My Sister Jodie (15 page)

‘I don't think so,' said Dan. ‘I have a granny but she's not very well.'

‘I've got a mummy and I've got a different daddy now and I've got to stay at school until I'm a good boy,' said Zeph. ‘I'm bad.'

‘I think you're a
very
good boy,' I said.

‘I'm not. I threw paint on the floor, didn't I, Undie?'

‘I think it was an accident,' said Miss Ponsonby kindly.

‘It wasn't,' Zeph muttered. ‘I just felt like doing it.'

Miss Ponsonby chose not to hear him. She settled the three children on the bench. I poured them all glasses of water which they lapped at furiously, like camels. Dad came strolling in, his toolbelt dragging on his hips like a gun holster. Zeph and Dan clamoured for his attention, wanting to see his hammer and chisel and screwdriver. Dad let them pull them out of their pouches. Zeph immediately started hammering the table, while Dan aimed the screwdriver at him like a gun, going ‘
Bang bang
!'

‘I think they're too little for real tools, Mr Wells,' said Miss Ponsonby, wrenching them out of their fists.

‘I'll see if I can find you some plastic tools, boys,' said Dad. ‘Didn't you use to have a toy set, Pearl?'

‘I don't want a toy hammer, I want a real one, said Zeph.

‘I want a real gun and then I could really shoot you,' said Dan.

‘Now, now, that's not very nice,' said Mum, coming into the dining hall with the first trayful of food. She raised her eyebrows at Miss Ponsonby. ‘Kids, eh?' she said. Then she looked round. ‘Where's our Jodie?'

Jodie burst into the room,
hanging on Harley's arm.
Mr Wilberforce and Miss French and Jed were with them. Jodie muttered something and they all burst out laughing.

‘Oh dear, we've been keeping you waiting, Mrs Wells,' said Miss French.

‘That's quite all right,' said Mum stiffly.

‘Blame it all on me, please!' said Mr Wilberforce.
‘Me and my hibiscus. I had young Harley here clipping away and Jodie sweetly came to lend a hand. Then Frenchie strolled along to see what we were up to and that dratted mutt of hers ran riot, knocking the stepladder over and chasing all through my flower beds.'

‘I'm
so
sorry, Harold,' said Miss French. ‘It's appalling, I simply can't get him to behave.'

‘Jodie had the devil of a job catching him, didn't you, dear?' Mr Wilberforce nodded at Mum. ‘She's a sparky kid, your Jodie.'

Mum smiled and fiddled with the hot plates on the trolley. Mr Wilberforce sat down, breathing in appreciatively.

‘Something smells totally delicious. What are you spoiling us with today?'

Mum lifted the lid of her big serving dish with a flourish.

‘Oh my! Toad-in-the-hole! What joy!' said Mr Wilberforce.

‘How totally gorgeous!' said Miss French, smacking her lips together.

They sounded so over-the-top I wondered if they were teasing Mum, but she took their compliments at face value.

‘I've always had a light touch with my Yorkshire pud,' she said proudly.

‘So the brown bits are toad, are they?' said Jed. ‘Do you roast them or fry them?'

Mum knew
he
was teasing, and gave him a quick rap on his knuckles with her serving spoon.

Jodie and Harley came over to my bench. I turned to Sakura and started complimenting her on her dress all over again. I saw Jodie sit right up
the other end of the table. She still had a firm hold of Harley. My friend Harley. The first real friend I'd ever had.

‘Hey, sit down, Harley! I'm starving, aren't you? My mum's toad-in-the-hole isn't bad nosh, actually, but isn't there anywhere round here where you can get decent food – chips and pizza and stuff? Don't you get McDonald's in the country?'

‘There's a chip van on Friday night in Melchester village, but that's two miles away,' said Harley.

‘Oh, wow, wild night life, a chip van once a week,' said Jodie. ‘Pity you haven't got a real Harley. We could be out of here like a shot.'

‘Yeah, like I'm old enough to have a motorbike licence,' said Harley.

‘You're so tall lots of people would think you're sixteen or seventeen,' said Jodie.

It was almost as if she was flirting with him. It was so mean of her. She didn't even like him that much. She carried on chatting, quieter now, so I couldn't hear what they were saying. I chewed a piece of sausage over and over again, unable to swallow. Harley was probably telling her about the badgers right this minute. He was obviously fed up with me already. He had Jodie for a new best friend.

I spat a mouthful of sausage gristle into my hankie. I fed the rest of my meal to Zeph. Sakura wasn't eating hers either, prodding her sausages gingerly, as if they might leap up and croak at her.

‘They're not
real
toads,' I said.

‘I know,' said Sakura, but she still inspected each one, on the look-out for bulbous eyes and warts. Dan got tired of eating halfway too, and took his
man for a hike up his mashed-potato mountain.

‘Come on, eat up nicely, children, or you won't get any pudding,' said Mum, bustling past. ‘It's spotted dick and custard.'

Jodie and Harley cracked up laughing. Mum glared at them and patted me on the back.

‘Eat up, chickie. You've worked really hard this morning. Good girl!'

She was treating me as if I was one of the little ones. I
behaved
like one too, messing around with my food, squashing it all up to make it look smaller. Mum sighed and tutted at me. I couldn't even eat the silly spotted dick dish either. I just sat and stared at it.

‘Hey, don't you want your pudding, Pearl?' Harley called.

I shook my head.

‘Can I have it then? Your mum's a brilliant cook,' said Harley.

I pushed the plate towards him. I pushed a little too hard, so that the full plate nearly whizzed straight past and launched itself into mid-air like a flying saucer, but he caught hold of it in time.

‘Here, have mine too, Harley,' said Jodie. ‘Hey, roll up, roll up, watch the Incredible Hurling Harley eat three puddings in one go, and then he'll
explode
, custard spouting from every orifice, spotted dick spattering everything in sight.'

Harley waved his spoon in the air and golloped the pudding in three mouthfuls.

‘God, you're incredible. I'd have to walk bent for a week if I noshed that lot,' said Jodie. ‘You'll have to walk it off. Let's take Old Shep for a long walk, eh?'

‘You take him. I'm busy this afternoon,' said Harley.

‘Doing what?' said Jodie.

‘Doing my stuff,' said Harley.

‘OK, suit yourself,' said Jodie. She got up off the bench and nodded her head at me. ‘Come on, Pearl.'

She had such a nerve!

‘Come on what?' I said.

‘Come on, let's take Old Shep for a long walk.' She frowned at me. ‘You're not really scared of him, are you? He won't hurt you, he'll just lick you to bits.'

‘I'm not the slightest bit scared of him,' I lied. ‘But I don't want to go for a long walk. I'm tired. After stripping the wallpaper from our bedroom.'

Jodie stood staring at me. Then she shrugged. ‘OK, Miss Goody-goody Two Shoes. I'll take Old Shep for a walk by myself.'

‘I'll come!' said Zeph. ‘I'd much sooner walk Old Shep than do more sploshy old painting.'

Miss Ponsonby didn't object. Maybe she was glad to be free of him for a bit. She took Sakura and Dan off with her. Jodie went off with Miss French to collect Old Shep.

‘What are
you
going to do, pet?' Dad said to me. ‘Mum says you've made a grand job of your bedroom. You have a think what colour you want it painted – though you'll have to wait a bit, I've got that many jobs to do.'

‘That's OK, Dad. I'll read for a bit,' I said.

‘You and your books,' said Dad.

I went down the hall towards the kitchen. I think Harley might have called after me. I didn't turn round.

I went to my room. The stripped wall looked very bare and ugly, with scrape marks all over it. I felt sore and scraped too. I lay face down on my bed, trying not to worry about Jodie. I didn't see why I had to run after her and take that scary werewolf for a walk, especially when she'd been so mean about the room.
She
was the one who should be feeling bad, not me. Everyone always said I should stand up to her, not let her boss me around so much. I'd done just that – but now maybe she'd stay cross with me. I dreaded it when she went all sulky and wouldn't talk to me.

I hated it that she'd talked to Harley all lunch time. Jabber-jabber, whisper-whisper, chuckle-chuckle. They were probably laughing about
me
. I didn't want to think about it. I sat up and reached for Mrs Wilberforce's copy of
The Secret Garden.
I couldn't concentrate for a page or two but then I got sucked into the story. I read solidly for more than an hour, lost in Misselthwaite Manor with Mary. Then I started glancing at my alarm clock, wondering when Jodie was coming back. She'd said she'd take Old Shep for a long walk. Surely this was a very very long walk?

Mum was concerned too. She put her head round the bedroom door. ‘Where's that sister of yours?'

‘I don't know, Mum.'

‘I want her back here where I can keep an eye on her. She's running wild already. What do you think she's up to now?'

‘I don't
know
, Mum.'

‘I'd send your dad after her but he's busy banging a banister back into place. Dear, dear, it might be grand, but I'm telling you, the whole place is falling
to bits. Pearl, do get your head out of that book.

You'll strain your eyes.'

‘I'm fine, Mum.'

‘No you're not, you're all red-eyed and frowny. Look,
you
nip out and see if you can spot your sister. You can get a bit of fresh air at the same time.'

‘Oh, Mum! I don't know where to look.'

‘Don't be so wet. Just trot up the lane to Miss French's house. I'm sure our Jodie will be hanging round there. And you can always pop in on Mrs Wilberforce, tell her you're enjoying her book.'

‘No, Mum!'

‘Yes!'

‘I'm too shy.'

‘Don't be so soppy. Think how horrible it must be for poor Mrs Wilberforce, stuck in that wheelchair of hers, unable to get out and about and see folk. You go and have a little chat with her.'

‘Please don't make me. Can't I just stay here?' I begged.

‘Oh, for pity's sake! I've got one daughter who clears off Lord knows where, while the other one wants to hide away in her bedroom all day, mouldering.' Mum gave me a light tap on my bottom. ‘Come on, up you get and do as I say, chop-chop.'

So I got up and set off, clutching
The Secret Garden
to my chest. I went past the outbuildings and then turned down the sandy lane, trees crowding in on either side. There was no sign of Jodie and Old Shep. I didn't feel brave enough to go and bang on Miss French's door. I rehearsed what to say inside my head. I even rehearsed what I was going to say to Old Shep –
Here, boy, there's a good boy, down, boy
– in a firm, friendly voice so he wouldn't bite me.

I was trembling by the time I knocked on the door. It was a waste of time anyway, because no one was in. I thought of going to Mrs Wilberforce's bungalow as Mum had suggested, but that seemed scary too. I wasn't at all sure what to
say
to her. I was only halfway through
The Secret Garden
anyway so I didn't want to swap it just yet.

I wandered along to her house all the same. I even tiptoed up the garden path and breathed in the sweet jasmine scent. I put my hand out – but didn't knock at the door. Her house was very silent. Maybe she was having a rest after lunch. If so, it would be unkind to disturb her. I'd come back tomorrow or the day after, whenever I'd finished the book.

I backed down the path again and started trailing back to the school. I decided to find a quiet little grassy patch to tuck myself away where I could read my book. I tried to remember where the badger set had been. I'd got about halfway down the lane before I'd had to rush off to have a wee. I was sure it was the left-hand side somewhere . . .

I wandered in and out of the trees, peering round every likely bush, when I suddenly stumbled, tripping over Harley's leg. He was lying on his stomach, stretched out in a long line, reading his book. I gasped, but managed not to scream, because I saw the badger set behind him.

He smiled at me. ‘Hi,' he said quietly. ‘Don't look so worried, like you're Little Red Riding Hood and I'm the Big Bad Wolf.'

‘Sorry!' I said foolishly. ‘You'll think I'm stalking you or something. I'll leave you alone. I know you've got stuff to do. You need some peace.'

‘I said that to
Jodie
. Come on, keep me company. I don't think we'll see any badgers, they're mostly nocturnal, but we could get really lucky. One time I saw a mother with a cub.'

‘Oh, I want to see a baby one too!' I said, squatting down beside him.

‘Typical girl,' said Harley, but he was just teasing.

We sat together, staring at the dark entrance to the badger set. We waited expectantly. Nothing happened.

‘I wish we could magic ourselves small enough to walk in,' I whispered.

‘I wish I could magic myself small, full stop,' said Harley.

‘Oh no, it's great to be tall because . . .' I tried desperately to think of something. ‘You can reach things.' This sounded so limp that Harley laughed at me.

‘As in,
Oh dear, we've kicked our ball on the roof, let's send for Harley the Human Crane to reach it for us?
'

‘Or, Oh dear, the giraffe's got an itch on his head, let's send for Harley the Human Crane to scratch it for him,'
I suggested.