Brilliant Besties

by Chrissie Perry

  Then she looked around at her friends. Are they getting bored? worried Annabelle. I’d better put some music on!

  She jumped up and went to the CD player. But what should she play?

  I wish Nic was here to choose something, thought Annabelle.

  Then she remembered the CD that Chloe had given her.

  ‘Come on!’ Annabelle said, as the CD came on. ‘Let’s dance!’

  ‘Can we listen to something else?’ complained Siri. ‘I hate this CD!’

  Chloe looked surprised.

  ‘How can you hate it? It’s the best!’

  ‘I think it’s dumb, too,’ said Freya. ‘And it’s really hard to dance to.’

  ‘It’s too hot to dance anyway,’ said Shae. ‘Maybe we should swim instead?’

  My friends are fighting! thought Annabelle. This was exactly what she had been afraid of. She wished Nicole was here. She would know what to do.

  Then Dani jumped up.

  ‘It’s easy to dance to this music,’ she said. ‘Just watch.’

  She started doing a really funny dance.

  She waved her arms around and jumped all over the place. It was so silly that everyone started laughing. And before long everyone else was dancing, too. Even Siri and Freya.

  After a few songs, Dani flopped onto the couch.

  ‘I have to stop dancing,’ she said. ‘I think those mocktails are turning into milkshakes in my tummy!’

  ‘Same!’ said Chloe, as she lay down on the floor.

  It wasn’t long before everyone else was lying down.

  ‘My tummy keeps going blurrrp!’ said Freya, laughing.

  ‘Mine too!’ said Lola. ‘I can feel all that yummy food and too many mocktails sloshing around.’

  Just then, Uncle Bob appeared.

  ‘Would anyone like another mocktail?’ he asked.

  ‘NOOOO!’ groaned everyone.

  ‘Let’s go outside,’ said Sophie.

  ‘We could play that game you told us about,’ said Siri to Annabelle. ‘Croaky?’

  At first Annabelle wasn’t sure what Siri meant. Then she realised Siri meant croquet. But Annabelle had forgotten to check what croquet was!

  ‘Maybe we could play musical chairs instead?’ she suggested.

  Uncle Bob was still in the room, clearing away glasses.

  ‘Ladies,’ he said, bowing. ‘Please follow me outside.’

  Curiously, everyone followed him out the back door. The fresh air made Annabelle feel better straight away. Then she noticed something weird about the backyard. There were lots of little metal hoops sticking out of the ground! Leaning against the fence were wooden hammers with long handles.

  ‘What’s going on, Uncle Bob?’ Annabelle whispered.

  ‘It’s a croquet set,’ Uncle Bob replied. ‘It’s my present to you. I haven’t played it for years. But I’m sure I can still remember the rules.’

  ‘Thanks, Uncle Bob,’ said Annabelle, hugging him. He was such a great uncle!

  It turned out that croquet was a pretty fun game. The hammers were called mallets and you used them to hit a ball through the hoops. And Uncle Bob added a new rule. Every time you got the ball through a hoop you had to croak like a frog!

  ‘I love this game!’ said Freya.

  ‘It’s cool, isn’t it?’ agreed Chloe. ‘But it’d be much easier without these dumb shoes on.’

  They all kicked off their shoes and started playing in bare feet.

  This is great! thought Annabelle happily.

  Then all of a sudden Chloe screamed. ‘OOOOWWWW!’

  Annabelle’s mum came running out of the house.

  ‘What’s happened?’

  Annabelle could tell that Chloe was trying hard not to cry.

  ‘My foot really, really hurts,’ she said, with a wobbly voice.

  Annabelle’s mum quickly looked at Chloe’s foot.

  ‘It’s a bee sting,’ she said. ‘You’d better sit inside and put your foot up. Everyone else wait here. It’s time for the cake!’

  Poor Chloe, thought Annabelle. Bee stings really hurt!

  And to make things worse she was going to miss out on seeing the cake.

  ‘Here it comes!’ called Siri.

  The back door opened and out came Uncle Bob, carrying the cake. It was decorated with candles and sparklers. Everyone sang Happy Birthday as Uncle Bob put the cake down on a fold-up table in front of Annabelle.

  Usually Annabelle loved this part. But today it didn’t feel quite right. It was like something was missing. Then Annabelle realised what it was.

  Nicole still wasn’t there!

  Maybe she’s decided not to come after all, thought Annabelle, disappointed.

  When the singing stopped someone called out, ‘Hip hip!’

  ‘Hooray!’ shouted everyone else.

  ‘Hip hip!’ said the voice again.

  Annabelle looked around. It sounded like the voice was coming from over the fence. And then it was her turn to shout ‘hooray’, because coming through the back gate was Nicole!

  Nicole was still wearing her basketball dclothes. She was bright red in the face.

  ‘Did you win?’ asked Annabelle.

  Nicole pulled a face.

  ‘Well, actually … ’ she said.

  Annabelle’s heart sank. Poor Nic! She must have lost. What a shame!

  But then Nicole’s face broke into a smile. ‘We won!’

  ‘That’s so great!’ said Annabelle, jumping up and down.

  ‘Is anyone going to blow out these candles?’ asked Uncle Bob. ‘The cake is going to catch on fire soon!’

  ‘Oops!’ said Annabelle.

  She turned around and blew out all the candles in one breath.

  ‘Don’t forget to make a wish!’ said Chloe, who had hobbled back outside.

  Annabelle shut her eyes and thought about what to wish for. Usually she wished for a pony.

  But today she had a different wish.

  I wish it could be my birthday forever!

  Annabelle’s mum handed her a knife with a pink ribbon tied around the handle. As Annabelle cut the cake she was careful not to touch the bottom so her wish would come true. Then her mum cut the cake into slices and handed them around.

  Nicole took a bite of hers.

  ‘Hey, this is like the cake I had at my party!’ she said.

  ‘It’s from the same bakery,’ explained Annabelle. ‘It’s so yum, isn’t it?’

  ‘It is yum,’ agreed Nicole. ‘But the ones your mum makes are even better.’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Michiko. ‘Your mum’s cakes rock. I love all the cool shapes and colours she makes them.’

  ‘Me too,’ said Lola. ‘I always love your invitations, too. I’ve kept all of them!’

  Annabelle stared at her friends. She was too surprised to say anything. Did everyone like her old parties after all?

  ‘I thought … ’ she started to say.

  But Annabelle didn’t get to finish her sentence because suddenly Sophie yelled, ‘Look out!’

  Annabelle spun around.

  The fold-up table the cake was sitting on was starting to collapse!

  ‘Oh, no!’ cried Annabelle.

  She rushed forward to catch the cake before it fell. But before she got there she tripped on a rock and fell flat on her face.

  A second later the cake toppled off the table. It fell with a splat beside her.

  ‘Are you OK?’ asked Michiko, helping Annabelle up.

  Annabelle looked down at her clothes.

  There was a big grass stain on her shirt and a rip in her skirt. And birthday cake everywhere!

  When Mum sees my concert clothes I’m going to be in big trouble, thought Annabelle, her eyes blurry with tears.

  That was when Annabelle decided she’d had enough of this party. Everything was meant to be perfect on your birthday. But things just kept going wrong.

  Annabelle ran into the house and into her bedroom. She got changed and then flopped down on her bed.


  It was strange. Not long ago she had wished that her birthday would last forever. Now she just wanted it to be over.

  Annabelle’s violin was in its case next to her bed. She picked it up. Playing music always made her feel better. But today it only helped a bit. Definitely not enough to want to go back outside.

  After she had been playing for a while there was a knock on her door.

  ‘Can I come in?’ asked her mum.

  Annabelle looked at her concert clothes crumpled up on the floor. She didn’t want her mum to see that she had ruined them. But there was no point hiding them. Her mum would find out in the end.

  ‘OK,’ said Annabelle.

  Her mum came in and sat beside her.

  ‘You are playing so well, Belly,’ she said. ‘I can’t wait to hear you at the concert.’

  ‘I won’t be able to play,’ said Annabelle sadly.

  ‘Why not?’ asked her mum, surprised.

  ‘Because I’ve wrecked my concert clothes,’ admitted Annabelle, showing her.

  Annabelle’s mum looked at the grass stain and the tear.

  ‘You know, these aren’t too bad. I think that grass stain will come out. And I can sew up that tear so you won’t even know it’s there. Besides,’ she added. ‘You have to play at the concert so you can wear this.’

  She handed Annabelle a small blue box with a purple ribbon tied around it.

  Annabelle was confused.

  ‘But I thought the cake was my present,’ she said.

  ‘This isn’t really a birthday present,’ explained her mum. ‘It’s to show how proud I am that you’re about to play in your first concert.’

  Annabelle opened the box.

  Inside was a small silver treble clef, hanging on a chain.

  ‘It’s so beautiful!’ said Annabelle. ‘Can I wear it today or do I have to wait for the concert?’

  ‘You can wear it today,’ her mum laughed. ‘Put it on and then come with me. There’s something else you should see.’

  Annabelle followed her mum into the kitchen. All her friends were crowded around the kitchen table.

  ‘What’s going on?’ asked Annabelle.

  Her friends all stepped to the side. Annabelle couldn’t believe it. There on the table was a brand new birthday cake! It was shaped like a castle with lots of pointy turrets.

  ‘Do you like it?’ asked Nicole. ‘We made it out of ice-cream! And the turrets are ice-cream cones.’

  ‘Yeah, what do you think?’ said Chloe. ‘Is it as good as the other one?’

  Annabelle looked at the cake. It was already starting to melt. On the side someone had written, ‘Happy Birthday, Bell!’ in chocolate dots. Some of the letters were much bigger than the others.

  Annabelle looked at her friends.

  ‘Are you kidding?’ she said. ‘It’s way better than the other one!’

  ‘Hey!’ said Nicole. ‘This means we can sing Happy Birthday again. But let’s sing it the other way this time.’

  As she started singing, everyone else joined in. Even Annabelle’s mum!

  Happy birthday to you

  You live in the zoo

  You look like a monkey

  And you smell like one too!

  When the song finished, everyone cheered again. And this time it was even louder than before.

  ‘Let’s eat the cake!’ said Annabelle.

  Then she grabbed one of the turretcones and used it to scoop up some of the ice-cream castle.

  ‘Cool!’ giggled Sarah, reaching out for a turret.

  Before long everyone else was licking a turret, too.

  ‘How about a swim?’ suggested Lola.

  ‘Great idea,’ agreed Sophie, starting to head outside. Then she stopped. ‘Hang on … None of us have our bathers.’

  ‘Wait there!’ said Annabelle, dashing out of the room.

  She ran to her bedroom and grabbed as many T-shirts as she could find. Five minutes later, everyone was in the pool. Annabelle couldn’t stop laughing. It was so funny to see everyone swimming around in her clothes.

  Nicole swam up to her.

  ‘I wish I’d been here from the start,’ she said. ‘Everyone keeps telling me what a great party it’s been.’

  Annabelle was surprised. She hadn’t thought the party was very good at all. But then she thought about the day. A few bad things had happened. Like Chloe getting a bee sting. And the cake getting wrecked. But there had been lots of good things, too.

  She looked around at everyone playing in the pool. Sophie and Michiko were both trying to sit on the li-lo, but they kept falling off. Dani was teaching the others her crazy dance. It looked even crazier in the water.

  ‘I guess it has been pretty good,’ said Annabelle, smiling. ‘But I wonder what the Party Princess would say about it?’

  ‘Who cares what she thinks?’ Nicole sang out. ‘You know more about parties than she does, any day!’

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  The hallway was noisy and busy, like it always was on Friday afternoons. It looked like a crazy jumble of arms and legs. Everyone seemed to be in a big rush to start the weekend.

  Casey ducked in next to Tamsin and tugged her schoolbag down from its peg.

  ‘Have you got everything?’ Casey asked.

  Tamsin nodded happily. Her parents were going away for the weekend, and so she was staying with Casey.

  ‘I’ve got my pyjamas, my toothbrush … and my dookie,’ Tamsin giggled.

  Casey smiled back. Tamsin was funny about her dookie. At Nina’s birthday sleepover, Tamsin had taken a piece of red velvet to bed with her and rubbed it against her nose as she fell asleep.

  It was one of those things Casey would have been embarrassed about. But the good thing about Tamsin was that she totally didn’t care if her friends knew.

  ‘Look what else I’ve got,’ Tamsin whispered. ‘A midnight snack.’

  Out of her bag, from underneath the pyjamas, came a giant bag of mixed lollies.

  ‘Oh, not fair!’ Ivy exclaimed from across the hall. She screwed up her nose. ‘I wish I could come!’

  Casey smiled at her apologetically. ‘Sorry, Ives,’ she said. ‘I really did try, but Mum said that one extra person for two nights was enough.’

  Casey and Tamsin quickly ducked as a very mouldy apple flew past them.

  ‘It’s a goal!’ yelled Dylan Moltby, throwing his arms in the air as the apple landed in the rubbish bin.

  ‘Ewww!’ Tamsin groaned. ‘How long was that in your bag?’

  Dylan grinned. ‘Months, I think. Maybe years,’ he said proudly.

  Casey hid her grin as Dylan ran off.

  ‘So, are you guys going to eat all of those lollies by yourselves?’ asked Nina, who was now standing beside the girls, looking at the lolly packet. ‘Or would you be kind enough to save some red snakes for me?’

  ‘And will you save me some yellows?’ Ivy added. ‘Pretty please?’

  ‘Red and yellow snakes will be totally untouched and ready for you guys,’ Tamsin declared with a smile.

  Casey waved goodbye as Ivy and Nina walked off. As she looked across at Tamsin, Casey felt a little shiver of excitement.

  Casey wouldn’t have said anything, but she was sort of glad she wasn’t allowed to have Ivy and Nina over as well.

  Even though Tamsin wasn’t really new at their school anymore, it was still exciting to be around her.

  At the beginning, everybody had wanted to hang out with Tamsin – except for Casey. It had been kind of hard watching a new girl march right into her group of friends, so Casey hadn’t been very nice to Tamsin.

  Maybe she would have handled it better if things had been OK at home. But Tamsi
n had arrived at school when Casey’s parents were fighting a lot.

  Casey had felt like everything in her life was changing, and all she wanted was for things to stay the same.

  Casey felt a bit bad as she remembered how she had totally ignored Tamsin. Ivy and Nina were friendlier, and had got to know Tamsin really quickly.

  After a while, Casey had realised that Tamsin was funny and nice. But there were still lots of things she didn’t know about her, even though now they were in a club together with Nina and Ivy. The club was called the Secret Sisters.

  It was completely different with Ivy and Nina. Casey had known those girls since they were all little. She knew them inside out. She knew their favourite colours and their favourite food, their favourite books and their favourite music.

  ‘Oh, I brought my Taylor Swift CD,’ Tamsin said, interrupting Casey’s thoughts.

  She was fishing around in her schoolbag again. ‘Do you like her, Case?’

  Casey nodded. She’d just been thinking about music, and it was almost like Tamsin had read her mind. And Taylor Swift was, like, her second-favourite singer ever!

  Casey grinned to herself as she and Tamsin walked down the corridor together and out into the warm afternoon sunshine. She giggled as Tamsin tossed the lolly bag into the air and caught it behind her back.

  This weekend is going to be so fun, Casey thought happily. By Sunday, she and Tamsin would know everything about each other.

  Then Casey’s tummy did a funny little flip. Maybe, she thought, just maybe, I’ll even tell Tamsin my special secret.

  ‘Let’s turn it up again,’ Casey said, reaching for the volume on the CD player.

  Tamsin put her hands over her ears. Between the girls’ music and the thumping rock tunes coming from Aaron’s bedroom, the noise was pretty full-on.

  ‘Turn it down!’ The door to Casey’s bedroom swung open, and her brother stomped inside.

  ‘Hey, you can’t do that!’ Casey yelled. But Aaron had already pushed the pause button.

  ‘You are such a dweeb!’ Casey said. ‘You get to play your music all the time.’

  ‘Yeah, but my music is good!’ Aaron said. He stood between Casey and the CD player, his arms folded.