by Melody James
He doesn’t let me finish. He’s got his own speech planned.
‘I was wondering if you’d mind awfully . . .’ He starts haltingly, glancing back to where Barbara is sitting beside Cindy. ‘. . . If you’d mind me sitting with Barbara on the coach?’
Do I mind? I want to cheer. I give him a gracious smile. ‘Of course not.’
He looks relieved. ‘Thanks, Gem. You’re a good mate.’
He heads towards Barbara’s table and sits down next to her. She smiles and offers him half a slice of limp toast.
‘Gemma?’ Treacle’s looking at me anxiously. ‘Are you OK?’
I sit down. Savannah grabs my hand. ‘Are you upset that he wants to sit with Barbara instead of you?’
‘No.’ I’m actually pleased. Barbara can listen to all his lame jokes. I kind of feel sorry for her. But who will I sit next to? Will Marcus or Jeff want to share Savannah or Treacle? Then an idea hits me. I beam at Savannah and Treacle. ‘Let’s grab the back seats on the coach so we can travel home together.’
Treacle punches the air. ‘Yay!’
It takes planning, but we manage to claim the back seats. We’re the first in the queue at the coach door once the rucksacks are stowed and, as soon as the door opens, Savannah distracts Madame Papillon.
‘Oh, no! I’ve lost my passport!’
Madame Papillon’s busy ticking names on her clipboard. She looks up at Savannah in horror. ‘Mon Dieu!’
Mr Chapman pushes his way through the crowd. ‘Could you have packed it in your rucksack by mistake?’ Miss Davis is already heading for the hold.
While the teachers flap, Treacle slips up the coach steps. I’m hot on her heels. We ignore the yells of protest from the Year Tens queuing outside. With a whoop of triumph, I fling my bag onto the back seat and plump down next to it. Treacle collapses beside me, panting, while Jeff and Marcus slide past the panicking teachers and duck along the aisle.
‘It’s OK! I’ve found it!’ Savannah is brandishing her passport outside the coach and, as Mr Chapman wipes his brow with relief, she slides onboard and joins us. It’s a perfect manoeuvre, executed with precision. By the time the rest of the party start to board, we’re lined along the back seats, leaving LJ, Bethany and their Year Ten groupies to bicker over the aisle seats, all the while casting indignant glances our way.
I spot Sam heading up the aisle. He sees me and grins. ‘Well done!’ he mouths. For the first time I don’t feel like an invisible Year Nine. I lift my chin and smile back at him as he heads towards me. This is going to be the best journey ever.
Suddenly an arm reaches up from an aisle seat. I glimpse a gold bracelet flash above the headrests before a pale hand grabs Sam and yanks him down out of sight.
He’s been captured by Cindy. I wonder for a moment if he’ll try to escape, then reality kicks in. Why would he try and escape from the girl he’s just bought a gold bracelet for?
Treacle nudges me. She’s waving a bag of toffees under my nose. ‘Want one?’
I shove my hand in and grab a sweet. I’m not going to let the Ice Queen spoil my fun. I’m on the back seat of the coach with my best friends in the world and we’re heading home. ‘Who wants to play toffee paper dodgeball?’ I suggest.
The journey home feels fast. We’ve hardly finished swapping stories and sweets by the time the coach pulls into the schoolyard and rumbles to a halt. The door hisses open and Madame Papillon gives the signal to disembark. But, as I shove empty wrappers into my backpack, I can’t shift the feeling of disappointment that’s been nagging at me since we left Paris. Barbara is following Rupert off the coach while David stays in his seat, his nose buried in a comic book. It’s Jessica Jupiter’s first failure.
‘Come on, Gem.’ Treacle tugs me up from my seat. Outside the window, the yard is dotted with parents, straining to see through the coach windows. I spot Mum and wave at her. Ben’s standing beside her. He grins at me through the glass. I hook my bag onto my shoulder, hoping the chocolate Eiffel Tower is still in one piece.
Mum hangs back, holding Ben at bay, while I queue with Treacle and Savannah beside the hold, waiting for our rucksacks. As soon as mine rolls past me, heaved out by the weary driver, I grab it and hug Treacle and Savannah.
‘See you at school tomorrow,’ I promise.
‘Bye, Gem.’ Treacle squeezes me hard.
Savannah tugs my hair. ‘That was the best trip ever.’ Her dad is standing by the school gates, looking anxious, until Savannah gives him a wave and a wide smile. He breaks into a relieved grin.
‘Bye, Gemma!’
I look up to see Rupert waving at me from the side of the coach.
‘Bye, Rupert!’
He’s leaning next to the wheel with Barbara, their rucksacks entwined at their feet. He pulls a scrap of paper from his pocket and starts scribbling something on it while Barbara leans over him.
‘0753 . . .’ I hear her reeling off a number.
Her mobile number!
They’re swapping details. As he shoves the paper into his pocket, she kisses him quickly on the cheek and hurries away. Rupert watches her go, his cheeks flushed and his eyes smiling. My heart soars. Jessica Jupiter didn’t fail after all! She may have aimed her love arrows at the wrong Gemini, but she still scored a hit.
‘Gemma, Gemma, Gemma!’ Ben escapes Mum and rushes towards me. I nearly lose my balance as he slams into my side and wraps his arms round me. ‘Was it fun? Did you visit all the chocolate shops? Did you use my map?’
I squeeze him hard, pleased to see him so happy and full of energy. Then I unzip my bag. He watches my fingers like an eager puppy. He knows I’m reaching for a present for him.
I pull out the silver-wrapped chocolate Eiffel Tower. It’s in one perfect piece and as big as his head.
‘Wow!’
As he takes it from me, eyes popping, a voice sounds behind me.
‘Is this Ben?’
I turn and see Sam grinning down at my brother. ‘Yeah,’ I say proudly.
Sam sticks out a hand and shakes Ben’s. ‘Hi, Ben. I’m Sam.’
Ben grins up at him. ‘Are you Gemma’s boyfriend?’
There’s an awkward silence while I shrivel into a desiccated corpse. Then Sam laughs. ‘Gemma’s too busy for boyfriends.’ He tousles Ben’s hair.
Ben ducks away and holds up the chocolate Eiffel Tower for Sam to see. ‘I’m going to eat all of this today.’
‘Good move.’ Sam glances at me. ‘You can never trust sisters around chocolate.’
Eyes widening in horror, Ben hugs his tower protectively.
‘Gemma?’ Mum’s heading our way. ‘Did you have fun?’
I catch Sam’s eye. ‘Yes,’ I smile. ‘It was fantastic.’
‘The best trip yet.’ Sam grabs his rucksack and heads away. ‘See you tomorrow, Gem.’
I watch him for a moment before Mum grabs me and hugs me hard. Ben joins in and I don’t care if half the school sees me playing happy families. I’m Gemma Stone, Year Nine, and I’m totally visible.
