by Sally Rippin
‘Yeah,’ says Benny.‘Who is he anyway?’
‘Come and see,’ says Jack.
They walk up to the player with the red cap and stripy socks.
The player takes off her cap and smiles.
Do you know who it is?
It’s Billie!
Sam and Benny are amazed.
‘You see?’ says Billie. ‘Girls can play soccer. Jack showed me how.’
A boy from Billie’s team walks over.‘Jack was right,’ he says to Billie. ‘You are fast!’
‘I told you!’ says Jack.
‘She’s a Soccer Star!’
Billie looks at Sam and Benny.‘Maybe I’ll play on your team one day,’ she says.
‘Um, OK,’ say Sam and Benny at the same time.
Billie smiles.‘But only if I can be captain!’ she says.
Billie B Brown has one blue torch, one big packet of marshmallows and one brand-new tent. Do you want to know what the B in Billie B Brown stands for?
Big.
Billie B Brown says she is now big enough to go camping!
Do you know where Billie is going to go camping? In Jack’s back garden.
Jack is Billie’s best friend. He lives next door.
Billie and Jack are going to sleep in Billie’s new tent.
And guess what?
Billie and Jack are going to have a midnight feast! That’s why Billie needs so many marshmallows.
Billie and Jack are sitting in the tent. They are planning their midnight feast. Jack has two packets of chips. Billie has some rice crackers and dip.
Jack’s dad pokes his head into the tent flap. ‘Hey kids, dinner’s ready!’
‘We don’t need dinner,’ says Billie.‘We’ve got heaps of food!’
‘It’s a long time until midnight,’ says Jack’s dad. ‘And it’s spaghetti bolognaise!’
Jack looks at Billie. ‘It’s spaghetti bolognaise,’ he says.
Spaghetti bolognaise is Billie’s favourite.
‘Um, OK,’ says Billie. ‘We’ll just come in for dinner. But that’s all!’
Billie and Jack run inside. They can smell the spaghetti. It makes their tummies rumble.
Billie and Jack eat two bowls of spaghetti each.
Then they run back outside to their tent. It is still light.
‘Shall we have the marshmallows now?’ Jack asks.
He reaches for the big packet full of pink and white marshmallows. They look delicious!
‘No, silly!’ says Billie. ‘They are for the midnight feast!’
‘Oh,’ says Jack.‘Maybe we can have the chips then?’
‘OK then,’ says Billie. ‘And maybe the dip and rice crackers, too.
They can be our practice midnight feast.’
‘Good idea,’ says Jack.
Billie and Jack wriggle with excitement. Camping is so much fun!
Billie and Jack get into their sleeping bags. They share a packet of chips. Then they eat the dip and rice crackers.
They will keep the marshmallows until midnight. But midnight feels like a very long way away. It’s not even dark outside yet.
‘Let’s go and get a game!’ Billie suggests.‘I’ve got Uno at home.’
‘Cool!’ says Jack.
So Billie and Jack unzip the tent and run out into Jack’s back garden. They run along the fence until they get to the hole.
Then they squeeze through the hole into Billie’s back garden. Billie and Jack run inside. Billie’s mum and dad are watching TV in the lounge room.
‘Hi, kids!’ Billie’s mum calls.‘Finding Nemo ’s on tonight. It’s starting in five minutes.’
‘We’re camping!’calls Billie. ‘We can’t watch TV when we’re camping!’
‘But it’s Finding Nemo !’ says Jack to Billie.
Finding Nemo is Billie and Jack’s favourite movie.
Billie frowns.‘Oh, OK!’ she says.
Billie and Jack sit down in the lounge room to watch.
Billie’s dad makes them strawberries and ice-cream and lets them eat in front of the TV.
‘Teeth,’ says Billie’s mum when the movie finishes.
‘You don’t brush your teeth when you go camping!’ says Billie.
‘Oh, yes you do,’ says Billie’s mum.
So Billie and Jack go to the bathroom to brush their teeth.
Jack keeps a spare toothbrush at Billie’s house. Billie has one at Jack’s house too.
When they have finished,
Billie and Jack peer out the back window. Now it is very dark outside.
‘Are you sure you still want to sleep in the tent tonight?’ Billie’s mum asks.
‘Of course!’ says Billie. ‘We’re camping!’
‘Uh-oh!’ says Jack.‘I left my torch inside the tent.’ ‘Me too,’ says Billie. ‘How are we going to find our way back in the dark?’
‘Don’t worry,’ says Billie’s dad.‘I’ll take you back. But I’m not going through the hole in the fence.’
So Billie’s dad takes them back over to Jack’s house. But this time they go around the front way!
Billie’s dad tucks Billie and Jack into their sleeping bags. He gives them both a kiss.
‘Are you sure you’re OK out here?’ Billie’s dad asks.
‘Of course!’ says Billie. ‘We’re big kids now!’
‘Big people can still get scared,’ Billie’s dad says.
‘Well, not us!’ says Jack.
Billie’s dad smiles and zips up the tent.
Billie and Jack lie in their sleeping bags. A little bit of light shines onto the tent from Jack’s house, but not much. Inside the tent it is very dark. And very quiet.
‘What time is it?’ Billie asks Jack.
Jack turns on his torch and looks at his watch. ‘Nine-fifteen,’ he says.
‘Hmm,’ says Billie.
‘It’s still a long time until midnight.’
Billie isn’t sure if she likes camping in the dark. It was much more fun during the day. But she lies very quietly because she doesn’t want Jack to think she is scared.
‘Maybe we could just have the feast now?’ Jack says.
‘No, silly,’ says Billie. ‘Then it won’t be a midnight feast. That would be a nine-fifteen feast!’
‘Of course!’ says Jack. He switches off the torch. Then he turns it on again. ‘I’d better leave the torch on,’ he says. ‘So we can tell when it’s midnight.’
‘Good idea,’ says Billie.
She wonders if Jack is also a teensy bit scared of the dark.
Billie and Jack snuggle down into their sleeping bags. They lie side by side and listen to the sounds of the night.
Suddenly Jack sits up.
‘Did you hear that?’ he asks.
‘What?’ says Billie. She sits up too. Then she hears the noise. It sounds like a low growling.
‘What’s that?’ says Jack.
‘I don’t know!’ says Billie. She feels scared.
The growling sound gets louder. Billie and Jack hear a scuffling just outside the tent flap. Then a dark shadow slides across the tent walls.
‘A monster!’ Billie and Jack scream together. ‘Mum! Dad!’
Jack’s dad pokes his head through the tent flap. ‘You kids OK?’ he asks, smiling.
Billie and Jack are huddled together.
‘We saw a huge monster!’ Jack says.
‘It growled at us!’ Billie says.
‘There’s no such thing as monsters,’ says Jack’s dad. ‘It was probably just a possum. Are you sure you kids don’t want to come inside?’
Jack looks at Billie. ‘I’m scared,’ he says quietly.
‘Me too!’ says Billie. She feels glad that Jack feels the same as her. ‘But I really wanted to sleep in my new tent!’
‘And have a midnight feast!’ Jack adds.
Billie is disappointed. She wants so much to sleep in the tent, but it is too dark and scary outside.
Billie and Jack look at each other. They are tr
ying to decide what to do.
Then, Billie has a great idea. A super-dooper idea!
Can you guess what she’s thinking?
Billie and Jack bundle up their sleeping bags. They pick up their rubbish and the big packet of marshmallows. Jack’s dad helps them pack up the tent. Then they run across the garden to the warm light of Jack’s house.
Ten minutes later, Billie and Jack are in the tent again. They are snuggled in their sleeping bags and they are fast asleep.
Do you know where Billie and Jack are camping now?
On Jack’s bedroom floor!
Oh dear! What about their midnight feast?
It doesn’t matter. Billie and Jack can have a midnight feast another time. Maybe when they are even bigger.
Billie B Brown has six sparkly pens, three blisters on her hands and one best friend. Do you want to know what the B in Billie B Brown is for?
Best.
Billie’s best friend is Jack.
Do you know how long Billie and Jack have been friends? Since they were babies.
Now that Billie and Jack are big, they go to school. Every day they walk to school together.
Every day they walk home together. Every day they sit next to each other in class.
Today Billie has decided to take her new pens to school.
Jack gave Billie the sparkly pens for her birthday. The sparkly pens write in sparkly ink and they smell like fruit. Billie loves her new pens.
Billie puts her pens on the desk. She takes out a pink pen and pulls off the lid. Soon the whole classroom smells like strawberries.
‘Hmm,’ says Ms Walton, wrinkling up her nose. ‘Is someone eating?’
Everyone in the room stops working and looks around. Billie quickly puts the lid back on her pen. She is worried that she might get into trouble.
‘Billie?’ says Ms Walton, frowning. ‘Have you brought lollies to school?’
‘No!’ says Billie quickly. ‘It’s my sparkly pen.’
‘Oh,’ says Ms Walton, smiling. ‘My goodness, it smells strong, doesn’t it?’
‘Can I see?’ Ella calls, jumping up from her desk.
‘Me too!’ calls Tracey from her seat next to Ella.
‘Now, girls,’ Ms Walton says. ‘Sit down. You can all look at Billie’s pens at lunchtime.’
Billie feels very proud. She looks at Jack. He smiles at Billie.
When the bell goes, the girls crowd around Billie to look at her new pens.
‘Where did you get them?’ Lola asks.
‘Jack gave them to me,’ Billie says.‘For my birthday.’
‘Ooh, Jack!’ Lola teases.
‘Your boyfriend!’
‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ says Billie, frowning. ‘That’s just silly!’
‘Yes, he is,’ Lola grins.
‘He’s a boy. And he’s your friend. That makes him your boyfriend .’
The other girls giggle.
Billie frowns. Sometimes Lola and her friends can be so annoying!
Billie and Jack walk over to the monkey bars. They climb up to the top to eat their lunch.
After they have eaten, they practise hanging upside-down to see who can last the longest.
The bell rings. Billie and Jack walk back to class.
Just then, Rebecca walks up to Billie. Rebecca is in Billie and Jack’s class. She has long, shiny plaits with ribbons in them. Billie would love to have long, shiny plaits like Rebecca’s. Billie stops. Jack runs ahead.
Rebecca has something in her hands. It is a purple pony. Billie feels a teensy bitjealous.
Rebecca always has the best toys for Show and Tell.
‘Cool pony,’ Billie says.
‘Thanks,’ Rebecca says. ‘Do you want a hold?’
Billie puts out her hand. Rebecca gives her the pony. It’s beautiful. Billie wishes she had a pony like that.
‘Do you want to swap?’ asks Rebecca.‘Your sparkly pens for my pony?’
‘Oh!’ says Billie. She doesn’t know what to do. She loves the purple pony. But the sparkly pens were a present from Jack. Would he get mad if she swapped them?
‘I don’t know,’ Billie says. She feels all muddled.
‘You can come to my house and play with my other toys too,’ Rebecca says. ‘I have heaps more ponies. And we could do your hair in plaits like mine.’
Billie looks at the little purple pony. She looks at Rebecca’s long, shiny plaits. She would love to have the pony.
She would love to have hair like Rebecca’s. Most of all, she would love to be Rebecca’s friend.
‘Um, OK!’ says Billie.
She gives Rebecca the pens and slips the pony into her pocket. Then she and Rebecca run back to class.
Billie feels so excited that her tummy is jumping around like a little fish.
At the end of the day, Billie and Jack walk to the front gate together. But today Rebecca is there. She is waiting for Billie.
Rebecca and Billie’s mums are talking.
‘Hi, Billie!’ calls Rebecca. ‘Your mum says you can come over.’
‘Today?’ says Billie.
‘But what about our cubby?’ Jack says to Billie.
‘Billie doesn’t have to always play with you,’ Rebecca says.
Billie looks at Jack. She can see that Jack looks upset but she doesn’t know what to say. She mainly feels excited that Rebecca wants to be her friend.
‘We can finish the cubby another time, Jack,’ she says quietly.
Jack frowns and looks down at his sneakers.
‘Come on, Billie,’ Rebecca says.‘My mum’s waiting!’
Billie follows Rebecca to her car. She waves to Jack but he is still looking at the ground.
Billie and Rebecca sit in the back seat. Billie feels excited. She has a new toy pony and a new friend.
But then Billie thinks about Jack and feels bad. The bad feeling makes her tummy twist up inside.
Soon they arrive. Rebecca’s house is big and white like a cake. Her bedroom is pink and purple and it has more toys than Billie has ever seen.
Billie watches Rebecca take the sparkly pens out of her school bag and put them on her desk. When Billie sees the sparkly pens, her tummy squeezes tight.
Rebecca’s dad has bought cupcakes for afternoon tea. The cupcakes have little faces on them.
They are sugary and soft, not like the muesli slice that Billie’s mum makes.
‘Have another, Billie!’ Rebecca’s mum says.
Billie wants to eat another cake but her tummy is feeling funny. She drinks some cordial but it doesn’t make her feel better.
‘I don’t feel well,’ Billie says in a small voice.
‘Oh dear,’ says Rebecca’s mum. She puts her hand on Billie’s forehead.
‘That’s all right. I can take you home. Why don’t you choose a cupcake to take with you?’
Rebecca’s mum wraps a cupcake in a pink paper napkin.
‘You girls go upstairs to get Billie’s things,’ she says.
Billie and Rebecca walk upstairs. Billie knows what she has to do to feel better.
She takes the little pony out of her pocket. Even though it is the nicest pony Billie has ever had, she knows that she can’t keep it. She holds it out to Rebecca.
‘I’m sorry,’ she says.
‘Can we swap back again? My friend gave me those sparkly pens.
He’ll be sad if he finds out I gave them away.’
‘I know why you want them back,’ Rebecca says. She hands the pens back to Billie.‘They’re from your boyfriend.’
‘Jack is not my boyfriend!’ Billie says crossly.‘He’s my friend.
My best friend. He’s the bestest best friend around!’ Billie thinks of Jack and smiles.‘He’s funny and he’s good on the monkey bars and he’s really good at making cubbies too. He can make a cubby just from sticks and leaves!’
‘Wow!’ Rebecca says.
‘I’m not allowed to make cubbies in our garden. Mum says they make too much mess.’<
br />
‘You should come and play in our cubby then,’ Billie says, smiling. ‘I’m sure Jackwon’t mind. There’s lots of room!’
‘Really? Thanks, Billie!’ says Rebecca.
‘Billie?’ Rebecca’s mum calls.‘Are you ready?’
‘Coming!’ Billie shouts. She grabs her school bag and shoves the pens into the front pocket.
‘Wait!’ says Rebecca. She grabs Billie’s hand. ‘Keep the pony.’
‘Why?’ asks Billie, feeling worried. ‘Don’t you want to swap back?’
‘It’s not that. I’ve got lots of pens,’ Rebecca says. ‘I’ve got lots of toy ponies,too. But I don’t have any friends like you, Billie. You can keep the pony.’
‘Thanks!’ Billie says happily. Then she has an idea.‘Maybe we could be second-best friends?’
‘Cool!’ says Rebecca. ‘I’d like that!’
‘Me too,’ says Billie.
Rebecca and Billie run downstairs.
Rebecca’s mum starts the car. Rebecca waves goodbye to Billie.
Billie leans back against the car seat. Her tummy isn’t hurting so much now. She takes the paper napkin out of her pocket and unwraps it.
The cupcake inside is a little bit squished, but she knows Jack will still like it.
Billie B Brown has three long-haired dolls, twelve sparkly hairclips and one pink comb. Do you know what the B in Billie B Brown stands for?
Beautiful.
Billie B Brown is playing hairdressers today. Hairdressers make people look beautiful.
Jack is Billie’s best friend. He lives next door. Billie and Jack play together everyday.
If Jack wants to build a cubby house, Billie helps him. If Billie wants to play soccer,Jack plays too.
But Jack doesn’t want to play with Billie today.