said.
‘Yes, but you’ll need a pre-birthday day present.’
‘What, another one? I’m saving up to take a tourist trip into space,’ Lily said.
‘Won’t that take forever?’
Lily shrugged. ‘I’m young. There’s plenty of time. But it would quicker if I didn’t have to buy extra birthday presents.’
I pursed my lips. ‘It doesn’t have to be much, just a token.’
There was some more muttering. Honestly, they want to watch it or I’ll dump them for some friends who are more giving. In both the spiritual and the birthday chocolates way.
FRIDAY 10TH FEBRUARY
Tonight’s the club night. Although I’m not sure that anything they can do with lighting or smoke machines is going to make the hall look like a club, so they
may as well call it a school disco.
For once, my jailers are allowing Megs, Ang and Lily to come round and get ready here. They did make up all sorts of ridiculous rules about not shrieking or bouncing on the bed so hard that
plaster falls from the ceiling in the sitting room. Honestly. I mean, what’s a gathering without a bit of bed bouncing?
My parents’ fascism aside, I’m really looking forward to tonight. It is a completely official date for me and Finn.
SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY
So much happened last night.
The girls came round early and we all got ready. As we were coming downstairs, Dad called, ‘Let’s see your party frocks then! I’ve got the camera out.’ He went a bit pale
when he saw what we were wearing. I think he thought that we’d be in satin and frills. He looked at Mum.
‘It’s perfectly normal,’ she said. ‘Or at least as normal as teenagers get.’
Which is a bit of a cheek coming from a fully grown woman who owns a china unicorn.
Dad managed to keep his grieving over the maturing of his only daughter down to a low muttering and he drove us to school without doing anything else embarrassing.
It turns out that whoever was in charge of decorations knew exactly what you need to convert a school hall with wooden floorboards and floral curtains into a cool and sophisticated club
environment: signs. There were signs about chewing gum, signs about not spilling drinks, signs about where the loos were. The overall effect was more like an optician’s than a club. Not that
I’ve ever been to a club, but I imagine black velvet sofas and fancy mirrors. We were stuck with gym benches and posters about basketball. But what’s important is that everyone was
there.
Everyone.
And they all got to see me on my date with Finn. There was even a bunch of St Mildred’s girls.
‘Who let them in?’ Megs asked when she caught sight of Cherry.
‘They let in anyone with a ticket,’ Angharad said. ‘The money’s for charity.’
Megs sniffed. ‘You’d think orphans would have higher standards.’
‘Actually, it’s for guide dogs,’ Angharad said.
‘That explains it,’ Lily said. ‘They can’t see.’
I was going to attempt to explain guide dogs to Lily, but I was interrupted by Icky who yelled, ‘Hey, Faith!’ from the table where she was sitting. ‘Just because it’s for
charity doesn’t mean that you have to dress in clothes that came from the Cancer Research shop.’
I gave her a hard stare. ‘I hope we raise enough money for a lot of guide dogs; we’re going to need them if you keep blinding people with the glare off your pound-shop
jewellery.’
Then my lovely friends formed a huddle round me and we completely ignored any further squeaking from Icky until Megs said, ‘Oh my God, look!’
We all turned round.
‘No, don’t look!’
We all pretended to admire the ceiling.
‘Just don’t be obvious,’ Megs hissed. ‘You’ll start her off again.’
‘What is it that we’re looking at, but not looking at, Megs?’ I was expecting to see Mrs Webber tongue-duelling with Mr Millet by this point.
‘Icky’s feet.’
Icky had stood up and made her way round the table so that we could now clearly see that she was wearing the most
‘Yes, but you’ll need a pre-birthday day present.’
‘What, another one? I’m saving up to take a tourist trip into space,’ Lily said.
‘Won’t that take forever?’
Lily shrugged. ‘I’m young. There’s plenty of time. But it would quicker if I didn’t have to buy extra birthday presents.’
I pursed my lips. ‘It doesn’t have to be much, just a token.’
There was some more muttering. Honestly, they want to watch it or I’ll dump them for some friends who are more giving. In both the spiritual and the birthday chocolates way.
FRIDAY 10TH FEBRUARY
Tonight’s the club night. Although I’m not sure that anything they can do with lighting or smoke machines is going to make the hall look like a club, so they
may as well call it a school disco.
For once, my jailers are allowing Megs, Ang and Lily to come round and get ready here. They did make up all sorts of ridiculous rules about not shrieking or bouncing on the bed so hard that
plaster falls from the ceiling in the sitting room. Honestly. I mean, what’s a gathering without a bit of bed bouncing?
My parents’ fascism aside, I’m really looking forward to tonight. It is a completely official date for me and Finn.
SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY
So much happened last night.
The girls came round early and we all got ready. As we were coming downstairs, Dad called, ‘Let’s see your party frocks then! I’ve got the camera out.’ He went a bit pale
when he saw what we were wearing. I think he thought that we’d be in satin and frills. He looked at Mum.
‘It’s perfectly normal,’ she said. ‘Or at least as normal as teenagers get.’
Which is a bit of a cheek coming from a fully grown woman who owns a china unicorn.
Dad managed to keep his grieving over the maturing of his only daughter down to a low muttering and he drove us to school without doing anything else embarrassing.
It turns out that whoever was in charge of decorations knew exactly what you need to convert a school hall with wooden floorboards and floral curtains into a cool and sophisticated club
environment: signs. There were signs about chewing gum, signs about not spilling drinks, signs about where the loos were. The overall effect was more like an optician’s than a club. Not that
I’ve ever been to a club, but I imagine black velvet sofas and fancy mirrors. We were stuck with gym benches and posters about basketball. But what’s important is that everyone was
there.
Everyone.
And they all got to see me on my date with Finn. There was even a bunch of St Mildred’s girls.
‘Who let them in?’ Megs asked when she caught sight of Cherry.
‘They let in anyone with a ticket,’ Angharad said. ‘The money’s for charity.’
Megs sniffed. ‘You’d think orphans would have higher standards.’
‘Actually, it’s for guide dogs,’ Angharad said.
‘That explains it,’ Lily said. ‘They can’t see.’
I was going to attempt to explain guide dogs to Lily, but I was interrupted by Icky who yelled, ‘Hey, Faith!’ from the table where she was sitting. ‘Just because it’s for
charity doesn’t mean that you have to dress in clothes that came from the Cancer Research shop.’
I gave her a hard stare. ‘I hope we raise enough money for a lot of guide dogs; we’re going to need them if you keep blinding people with the glare off your pound-shop
jewellery.’
Then my lovely friends formed a huddle round me and we completely ignored any further squeaking from Icky until Megs said, ‘Oh my God, look!’
We all turned round.
‘No, don’t look!’
We all pretended to admire the ceiling.
‘Just don’t be obvious,’ Megs hissed. ‘You’ll start her off again.’
‘What is it that we’re looking at, but not looking at, Megs?’ I was expecting to see Mrs Webber tongue-duelling with Mr Millet by this point.
‘Icky’s feet.’
Icky had stood up and made her way round the table so that we could now clearly see that she was wearing the most
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