Midnight by Jacqueline Wilson

looking utterly stricken, as if she was truly heart-broken. Her eyes even filled with tears.
    I stared at her. She blinked and then grinned.
    â€˜What?’ she said.
    â€˜You know what! You did that like a real actor.’
    â€˜I
am
a real actor,’ she said. ‘So are my mum and dad. Miranda Cape and Jonathan Day.’
    She said the names as if they were household words. I hadn’t heard of either of them but I didn’t like to admit this. I nodded, trying to appear impressed.
    â€˜You haven’t got a clue who they are, have you?’ said Jasmine.
    â€˜Well . . . Are they on television?’
    â€˜No! Well, Miranda was in
EastEnders ages
ago, and Jonathan’s been several different telly cops in his time, and a few criminals too. But they’re basically stage actors. They’ve both got big parts at the moment. Miranda’s touring in a Noël Coward and Jonathan’s about to open in
San Francisco
.’ She saw my face. ‘The musical, stupid, not the place.’
    I didn’t like her calling me stupid – even though she made me
feel
stupid. She talked very fast but softly, so that Mrs Mason couldn’t hear. I couldn’t hear properly either. It was difficult to concentrate anyway. I breathed in her strong scent and stared at her palely perfect face, her deep blue eyes, her long blonde hair. I wondered if I’d have her airy confidence if I looked like her. But maybe she could feel a little bit anxious sometimes too. I saw her nails were bitten right down to the quick. She sawme staring at her tiny chewed nails and quickly balled her hands into fists.
    I didn’t know what to do when the bell went formorning break. I wanted to stay with Jasmine but I didn’t want her to feel she was lumbered with me all the time. Maybe she was dying to make friends with some of the other girls. She didn’t belong with me. She could be friends with anyone – Alicia, Gemma, Aisling, Lucy, all the pretty cool clever girls with designer clothes and boyfriends.
    Marnie and Terry were hovering, their eyes bright with malice. I knew they were all set to have a mammoth bitch about Jasmine.
    â€˜Come on, Vi,’ Marnie called.
    â€˜Over here,’ said Terry, beckoning impatiently.
    â€˜Oh,’ said Jasmine. She looked at me. ‘Are they your friends?’
    â€˜Yes. Well, not really.’ I hesitated. ‘I haven’t got a
real
friend,’ I blurted out.
    She didn’t laugh at me or look at me pityingly. She gave me this big beautiful smile.
    â€˜Can’t
we
be friends?’ she said.
    I was so thrilled I started blushing like a fool. I had to hide my red face behind my desk lid.
    â€˜
Violet!
’ Marnie yelled.
    â€˜You two go on ahead,’ I shouted. ‘I’m going to show Jasmine round.’
    I walked her around the school, showing her everything I could think of, the cloakrooms, the art room, the PE changing rooms, the science block, and each and every classroom. She tried to concentrate at first but as we went along corridors and up and down each staircase she shook her head.
    â€˜It’s no use. It’s a complete maze. I’ll never remember it. I get all these schools mixed up.’
    â€˜So do you keep going to different schools?’ I thought about my first day at Ashstead High. I’d felt sick with nerves all day, even though it was Will’s school and he’d told me all about it. He did look out for me at lunch time that first day but I wouldn’t go with him to the canteen because I was too scared to eat.
    â€˜Don’t you mind?’ I asked Jasmine.
    She shrugged. ‘You get used to being the New Girl. And I don’t really get fussed about fitting in.’ She looked down at her clothes. ‘As is obvious!’
    â€˜Are you going to wear clothes like that tomorrow?’
    â€˜No, I’ve got an ordinary old outfit, a grey top and a green skirt. I wear that as a