spinning, her toes tapping.
‘You sound as if you had a great time, Syl. I’m so pleased,’ she said, getting up and giving me a hug.
Perhaps she’d had more than one glass of wine because she hung onto me, swaying a little, and then she started spinning me round, dancing with me. We pranced around foolishly, and then started up our own little dance routine, forwards, back, hip twitch, twirl, faster and faster till we lost our balance and fell about laughing. We were mucking around just like sisters. I felt like confiding in her.
‘I wish I was more like Miranda,’ I said.
‘Is she very pretty?’
‘No, not really, but she acts like she is,’ I said.
‘Ah,’ said Mum.
‘And she’s very keen on Carl,’ I said.
‘
Uh-oh!
’ said Mum. ‘What about Carl? What does he think of her?’
‘Well, he
says
he’s not very keen. In fact he said she irritated him. He called her a poor little rich girl.’
‘Then you’ve not got anything to worry about, silly.’
‘Well …’ I couldn’t tell Mum that Carl had kissed Miranda when he still wouldn’t kiss me.
‘Never mind Carl,’ said Mum. ‘What about the other boys? Did you fancy any of them?’
I stared at her. ‘Mum! I just want Carl, you know that.’
‘I know you two have been joined at the hip since you were tiny but you’re both growing up now. It might be time to move on to other friendships.’
‘Carl’s my best friend and my boyfriend and we’re going to get married – you
know
that, Mum.’
‘That was just a baby game. You don’t want to think about marrying Carl. You don’t want to think about marrying
anyone
. Where does marriage get you?’ said Mum, rubbing her bare finger where she used to wear her wedding ring. But then she smiled at me. ‘Well, getting married got me
you
, and that makes it all worth while,’ she said, giving me a hug. ‘Come on, let’s go to bed. It’s OK for you, you can have a lie-in on Saturday. I’ve got blooming work.’
She gave me a goodnight kiss and thenpeered at me suspiciously. ‘Have you been drinking beer?’
‘Have you been drinking
wine
?’
‘I’m not thirteen years old, Cheekyface.’
‘I’m very nearly fourteen.’
‘Will you want a party?’
‘No! Just a birthday tea with Carl.’
It was his birthday next. I had his present all ready, carefully wrapped and hidden in the back of my wardrobe. It was an old crystal champagne glass, decorated around the stem with green grape vines. I’d found it in a Cancer Research shop. I wasn’t sure how old it was or whether it had any real value. I simply thought it was beautiful. I wished I had a pair so that Carl and I could drink pink champagne from them on our wedding day.
I dreamed about Carl when I went to sleep, but Miranda was in the dream too, and Raj and Andy and Alice. The bottle kept spinning and then I seemed to be spinning too, round and round until I was totally dizzy. I was in pitch darkness and I couldn’t grab hold of anyone to steady myself. I kept feeling for Carl but I couldn’t find him. He wasn’t there any more. He’d somehow crept out of the room.
I woke up and the phone was ringing and ringing. It was gone ten. Mum had left a cup of tea on my bedside table but it was stone cold now. I ran downstairs in my pyjamas, wondering if it was Carl, hoping he wasn’t going to back out of our Glassworld date.
It was only Lucy, desperate to know how I’d got on at Miranda’s party.
I told her exactly what had happened, needing to see what she made of it all. She kept giving little squeals.
‘That Miranda! What a C-O-W!’ she said, spelling it out. It was the nearest she got to swearing. ‘Fancy kissing Carl. And he seriously
let
her?’
‘Well, it was just a game. It wasn’t serious,’ I said anxiously.
‘Don’t be silly, Titchy, she’s trying to take him away from you. She makes me so sick. I wouldn’t have any more to do with her if I were you.’
I was pretty sure Miranda wouldn’t want
‘You sound as if you had a great time, Syl. I’m so pleased,’ she said, getting up and giving me a hug.
Perhaps she’d had more than one glass of wine because she hung onto me, swaying a little, and then she started spinning me round, dancing with me. We pranced around foolishly, and then started up our own little dance routine, forwards, back, hip twitch, twirl, faster and faster till we lost our balance and fell about laughing. We were mucking around just like sisters. I felt like confiding in her.
‘I wish I was more like Miranda,’ I said.
‘Is she very pretty?’
‘No, not really, but she acts like she is,’ I said.
‘Ah,’ said Mum.
‘And she’s very keen on Carl,’ I said.
‘
Uh-oh!
’ said Mum. ‘What about Carl? What does he think of her?’
‘Well, he
says
he’s not very keen. In fact he said she irritated him. He called her a poor little rich girl.’
‘Then you’ve not got anything to worry about, silly.’
‘Well …’ I couldn’t tell Mum that Carl had kissed Miranda when he still wouldn’t kiss me.
‘Never mind Carl,’ said Mum. ‘What about the other boys? Did you fancy any of them?’
I stared at her. ‘Mum! I just want Carl, you know that.’
‘I know you two have been joined at the hip since you were tiny but you’re both growing up now. It might be time to move on to other friendships.’
‘Carl’s my best friend and my boyfriend and we’re going to get married – you
know
that, Mum.’
‘That was just a baby game. You don’t want to think about marrying Carl. You don’t want to think about marrying
anyone
. Where does marriage get you?’ said Mum, rubbing her bare finger where she used to wear her wedding ring. But then she smiled at me. ‘Well, getting married got me
you
, and that makes it all worth while,’ she said, giving me a hug. ‘Come on, let’s go to bed. It’s OK for you, you can have a lie-in on Saturday. I’ve got blooming work.’
She gave me a goodnight kiss and thenpeered at me suspiciously. ‘Have you been drinking beer?’
‘Have you been drinking
wine
?’
‘I’m not thirteen years old, Cheekyface.’
‘I’m very nearly fourteen.’
‘Will you want a party?’
‘No! Just a birthday tea with Carl.’
It was his birthday next. I had his present all ready, carefully wrapped and hidden in the back of my wardrobe. It was an old crystal champagne glass, decorated around the stem with green grape vines. I’d found it in a Cancer Research shop. I wasn’t sure how old it was or whether it had any real value. I simply thought it was beautiful. I wished I had a pair so that Carl and I could drink pink champagne from them on our wedding day.
I dreamed about Carl when I went to sleep, but Miranda was in the dream too, and Raj and Andy and Alice. The bottle kept spinning and then I seemed to be spinning too, round and round until I was totally dizzy. I was in pitch darkness and I couldn’t grab hold of anyone to steady myself. I kept feeling for Carl but I couldn’t find him. He wasn’t there any more. He’d somehow crept out of the room.
I woke up and the phone was ringing and ringing. It was gone ten. Mum had left a cup of tea on my bedside table but it was stone cold now. I ran downstairs in my pyjamas, wondering if it was Carl, hoping he wasn’t going to back out of our Glassworld date.
It was only Lucy, desperate to know how I’d got on at Miranda’s party.
I told her exactly what had happened, needing to see what she made of it all. She kept giving little squeals.
‘That Miranda! What a C-O-W!’ she said, spelling it out. It was the nearest she got to swearing. ‘Fancy kissing Carl. And he seriously
let
her?’
‘Well, it was just a game. It wasn’t serious,’ I said anxiously.
‘Don’t be silly, Titchy, she’s trying to take him away from you. She makes me so sick. I wouldn’t have any more to do with her if I were you.’
I was pretty sure Miranda wouldn’t want
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