on, Shaz,’ I said. ‘You can be in the picture too.’
She walked behind me and squatted slightly so her head was at the same level as mine.
I took the picture. It was a good one. Shaz looked kind of elegant, Grace looked sweetly demure, Emmi looked really pretty and even I didn’t look too hideous.
‘My dad will be here to pick us up in about twenty minutes,’ Emmi said.
I nodded. Shaz shuffled from foot to foot.
‘D’you want a lift, Shaz?’ I asked. ‘I’m sure Emmi’s dad won’t mind.’
71
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21/12/2011 11:48
‘You can come back to mine if you’d like,’ Emmi added.
‘Thanks, but I have to get home,’ Shaz said. She sounded a bit awkward but I could see she was pleased to be asked.
Emmi and Grace wandered away to get a last drink each. I was about to follow them, when Shaz pulled her jacket around her chest and I remembered Emmi’s cardigan was still in Madame van Persiana’s fortune-telling hut.
‘I just need to fetch something,’ I said.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Shaz said.
We set off towards the hut.
‘River?’ Shaz stammered as we reached the funfair room.
‘Yeah?’ I said.
‘I’m sorry I was so nasty to you,’ she said quietly.
‘I was . . . I was a bit jealous, to be honest . . .’
I stopped. The music was loud in here and the smells from the hot dog stand filled my nostrils.
Shaz was jealous? What was she talking about?
‘Huh?’ I said.
Shaz shrugged. ‘You reminded me of me that first day of school, walking in all nervous like I did last year. But you looked really good. You’re so pretty, especially in that top you’ve got on.’
I stared at her, completely shocked.
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‘I hated that first day,’ Shaz went on. ‘I mean, I was coming into year seven again . And all my friends were in year eight. It . . . it wasn’t fair.’ Shaz paused.
‘Anyway, I just wanted . . . to . . . to explain. And to tell you I’ll be out of your hair soon . . . I mean, away from Langton...’
I frowned. Her older sister had said something similar earlier.
‘Why are you leaving school?’ I said. ‘Where are you going?’
Shaz looked embarrassed. She wiped her hand across her face, pushing back a strand of red hair.
‘We’ve got to move because Mum and Dad spent all their money taking me to America for an operation last year.’
My mouth fell open. I knew Shaz had been ill –
that was one of the first things I’d found out about her – but not that she’d had to travel for an operation.
‘All the way to America?’ I said.
Shaz nodded. ‘We couldn’t get it done here,’ she said. ‘And it was good, I mean the operation worked. But Dad had to remortgage the house so . . . now we have to sell it and move somewhere smaller.’
‘Oh, Shaz,’ I said. I couldn’t imagine how hard that must be, to know that your whole family was affected because you’d been ill. I wanted to ask Shaz 73
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what had been wrong with her. But it seemed too pushy. Shaz looked uncomfortable enough with the conversation as it was.
‘When are you going?’ I asked.
‘Half term,’ Shaz
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