The best day of my whole entire life was when Mum took me to see the actual show in Sydney. I seriously wasn’t expecting it. I mean, she’s always busy with work or environmental stuff, and tickets to musicals were pretty expensive, so I never actually thought we’d go.
We’d caught a train and when we got off two hours later, she’d looked at a map and said, ‘I think it’s this way.’
‘What’s this way?’ I’d asked, but she shook her head.
‘You wait and see.’ I couldn’t get another word out of her. We walked and walked through city noise and concrete buildings and past huge glass shop windows with clothes in them that Buzz would have loved, until Mum finally had said, ‘I think this is it.’
I looked up and there, in front of me, was a massive Annie sign, all lit up in black and red and white.
Apparently I had screeched—although I didn’t remember it that way. ‘What? Are we going to see Annie?’
‘What do you think?’ said Mum. ‘Are you happy?’
‘I can’t believe it,’ I’d said. I’d had a smile on my face that felt like it was wrapping around the back of my head. ‘I seriously can’t believe it.’
I could hardly believe it afterwards, either, when we’d waited outside the stage door to get the autograph of the main actress, Billie Stacks. I’d told her she had the most amazing voice and that my dream was to be just like her and play Annie on the stage. Billie had smiled and then signed my program using a really fat permanent marker. Her signature was all curly.
I put that program into my box of ‘Definitely Most Favourite Things’ at the back of my cupboard (on the side with a door). Miles was not allowed anywhere near it. In the box were a whole stack of photos of Buzz, Jessie and me, as well as some CDs with recordings of us singing at the Show.
The orphans were nearly finished cleaning up their room and singing ‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ when there was a knock at the door. I jumped with excitement. I knew Buzz would take her time, but maybe Jessie’s dad had brought her around already.
‘Come in,’ I yelled, running for the back door. But before I reached it, I heard it open, and then slap! I ran right into not Buzz, not Jessie, but Sam.
‘Ow,’ I said, rubbing my head.
‘Far out,’ he said, patting his nose.
‘I didn’t think you would actually come in,’ I said. ‘And I didn’t think it would be you.’
‘I don’t know, I kind of heard the words “come in” and assumed that, you know, I should come in,’ he said. ‘Anyway, who did you think it was going to be?’
‘Buzz and Jessie are coming,’ I said. ‘Soon. So you can’t stay forever. You have to go when they get here.’
‘That’s typical. Why can’t I stay, just one time? And aren’t you even going to ask me how my nose is?’
I punched him in the arm. Quite hard. ‘Nose better?’
He gave my pigtails a tweak. ‘Head better?’
‘Oh, you’re so funny.’ I pulled a face so he knew how sarcastic I was being. ‘But now that you’re here, I suppose you’d better come in.’
He followed me through the house—stepping over the piles of clothes and books and a random box of saucepans—all the way into the lounge room where Annie was now singing to her dog.
‘Again?’ he asked. ‘Isn’t this your like three hundred and sixty-fourth time watching this? You’re addicted.’
‘I’m allowed to,’ I said, annoyed. My eyes narrowed and then I smiled. ‘Anyway, I happen to know that you’re addicted to something too. Some stupid computer game about minions or something. Oscar said you can’t even stop playing it.’
Sam frowned for a second, but it was more annoyance than embarrassment. ‘He always tells. Actually it’s a really awesome game,’ he said. ‘You could play it with me sometime.’
I rolled my eyes. ‘You know I don’t use computers,’ I said. I felt slightly superior. ‘I don’t see the point. Plus, it fries your brain, Mum says. Anyway, Mum won’t let us use hers and the Internet reception is rubbish up here on the hill.’
‘Well, we should do something,’ said Sam. ‘We’re just wasting time standing here arguing. Do you want to go down to the creek or bounce on the trampoline?’
‘Ummm,’ I said. I had to think. Going to the creek was one of my favourite things to do and Sam was my favourite person to go with. Last year, we set up a knotted rope swing from a high tree branch. You could do the most awesome swing-and-jump from it, right into the middle of the deep part of the creek. Jessie was always too scared to do it and Buzz gave it a try a few times (but she complained so much about the muddy water wrecking her new swimming costume that we stopped going after a while). The creek belonged to Sam and me. It was our place. And today was a hot day.
Tempting.
But there wouldn’t be enough time before Jessie and Buzz arrived.
‘Trampoline,’ I said. ‘Race you!’
I pushed him, just hard enough for him to lose his balance and fall onto the sofa. He yelled but I was quicker. I dashed out to the backyard and scrambled onto the trampoline before he could catch up to me.
‘Cheater!’ he said, limping out. ‘You owe me.’
‘No way.’ I bounced high, laughing at the same time. ‘It’s all fair.’
‘That’s a saying, you know,’ said Sam. He perched himself on the side, rubbing his foot and looking up. ‘It’s all fair in love and war.’
‘Love?’ I opened my eyes big and wide at him, mocking. ‘What are you? Some sort of sooky teenager? No way. It’s war. It’s all war.’
‘Well then, prepare for battle,’ he said and launched himself at me just as I was about to land again. One foot hit his leg, the other missed the trampoline mat and I landed in a heap right on top of him. If you’d had a view from above, we would have looked like two puppies, all tangled up together.
‘Urgghh,’ I groaned.
I turned my head just to check that my neck was still working and discovered my face was about two inches away from Sam’s. For a second it was too hard to move anything and we lay there looking at each other. I made myself go all cross-eyed and stuck out my tongue like I was about to die.
‘I can’t believe you did that,’ I said. ‘That was so funny.’
He didn’t answer. In fact, he didn’t do anything. He just lay there, looking at my face. Weird, I thought. I reached out to slap his cheek.
‘Hey, wakey-wakey, Sammy-boy? Did you get knocked out? Why aren’t you alive?’
He put his hand up to his cheek. It grazed against mine and his fingers stayed on the place I’d touched. He was breathing slightly harder, almost as if he’d been running. Even weirder, I thought. I shifted off him and sat up.
‘Seriously. You okay?’ I said.
He sat up as well. But very close. Then, still looking at me, but really intently now, he leaned in. I thought he was going to tell me a secret, so I leaned in too, curious.
‘Abby,’ he said, and his voice sounded odd. Sort of cracked. A little bit broken. ‘Abby, I ...’
Whatever it was, I never got to hear it, because right at that very second, Jessie’s head appeared over the bushes. ‘Hey, Abby! I’m here!’
Chapter 3
At the sight of Jessie’s face bobbing above the fence line, Sam suddenly could move again and scooted quicker than you could say, ‘Miss Hannigan’, to the other side of the trampoline.
‘Jessie!’ I yelled. ‘You made it.’
I stood up on the trampoline, bounced once and then launched myself onto the grass. It was something I’d been practising for a few weeks. The only problem was that on every fifth go or so, I rolled my ankle.
‘Ow!’ I said. ‘I’m okay.’ And I hobbled over to let Jessie in the gate.
‘What’s so important?’ she said as soon as she was in. And then her head turned. ‘Oh. You didn’t tell me Sa
m was here.’ She did a cutesy wave. One hand up, curly fingers. ‘Hi, Sam.’
I raised my eyebrows at her. She’d been doing this for a couple of weeks and I was getting sick of it. ‘It’s only Sam. And anyway, he’s going soon. As soon as Buzz gets here.’
‘He doesn’t have to,’ she said. ‘We could all hang out together.’
I gave her my best don’t-be-stupid-he’s-a-boy look. ‘We have things to talk about that he can’t listen in on,’ I said. ‘Hey, I think someone’s coming. But it doesn’t sound like Buzz’s car.’
Jessie peered over the gate. ‘It’s a four-wheel drive. I’ve never seen it before. But, oh!’ She put her hand to her mouth. ‘Buzz is in the front.’
We ran out the gate, down the steps and onto the driveway where Buzz was taking her time to get out of a very big, very shiny gold car. I squinted my eyes and twisted my mouth.
When Buzz saw us, she smiled and tilted her chin. ‘So ... what do you think?’
‘You’re here!’ said Jessie and ran to give her a hug. ‘Yay!’
Buzz untangled herself and flapped her hands to get Jessie off.
‘No. I mean, what do you think?’ She flung her hand out. ‘The car? What do you think of the car?’ Her voice was impatient.
‘It’s great,’ said Jessie, smiling and nodding her head. ‘Really shiny.’
‘It’s nice,’ I shrugged. ‘But isn’t your car red?’
‘It’s a new car,’ said Buzz. ‘Dad picked it up this morning.’ Her face broke out into a big smile. ‘We’ve had to wait for six whole weeks for it to get shipped in. Isn’t it awesome?’
‘Wow!’ said Jessie. ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘Yeah, and it’s got a sunroof,’ said Buzz. ‘Want to see?’
‘Maybe later,’ I said. ‘I think Sylvia wants to go.’ I pointed at Buzz’s mum who was shaking her keys.
‘Okay, see you, sweetheart,’ she said. ‘I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours.’ She went to kiss her daughter but Buzz turned her head and shrugged her away.
‘Yeah, whatever,’ she said.
I smiled and waved instead. ‘See you later, Sylvia.’ She gave me a grin, and then started the car, did a quick turn and drove away.
‘You don’t have to talk to her,’ said Buzz. ‘It’s only my mum.’
‘I’m just being polite,’ I said. ‘Plus, I like her. She always makes us those really nice blueberry muffins.’
Buzz rolled her eyes. ‘She’s supposed to. That’s her job, right? That’s what mums do.’ She walked past me towards the gate and then stopped. ‘Sam! Hello. Is Ollie here?’
Sam shrugged. ‘Can you see him?’
‘Well, obviously not,’ she said. ‘But normally you know where he is, right?’
‘He’s out today. At his dad’s place, I think.’
‘Shame,’ said Buzz. She tossed her head. ‘We should have all hung out together.’
‘Sam is going,’ I said with a meaningful look. Surprisingly Sam agreed with me.
‘Not staying where I’m not wanted,’ he said. His voice sounded all cracked again.
Jessie’s eyes got big, her lip dropped, and she did her melty-heart face. ‘Oh, no, we want you, Sam,’ she said, all mournful, but Sam hardly looked at her. His eyes were on me.
I shrugged. ‘I’ll see you later, okay? Maybe the rope swing tomorrow?’
His face perked up. ‘Yeah, maybe.’ He found his bike, clipped on his helmet and sped back down the hill.
Jessie sighed. It was just a little one, but Buzz pounced.
‘You’re in love with Sam,’ she said. ‘You seriously are.’
‘Noooo,’ said Jessie, but her face was getting redder. ‘I’m not.’
‘If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be blushing,’ said Buzz. She threw herself on the trampoline. ‘But, and no offence, I don’t think he likes you.’
‘What?’ said Jessie. Her knees almost sank under her. ‘Who does he like?’
Buzz tilted her head towards me. I looked puzzled, so she glared directly at me with a piercing stare. When I still didn’t say anything, she pointed at me with her finger.
‘Can’t you tell? Sam’s got a crush on Abby.
I nearly choked. In fact, I started to cough so hard that Ziggy woke up from his nap and came running across the garden to see if I was okay.
‘Sam’s got a crush on me? You’re so crazy, Buzz. There’s just no way that’s true.’
Jessie’s eyes were open as wide as they could go. ‘Really? He likes Abby?’
‘Totally,’ said Buzz. She put on a superior face. ‘Can’t you tell? He’s always hanging out here, he’s always talking to her and the way he looks at her is hilarious.’
‘Exc-yoo-se me,’ I said. ‘Sam and I have been friends since we moved here in Year Two, so yeah, we talk. And he lives just over there, so, of course, he hangs out here. And he doesn’t look at me. You’ve got it totally wrong.’ I shook my head and jiggled my shoulders like I was trying to shrug off some stray insects.
‘Anyway, we shouldn’t even be thinking about that stuff. We’re only twelve. Well, I am. You guys are only eleven still. Jessie, you should stop thinking about Sam that way. We’re too young for that.’
‘Maybe you are,’ said Buzz. She looked amused.
‘What do you mean?’ I said.
‘Buzz, don’t,’ said Jessie. ‘Just forget it.’
‘Yeah, let’s move on,’ I said. ‘We’re all here, it’s a great day and I have the most amazing idea ever.’ I hugged myself and stood on my toes with excitement. ‘You totally have to hear it.’
‘We will,’ said Buzz. ‘But you have to feed me first. Mum forgot to make pancakes for breakfast and I wasn’t going to eat boring cereal. I’m super hungry.’
‘I can make pancakes,’ I said. ‘The best.’
‘Why do you think I asked?’ said Buzz. She grinned at me.
Half an hour later, with pancakes balancing on plates and syrup dripping from our forks, we made our way out through the garden and down the bush path where the creek slows down around some flat rocks.
‘Here,’ I said. ‘This is the spot.’
‘For what?’ said Jessie.
‘Sit, eat and listen,’ I said, ‘to the best idea ever.’
Buzz looked around her. ‘Am I going to wreck my shorts? It’s kind of mossy, don’t you think?’
I gave her my big you’re-being-ridiculous eyes. ‘Seriously? They’re just shorts. Don’t be picky.’
She pursed up her mouth, dusted off a flat spot and lowered her bottom to the ground, careful not to let her legs touch the dirt. I opened my mouth to laugh at her and then decided to close it again. Last time I told her off for worrying about something totally stupid (and it really was stupid—she was desperate to know whether her hair was smooth enough) she got insanely upset for no reason at all and wouldn’t talk to me for the whole of second session at school. I had to pretend to be sorry at lunch and act extra-nice (which was really annoying) before things went back to normal.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ I’d asked Jessie later. ‘That was totally nuts over something so stupid.’
Jessie had shrugged her shoulders. ‘I don’t know. No idea.’
Better to be safe today, I thought. Smart idea, Abby. And I flumped down on a mossy patch of rock with my plate of pancakes.
‘Oops,’ I said. ‘Spots.’ Four splatters of maple syrup flew right from the plate onto my t-shirt. ‘It’s okay. I’ll just fix it.’ I pinched my shirt between my fingers and brought it up to my mouth, so I could suck off the drops. ‘Done.’
Jessie laughed and Buzz made an eww gross face, but I generously ignored her and wiped my fingers on my shorts.
‘Rats. I sat on a wet patch too,’ I said. A dark water stain was slowly spreading from my bottom around to my pocket. ‘Oh well,
who cares, right?’
‘These are really yummy, Abby,’ said Jessie earnestly. ‘Don’t you think, Buzz?’
‘Awesome,’ said Buzz, looking away from me. ‘Really nice.’
‘So what’s your idea? It sounds exciting.’ Jessie kept talking. ‘Are you going to tell us?’
‘Yeah. What’s so important that you had to wake me up super-early on the morning after the Show?’ said Buzz.
I gulped my mouthful of pancake, swallowing loudly, and put my plate down on the rock. The fork fell off, so I scrabbled to put it back on the plate before I turned to face my two best friends. And then I took a deep breath in and started to talk.
‘Okay, so you know how we won the talent quest and everything, and everyone was saying, “you girls are awesome together”, like, all night?’ My voice went up like a question.
Jessie nodded her head.
‘Well, right at the end of the Show, it was like I had some kind of ... um ...’ I looked down at my hands and then around at the trees, searching for the word. ‘Maybe, like a vision?’
‘A vision?’ said Buzz. Her eyes were very open.
‘I don’t really mean a vision,’ I said, puffing out my cheeks and trying to think, ‘maybe more of an understanding. A sort of thought that just came to me, but really strongly. I just can’t think of how to put it exactly.’
‘An epiphany?’ asked Jessie. Buzz and I turned to stare at her. My mouth may even have dropped open a little bit.
‘Epiphany?’ Buzz said.
‘How do you know that word?’ I asked. ‘I mean, it’s exactly the right word. I just can’t believe you said it.’
Jessie’s face went red. ‘I don’t know. My grandma said it once and then I heard it on a TV show. It just popped out.’
Smart Girls Don't Wear Mascara Page 2
