by Emma Moss
Jessie skipped happily down the path through the woods, then glanced back at Hermione, lingering behind her. She slowed down.
‘You’re being kind of quiet, H,’ she said, noticing Hermione’s worried expression. ‘Are you OK? Still stressed about the insects? They won’t kill you, promise!’
Hermione shook her head. ‘It’s not just that. More . . . stuff at home. It’s been on my mind for a while. My dad still wants me to meet his new girlfriend’s daughter when we get back . . . That’s so not happening while I have a say!’
Jessie smiled sympathetically. She knew she would hate it if her parents separated and she was expected to get on brilliantly with a whole new family.
‘Plus, yeah, I am a bit anxious about this camping stuff to be honest,’ continued Hermione. ‘Not just the mosquitos – but everything! How am I going to be able to read at night?’
Jessie laughed. Reading was the last thing on her mind! ‘You’re so cute . . . You’ll just have to detox from reading, I guess.’ She paused, then glanced back at Hermione. ‘Actually, I’ve got something bothering me too. Can I tell you? You can’t tell the others . . .’
‘Promise. Go on, spill,’ said Hermione curiously.
‘Well, it’s about me and Abby . . .’ said Jessie. She paused, trying to find the right words. ‘I mean, I can tell she still hates me for that fashion-shoot disaster. Everyone thinks we made up when I helped her with her panic attack at SummerTube, but that hasn’t really lasted. I know I let you guys down, but it wasn’t deliberate, and I felt awful about it. And now Abby is still mean to me and it really hurts. Especially when she goes on about how amazing Sassy is.’
Jessie exhaled loudly. It felt good to have finally told someone how she felt.
‘Oh, Jess!’ said Hermione, reaching over to give her a hug. ‘She has been giving you a bit of a hard time. I guess I didn’t really pay attention because I wanted us all to be OK again. Abby can sometimes be kind of . . .’
‘Nasty?’ interjected Jessie bitterly.
‘I was going to say harsh,’ said Hermione. ‘Sometimes she doesn’t think before she speaks. And she can be quite spiky. Like in the car today with the Sassy stuff – we all noticed that. I honestly don’t think she means to hurt anyone, though.’
Jessie felt irritated. Did Hermione actually believe that? ‘Well, it doesn’t feel like that from where I’m standing,’ she replied. ‘It’s got to the point where I’m not completely comfortable around her any more. And she’s sooo precious sometimes.’ Jessie hated complaining, but now that she’d started, it was hard to stop. These feelings had been building up for ages, and it was such a relief to let them out.
‘Hmm,’ said Hermione, looking anxious. ‘Leave it with me, Jess. Let me think about it.’ Her voice perked up. ‘And look! How gorgeous is that!’
Jessie followed her gaze. They had reached the dock on the lake where there were kayaks for rent outside a little boathouse, waterskiing equipment and a cafe. The lake itself was large and beautiful with a little island in the middle. Hermione got out her phone and started taking pictures.
‘Seriously nice,’ agreed Jessie. She took in the inflatable water park, which featured slippery walkways, slides and swings and, to her delight, water trampolines. They’d be able to film some amazing footage here.
‘Wait up, you guys!’
Jessie stiffened as she heard Abby’s call. She and Lucy were running to catch up with them.
‘OMG, guys!’ Abby continued, breathless. ‘We’ve just struck it lucky. Guess what we spotted?’
‘Some kind of wildlife?’ said Hermione nervously.
Abby snorted. ‘Wildlife? I guess you could call it that. We saw these really rare specimens. They were too far away to talk to and, anyway, we don’t want to seem keen—’
‘You mean boys?’ asked Hermione.
‘Yes – cute ones! Our age, I think. We can get the binoculars out and stalk them!’ said Abby.
‘Obviously I’m taken!’ Lucy smiled, ‘But they were OK-looking I g-guess!’
‘We don’t know them,’ said Hermione. ‘I’m not following some randoms around all day.’
Jessie agreed – she knew what Abby was like; they might lose a whole day to boy watching. ‘Also, errr, Lucy’s not the only taken one, remember, Abby?’ she added. Charlie was friends with all of them, and he was crazy about Abby since they’d officially got together a few weeks ago. ‘He was so cute with you in that Best Friend/BF challenge.’
‘So?’ said Abby sharply. ‘It’s early days with me and Charlie . . . Besides, am I not allowed to talk to other guys?’
Jessie cleared her throat. Abby had suddenly made her feel like a baby. ‘Of course you are – you said you wanted to stalk them, though,’ she said defensively. ‘Sounds a bit weird if you’re not interested, that’s all. But whatever. Forget I said anything.’
‘I will,’ said Abby breezily. She looked down at her phone. ‘Sassy says she would have been up for boy-spotting . . . oh well.’
Jessie huffed and was relieved when Hermione and Lucy started talking loudly about their vlog ideas for the week.
*
It was ages until supper was ready. The fire took a long time to get hot enough to cook their hotdogs.
They had corn on the cob and baked beans as well.
‘Dee-licious,’ said Jessie. ‘Why does food always taste better outdoors?’
‘Mom, can we have the marshmallows nowww?’ begged Maggie for the fifth time.
Jessie smiled at her – toasting marshmallows had been her favourite part of camping at Maggie’s age too. And it was still up there, if she was honest.
‘Sure, Mags, I’ll help you,’ said Lucy, scooting over to sit next to her sister. ‘Put your m-marshmallow on the end of the roasting stick. Careful of the pointy tip! Now hold it over the campfire, but careful not to let it catch f-fire!’
‘Yum yum yum!’ mumbled Maggie, her mouth full of marshmallow, a few minutes later.
‘Watch out! Y-you’ve got it all in your hair!’ cried Lucy.
Jessie leaned over and dabbed at Maggie’s hair. ‘Don’t worry, Mags. Max would have made an even bigger mess! There we go – that’s clean enough.’
‘Thanks, Jessie. OK, princess,’ said Mrs Lockwood. ‘Time for bed. Say goodnight to the girls. You’ll see them in the morning.’
‘This is so relaxing,’ said Hermione as they sat round the campfire on their own after doing the washing-up. They were sipping cocoa and eating more marshmallows, and Abby had her vlog camera out.
‘You OK?’ Hermione mouthed to Jessie, who nodded. Jessie had sort of been avoiding Abby after what had happened down by the lake, not wanting to make a big deal of it.
Lucy gestured at Abby to film her. ‘Here, guys, is h-how you make smores,’ she said as she took a toasted marshmallow and a melted chunk of chocolate and sandwiched them between two digestive biscuits. ‘This is a MUST on every c-camping trip in America.’ She took a huge bite.
‘This is so good,’ said Hermione, shoving one in her mouth and licking her fingers.
‘What shall we do now?’ asked Jessie, once they’d all had one. ‘Tell ghost stories or play truth or dare?’
VLOG 2
FADE IN: ABBY’S BEDROOM
ABBY sitting on her bed with WEENIE on her lap, wearing pink-and-red tartan pyjamas. Bed is covered with clothes and toiletries and a half-empty camping rucksack.
ABBY
Hi, guys! Sorry for the mess – it’s shocking, I know – but I’m in the middle of packing. I’m going camping with the Girls Can Vlog crew, which OBVIOUSLY we’ll be vlogging, but the really exciting part – as some of you picked up in our last vlog – is that we’re also going to Chesterbury! Yay! And so today I’m going to give you ten tips on how to make your festival visit a big success and some pitfalls to avoid. So here goes . . . Oops, bye, Weenie!
WEENIE jumps off her lap.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
First up, be organized and plan i
n advance. Make lists of what you’re going to pack.
ABBY holds up a clipboard.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
When you leave home, make sure you’ve got your ticket, money and phone. Oh, and to help you coordinate with your mates, set up a WhatsApp group for everyone who’s going – great for sharing plans both before the festival and when you’re there. Agree a meeting place in case you get separated.
Still on planning . . . work out your outfits for each day ahead of time. Don’t just pack lots of random clothes, cos you’re bound to pack too much and leave behind the most important thingS. Go through it day by day: clothes, shoes, accessories. This is a tough one for me as I always want to bring my entire floordrobe!
MONTAGE: ABBY trying to fit too many clothes into a heaving suitcase, tries to zip it up but can’t.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
Phone. Obviously don’t forget it, as it’s crucial to stay in touch with your friends. VERY IMPORTANT – pack a spare battery. And, while you’re there, turn off your data to save battery. If it’s going to rain, keep your phone safe in a Ziploc bag.
Which leads me to the next point. Prepare for all weather. Bring sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, but only cheapies in case you lose or break them. Choose some fun ones that’ll look great on Instagram.
ABBY models some fluorescent-pink star-shaped sunglasses.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
If you’re going somewhere it might rain, take a waterproof jacket and some wellies. Wear something you feel comfortable in, especially on your feet. No heels, sandals or opeen-toed shoes. Sad, I know – I’m gonna have to leave these little beauties behind!
ABBY holds up a pair of strappy sandals.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
Your feet will get trampled and filthy. Boots can give you blisters, so basically trainers are your best bet. Take a mini dry shampoo. You can get them in so many gorgeous scents now. My favourite is rose. Don’t pack anything valuable like jewellery. Stay hydrated. Take a refillable water bottle so you don’t have to keep buying plastic ones – saves money and the environment! Loo roll. Loo roll, loo roll, loo roll.
ABBY laughs.
ABBY (CONTINUED)
Most important, bring your FUN self. Stay safe and have a fantastic time! So I hope that’s helped you guys get ready for a festival! Now I’ve gotta get back to my packing! I just can’t decide about tops. If you’ve got any other great tips, put them in the comments down below, and I’ll give you a shout-out next week. And look out for my next ‘Get Ready with Me’ festival vlog. Bye-ee!
ABBY waves to the camera.
FADE OUT.
Views: 10,289
Subscribers: 23,766
Comments:
girlscanvlogfan: #earlysquad
ShyGirl1: wish i was coming too.
xxrainbowxx: please tag your pjs!!
cactuscollector: Love you, Abby xxx
festivalchick100: you forgot wet wipes – portable shower in a packet!
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There was a loud whispering noise, and Abby woke with a jolt. Where was she? All she could see was blue surrounding her. She looked through the darkness and saw a body stretched out beside her . . . OF COURSE! She was in a tent with her mates – they were camping.
The body sat up and whispered, ‘Abs, did you hear that?’
‘What, Hermione?’ croaked Abby, still half asleep.
‘That! That rustling sound. I keep hearing it.’
‘Hmmm.’ Abby tried to listen hard. ‘Maybe?’ she replied. It was probably Hermione’s overactive imagination playing tricks again.
Hermione grabbed her hand. ‘There it is again! What is it? It could be, like, a giant cockroach or something.’ Her voice was growing shrill.
Abby grinned in the dark. ‘It’s OK, H, don’t panic.’ Although . . . Abby could definitely hear some scratching in the tent now too.
‘OMG!’ Hermione screamed. ‘Something just ran across my face! HELP!’
She tried to jump up, still in her sleeping bag, and tripped over Lucy, who was next to her. Abby giggled. She’d never seen Hermione move so fast before.
‘Keep your hair on, dude,’ she said as Hermione continued to scream from where she’d fallen. ‘It’s probably nothing.’
Hermione ignored her and kept wailing.
‘Or, you know, just keep screaming . . .’ Abby was half tempted to grab the vlog camera – this was hilarious.
‘What’s g-going on?’ asked Lucy, sitting up. ‘Get the t-torch!’
‘It’s probably nothing,’ said Abby again, glancing at Hermione, who had now hidden her face in her hands. ‘Just H’s creepy-crawly phobia kicking into action.’
Suddenly there was light; Jessie had switched on the torch and was shining it around. ‘What do you think you saw, H?’
‘I didn’t see it – I felt it!’ Hermione shuddered. ‘I don’t know what it was, but it’s freaking me right out . . .’
Jessie pointed the torch at the corner of the tent where they’d stashed their snacks. Abby shrieked as she caught sight of a brown creature desperately scrabbling to get out of a large packet of M&Ms.
‘It’s a rat!’ she shouted, feeling a rush of panic. ‘Oooh, get it out of here! Lucy! Look – it’s already nibbled the chocolate! Gross!’
‘Keep your hair on, dude,’ she heard Jessie mumble.
Abby shot her a look in the gloom. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’ It seemed like Jessie was always trying to pick a fight with her at the moment. She edged away from the rat.
‘Just – you weren’t the most sympathetic to Hermione just now,’ said Jessie with a shrug.
Abby rolled her eyes. This was ridiculous. ‘I was obviously joking! Plus, I think Hermione can speak for herself, thanks, Jessie. H – do you have a problem with me?’
‘Guys, this is not the time,’ pleaded Hermione. ‘Can we concentrate on getting the rat out, ASAP?!’
‘It looks m-more like a mouse,’ said Lucy. ‘Kind of cute, actually. It’s t-tiny and so frightened cos it can’t get out.’
‘I’ll call the RSPCA, shall I?’ said Abby sarcastically, feeling increasingly disgusted. Didn’t rats or mice or whatever carry diseases? ‘Just get it out, someone.’
‘I’m on it, Abs.’ Lucy got up, unzipped the tent, and eventually the mouse ran out into the night.
‘That bag of chocolate must have seemed like a treasure trove to that littleun,’ said Jessie. ‘You can see where it was nibbling through the packet . . . We should have known better than to keep food in the tent.’
‘We’re lucky we weren’t in America where it m-might have been a b-bear.’ Lucy laughed.
‘Don’t!’ said Hermione. ‘I’m probably going to have nightmares now as it is.’
Eventually they all got back to sleep, Abby tossing and turning for a while as she replayed Jessie’s comments in her mind. She knew she wasn’t always the most touchy-feely of people, but on the whole she was a nice person, wasn’t she? If not, why were they all friends with her?
Now it was morning. Abby yawned, reached under her pillow for her phone and started catching up on Snapchat and Instagram. She already felt a million miles away from all the stuff going on back home and looked longingly at a beauty blogger’s flat lay of a new range of perfumes. She Snapchatted with Sassy (who said she was dying of boredom) for a while, then—
‘Rise and shine, guys,’ chirped Lucy, sitting up and stretching. ‘I p-promised my mom we’d help cook b-breakfast. There’s pancake mix, so it sh-should be easy.’
‘On it!’ said Hermione eagerly.
Abby was relieved someone else had offered – she wasn’t a fan of cooking first thing in the morning.
As it was a bit cramped with all of them in one tent, they took turns getting ready. Hermione and Jessie went first, then went to help with breakfast. Abby and Lucy headed off to the shower block, Abby holding her wash bag, which was crammed with mini toiletries.
‘Luce, can yo
u plait my hair?’ she asked. ‘It’ll help keep it clean for a few days. Plus those French plaits look kinda cute?’ She wanted to look nice for later if they saw those boys again . . . even though she had zero plans to do anything, despite what Jessie thought.
Lucy nodded. ‘Sure thing. And, Abs, I have something I n-need to talk to you about.’
Abby sensed a seriousness in Lucy’s voice. What now?
‘It’s a b-bit tricky,’ said Lucy. ‘I r-really don’t want to h-hurt your f-feelings . . .’
Abby noticed that Lucy’s stammer was worse than usual because she was nervous. Was it something really bad?
‘It’s about you and J-Jess,’ Lucy continued.
Abby’s heart sank. She knew things were awkward, but hadn’t realized the others were aware of it too.
‘Jess? What’s the problem?’ She tried to sound breezy.
‘Well, Abs, ever since the f-fashion shoot at C-City Farm and all that, there’s b-been a problem. I m-mean you never really m-made it up with Jessie. She told Hermione that she th-thinks you still hate her. Oh, this is r-really hard for me, Abs.’ She took Abby’s hand. ‘That photoshoot video was quite v-vicious, and sometimes you can be very s-snarky to Jess. We’ve all n-noticed it.’
Abby pulled back her hand, feeling suddenly sick, as if she’d been punched. She didn’t know what to say.
‘This is ridiculous! Complete rubbish!’ she hit back as they reached the shower block. ‘I mean, the fashion shoot was Jessie’s fault, and I can’t believe she’s still whining about it.’
In a tense silence, they brushed their teeth, washed their faces, then brushed their hair. Abby massaged on some moisturiser with inbuilt SPF and a slight tint. A million angry thoughts were going through her mind, but she didn’t want to say the wrong thing and fall out with Lucy too.