Hey, can I grab you for this one? Iâve been looking for you everywhere. Itâs Rosie â remember me? Course you do! Woah, watch out for Kenny! When she gets on the dance floor, you have to keep out of the way â sheâs like some crazy firework, shooting off in all directions. And just look at Frankie go! Sheâs strutting her stuff like sheâs on the telly â she could be one of the Sugababes.
Hang on, maybe we should sit out for a minute, so I can fill you in on all the goss. The last day of term is always a bit crazy, but you wonât believe whatâs happened this time. Youâll be on the edge of your seat when I tell you, I guarantee it.
Talking of seats, letâs park ourselves on these chairs. We need a quiet corner or Flissâll hop over and butt in, cos itâs such a great story and she reckons she stars in it. I know sheâs dying to tell you everything, but I found you first!
You remember us all, donât you? The Sleepover Club. Thereâs me, of course, and Fliss â Felicity Sidebotham, if you want to be formal. Poor Fliss â her surname makes the M&Ms snigger, but donât worry, weâre always thinking of ways to get back at them for it. The M&Ms â thatâs Emma Hughes and Emily Berryman (yeuch!) â are our worst enemies at school.
Then thereâs Frankie. You can never miss her, sheâs so loud and funny, and dressed up in mad clothes half the time. Sheâll boss you around too, given the chance! And Kenny â Laura McKenzie to the teachers, but donât call her that or sheâll karate-chop you! Kennyâs wild. Sheâs football-crazy, for a start, and always coming up with outrageous schemes too. Youâve got to watch her, especially when the M&Ms are nearby. Thereâs nothing Kenny wouldnât do!
Last but not least thereâs Lyndz. Look â sheâs over there, dancing with Frankie. Laughing Lyndz she should be called, cos sheâs always cheerful and loves giggling. Except with Lyndz, two seconds of giggling turns into hiccups, and thatâs that!
As the Sleepover Club we have the coolest time staying at each otherâs houses every week. The Trouble Club, my brother Adam calls us â what a cheek! Except, when youâve heard whatâs just happened to us, I guess you might agree with himâ¦
It all started a few weeks ago, in the middle of a history lesson (yawn!), when Frankie started squealing. Now Frankieâs not one to make a fuss about nothing, so when I heard her making that noise â
âAieee!â
â and saw her leap out of her chair as if she had a party popper up her bottom, I thought something major had happened, like the M&Ms had put slimy slugs in her socks.
âFrancesca Thomas, whatever is the matter?â said our teacher, Mrs Weaver.
Frankie had her fingers in the back of her collar, and she was jumping up and down as if she was trying to shake something out of her clothes.
âWhat did you put down her neck?â Kenny yelled at the M&Ms, who had been sitting right behind Frankie.
âLaura, sit down!â barked Mrs Weaver.
âNothing, stoo-pid,â smirked Emma âthe Queenâ Hughes. âWe always knew she had ants in her smelly pants.â
I could see Kenny seething at that. The M&Ms are so snooty and babyish, itâs just gross. Then I saw it. Plip! A big splodge of water landing on Frankieâs chair. I looked up.
âMrs Weaver!â I said, pointing up to the ceiling. âSomethingâs dripping!â
It turned out that the classroom roof had sprung a leak right over Frankieâs chair, and it had dripped ice-cold water down the back of her neck. Mrs Weaver cheerfully sent Danny McCloud to get a bucket from the cleanersâ cupboard. It was weird. She usually got really narked about stuff like this.
Frankie had to move seats. âWhatâs got into Weaver?â she whispered to me as she went by.
âPârhaps sheâs won the lottery,â I hissed back.
âShe wouldnât be giving us a history lesson if she had,â muttered Lyndz, who was sitting next to me. âSheâd be in Barbados by now.â
Just the mention of Barbados made me go all dreamy â thinking of hot sun, and sandy beaches and palm trees, or whatever they have over there. We used to go on ace holidays abroad when Mum and Dad were still together. Since they split up and Mum started college, though, we canât afford it, worse luck. So here I was, stuck with my dreams on a wet wintry Wednesday in Cuddington.
But not everyone was feeling grumpy. When the bell was about to go for break Mrs Weaver said, with a big smile on her face, âI have some really exciting news.â
âI knew it!â I heard Kenny mutter. âSheâs got engaged to Prince William!â
Lyndz snorted into her pencil case. I thought she was going to get the giggles, but Mrs Weaver gave her a stern look.
Then Mrs Weaver unrolled a glossy poster and pinned it up on the classroom wall.