Fashion Fraud (8 page)

Éclair was playing with Pip on the bedroom floor while Emma got dressed. When the doorbell rang she knew it would be Elle and her mum coming to take her to Eve's party. Emma tied the thick red ribbon around her waist and double-checked the knot at the back before she raced down the hallway and opened the door.

‘Elle, you look great!'

‘So do you, Em,' cried Elle, hugging her friend. ‘And you look so you!'

When the girls arrived at the party, they saw that Eve's living room had been cleared for a dance floor and decorated with streamers and balloons. Her older sister was being the DJ. Everyone at the party looked great and lots of people said nice things about Emma's dress. Even Nema and Laila grudgingly agreed.

‘Not bad,' said Laila. ‘For something that isn't new.'

‘I hope that ribbon is on tight,' said Nema, smirking.

‘I think it looks really good,' said Eve, who came up behind Laila.

‘Thanks, Eve,' said Emma, smiling gratefully. ‘Elles,' she said, ‘is there something fishy here?'

‘I'm not sure, Em,' said Elle. ‘I'm too chicken to check.'

Nema and Laila looked at each other then back to Emma and Elle.

‘What did you say?' asked Laila.

‘Nothing,' said Emma. ‘Hey, Elle, there's Isi and Han!'

Isi bounded up to Emma and Elle and hugged them both. ‘Welcome back,' she whispered. ‘I've just been talking to Eve,' she said loudly. ‘Do you realise that her name is exactly the same backwards and forwards? How cool is that?'

‘Very,' said Emma.

Eve grinned.

‘And there's something else cool,' said Hannah, beaming. ‘I won that writing competition I entered. I pick up my prize at some light shop next week.'

Emma, Isi and Elle all shrieked in delight and hugged Hannah. Then a song they all loved started to play. Isi shrieked again.

‘I've made up a really cool routine to this! Come on, I'll show you! Come on, Eve, you'll love it too!'

The girls all rushed to the centre of the room. They lined up behind Isi and followed her moves. Soon other people joined in and in no time they had a long line stretching through the living room into the kitchen, all doing the same routine but with everyone adding a little something of their own. Everyone was having a ball and even Nema and Laila joined in.

Emma looked at her friends and smiled. Now all the besties were going to be in
SHINE
and they had each done it their way.

Be true to yourself, remembered Emma. And she had been, they all had—with a little help from EJ12!