Megan ignored what I’d said and stepped forward and gave me a huge hug. “No, you’re not.”
“Why didn’t you tell us all this?” asked Georgie. “We are your friends after all.”
“Because I thought you’d feel sorry for me because I couldn’t keep up. And think I was a loser.”
Georgie rolled her eyes. “As if.”
“Yeah, as if,” Megan and Hannah chorused.
The three of them stood there staring at me then they looked at each other then back at me. I looked back at them.
It was Georgie who spoke first. “Well, I don’t care if you’re poor,” she said.
“Me neither,” said Megan. “I don’t hang out with you because of where you live or what you wear.”
“Me neither,” said Hannah. “I just like you.”
“Really?” I gulped back the huge sob rising up in my throat. “Bu… bu… bu…” I tried to hold it back but then I remembered what Selene had said last night in the bus shelter in the rain. Share your feelings. Out came the sob and tears spilled down my cheeks. “Hon… hon… honest?”
The three of them nodded. “Honest.”
“And… but… can you forgive me?”
They nodded again. “For what?” asked Georgie.
“For not being honest with you.”
“Forgiven,” said Hannah.
“Group hug,” said Megan and the three of them surrounded me and hugged me.
When they released me, Georgie said, “Now that this is all out, I have something to ask you.”
My heart sank. Oh no, I thought, She’s going to ask me something embarrassing and I’m going to have to confess to even more awful things I’ve done and said!
I decided to try and be brave and face all the music. “Okay, what is it?” I asked.
Georgie glanced back at the house. “Er… well… can we… that is… can I come over here more often?”
“Here? Yes. But why? I mean of course but… I never thought you’d want to. I mean your house is fab and…”
“Empty,” said Georgie and for a moment, she looked sad. “I hate going back there after school. Neither Mum nor Dad gets home until past nine some days and yes, okay, the housekeeper’s there but it’s not the same. That’s why I always love coming here. There are people about and the house looks lived in. And your brothers are fun. At our house, it’s so clinical. You daren’t relax in case you spill a crumb. I reckon here a person can be themselves and even act mad if they feel like it. I looooove it here. I love that your aunts and cousins come over to help out. I love that you dress up in silly costumes to watch movies. My house is…” And then her eyes filled up with tears, “lonely.”
“Group hug,” I said and we all hugged again.
When we pulled back, Megan looked at Hannah. “Anything you need to get off your chest, dear?” she said with a big smile.
Hannah looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ve always been afraid that you guys might drop me because I’m not as pretty as you are.”
“No way,” I cried. “You are so pretty but more than that, you’re fun.”
Hannah blushed and I swear for a moment that she looked tearful too.
“Megan? You okay?” asked Georgie.
“Yeah. I guess. Except… okay, seeing as we’re all being honest here,” she said as she shifted about on her feet and looked awkward. “Sometimes I think I’m not as… well… interesting or funny as the rest of you…”
“Noooo waaaay,” Hannah, Georgie and I cried and then we chorused, “group hug.”
We had another group hug then Megan said, “Zombie shuffle.”
Immediately we lined up, made our eyes cross, our mouths slack, bent our knees and began to shuffle around the garden. In seconds, we all had the giggles and Georgie lost her footing and toppled over. Megan went over her, Hannah tripped over her and they pulled me down as well. We lay on the ground in a heap and laughed like drains.
Will leant out of the window and yelled, “Any room for boys in there?”
Georgie blushed this time and gave Will a coy look as she got up and smoothed her skirt down. Ah! I see exactly why she loves it round here, I thought, but I didn’t mind. From what the girls had said, it looked like I wasn’t the only one who was worried and I wasn’t the only one with hang-ups that they were afraid to tell anyone about. I made a vow to myself that in future, I’d be more aware of what my friends were going through and not just think about me and my problems. And I’d be more honest with them about everything.
Later that evening, Auntie Pat called everyone into our front room and Mum brought in the cake that she’d made for Dan. She’d made it in the shape of his favourite chair and iced it in bright, red icing.
“Your very own comfy chair,” said Mum.
“Cool,” he said.
After he’d blown the candles out then cut the cake, Aunt Phoebe passed pieces around to everyone.
“Hey, you know what your mum ought to do as a job?” asked Georgie as she munched on her bit.
“What?” I asked.
“Party organiser,” she said. “My mum pays a fortune for people to come and do hers and sometimes, I don’t think they’re that brilliant. Today has been the best ever. Great food, great entertainment. Your mum would be ace at it.”
“Yeah,” said Megan. “And you could design the invites and things.”
“Or makes cards,” said Hannah. “Birthday cards like the ones you make us.”
And suddenly I understood what old Cronus-boots had been on about. I could see it all in my mind’s eye. Taylor’s Terrific Times: birthdays, bar mitzvahs… you name it, we could cater for it…
“Hey Mum,” I said. “Georgie’s got a great idea for how you, that is we, could earn some dosh…”
Epilogue
Taylor’s Terrific Times was set up in June of that year after a trial run on my birthday in May. We took advantage of the date coming so soon after we’d made the decision to go into business and used the day as a dress-rehearsal. It was fantastic with home-made presents and cards and a fab lunch with a huge chocolate cake. I felt like a real diva for the day and loved every minute of it and because everything went so brilliantly, it made us all feel a lot more confident about offering our services to the public. By the end of August, Mum was booked up until Valentine’s Day the following year.
We all pitched in at the weekends.
Mum is managing director and chief cake maker.
I am creative director (or as my brothers call me, Miss Bossy Boots.) I do all the table designs, menus and invites.
Will and his mates do the entertainment (or as I say, dress up in mad clothes and act stupid.)
Uncle Kev is in charge of transport.
Auntie Pat and Phoebe help Mum with the catering.
Andrea researches themes and keeps the bookings and accounts.
Dan is prime cake taster and tea maker.
I never did get to go to Italy with the other Crazy Maisies but in the end, I didn’t mind. While they were there, they texted me every day and took so many pics on their digital cameras that I felt that I had been there with them.
Best of all though, I finally understood what Dr Cronus and Nessa had been on about. I learnt about acceptance by seeing and appreciating what I had. Not what I hadn’t.
And that has made all the difference.
I’m honest about everything now both with my family and my friends. I even told Mum about how I felt that Dad leaving was my fault. She was so shocked and reassured me that no way was it because of me. She said that they hadn’t been getting on for a long long time and that part of the reason that he didn’t leave earlier was because of Andrea, Will, Dan and I. She said he never was much good at communicating his feelings and that was part of their problem. When she said that, it made me think how important it is to tell the people that you love that you care about them and let them in on what’s going on in your head, both good and bad.
It’s funny because at the beginning
of the month, when my time as a Zodiac Girl started happening, I thought that something cosmic or way-out was going to happen that would change my life forever. But it’s been quieter than that. Nothing extraterrestrial or weird, just a shift in my attitude. Like I’m myself with my mates now. My real self.
And that has made all the difference.
I often see the planet guys in Osbury and we always stop for a chat and a catch up. Nessa and Uri are my favourites and they have been really helpful in helping me with a personal project – and that’s making a business out of my greeting cards. Nessa gave me all her top tips on how to make them look original and pretty (the way she did the messages she sent me). Uri showed me how I can use all the latest technology to incorporate Nessa’s ideas and get images from the web. I make all sorts of special occasion cards and last week, I had a stall at a craft market. Georgie, Hannah and Megan helped me man the stall and we sold every single card. Uri loves them too and ordered a whole pile to sell in the cyber café!
Next year when there’s a school trip, one thing’s for sure and that is that I will be going along with the rest of the Crazy Maisies. And I’ll have earned my place on the trip with my own money!
My month as Zodiac Girl is long over but I’ll never forget it. Or them. Meeting them made me realize that life can be extraordinary and not because someone is born wealthy or has more than someone else. What makes a life extraordinary is the people in it. Family and friends.
And I’ve got the best of both.
The Taurus Files
Characteristics, Facts and Fun
April 21 – May 21
Calm and considerate, Taureans make good and loyal friends. But there’s another side to this sign – Taureans like material possessions and beautiful things. They’ve often got their eye on some new designer clothes, expensive food or five-star treatment of one type or another.
Taureans are very practical, but can also be stubborn and lazy. Normally chilled out, they don’t like arguing, but if they are really pushed they can explode. So, if you see a storm brewing over a Taurean’s head you should run for cover!
Element: Earth
Colour: Green, pale blue, purple
Birthstone: Emerald
Animal: Bull
Lucky day: Friday
Planet: Ruled by Venus
A Taurean’s best friends are likely to be:
Virgo
Capricorn
A Taurean’s enemies are likely to be:
Aries
Gemini
Leo
A Taurean’s idea of heaven would be:
A glamorous lunch followed by a super shopping spree – all paid for by someone else.
A Taurean would go mad if:
They had a job where they had to hurry and rush the whole time.
Celebrity Taureans
April 20
✶
Carmen Electra
April 21
✶
Andie MacDowell
April 22
✶
Jack Nicholson
April 25
✶
Renée Zellweger
April 28
✶
Penélope Cruz
April 30
✶
Kirsten Dunst
May 2
✶
David Beckham
May 3
✶
James Brown
May 4
✶
Audrey Hepburn
May 6
✶
George Clooney
May 8
✶
Enrique Iglesias
May 9
✶
Billy Joel
May 10
✶
Bono
May 12
✶
Stephen Baldwin
May 13
✶
Stevie Wonder
May 14
✶
Cate Blanchett
May 16
✶
Pierce Brosnan
May 17
✶
Dennis Hopper
May 20
✶
Cher
Tori’s Top Tips for Customizing Your Clothes
1. Try vintage! Look for old buttons and accessories in second-hand shops – they don’t cost much and they will give any item a cool, retro look.
2. Time to dye! Fabric dyes can be used to revamp any pale-coloured clothes – you can even try tie-dyeing for that 60s vibe!
3. Belt up! A belt can bring colour and style to the dullest of outfits!
4. Accessorize! Sometimes some fab earrings or a great necklace are enough to show off your personality.
5. Clash! Who says you can’t wear red with pink, or spots with stripes? If you like it, go for it!
6. Bits and bobs! Search fabric shops for interesting accessories. Ribbons, feathers, studs and buttons can all be used to make an old outfit look brand new.
7. Go sew! If you or someone you know is good at sewing then you can even change the shape of your clothes – turn trousers into skirts, and T-shirts into dresses!
Are you a typical Taurus?
You want to buy some amazing shoes, but you don’t have the money. What do you do?
A) Sell something – whatever it takes!
B) Beg and plead with your parents until they lend you the money.
C) Save up your allowance until you have enough, and hope they’re still there. They might even be on sale!
You’ve just done an essay and got a bad mark. How do you react?
A) Vow to try harder next time.
B) Go and ask the teacher what you could do differently on your next essay.
C) You go and argue with the teacher until they give you a better mark!
You’re doing a school project with some of your friends. How do you divide the work?
A) As long as you don’t have too much to do, you don’t care!
B) Everyone does the same amount of work – fair’s fair.
C) You do all of it. If you want something done properly, do it yourself!
Your friends all want to go and see a horror film, but you’re desperate to go to the new Brad Pitt movie. How do you decide?
A) You go with them and hide behind your hands the whole way through. Maybe next time.
B) You’re outvoted so you go with them, but only if they promise to gaze lovingly at Brad with you next week.
C) You’re stubborn and you won’t change your mind. They’ll back down eventually!
A friend is really upset about something and needs cheering up, but you have homework to do. How do you help?
A) You talk to her on the phone, but try to do your homework at the same time. She’s such a drama queen!
B) You go to school the next day with some chocolate for her – it never fails.
C) You rush straight over there with ice cream – homework can wait!
It’s your birthday, and as a special treat your parents want to take you out to dinner. What restaurant do you choose?
A) Takeaway – it’s cheap and you can eat it in front of the TV.
B) As long as it has a nice atmosphere and great food you don’t care. It’s the company that counts!
C) Something posh – you’re a secret gourmet!
How did you score?
Mostly As – timid Taurus
You’re more like a lamb than a bull! It might be time to let your stubborn side shine through . . .
Mostly Bs – terrific Taurus
You know when to back down, but you have all the kindness and generosity of a typical Taurus.
Mostly Cs – totally Taurus
You’re a Taurus through and through – as stubborn as they come, but that’s why people love you!
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Discount Diva (Zodiac Girls) Page 11
