“Chloe doesn’t even know I’m entering the swimming regionals, because she told me being in the swimming club wasn’t cool,” I admitted. “Coming to swimming practice with you guys has been a complete secret. If she found out, then she’d probably never hang around with me again.”
“But you love swimming,” Ed said, confused. “You always have. And you’re so good at it. You’re easily up there with Alice.” He paused for a moment. “I just don’t understand why someone like you is so worried about what Chloe thinks about them. She hasn’t got any kind of talent, except for being pretty.”
I suddenly knew the answer to how I’d been feeling.
“Because, Ed,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes, “the last thing I want is to be abandoned again.”
Ed put his arm round my shoulder.
“Don’t cry,” he said, giving me a huge hug. “You’re not going to be abandoned. And you’ll always have me.”
“I’m so, so sorry for being so horrible to you in front of her,” I said, sniffling. “I didn’t even mean it. I promise I won’t ever let anyone treat you like that again.” And as I hugged him back, I meant it with all my heart.
13
“Who the hell has an ‘unbirthday’?” Chloe scoffed as the girls opened my party invitations a couple of days later. I wanted them to be the first in the class to get them, so I handed them out in secret at break time when no one else was watching.
“I think an unbirthday is a really funny idea,” Jess said, giggling. “Nice one, Molly. I can’t wait to come.”
“Me neither,” said Neada, giving me a hug. “I love the invitations too. Very artistic.”
“My mum made them,” I said proudly, glancing at the cards she’d spent the last two days making. She’d typed out all the party details on the computer, glued them on to the back of some star-shaped cardboard and sprinkled them with silver glitter.
Chloe turned her nose up at them, of course.
“If your mum’s as ‘rich’ as you make out she is, why couldn’t she afford better invitations?” she said, waving the invite at me. “Isn’t this cardboard from a cereal box? They look so cheap.”
“I think they look great,” Jess replied, not bothering to acknowledge Chloe in the slightest.
I couldn’t work out if Chloe was annoyed or jealous at Jess’s reaction, but, either way, it was quite funny watching her expression change. Neada and Jess were just not interested in a single thing she had to say, no matter how much she tried to get them to notice her. Her lips curled into a frown at the lack of attention and she folded her arms in a huff.
“Guys, remember when my mum got those really fancy invites that were all laser cut?” Chloe said, but Neada spoke over her before she had the chance to finish.
“It’ll be so nice finally meeting your mum, Mol,” she said sweetly.
I couldn’t wait either. I wanted them to see how much fun and how great my mum was. I finally had a mum to show off like the other girls did – one that was adventurous, silly and who had a laugh.
“My mum says I can invite everyone in the class,” I told them. I made sure that no one was left out, even the people I didn’t talk to very much. If Chloe ever threw big parties, she’d often leave two or three people out deliberately and I didn’t like that at all.
“So I suppose that means you’re inviting that geek Ed and fat Gabby?” Chloe said with a sneer.
I think she was expecting Neada and Jess to laugh, but they didn’t at all.
“Yeah, I am actually,” I replied, standing my ground.
She raised her eyebrows and smirked.
“Molly can invite whoever she likes, Chloe,” Jess said suddenly. “It’s her party, not yours. And if you don’t want to come, then don’t.”
Chloe looked taken aback. She wasn’t used to people answering her back. I liked the fact Jess stood her ground with her. I just wished I had the confidence to do it more myself.
She kept quiet throughout the rest of the day. In fact, Chloe kept quiet for most of the week. For someone as notoriously as loud as she was, she became incredibly subdued. It wasn’t like her to be this silent at all.
Later in the canteen, Neada, Jess and I were having fun playing The Taste Game, where we mixed and matched food to see what tasted the best (or, usually, the most disgusting). We’d write what we’d concocted into a notepad, rating the flavours out of ten.
Neada dunked her chips into chocolate pudding.
“Hmm,” she said, munching away. “Salty and sweet. I’d rate it a six.”
We burst out laughing. Chloe kept staring at a mark on the table with her arms folded, keeping quiet and not joining in. Even she liked playing The Taste Game, so I knew something must’ve been up.
“Are you gonna eat that?” Jess asked, greedily pointing at Chloe’s fish and chips that had barely been touched.
Chloe shook her head. “I’m not hungry,” she replied quietly.
“Fair enough,” Jess said, and went to dip a bit of battered fish into some custard.
I knew something was wrong. I knew Chloe better than anybody. She was usually the star of the show, making sure all eyes were on her at any given moment. She wasn’t being as flamboyant as she usually was.
“Is everything all right?” I asked, as Jess and Neada laughed between themselves.
“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” Chloe snapped.
“You’re not being very chatty, that’s all,” I said.
She glared at me with a face of thunder. “Yeah? Well, maybe it’s because you’re all so boring and immature,” she replied, and with that, stormed out of the room and into the playground.
“I really hope this birthday party won’t distract you from your swimming contest,” Grandad said that evening as we all sat around the TV. It was nice sitting down together as a family, Nan clutching her tea and Grandad filling out the crossword. “It’s only a week before you compete.”
“I promise it won’t,” I said. If anything, planning the party distracted me from worrying about the contest so much. I turned to look at Mum. “You’re still going to come and watch me swim though, aren’t you, Mum?”
“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Mum said, tapping away on her phone. It didn’t sound like she was listening to me much at all. She’d been hooked to the phone all evening, barely saying a word to any of us.
“Your arms look a lot stronger,” Grandad said, smiling. I smiled back. I loved the fact I could see my muscles strengthening with every class. I felt strong, like some sort of superhero.
It didn’t matter that Chloe was still in a mood with me. I’d made friends with Ed again and that was all that mattered. Being friends with him and having my mum back felt like all my Christmases had come at once.
I liked that there was never any drama with Ed. He didn’t tell me to change my clothes or to stop speaking to other people. He didn’t call me fat, even though he saw me in a swimming costume four times a week. Being with him made me feel relaxed – like I was the happiest girl in the world.
He did seem a bit dubious when I gave him my party invite though.
“Are you sure you want me to come?” he asked suspiciously. “I know you’re worried about Chl—”
I interrupted him. “You’re the one person I want to be there the most,” I said truthfully. “Please come. I won’t ever let Chloe be mean to you again.”
“I’m so glad you two are back to your old selves,” Alice said in swimming club that week. It was an early-morning session and Ed was doing silly impressions once again, the water rippling as I laughed hysterically.
“You both make a fantastic team,” Mr Davidson said.
Ed smiled at me. “I’m glad we’re friends again too,” he said.
I blushed pink and stared down at the water. What was wrong with me?!
Alice was standing on the side of the pool next to Mr Davidson, swimming goggles on top of her head and hands on her hips. She clapped her hands, making everyone take notice.
“Right, everyone!” she yelled, and everyone gathered round in the water. Mr Davidson began unpacking plastic bags from out of his backpack, organising them into two piles on the floor. “Mr Davidson and I have got you all a little something to say well done for all your hard work.”
Mr Davidson began calling us out of the pool one by one. We whispered among each other, wondering what these parcels could be
“Molly!” he yelled, and I climbed out, ready to inspect this mysterious package. He handed me a packet and I studied it, opening the plastic neatly.
It was a swimming costume with my name and the school badge printed on the chest. It looked so professional, like the costumes I’d seen the Olympic swimmers wear on TV.
“We thought you all needed to look the part,” he said as he handed out more to the rest of the team. “We’ve got to look the best there!”
“Now you’ll really look the part next week,” Alice said, squeezing my shoulders. I smiled, though inside my tummy was doing backflips. Seeing the swimming costume meant the regionals were really happening.
“Oh, God!” Mr Davidson said to me and Ed suddenly. “Look at the time! We need to get you back to school for breakfast club!”
I didn’t have time to dry my hair. The water soaked through my school jumper and on to my shoulders like a wet fish, making me feel damp and yucky, and I reeked of chlorine.
“Chloe’s definitely going to find out I’ve been swimming now,” I whispered to Ed anxiously as Mr Davidson sped down the road. Nan would’ve had a heart attack if she’d seen how fast we were driving.
We arrived at breakfast club just as the dinner ladies were packing up the food. By this point I was starving. They gave us a couple of slices of cold toast, which was better than nothing, I suppose, and we ate them as quickly as we could before rushing off to class.
Luckily my hair was almost dry by the time we got to the classroom. I sat down in my chair and let out a sigh of relief. We’d made it just in time before Mrs Ingram arrived.
“You’re late,” Chloe said.
I suddenly noticed my swimming kit by my feet. I’d completely forgotten to put it in my locker. I kicked it quietly under my chair, trying to be as discreet as possible.
Then Chloe began sniffing the air.
“What’s that smell?” she asked. “It smells like a swimming pool in here.”
My heart suddenly stopped beating in my chest. My palms felt sweaty.
“D-does it?” I asked, trying to sound as surprised as possible.
“I can’t smell anything,” Jess said curiously.
Chloe’s eyes turned into slits. “It’s you, isn’t it?” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been swimming. Don’t lie, Molly. I can smell it.”
“No, she hasn’t,” a voice said from out of the blue. It was Ed, leaning across the table. “I was at swimming practice. Molly wasn’t there.”
In that moment he might as well have been my knight in shining armour.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Chloe snapped at him. Neada and Jess glanced up, their eyes widening.
“Well, I guess the chlorine smell must be me,” he said. “Sorry about that.”
I let out a breath of air. Luckily for me, my secret was still safe.
“You are still swimming, aren’t you?” Jess whispered to me as Chloe left the table to sharpen her pencils.
I went bright red. I didn’t want to hide a secret from her or Neada any more.
“Yes,” I whispered back. “But please don’t tell Chloe. I can’t give it up. It’s my most favourite thing to do. You both know that.”
“We won’t tell a soul!” Neada whispered. “Well done for not listening to what Chloe says.” She glanced up to make sure Chloe couldn’t hear. “Honestly, going round the zoo with her was the most boring thing in the world. She just kept saying mean things the whole time.”
“She’s horrible,” added Jess. “Neada and I have been talking and we don’t want to be Chloe’s friend any more. We think she’s a bully. Especially to Ed and Gabby.”
I felt such a sense of relief. Thank goodness I wasn’t the only one fed up with her.
“Let’s give her one last chance to make it up to us at my party,” I said. I knew Chloe was awful but she wouldn’t ruin my day … would she?
14
To say I was nervous about the party was an understatement. I was terrified that nobody would show up, which had left me feeling sick the entire week.
I wasn’t as popular as Chloe. I didn’t have a ton of friends other than Neada, Jess and Ed, so I couldn’t be too sure anyone would come. Most of all, I was worried it wouldn’t be good enough for Chloe’s tastes.
After everything that had happened recently, I just wanted it to go smoothly, but the lead-up to the day began feeling more and more stressful. It didn’t help that Chloe was putting pressure on me about it at school.
“Is there gonna be nice food?” she asked. Chloe always had the most expensive food at her parties – plates of posh sandwiches filled with exotic flavours like lobster (that nobody ate) and pretend champagne in fancy glasses (that nobody drank).
“Yeah, my mum said there’ll be lots,” I said, although in truth I had no idea whether there would be food or not. Mum said she was going to make the whole day a surprise, which didn’t exactly help with my nerves. She kept telling me it would be the best party ever, but there was a part of me that wasn’t entirely convinced. Mum wasn’t exactly known for her reliability.
“Make sure you leave some for the guests then,” she said, sniggering at her own “joke”. I glanced down into my lap, desperately wishing Chloe wouldn’t show up at all.
“You’d better start thinking about what you’re going to wear for your party,” Nan said on the Wednesday night. The day was fast approaching. “Why don’t you wear the skirt and top I got you from Riverdale a few weeks ago?”
“She’s already got a dress she can wear,” Mum said, interrupting her.
Oh God. I’d completely forgotten about my lovely, special dress, which currently lay crumpled in the shopping bag under my bed. I’d hidden it from Nan in case it caused another row, but I guess the secret was out now.
“What dress?” Nan asked. I gulped.
“I got her the red one she liked,” Mum said. “You know, the red one with stars on.”
Nan looked annoyed but she didn’t argue.
“I’m sure you’ll look lovely,” Nan said, forcing a smile. “You always do.”
“Well, go and get it then,” Mum said to me. “Get your nan to iron it for you.”
I couldn’t explain it, but it almost felt like Mum was trying to cause trouble.
Nan looked like she wanted to say something again but she kept quiet. I ran upstairs to collect the dress before she had a chance to argue, and watched her iron the fabric until it looked as good as when I’d brought it home from the shop.
On Saturday morning, the day of the party, Mum and Nan came into my room singing “Happy Birthday”. They’d made thick American-style pancakes, decorated with maple syrup and strawberries, and lit a blue candle on top.
“Make a wish!” Mum said as I blew out my candles. “I’m going to make sure you have the best unbirthday ever.”
I tried to muster up a smile, but I still felt sick at the prospect of nobody showing up.
“Here you go,” Nan said, handing me a present wrapped in metallic pink paper. “This is from both your mum and me.”
I unwrapped it slowly, trying to savour the moment as much as I could. Mum looked like she was getting frustrated at how slow I was being.
“Come on, Mol, open it!” she said impatiently. “We haven’t got all day.”
I tore open the paper. Inside was a make-up kit full of eyeshadow, lip gloss and glitter. It was the same make-up kit I’d seen at Chloe’s house a while ago, which she told me had been really expensive, and which she wouldn’t let me try.
“Wow!” I said, genuine
ly surprised. I moved my fingers across the plastic casing, wriggling the case so that the make-up glistened in the light. Aside from the dress, it was the most grown-up thing I owned.
Then I remembered something. “I thought I wasn’t allowed to wear make-up?” I asked, looking at Nan, confused.
“Well, it is your unbirthday,” Nan said. “You deserve a treat for all the hard work you’ve put into swimming. And besides, you’re getting older now. A little bit of make-up at the weekends won’t do any harm.”
I leaned across the bed and hugged her tight, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, Nan.”
“Right, time to get out of bed,” Mum said quickly. “People will be arriving at one and we’ve got to make you look the star of the show.”
I sat in Nan’s bedroom at her dressing table, my new make-up kit at my side. Nan began brushing my hair until the curls turned into waves and Mum sat down on the floor to start painting my nails. I felt like some sort of celebrity, being pampered by my lovely assistants.
When I finally got round to putting on my dress, Mum made me do a grand entrance for everyone. She, Nan and Grandad stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting for me to appear at the top.
“Ta-dah!” I yelled, waving my arms in the air. They looked at me in amazement.
“Oh, Molly,” Grandad said. “You look so grown up.”
“You look beautiful,” Nan added.
“That’s my girl,” Mum said. For the first time ever, she actually sounded proud of me. “Right, come downstairs and cover your eyes. I’m done with the garden now.”
“No peeking!” Mum said, leading us slowly out into the back garden, my hands in front my eyes. I was too scared to peek anyway. I didn’t want to have to pretend to be pleased with something if I wasn’t.
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