I said.
“Soon as Lori’s spoken to Harriet. Tomorrow, maybe? I said it would be best if it was in the afternoon, ’cos then we could go while old Bossyboots is out, so she wouldn’t be able to stop us.”
“How d’you know she’ll be out?”
“’cos she’s got this thing about one of the boys in Savemore.
Tyrone.
” Annie pulled a face. “He’s really gross!But she’s got the hots for him. So she has to keep going there every day to check her friend Jem hasn’t pinched him. See, they’re stacking shelves and she’s stuck here babysitting, which is why she’s in such a tetch. But it means we can go and meet Harriet and she won’t know anything about it! Well, not until we get back, and she won’t be able to say anything ’cos she’s not meant to leave us on our own. And I don’t think, probably, that we ought to say anything, either. Not even to your mum, ’cos I know what you’re like.”
I said, “What am I like?”
“You tell her everything,” said Annie.
“I don’t tell her
everything.
” I’d never told her about hiding in the stationery cupboard. I’d never told her about the birds’ nests.
“Well, you’d better not tell her about this,” said Annie. “Not unless you want her coming with us! She’s already going to listen in on Saturday. You don’t want her sitting there while you talk to Harriet, do you?”
I had to admit, I didn’t. I definitely didn’t! If I was going to meet Harriet I wanted it to
be private.
Just the two of us. Well, and Annie, of course. But I didn’t mind Annie. She’s my best friend and we don’t have any secrets. But it would be really offputting if Mum was there!
“Let’s listen to music,” said Annie; and she snatched up this one CD that is my least,
least
favourite of Dead Freaks as it is quite scary, well I think it is, but Annie just loves it. She doesn’t usually play it when I am around, but this time she said that I “owed her”, and I couldn’t deny it, so we were sitting there listening when the door crashed open and it was Rachel, shouting at us to “Turn that music down! They’ll complain next door, and I’ll be the one that gets into trouble!” She then added that she was going out and would be back in a couple of hours and we were to just behave ourselves
or else.
“Else what?” said Annie.
“Else you’ll be in deep ****!”
The reason I have put **** is so as not to write what she actually said, as what she actually said was quite rude and I don’t think really she ought to have said it; but as she was in this strop on account of having to baby-sit for me and Annie instead of stacking shelves with
Tyrone
, I forgave her. The minute she’d gone, Annie turned the music up again.
“Now we can have fun!” she said.
I was in a state of jitters again next morning, desperate to get round to Annie’s and discover if she’d managed to speak to Lori again, but I did my best to contain myself as I didn’t want Mum growing suspicious, thinking I was up to something. The minute she dropped me off, we raced upstairs to Annie’s bedroom. I could see that Annie was bursting with news.
I said, “Well? Did you speak to her?”
Annie’s face broke into a big beam. “Yes! It’s all arranged. We’re going to have tea with her!”
I said, “
Tea …
” I could hear my voice, all hushed and breathy, like it was going to be tea with the Queen.Only this was far more exciting! I wouldn’t have anything very much to say to the Queen. I’d got simply loads to say to Harriet!
“We’re going on Thursday,” said Annie. “I thought Friday would have been better, ’cos of being nearer to your birthday, but Lori said her mum couldn’t manage Friday. And I said we couldn’t manage Saturday ’cos of your birthday party, so she said what about Thursday, and I said Thursday would be OK, so—”
“Thursday is good!” I said. “Mum has to work late on Thursday!”
“Anyway, we’ll be back ages before then,”
“Soon as Lori’s spoken to Harriet. Tomorrow, maybe? I said it would be best if it was in the afternoon, ’cos then we could go while old Bossyboots is out, so she wouldn’t be able to stop us.”
“How d’you know she’ll be out?”
“’cos she’s got this thing about one of the boys in Savemore.
Tyrone.
” Annie pulled a face. “He’s really gross!But she’s got the hots for him. So she has to keep going there every day to check her friend Jem hasn’t pinched him. See, they’re stacking shelves and she’s stuck here babysitting, which is why she’s in such a tetch. But it means we can go and meet Harriet and she won’t know anything about it! Well, not until we get back, and she won’t be able to say anything ’cos she’s not meant to leave us on our own. And I don’t think, probably, that we ought to say anything, either. Not even to your mum, ’cos I know what you’re like.”
I said, “What am I like?”
“You tell her everything,” said Annie.
“I don’t tell her
everything.
” I’d never told her about hiding in the stationery cupboard. I’d never told her about the birds’ nests.
“Well, you’d better not tell her about this,” said Annie. “Not unless you want her coming with us! She’s already going to listen in on Saturday. You don’t want her sitting there while you talk to Harriet, do you?”
I had to admit, I didn’t. I definitely didn’t! If I was going to meet Harriet I wanted it to
be private.
Just the two of us. Well, and Annie, of course. But I didn’t mind Annie. She’s my best friend and we don’t have any secrets. But it would be really offputting if Mum was there!
“Let’s listen to music,” said Annie; and she snatched up this one CD that is my least,
least
favourite of Dead Freaks as it is quite scary, well I think it is, but Annie just loves it. She doesn’t usually play it when I am around, but this time she said that I “owed her”, and I couldn’t deny it, so we were sitting there listening when the door crashed open and it was Rachel, shouting at us to “Turn that music down! They’ll complain next door, and I’ll be the one that gets into trouble!” She then added that she was going out and would be back in a couple of hours and we were to just behave ourselves
or else.
“Else what?” said Annie.
“Else you’ll be in deep ****!”
The reason I have put **** is so as not to write what she actually said, as what she actually said was quite rude and I don’t think really she ought to have said it; but as she was in this strop on account of having to baby-sit for me and Annie instead of stacking shelves with
Tyrone
, I forgave her. The minute she’d gone, Annie turned the music up again.
“Now we can have fun!” she said.
I was in a state of jitters again next morning, desperate to get round to Annie’s and discover if she’d managed to speak to Lori again, but I did my best to contain myself as I didn’t want Mum growing suspicious, thinking I was up to something. The minute she dropped me off, we raced upstairs to Annie’s bedroom. I could see that Annie was bursting with news.
I said, “Well? Did you speak to her?”
Annie’s face broke into a big beam. “Yes! It’s all arranged. We’re going to have tea with her!”
I said, “
Tea …
” I could hear my voice, all hushed and breathy, like it was going to be tea with the Queen.Only this was far more exciting! I wouldn’t have anything very much to say to the Queen. I’d got simply loads to say to Harriet!
“We’re going on Thursday,” said Annie. “I thought Friday would have been better, ’cos of being nearer to your birthday, but Lori said her mum couldn’t manage Friday. And I said we couldn’t manage Saturday ’cos of your birthday party, so she said what about Thursday, and I said Thursday would be OK, so—”
“Thursday is good!” I said. “Mum has to work late on Thursday!”
“Anyway, we’ll be back ages before then,”
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