about how we were going back to my house for a dress fitting, and how our dresses were totally lush and how Mum and Andy’s wedding was going to be at this mega-posh country house.
Then all of a sudden, the M&Ms darted across to the other side of the street, giggling like idiots. And at the same moment Frankieflashed me a worried look. The kind that says “uh-oh.”
And there it was, blocking our path. An absolutely MASSIVE ladder.
I don’t think the bloke was much of a decorator, because there were paint drips everywhere. I could hear the ladder creaking and swaying like a ship in a storm, as the painter sloshed white gloss on the gutterings and anything else within splattering distance.
The others have probably told you that I’m really superstitious. Everyone knows this. So you won’t be surprised to hear that walking under ladders is not normally my idea of a fun time. And so this was definitely a durn durn DURN moment.
I stopped dead a few metres from the ladder and swallowed hard. I could hear the Gruesome Twosome whispering on the other side of the street, and I just KNEW they were cooking something up.
Suddenly Emily squawked:
“I dare you to walk under that ladder, Felicity Sidebotham!”
“Yeah, right,” jeered Emma. “And pigs might fly!”
And from the way the M&Ms smirked, you could tell they thought they’d totally trapped me.
I can’t explain what got into me then. It’s not like I’ve ever been the daredevil type. It’s true that I was on a serious wedding high, but it was more than that. Maybe I was just fed up with people calling me a wimp all the time.
I gave the M&Ms my iciest stare. “OK,” I snapped. “Then you’d better start looking up and checking for flying pig poo!”
The others gasped and Frankie actually made a grab for me, but they were all much too late.
I sailed under that ladder, as smooth as butterscotch. I didn’t even cross my fingers inside my pockets. In fact I moved so fast, the others had to put on a real spurt to catch up.
No-one spoke after that. We just kind of marched along in deadly silence. The others looked a bit stunned. The M&Ms had totallyvanished. I suppose they’d slithered off to their coffins, or whatever the undead normally do after school.
Finally Frankie said, “Personally, Fliss, I wouldn’t have done that. Not this week.”
“Me neither,” said Rosie in an awed voice.
Kenny shook her head. “What got into you, Fliss?”
Lyndz had turned deadly pale. “If that was me, I’d have been wetting myself in case I jinxed the entire wedding.”
“Yeah,” agreed Frankie. “Walking under ladders pretty much guarantees seven days’ bad luck. Everyone knows that.”
“Rubbish,” I said uneasily.
Lyndz practically wrung her hands. “But it’s true,” she said.
Rosie had been counting on her fingers. “Seven days,” she squeaked. “But that takes you right up to the eve of the actual wedding! I mean, Fliss, anything could happen. Your house could be struck by a meteorite or something!”
Rosie’s words went through me like a knife. And suddenly I totally went to pieces.
“Why didn’t you guys stop me?” I wailed. “I don’t want Mum and Andy to have bad luck. I want everything to go BRILLIANTLY for them!” I covered my face. “I can’t believe it. I just hexed my mother’s future happiness!!”
Usually when I start one of my major doom monologues, the others say sensible things like, “Don’t be stoo-pid, Fliss. Have a Cheesy Wotsit and look on the bright side.”
But this time, I couldn’t help noticing that no-one exactly rushed to contradict me. In fact, no-one said a WORD.
I looked up in a panic, and saw four worried faces staring back at me. This was terrible. All my friends thought I’d ruined Mum’s wedding too!!
That DID it. I had the howling heebie jeebies right there in the middle of the street. “I’m such a bad person! I ruin everything . I should never have been born!”
The others
Then all of a sudden, the M&Ms darted across to the other side of the street, giggling like idiots. And at the same moment Frankieflashed me a worried look. The kind that says “uh-oh.”
And there it was, blocking our path. An absolutely MASSIVE ladder.
I don’t think the bloke was much of a decorator, because there were paint drips everywhere. I could hear the ladder creaking and swaying like a ship in a storm, as the painter sloshed white gloss on the gutterings and anything else within splattering distance.
The others have probably told you that I’m really superstitious. Everyone knows this. So you won’t be surprised to hear that walking under ladders is not normally my idea of a fun time. And so this was definitely a durn durn DURN moment.
I stopped dead a few metres from the ladder and swallowed hard. I could hear the Gruesome Twosome whispering on the other side of the street, and I just KNEW they were cooking something up.
Suddenly Emily squawked:
“I dare you to walk under that ladder, Felicity Sidebotham!”
“Yeah, right,” jeered Emma. “And pigs might fly!”
And from the way the M&Ms smirked, you could tell they thought they’d totally trapped me.
I can’t explain what got into me then. It’s not like I’ve ever been the daredevil type. It’s true that I was on a serious wedding high, but it was more than that. Maybe I was just fed up with people calling me a wimp all the time.
I gave the M&Ms my iciest stare. “OK,” I snapped. “Then you’d better start looking up and checking for flying pig poo!”
The others gasped and Frankie actually made a grab for me, but they were all much too late.
I sailed under that ladder, as smooth as butterscotch. I didn’t even cross my fingers inside my pockets. In fact I moved so fast, the others had to put on a real spurt to catch up.
No-one spoke after that. We just kind of marched along in deadly silence. The others looked a bit stunned. The M&Ms had totallyvanished. I suppose they’d slithered off to their coffins, or whatever the undead normally do after school.
Finally Frankie said, “Personally, Fliss, I wouldn’t have done that. Not this week.”
“Me neither,” said Rosie in an awed voice.
Kenny shook her head. “What got into you, Fliss?”
Lyndz had turned deadly pale. “If that was me, I’d have been wetting myself in case I jinxed the entire wedding.”
“Yeah,” agreed Frankie. “Walking under ladders pretty much guarantees seven days’ bad luck. Everyone knows that.”
“Rubbish,” I said uneasily.
Lyndz practically wrung her hands. “But it’s true,” she said.
Rosie had been counting on her fingers. “Seven days,” she squeaked. “But that takes you right up to the eve of the actual wedding! I mean, Fliss, anything could happen. Your house could be struck by a meteorite or something!”
Rosie’s words went through me like a knife. And suddenly I totally went to pieces.
“Why didn’t you guys stop me?” I wailed. “I don’t want Mum and Andy to have bad luck. I want everything to go BRILLIANTLY for them!” I covered my face. “I can’t believe it. I just hexed my mother’s future happiness!!”
Usually when I start one of my major doom monologues, the others say sensible things like, “Don’t be stoo-pid, Fliss. Have a Cheesy Wotsit and look on the bright side.”
But this time, I couldn’t help noticing that no-one exactly rushed to contradict me. In fact, no-one said a WORD.
I looked up in a panic, and saw four worried faces staring back at me. This was terrible. All my friends thought I’d ruined Mum’s wedding too!!
That DID it. I had the howling heebie jeebies right there in the middle of the street. “I’m such a bad person! I ruin everything . I should never have been born!”
The others
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