how often we’d come back anyway. Besides, there were other karting centres we could go to if we wanted.
“OK?” I raised my eyebrows at the others, and they all nodded. I turned to Josh.
“All right,” I agreed, hardly believing we were getting off so lightly. “We’ll stay away from the centre if you beat us.”
“Hang on…” Snooty Stevens gave us an evil grin. “I didn’t say I wanted you to keep away from the centre . Just to stay off the track .”
We all looked really confused.
“But why would we bother coming here if we can’t race?” Frankie asked, puzzled.
“Oh, you’ll be here all right,” Josh repliedairily. “As my cheerleading squad!”
We all stared at him in amazement.
“Your what ?” I roared.
“Yep, I fancy having a cheerleading squad to support me when I’m racing,” Josh explained smugly. “You’d have to sort out a uniform. You could have T-shirts with my name printed on the front or something.”
“You’re joking!” Lyndz’s mouth had dropped open.
“And you’d have to jump up and down and cheer me while I’m racing,” Josh went on, ignoring her. “And if you could dance like Britney Spears, that’d be good.”
“You’re not serious !” Frankie spluttered.
“Yeah, I am.” Smarmy Stevens grinned at us. “I go to loads of race meetings, and no-one’s got cheerleaders. I’d be the first!”
“That’s it!” I charged forward. “Let me at him!’
Everyone rushed in between us right at that moment, so Smarmy Stevens just about got away in one piece.
“That’s my offer,” he yelled from behind the rest of his team-mates. “Take it or leave it!”
“We’ll leave it, thanks very much,” Frankie began, but stopped when I grabbed her arm.
“Hang on a sec, Franks. Let’s think about this.”
“ What ?” the others all said together, staring at me.
“Well, why not?” I’d calmed down a bit, and I was thinking things out. “We’ve got a great chance of winning with Frankie back on our team.”
“But what if we lose?” Frankie pointed out in a tragic voice. “We’ll be Smarty-pants Stevens’ cheerleaders – we’ll look like a bunch of twits!”
“I’d quite like to be a cheerleader,” Fliss remarked. “But not for him ,” she added hastily, as we all glared at her.
“We’ll win,” I said confidently. “So, are we in?” I looked round at everyone. “Or are we out?”
After a moment or two, everyone nodded. I turned back to Josh.
“All right,” I snapped. “We accept your offer!”
“Cool.” Josh and his mates began sniggering.“See you on the race track.”
“Yeah, you will,” I said coldly. “Because we’ll all be in front of you!”
Just then Charlie came hurrying over to us.
“I thought you were going to watch the practice sessions,” she began. Then she spotted Josh and frowned. “What’re you up to now , Joshua Roland Stevens?”
“ Roland! ” I spluttered, and we all howled with laughter as Charlie winked at us. Even Alex and the others were smirking.
“Actually, I’m just about to go and talk to Mike,” Josh snapped, his face bright red. “I’m going to withdraw my complaint about Frankie.”
Charlie looked totally amazed as Josh went off, surrounded by his team-mates. “Oh, that’s brilliant!” she gasped.
“Yeah, but things aren’t quite that simple,” I said grimly, and explained what would happen if we lost. Charlie looked stunned.
“That little creep!” she said crossly. “That’s just like him.” Then her eyes narrowed, and she grinned. “Well, we’d better make sure hedoesn’t win then, hadn’t we? Come on.”
And she hurried off across the arena. Curiously we all followed her outside to where the karts were parked behind the building.
“Here we are!” Charlie pulled off the tarpaulin which was covering Silver Flash , and we all gasped. Charlie had finished the painting, and the kart looked fantastic. “It’s all yours, Frankie,” she went on.
“You
“OK?” I raised my eyebrows at the others, and they all nodded. I turned to Josh.
“All right,” I agreed, hardly believing we were getting off so lightly. “We’ll stay away from the centre if you beat us.”
“Hang on…” Snooty Stevens gave us an evil grin. “I didn’t say I wanted you to keep away from the centre . Just to stay off the track .”
We all looked really confused.
“But why would we bother coming here if we can’t race?” Frankie asked, puzzled.
“Oh, you’ll be here all right,” Josh repliedairily. “As my cheerleading squad!”
We all stared at him in amazement.
“Your what ?” I roared.
“Yep, I fancy having a cheerleading squad to support me when I’m racing,” Josh explained smugly. “You’d have to sort out a uniform. You could have T-shirts with my name printed on the front or something.”
“You’re joking!” Lyndz’s mouth had dropped open.
“And you’d have to jump up and down and cheer me while I’m racing,” Josh went on, ignoring her. “And if you could dance like Britney Spears, that’d be good.”
“You’re not serious !” Frankie spluttered.
“Yeah, I am.” Smarmy Stevens grinned at us. “I go to loads of race meetings, and no-one’s got cheerleaders. I’d be the first!”
“That’s it!” I charged forward. “Let me at him!’
Everyone rushed in between us right at that moment, so Smarmy Stevens just about got away in one piece.
“That’s my offer,” he yelled from behind the rest of his team-mates. “Take it or leave it!”
“We’ll leave it, thanks very much,” Frankie began, but stopped when I grabbed her arm.
“Hang on a sec, Franks. Let’s think about this.”
“ What ?” the others all said together, staring at me.
“Well, why not?” I’d calmed down a bit, and I was thinking things out. “We’ve got a great chance of winning with Frankie back on our team.”
“But what if we lose?” Frankie pointed out in a tragic voice. “We’ll be Smarty-pants Stevens’ cheerleaders – we’ll look like a bunch of twits!”
“I’d quite like to be a cheerleader,” Fliss remarked. “But not for him ,” she added hastily, as we all glared at her.
“We’ll win,” I said confidently. “So, are we in?” I looked round at everyone. “Or are we out?”
After a moment or two, everyone nodded. I turned back to Josh.
“All right,” I snapped. “We accept your offer!”
“Cool.” Josh and his mates began sniggering.“See you on the race track.”
“Yeah, you will,” I said coldly. “Because we’ll all be in front of you!”
Just then Charlie came hurrying over to us.
“I thought you were going to watch the practice sessions,” she began. Then she spotted Josh and frowned. “What’re you up to now , Joshua Roland Stevens?”
“ Roland! ” I spluttered, and we all howled with laughter as Charlie winked at us. Even Alex and the others were smirking.
“Actually, I’m just about to go and talk to Mike,” Josh snapped, his face bright red. “I’m going to withdraw my complaint about Frankie.”
Charlie looked totally amazed as Josh went off, surrounded by his team-mates. “Oh, that’s brilliant!” she gasped.
“Yeah, but things aren’t quite that simple,” I said grimly, and explained what would happen if we lost. Charlie looked stunned.
“That little creep!” she said crossly. “That’s just like him.” Then her eyes narrowed, and she grinned. “Well, we’d better make sure hedoesn’t win then, hadn’t we? Come on.”
And she hurried off across the arena. Curiously we all followed her outside to where the karts were parked behind the building.
“Here we are!” Charlie pulled off the tarpaulin which was covering Silver Flash , and we all gasped. Charlie had finished the painting, and the kart looked fantastic. “It’s all yours, Frankie,” she went on.
“You
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