“Performers get free tickets.”
“No.” Maya rolled her eyes sideways at Emily and Poppy and Izzy, in a “help me!” look.
“Since when?” Emily asked. “We don’t for school plays. And this is for charity. You need to buy tickets.”
Ali heaved a massive sigh. “I don’t know why I’m bothering,” she muttered. But it was obvious she wasn’t going to walk out. She’d enjoyed prancing down the catwalk too much.
“We really need to sell some more tickets,” Emily muttered, as they walked back to the classroom to bolt down their lunch before the end of the break.
“I know. I’m doing my best,” Maya said apologetically.
“It’s just going to look so stupid with hardly anyone there!” Emily scowled.
“Emily! I can’t exactly drag people off the street, you know!”
“Hey, calm down.” Poppy put a hand on Maya’s arm.
“
She
can calm down! I’m doing my best.” Maya felt like crying. They were all working so hard – she had been up till eleven last night, working on the presentation, after she’d told Anna she was going to bed. Why did Emily have to have a go at her?
“Well, maybe that’s just not good enough!” Emily snapped. “I’ve had two extra rehearsals for the dance group this week. I was finishing my homework on the bus this morning.”
“I know you were, I told you all the answers!” Maya cried furiously.
Emily humphed, but it was true. “If it was in the paper, we’d have sold lots of tickets,” she muttered accusingly.
“I emailed them twice, and I phoned,” Maya hissed. “What am I supposed to do?”
“She’s doing her best,” Izzy began, but Maya was feeling so upset now that Izzy didn’t really sound as though she meant it.
“Fine,” she spat. “You do it! This was my idea in the first place, don’t you think I want it to work?” She stormed off back to the classroom, but she didn’t bother getting her lunch, just stashed her iPodin her locker, and shot out to the corridor, barging past Emily and the others coming in. Then she hid in the girls’ loos until the end of lunch, trying to cry without making herself look like she had. It hadn’t worked very well, she realised gloomily, as the bell went and she checked herself in the mirror on the way back to class.
Emily, Poppy and Izzy were huddled up muttering to each other as she walked in. Poppy smiled at her worriedly, and tried to say something, but Maya didn’t feel like smiling back. She stalked in, and sat down as far round the table from them as she could. And she didn’t talk to them all afternoon, ignoring the whispers and mutterings she could hear from the other side of the table.
Maya wasn’t sure what she was actually going to do, and an afternoon of science didn’t really help her decide. Was she walking out on the fashion show? She didn’t want to. It had been her idea in the first place! But if the others thought she wasn’t doing her bit, she certainly wasn’t going to beg them to let her back into the gang.
I won’t
… she thought to herself angrily, as she marched out to get on the bus.
Why should I?
But she could feel the anger slipping away already.She wished she hadn’t lost her temper with Emily so easily. It was because she was tired, and worried too, and Emily had just made her feel worse.
Emily didn’t sit with her on the bus – of course she didn’t. Maya watched her walk up the aisle and hesitate for just a second, but then she flounced past and sat on her own. Maya spent the whole journey home with her nose pressed against the window so that no one could see she was crying again.
She opened the front door, and slung her bag on to the floor wearily. Then she realised that the hallway was full of luggage. Of course! Mum and Dad were home!
She’d only just made the connection when her mum hurtled out of the kitchen and hugged her. It was so nice that Maya started crying all over again.
“Maya! What’s the matter, sweetie?” Her mum held her at
“No.” Maya rolled her eyes sideways at Emily and Poppy and Izzy, in a “help me!” look.
“Since when?” Emily asked. “We don’t for school plays. And this is for charity. You need to buy tickets.”
Ali heaved a massive sigh. “I don’t know why I’m bothering,” she muttered. But it was obvious she wasn’t going to walk out. She’d enjoyed prancing down the catwalk too much.
“We really need to sell some more tickets,” Emily muttered, as they walked back to the classroom to bolt down their lunch before the end of the break.
“I know. I’m doing my best,” Maya said apologetically.
“It’s just going to look so stupid with hardly anyone there!” Emily scowled.
“Emily! I can’t exactly drag people off the street, you know!”
“Hey, calm down.” Poppy put a hand on Maya’s arm.
“
She
can calm down! I’m doing my best.” Maya felt like crying. They were all working so hard – she had been up till eleven last night, working on the presentation, after she’d told Anna she was going to bed. Why did Emily have to have a go at her?
“Well, maybe that’s just not good enough!” Emily snapped. “I’ve had two extra rehearsals for the dance group this week. I was finishing my homework on the bus this morning.”
“I know you were, I told you all the answers!” Maya cried furiously.
Emily humphed, but it was true. “If it was in the paper, we’d have sold lots of tickets,” she muttered accusingly.
“I emailed them twice, and I phoned,” Maya hissed. “What am I supposed to do?”
“She’s doing her best,” Izzy began, but Maya was feeling so upset now that Izzy didn’t really sound as though she meant it.
“Fine,” she spat. “You do it! This was my idea in the first place, don’t you think I want it to work?” She stormed off back to the classroom, but she didn’t bother getting her lunch, just stashed her iPodin her locker, and shot out to the corridor, barging past Emily and the others coming in. Then she hid in the girls’ loos until the end of lunch, trying to cry without making herself look like she had. It hadn’t worked very well, she realised gloomily, as the bell went and she checked herself in the mirror on the way back to class.
Emily, Poppy and Izzy were huddled up muttering to each other as she walked in. Poppy smiled at her worriedly, and tried to say something, but Maya didn’t feel like smiling back. She stalked in, and sat down as far round the table from them as she could. And she didn’t talk to them all afternoon, ignoring the whispers and mutterings she could hear from the other side of the table.
Maya wasn’t sure what she was actually going to do, and an afternoon of science didn’t really help her decide. Was she walking out on the fashion show? She didn’t want to. It had been her idea in the first place! But if the others thought she wasn’t doing her bit, she certainly wasn’t going to beg them to let her back into the gang.
I won’t
… she thought to herself angrily, as she marched out to get on the bus.
Why should I?
But she could feel the anger slipping away already.She wished she hadn’t lost her temper with Emily so easily. It was because she was tired, and worried too, and Emily had just made her feel worse.
Emily didn’t sit with her on the bus – of course she didn’t. Maya watched her walk up the aisle and hesitate for just a second, but then she flounced past and sat on her own. Maya spent the whole journey home with her nose pressed against the window so that no one could see she was crying again.
She opened the front door, and slung her bag on to the floor wearily. Then she realised that the hallway was full of luggage. Of course! Mum and Dad were home!
She’d only just made the connection when her mum hurtled out of the kitchen and hugged her. It was so nice that Maya started crying all over again.
“Maya! What’s the matter, sweetie?” Her mum held her at
Similar Books
