Sleepover Girls Go Karting

by Narinder Dhami

  “Don’t worry, Flissy,” I said. “I’ll just give you a bit of a bump up the backside with my kart!”

  “Don’t you dare, Kenny!” Fliss squealed.

  “Yeah, Kenny, this isn’t the dodgem cars now,” Frankie chimed in.

  “You’ll probably get thrown off the track if you do something like that,” Rosie added.

  We stood there watching the karts zoom round the track. There were eight of them going round, and there was one which was always at the front. It looked very different from the other karts, which were red, blue, green and white. This kart was black with gold flashes on it, and the driver was wearing a black race suit and a black helmet with gold writing on the front, which read King of the Track.

  I nudged Frankie.

  “Seen that one?” I pointed it out. “Bit flash, isn’t it?”

  Frankie nodded. “I wonder who it is?”

  Just then one of the race marshalls jumped out and waved a chequered flag. The karts started pulling off the track into the pit stop, the black and gold one at the front.

  “Come on,” I said to the others. “Let’s go and have a nose!”

  We went over to the side of the track, and hung around watching what was going on. Mr King of the Track got out of his kart, and took his helmet off. He was about our age. He had dark hair, and the name Josh was embroidered on his black race suit in gold. I dunno why, but he looked really steaming mad!

  “Hey, you!” He was glaring at another boy, who was just getting out of his kart. “Don’t you know the rules? You’re not supposed to race during a practice session!”

  “I only tried to overtake you because you cut me up,” the other boy retorted. “You were swinging about all over the place.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do!” Josh snapped. “My dad owns this track, and I can get you banned from it any time I like!”

  The other boy didn’t say anything this time, he just stormed off. Meanwhile, our eyes were out on stalks.

  “What a bighead!” I whispered to Frankie. “I’m surprised he can find a helmet to fit him!”

  “Yeah, he really thinks he’s something else, doesn’t he?” she said, looking disgusted.

  Fliss was looking worried. “I hope we don’t have to race against him,” she muttered.

  “Look, he’s having a go at someone else now,” Rosie hissed.

  “You’re never going to be a good driver if you don’t take risks, Alex,” Josh was explaining in this snooty voice to one of the other drivers, a weedy-looking boy with red hair. “You’ve got to try and improve your cornering.”

  “I know,” Alex said. “But it won’t make much difference – your kart’s so much faster than anyone else’s.”

  A smug smile spread across Josh’s already-smug face. “I know,” he replied.

  “Urgh!” I rolled my eyes at the others. “Pass me the sickbag, someone – and make it a giant-sized one!”

  “Hi, girls.” Josh had just noticed us all staring, and was looking down his nose at us. “Like the kart? It’s mine, not the centre’s. Brilliant, isn’t it?”

  “We’re not looking at your kart – we’re looking at you and wondering why you’re such an annoying twit!” is what I wanted to say, but I didn’t because Frankie kicked my ankle as soon as I opened my mouth. What I actually said was “Ow!”

  “I’m Josh Stevens,” Josh went on. “My dad owns this karting centre. And these are my two mates, Alex and Robin.”

  Robin was another weedy-looking kid with blond hair and specs. It was obvious that Josh my dad owns this karting centre Stevens liked having mates he could boss around, because they were both standing there looking up at him as if he was the best thing since sliced bread.

  “So, girls.” Josh said the word girls in a way that made me want to punch him on the nose. “Have you been karting before?”

  I was dying to say that I was the World Under-Eleven Karting Champion, but I knew that would be a mistake. So I just said, “No.”

  “Oh, right.” Josh grinned at us in this really annoying way. “Just take it slowly, and you’ll be OK. It’s not a sport for girls, really, anyway.”

  I clenched my fists. “Why not?”

  “Kenny!” Frankie hissed in my ear, but I took no notice. Meanwhile Rosie, Lyndz and Fliss had shuffled in closer to me, as if they thought they were going to have to hold me back from thumping the little creep. They were right!

  “Well…” Josh shrugged his shoulders in this incredibly patronising way. “Everyone knows men are better at things like football and motor sport. Girls are better at things like netball and sewing!” He sniggered, and Alex and Robin sniggered too. “It’s the same with karting. It’s a man’s sport!”

  “Oh?” I said. “And is it a sport for slimy little creeps, too?”

  Josh’s mouth fell open, and his mates looked as if they were about to faint. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me!” I snapped.

  “And there are loads of girls here anyway,” Frankie added, glancing round the arena. “There’s no reason why girls can’t be as good at karting as boys.”

  Josh looked down his nose at us. “That just goes to show you don’t know anything about karting!” he sneered. “I’ve been karting since I was five years old, and I’m an expert!” Then he looked alarmed and took a step backwards, as I took one forwards.

  “We’ll see!” I said, eyeballing him grimly.

  “You’ve got no chance!” Josh retorted, and then stalked off, with his two sheep – sorry, mates – hurrying along behind him.

  I turned to the others.

  “Right, that’s it!” I said firmly. “We’ve got to show Mr Creep that girls are as good as boys. We’re all going to be champion karters!”

  OK, so the others moaned a bit, but they didn’t really mean it. They hated Josh as much as I did. We were all determined to show him that he was talking rubbish, and that girls could be brilliant karters too.

  Well, that was before we were taken off to be given driving instruction by Mike, the race director. There was so much to remember, it was almost impossible! First of all Mike took the five of us, plus some other kids, over to the beginners’ area. There, we were given a number each, as well as safety helmets, gloves and race suits.

  “Mine’s too big,” Fliss grumbled, as she rolled up her sleeves. “And it’s not pink either!” she added sadly.

  “Good,” I retorted, as I struggled into my own race suit. “We don’t want that idiot Josh thinking we’re all weak and feeble girlies.”

  “He was the pits, wasn’t he?” Frankie said. “Hey, guys, did you hear that? The pits – you know, the pit stop? That’s a karting joke for you!”

  “It’s nowhere near a joke,” I said. “It’s not even funny! Look, we’ve got to show this creep just how wrong he is. So make sure you all listen up to Mike so you know what you’re doing, OK?”

  Everyone agreed, and there were lots of woo hoo!s and high fives. But when we finally got started, it was a different matter. Like I said, there was just so much to remember.

  First of all, Mike showed us some of the karts. We all had the chance to sit in one and test out the pedals without actually moving.

  “Now, unlike a proper car, there are only two pedals to worry about and no gears,”

  Mike explained, pointing them out. “This is the brake, and that’s the accelerator.”

  “I hope I don’t mix them up!” Fliss whispered to me anxiously.

  So did I. I could just see Fliss trying to brake, and going smack into the kart in front, headfirst. Josh Stevens would laugh himself silly!

  Fliss looked even more worried when Mike explained that the karts could go up to thirty miles an hour. He told us that the steering wheel didn’t turn very far, but turning it just a little had a big effect on how the kart moved. He also said that it was important to keep accelerating and not to slow down, as it was difficult to build up speed again. That made Fliss look even greener – I don’t think she was look
ing forward to going fast at all!

  We were given so many tips, my head was spinning by the end of it. You couldn’t be too heavy on the brakes, especially if you were cornering, because then your kart might start twirling on the spot. I thought that sounded quite cool, but it wouldn’t be if I was racing against Josh at the time. Then there were lots of hints about how to steer the kart round corners, and how to get the best acceleration. Then Mike went on for ages about the rules of the track, like moving over to let a faster kart get past you if the race marshall waves his flag, and not deliberately bumping into other people (that got you a black flag, which meant you were disqualified!).

  By the end of it all, my head was ready to explode. The others were looking pretty dazed as well.

  “I don’t think I remember any of that,” Frankie said.

  “Do we really have to go at thirty miles an hour?” Fliss wailed.

  “We’ll never beat Josh and his mates,” Lyndz groaned.

  “We’re going to be rubbish,” Rosie said dismally.

  “No, we’re not!” I said firmly. “Come on you lot – we’re the Sleepover Club, remember? We’re not going to let that little toad get the better of us!”

  So we all started woo-hooing and doing high fives again, as Mike led us over to the starting grid. The last practice session had just finished, and the karts were ready for us to have our first drive. Unfortunately, Josh and his mates were right there in the front row of the spectator area, watching us with big grins on their faces.

  “Ignore them,” I said to the others. “Just concentrate on driving—Ow!”

  Great start. Fliss had just dropped her helmet, and it landed right on my toe.

  “Sorry, Kenny,” Fliss said, as we went over to our karts. “I’m a bit nervous.”

  “It’s OK,” I said through gritted teeth. Josh and his mates were rolling around having a right laugh. “Just keep calm, and you’ll be fine.” I was number 5, and I found my kart and climbed in. For one horrible second I couldn’t remember which pedal was the brake and which one was the accelerator, but then it all came back to me. Phew!

  “Good luck,” Frankie called over to me. She was sitting in number 8, which was right next to me.

  “Same to you,” I called back, keeping an eye on the race marshall who was going to start us off. “Let’s show that little creep Josh just how wrong he is!”

  We didn’t have time to say anything else, because the marshall was ready with his flag. I kept my eyes fixed on it until it dropped – and then we were away!

  I put my foot down on the accelerator, and scorched away like I had a rocket up my bottom. No-one got near me as I zoomed off!

  “I’m winning! I’m winning!” I grinned to myself. But next minute I got a black flag waved at me! Mike had said that if we were black-flagged, we had to leave the track, so sulkily I pulled off into the pit stop. As I did so, Frankie, Rosie and Lyndz roared past me. At least they were doing all right, although I couldn’t see Fliss anywhere.

  “Why did I get a black flag?” I asked crossly, pulling my helmet off as Mike ran over.

  “Kenny, this is a practice,” Mike said sternly. “You were warned beforehand to take it easy – no racing! You can go again in the practice session after this one.”

  “Oh.” I felt a bit of an idiot. I’d completely forgotten the rule about not racing.

  Then I spotted Fliss, in kart number 9. She was still sitting on the starting grid while everyone else was halfway round the track!

  “What’s the matter with Fliss?” I asked.

  “She must have her steering lock on,” Mike replied. “It’s very difficult to get the kart to move from a standing position if the wheels aren’t straight – ah, there she goes!”

  Fliss was finally moving. I risked a quick look at Josh, although I knew it would wind me up. Him and his mates were red in the face from laughing. When Josh saw me looking, he gave me a mocking wave. I was dying to go over there and give him a slap!

  Frankie, Rosie and Lyndz were doing OK, though, and so was Fliss now that she was on the move. Then, suddenly, everything went wrong for Rosie. She was heading towards one of the tight corners, and she was going pretty fast. Mike had warned us about braking hard when you turned corners, but Rosie had obviously forgotten. She hit the brakes and the kart went into a fast spin, twirling round and round several times, and then bumping into the bank at the side.

  “Oh no!” I groaned, covering my eyes. This was a Sleepover Club disaster!

  Lyndz was next to give Josh and his mates a good laugh. Somehow she got too close to the kart in front of her, and the front of Lyndz’s kart hooked on to the back of the other one and she couldn’t get it free. They drove round the track like that until the marshall made them come off and separate the karts.

  Anyway, it turned out that Frankie and Fliss were our best drivers, although Fliss was a bit slow because she was nervous. But Frankie was ace! She was twisting and turning her way round those corners like she’d been karting for years.

  “That was brill, Franks!” I said, when the practice session was over, and she and Fliss had pulled off the track along with the other drivers.

  Frankie grinned. “I didn’t do too badly, did I?”

  “No, and nor did Fliss.” I slapped Fliss on the back, as she took her helmet off. “Well done, Flissy!”

  Fliss pulled a face. “I wasn’t as good as Frankie. I didn’t go fast enough.”

  “You will!” I assured her. “We’ll all get better when we’ve practised a bit more.”

  “Enjoy your spin?” Josh was sauntering towards us with Alex and Robin. He grinned at Rosie, who turned red.

  “Take no notice,” Frankie said, grabbing my arm. “Kenny, I forbid you to attack him!”

  “Spoilsport,” I muttered, as Josh and his mates got closer.

  “That was a great laugh!” Josh sniggered. “You girls should give up karting and take up comedy!”

  “Shut up,” I snapped. “We’ll be loads better when we’ve practised a bit.”

  “Yeah, I bet you weren’t much good either when you first started,” Frankie added, glaring at Josh.

  “Yeah, Josh, remember how you smashed up the very first kart your dad bought you—” Robin began. Then he turned pink as Josh glared at him. I reckon Robin was a bit like Alana Banana! You remember her, that dozy mate of the M&Ms in our class?

  “I reckon you lot should give up and go home now,” Josh remarked rudely. “Don’t bother waiting for the races this afternoon.”

  “Races?” My ears pricked up at that. “What races?”

  “We have races every day after the practice sessions,” Josh explained in that smug voice of his. “There are six fifteen-lap heats, and the winner of each heat goes through to the final. The winner of the final gets a prize too.” He grinned an evil grin. “Like I said, don’t bother entering. You don’t stand a chance!”

  “Oh really?” I snapped. “Well, I can tell you this for nothing – one of us is going to win that final. You don’t stand a chance!”

  “You’ve got a big mouth, Kenny!” Frankie groaned, as Josh and his mates sauntered off, laughing.

  “Well, I couldn’t let him have a go at us like that, could I?” I retorted. “It’ll be cool. We’ll do much better in the proper races.”

  The others looked at me doubtfully. Fliss was obviously scared to death, and Rosie and Lyndz looked like they were ready to go home. Even Frankie, who’d done so well, seemed pretty down.

  “Oh, stop being such major wimps!” I said impatiently.

  “We’ll never beat that horrible Josh,” Fliss said gloomily.

  “We can try.” I glanced over at Mum, who was sitting in the spectator area. “Come on, let’s go and ask my mum if we can get a drink from the café. Looks like there’s a few more practice sessions before the races start.”

  My mum smiled at us sympathetically as we went over to her. “Hi, girls,” she said. “Well done, Frankie. Never mind, the rest of you. I�
��m sure you’ll do better next time.”

  Fliss’s face dropped even further, and Rosie and Lyndz both looked really depressed.

  “Maybe we should just go home and forget the racing,” Frankie suggested. “We can always try again tomorrow.”

  “No way!” I said firmly. “Josh’d laugh at us even more then! Is the Sleepover Club a bunch of wimps?”

  “No,” Frankie, Rosie and Lyndz muttered reluctantly. Fliss looked like she couldn’t make her mind up, though!

  We moved over to the café, and had some drinks and a big creamy cake each, which seemed to calm everybody down a bit. Then we went to find out which heat of the race we would be driving in. It turned out that me and Rosie would be in Heat 2 with one of Josh’s weedy mates, Alex, while Frankie was in Heat 4. Lyndz and Fliss were drawn in Heat 3, along with Josh Stevens. Fliss nearly wet her knickers when she found out.

  “Oh no!” she wailed. “I don’t want to race against him!”

  “You’ll be fine, Fliss,” I said, sounding a lot more confident than I felt. But I swear you could hear the noise of Fliss’s knees knocking together, even over the sound of the karts!

  The races were taken pretty seriously. There was even a race commentary on each heat which was broadcast over the tannoy, and made the whole thing even more exciting. We went over to watch Heat 1, which was won by the boy who’d had the row with Josh. Then it was mine and Rosie’s turn.

  “I’m scared!” Rosie muttered as we climbed into our karts.

  “Don’t panic,” I replied. “Only one of us has to win, and we’ve got a Sleepover Club member into the final!”

  “In your dreams!” said a rude voice. I looked round. Alex was standing by his kart, grinning at us.

  “What’re you laughing at?” I snapped, giving him the evil eye. Alex looked petrified, and jumped backwards as if I was about to attack him. What a weed!

  “Will the drivers in Heat Two please take their places on the starting grid,” said the commentator.

  We all climbed into our karts. I looked across at Frankie and the others and waved as I revved my kart up. I could hardly wait to get started. It was a shame that we couldn’t all go through to the final, but only the winner of each heat would make it.