Party at Silver Spires by Ann Bryant

persuaded me to try on a beautiful dress in shiny dark green material with a strappy top. I’d never worn such a thing in my life and I was excited just at the thought of trying it on. But then I saw the price. I knew it wasn’t massively expensive for most people, but for me it was far more than I could afford, and I felt my heart beating faster simply because I hadn’t immediately put it back on the rail.
    â€œJust take it to the changing room and try it on,” said Sasha. “It doesn’t mean you have to buy it.”
    â€œAnd show us what you look like, yeah?” said Izzy.
    Antonia was eyeing the dress with a completely straight face. She can’t have thought much of it or surely she would have made some sort of comment. I took it into one of the cubicles and pulled it over my head, then smoothed it down and stared at myself in the mirror. I absolutely loved it and it fitted me perfectly. I turned round and admired the back in the mirror and felt bubbles of excitement whooshing up inside me. What if I did buy it? It would be all right, wouldn’t it? As long as I didn’t spend another penny for ages and ages, then it would be fine, surely. The only trouble was that I’d need new shoes, unless my old ones would do. Oh dear. But I quickly got rid of that worry and concentrated on the dress.
    I suddenly realized the others would be waiting at the entrance to the changing room, so I plucked up the courage to go back through to the shop so they could see me in the dress. I’ve only ever done that once. It was before Mum and Dad split up. Mum had come into the changing room with me, but Dad was waiting to see what I looked like too, so I’d stood at the entrance to the changing room, feeling lots of pairs of eyes on me, which was really embarrassing, especially as Dad kept nodding and saying I looked smashing.
    Creeping out of the cubicle now made me feel a bit shivery, mainly because I could only see Antonia waiting for me. I looked round for Izzy and Sasha, but they were nowhere to be seen. I wasn’t sure what to do then, so I just stood there while Antonia regarded me. She frowned as she looked me up and down, but she didn’t speak and I found it unbearable because I sensed other people were staring at me too. I couldn’t stand there another second, so I scuttled back into the changing room. Perhaps I didn’t look very nice after all. Antonia obviously didn’t think so, otherwise she would have said something. I changed back into my jeans and top and handed the dress to a shop assistant who’d suddenly appeared. Then Sasha and Izzy fell on me.
    â€œWe didn’t see you!”
    â€œWhy didn’t you wait for us?”
    â€œDidn’t you like it enough?”
    I shrugged. “I’m…not really sure.”
    And Antonia walked alongside, silently as usual, until we’d left the shop. Then she asked, “Where shall we go now?”
    Straight across the road was a charity shop. I looked at it longingly. Mum and I often went into charity shops at home and occasionally we found something that happened to be exactly right for me or Clare or Clemmie. There was no way I was going to suggest going into this one, though, except that at that very moment we saw a girl called Sophie from Elmhurst walking out of the shop with a sparkly brooch that she was pinning on her jacket.
    â€œLook what Sophie’s got!” I quickly said. “She must have bought it in that shop there. Shall we go in?”
    The others all said that would be good, so in we went. Antonia stayed just inside the door looking at the second-hand books, while we three wandered around. I was so hoping there’d be something which just happened to be in my size and was totally suitable for the party, but there was nothing at all and I felt really despondent when we left the shop.
    â€œLet’s go back to that other shop, Nicole,” said Izzy. “I really