“Though I don’t know why I’m bothering, cos it’s bound to be really naff,” she’d said in the car.
“Take no notice, Rosie,” Mum had said, winking at me.
“No fear!” I’d grinned. Even grouchy Tiff couldn’t spoil this party, I knew that right from the start!
Nikki and Andy were there as well, and Nikki was looking amazing in a tight sequinny dress. Everyone got a good look at it, too, because when the first raffle was drawn her ticket was the winner and she went up on stage to collect the prize.
“Oooh, champagne! My favourite!” she cooed, as Sean handed her a great big bottle of the stuff and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Nikki went bright pink – just like Fliss does when we tease her about Ryan Scott – and everyone clapped and cheered.
After Nikki had come down from the stage I spotted Kenny stalking towards her, looking grim and determined. She talked to Nikki for quite a while, and Nikki put her arm round her and smiled a lot as she answered.
“What was all that about?” I said, catching hold of Kenny’s elbow as she pushed her way back through the crush towards the crisps-and-sarnies table.
“I wanted to give Fliss’s mum a kind of formal apology,” said Kenny, looking mightily relieved. “For ruining their skiing holiday and stuff. She was really nice about it. You know what she said?”
“What?”
Kenny was grinning wickedly. “She said getting a bottle of champagne and a kiss from Sean made it all worthwhile – especially the kiss from Sean!”
Not long after that it was time for the dance routines. Lorna introduced Ryan’s group first, explaining about the competition and how we’d all been so good they’d had to pick two groups as winners.
The RnB routine went down really well, though most people stood and watched rather than joining in the dancing.
“Us next, us next, us next,” Lyndz kept muttering nervously as the five of us waited at the side of the stage for the routine to finish. She was squeezing my hand so tightly I thought I wasn’t going to have a drop of blood left in it!
A second later Lorna was back on stage, calling on everyone to “… give a big, warm, Cuddington Primary welcome to the Sleepoverbabes!” Lyndz seemed rooted to the spot with nerves, so I gave her a gentle shove in the back and followed her on to the stage.
If I didn’t seem nervous myself it was a total act. I could happily have turned round and legged it right out of the hall. But it wasn’t long before I found myself grinning so much my face hurt. There was I, Rosie Maria Cartwright, with my four best friends in the world, dancing on stage in front of a big cheering crowd. It felt totally awesome – like we were real pop stars. What could be better?
And the more I felt myself relax and enjoy it, the easier the steps became. It was like my arms and legs knew what to do all by themselves. I didn’t make a single mistake. Spooky!
“Yo!” shrieked Kenny next to me, wiggling her shoulders, then whipping round in a slick turn.
We were having such a fab time up there it must have been infectious, because by the time we were half way through the routine everyone was bopping along. In amongst the crowd I could see Mum and Tiffany (who didn’t seem to think the party was so naff after all) taking it in turns to spin Adam round in his wheelchair. It made him shriek as loud as Kenny.
At the end everyone started chanting “Encore! Encore!” louder and louder.
“Does that mean they want us to do it again?” I asked Kenny.
“Sure does!” Kenny laughed.
“Before they start…” yelled Lorna above the cheering, flapping her hands to get everyone to quieten down. “Before they start – how about Felicity teaches us her hand-jive moves? Then we can all join in!”
A big roar of “Yeeeeaaaah!!” went up from the crowd. Fliss looked chuffed, and nervous, and embarrassed – all at once.
She’d come up with a name for each move, so she shouted them out as she demonstrated.
“Mashed potato!” she yelled, hitting her fists one on top of the other.
“Mashed potato!” echoed a hallful of people, copying her.
“See ya later!” called Fliss, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.
Then – “Twizzle sticks!” – she rolled her hands round each other.
And – “Pancake flips!” – she shimmied her hands, flat, over and under each other.
It was a scream. Second time around, as Fliss’s bit of the music came up she screamed, “Hand-jive! C’mon everybody!” and suddenly we were faced with the amazing sight of everyone in the hall doing our routine.
When our track came to an end Fliss’s mum, who was down at the front right by the stage, put two fingers in her mouth and gave an enormous whooping whistle. I was gobsmacked – Fliss’s mum usually tries to be so ladylike!
“Looks like she’s having a good time, huh?” said Kenny, coming up behind me and sticking her chin on my shoulder.
“And then some!” I said.
We were so hot from the dancing that when we jumped down from the stage we made straight for the drinks table. And that was when I spotted you, and I just knew I had to race over straight away and tell you about all the mad things that’ve been happening!
Phew, we’ve been sitting here gassing for ages! D’you want to come and have a dance? We’ve been missing loads of great music. I dare you to dance near Kenny. Look at her – she’s a hazard, that girl!
What’s that? Fliss – where? Oh blimey, you’re right. Lorna’s signing her plaster cast. And look, there’s Fliss’s mum, talking to Sean again. Her face is a picture – totally starstruck!
Hey, you know what? I’ve just had a wicked idea. We should get Ryan Scott to sign Fliss’s cast – don’t you think? She’ll blush as red as her plaster! Oh listen, that’s Frankie, yelling for me. I bet you anything she’s just had the same idea. I’d better go – but I’ll catch you later!
Have you been invited to all these sleepovers?
The Sleepover Club Best Friends
The Sleepover Club TV Stars
The Sleepover Club Dance-off!
The Sleepover Club Hit the Beach!
Coming soon…
The Sleepover Club Pet Detectives
The Sleepover Club Hey Baby!
The Sleepover Kit List
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Pyjamas or a nightdress
Slippers
Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap etc
Towel
Teddy
CD or DVD of dance music
Food for a midnight feast: chocolate, crisps, sweets, biscuits. Anything you like to eat!
Torch
Hairbrush
Hair bobble or hairband, if you need them
Dance outfit and accessories
A change of clothes
Sleepover diary and membership card
Top Sleepover Tips
Kenny’s Top Ten Dance-off Dvds
Here are my must-see movies for any dance-off sleepover!
1. High School Musical 1 and 2
2. Hairspray
3. Grease 1 and 2
4. Strictly Ballroom
5. Singing in the Rain
6. Step Up
7. Fantasia
8. Mary Poppins
9. Honey
10. Any Hannah Montana DVD!
Kenny xx
Steal that Style with Fliss’s Dance-off Makeover
Look fantastic at your dance-off sleepover with my Grease-inspired 50s look!
Wear a floaty, brightly coloured skirt (with lots of netting underneath to give it volume, if you have any).
Top this with a slim-fitting shirt, tucked in.
Add a wide belt or tie a ribbon around your waist.
Tie a silk scarf around your neck and knot it at the side.
Put long hair in a high ponytail or wear a bright headband if you have short hair.
Finish off your 50s look with some flat shoes and get dancing!
Fliss x
> Rosie’s Dance-off Raspberry Milkshake
For cooling off after all that dancing! You will need:
110g (4oz) raspberries
300 ml chilled semi-skimmed milk
250 ml plain yoghurt
Place all the ingredients into a blender and liquidise until smooth.
If you don’t have raspberries, try strawberries or bananas – and enjoy!
Rosie x
Bop to the top with your own dance-off competition!
Choose your favourite music or a film to dance to.
Design your own outfits – bring some dancing clothes and create your own pop or film-star look.
Try a style of dancing you’ve not done before – ballet dancing, tap dancing, line dancing, ballroom dancing.
Make up your own dance routines and get grooving!
That’s all for now, guys. See you next time – for our brilliant beach party…
Rosie x
Copyright
The Sleepover Club ® is a registered trademark
of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
First published in Great Britain as Sleepover Girls go Dancing by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2001
This edition published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2008
HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd, 77–85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB
www.harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk
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Text copyright © Harriet Castor 2008
Original series characters, plotlines and settings © Rose Impey 1997
The author asserts the moral right to be
identified as the author of this work.
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