bit more than a week’s time, Hazel will be far away from you and Alice, and everythingwill be OK again.’
I cried even more.
‘This is summer camp,’ I said. ‘I’m supposed to be having the best time of my life. I’m not supposed to be wishing it was over.’
Sarah hugged me.
‘I suppose you’re right. Anyway, sit up, stop crying and wipe your eyes. I haven’t told you the best thing yet.’
I did what I was told, and Sarah started to giggle.
‘It was the funniest thing ever,’ she said.
‘So tell me,’
‘OK. Sam came over to me and asked where you were, and I told him—’ I grabbed her arm.
‘You didn’t tell him about the date?’
Sarah pretended to look cross.
‘Do I look like a
total
idiot?’
I shook my head, giggling, and she continued,
‘I just told him that you were upset because Hazel had played a really mean trick on you. And he seemed like he was really bothered by that. Hesaid it was rotten to pick on you since you were so nice.’
‘He really said that?’
Sarah nodded.
‘Anyway, I didn’t tell you the best bit yet. There were glasses of Coke, and Sam went and got one and brought it over to Hazel, pretending to be really nice. And Hazel did that sweet smiley stuff she does around boys. And when she’d drunk the Coke, Sam gave her a big smile and said he hoped she enjoyed it because before he gave it to her, he and all his friends had spat in it.’
I put my hand over my mouth.
‘I don’t believe it.’
Sarah laughed.
‘It was totally the funniest thing ever. You should have seen Hazel’s face. She ran out to the toilets. Everyone could hear her washing out her mouth, and spitting, and crying. In seconds, we all knew what had happened. Soon, everyone was laughing at her.’
‘Even Jordan?’
Sarah nodded.
‘He looked like he was going to throw up, he was laughing so much.’
‘And Alice?’
Sarah nodded again.
‘Alice looked like she was trying not to laugh, but in the end she joined in with the rest of us.’
I was enjoying the picture of Hazel being mocked, when Sarah continued.
‘No one really likes Hazel, you know.’
‘No one except for Alice,’ I corrected her.
‘Well, we all have our weak points,’ she said. ‘Now, I’m going back downstairs for a while. Do you want to come?’
I shook my head.
‘I think I’ll just stay here and have an early night. But thanks, Sarah.’
She shrugged.
‘No problem. That’s what friends are for.’
Then she went out.
I lay down again.
Sarah was so, so nice.
She was everything you could want in a friend.
But she wasn’t Alice.
Chapter thirteen
T he next day, Alice was really nice to me again.
‘Let’s just go on as normal. Let’s forget about yesterday,’ she said. ‘Let’s act like it never happened.’
But how could I act like it never happened when every time I turned around, Hazel was there, making stupid jokes about dates and stuff?
And how could I go on as normal, when Hazel was doing her very best to come between Alice and me?
After basketball, Sam came over to me.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked.
‘Sure,’ I said, knowing that my face was turning red.
‘I heard Hazel was mean to you last night. Do you want to tell me what she did?’
‘No way,’ I said so quickly that Sam jumped away as if I had hit him. ‘I mean, no thanks,’ I corrected myself. ‘It was nothing really.’
‘Sure?’ asked Sam.
‘Absolutely,’ I said, thinking that I would die if Sam ever discovered what had happened.
Then I laughed.
‘What you did to Hazel later on was brilliant. I can’t believe you and your friends spat in her drink.’
Now Sam went red.
‘Actually, we didn’t,’ he said. ‘That would be totally gross. But she thinks we did, and that’s all that matters.’
Now we both laughed together. It made sense in a way. I was upset over an imaginary date, and Hazel was upset over imaginary spit in her drink.
‘Got to go,’ said Sam. ‘But remember, if Hazel’s
I cried even more.
‘This is summer camp,’ I said. ‘I’m supposed to be having the best time of my life. I’m not supposed to be wishing it was over.’
Sarah hugged me.
‘I suppose you’re right. Anyway, sit up, stop crying and wipe your eyes. I haven’t told you the best thing yet.’
I did what I was told, and Sarah started to giggle.
‘It was the funniest thing ever,’ she said.
‘So tell me,’
‘OK. Sam came over to me and asked where you were, and I told him—’ I grabbed her arm.
‘You didn’t tell him about the date?’
Sarah pretended to look cross.
‘Do I look like a
total
idiot?’
I shook my head, giggling, and she continued,
‘I just told him that you were upset because Hazel had played a really mean trick on you. And he seemed like he was really bothered by that. Hesaid it was rotten to pick on you since you were so nice.’
‘He really said that?’
Sarah nodded.
‘Anyway, I didn’t tell you the best bit yet. There were glasses of Coke, and Sam went and got one and brought it over to Hazel, pretending to be really nice. And Hazel did that sweet smiley stuff she does around boys. And when she’d drunk the Coke, Sam gave her a big smile and said he hoped she enjoyed it because before he gave it to her, he and all his friends had spat in it.’
I put my hand over my mouth.
‘I don’t believe it.’
Sarah laughed.
‘It was totally the funniest thing ever. You should have seen Hazel’s face. She ran out to the toilets. Everyone could hear her washing out her mouth, and spitting, and crying. In seconds, we all knew what had happened. Soon, everyone was laughing at her.’
‘Even Jordan?’
Sarah nodded.
‘He looked like he was going to throw up, he was laughing so much.’
‘And Alice?’
Sarah nodded again.
‘Alice looked like she was trying not to laugh, but in the end she joined in with the rest of us.’
I was enjoying the picture of Hazel being mocked, when Sarah continued.
‘No one really likes Hazel, you know.’
‘No one except for Alice,’ I corrected her.
‘Well, we all have our weak points,’ she said. ‘Now, I’m going back downstairs for a while. Do you want to come?’
I shook my head.
‘I think I’ll just stay here and have an early night. But thanks, Sarah.’
She shrugged.
‘No problem. That’s what friends are for.’
Then she went out.
I lay down again.
Sarah was so, so nice.
She was everything you could want in a friend.
But she wasn’t Alice.
Chapter thirteen
T he next day, Alice was really nice to me again.
‘Let’s just go on as normal. Let’s forget about yesterday,’ she said. ‘Let’s act like it never happened.’
But how could I act like it never happened when every time I turned around, Hazel was there, making stupid jokes about dates and stuff?
And how could I go on as normal, when Hazel was doing her very best to come between Alice and me?
After basketball, Sam came over to me.
‘Everything OK?’ he asked.
‘Sure,’ I said, knowing that my face was turning red.
‘I heard Hazel was mean to you last night. Do you want to tell me what she did?’
‘No way,’ I said so quickly that Sam jumped away as if I had hit him. ‘I mean, no thanks,’ I corrected myself. ‘It was nothing really.’
‘Sure?’ asked Sam.
‘Absolutely,’ I said, thinking that I would die if Sam ever discovered what had happened.
Then I laughed.
‘What you did to Hazel later on was brilliant. I can’t believe you and your friends spat in her drink.’
Now Sam went red.
‘Actually, we didn’t,’ he said. ‘That would be totally gross. But she thinks we did, and that’s all that matters.’
Now we both laughed together. It made sense in a way. I was upset over an imaginary date, and Hazel was upset over imaginary spit in her drink.
‘Got to go,’ said Sam. ‘But remember, if Hazel’s
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