Katie's Secret Admirer by Holly Webb Page B

strategy to them all in the car on the way into town earlier, but Becky hadn’t really understood it. Well, she hadn’t exactly been concentrating – she tended to zone out when Katie went into football-speak. Now she decided to sacrifice herself. “Katie?”
    â€œMmm?” It was partly a growl.
    â€œYou know that football thing you were telling us about earlier? The thing Mrs Ross is doing?”
    â€œMmm?” Slightly less growly, but a bit suspicious-sounding.
    â€œWell, can you tell me about it again, ’cause I didn’t get it.”
    Katie brightened up, and automatically unslumped herself.
    â€œThat’th lovely, dear, jutht like that,” murmured the dressmaker, who’d been trying to get her to stand up straight for ages.
    Katie twitched irritably, but ignored the impulse to kick the stupid dress out of her way. Eagerly she beckoned her sister closer, and Becky gave a secret sigh of relief. Katie had taken the bait. Now, if she could just keep her amused for the rest of the fitting, Katie might forget how bored she was with the whole process. Becky screwed up her face in concentration and prepared to get her head round the complicated explanation that Katie was clearly about to launch into.
    â€œOK, so which bit didn’t you understand?” Katie asked enthusiastically.
    â€œAll of it,” said Becky firmly. She might as well do it properly – in for a penny, in for a pound, as Mum sometimes said.
    â€œWell, Mrs Ross reckons we need to learn to be more versatile. She reckons that if we understand how every player in the team works, then we’ll know what to expect from them, right?”
    â€œYe-es,” agreed Becky cautiously. This sounded like sense as far as she could see – Katie hadn’t gone into football gobbledegook yet.
    â€œOK, so obviously a striker plays really differently to a defender, yes? And a goalie is just like another kind of thing altogether, so it’s really difficult adjusting to the different style of play, but it’s going to be completely excellent because…” Becky drifted slightly here. She’d caught sight of herself in The Dress (it definitely had capital letters) in the mirror, and she was imagining what her boyfriend, David, would think if he could see her. She smiled happily to herself. There were bound to be loads of photos taken at the wedding. Maybe she could give one of them to David? She had a picture of him that had been taken by chance at the triplets’ birthday party last term, but she didn’t think he had a photo of her except for silly ones on his phone. She imagined him putting it in a frame and keeping it in his room, and it gave her a little glow inside. Then she jumped – Katie had stopped and was giving her an enquiring look. Becky shot a panicky glance from side to side, but there was no one to help her out, so she plumped for a fifty-fifty chance.
    â€œOh yes! Definitely!” she exclaimed, nodding furiously, and gazing hopefully at Katie.
    Katie looked a bit surprised. She’d just asked Becky if she wanted to meet up with her and Megan in the park the next day so she could demonstrate what she’d been talking about, and she really hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic reaction.
    â€œCool! I said to Megan that we’d meet up tomorrow afternoon – she’s going to show me some of her goalie moves and I’m giving her pointers on passing. You can try and put some shots past me too!”
    Becky realized too late what she’d got herself into and thought fast. “Is it OK if Fran comes too? I said I’d go for a long walk with her and Feathers tomorrow.” Actually this had only been a vague suggestion rather than a plan, but Becky reckoned having Fran and Feathers around for the football training session might make it a lot more fun.
    â€œCourse!” Katie sounded so happy that Becky felt a little bit guilty. But at