Read Sleepovers Online

Authors: Jacqueline Wilson

Sleepovers (7 page)

“What about Daisy?” said Emily.

“Who?” said Chloe, as if she'd never even heard of me.

“You are funny, Chloe!
Daisy
,” said Emily, putting her arm round me.

“You didn't forget Daisy, did you?” said Amy.

“I didn't forget her,” said Chloe. “But my mum says I can only have three people at my sleepover party. So that's Emily and Amy and Bella. Right?”

“That's all
wrong
,” said Emily. She was going very pink in the face.

“It's not fair on Daisy,” said Amy.

“Poor Daisy,” said Bella, giving me a squeeze.

“Yes, poor Daisy,” said Chloe, as if she was really sorry. As if!

“Daisy's got to come too, Chloe!” said Emily, getting even pinker.

“Look, it's not
my
fault. It's my
mum
.”

“Your mum lets you do anything you want, you know she does. You're just not being fair,” said Emily.

“It
is
fair, because I've been to your sleepover party, Emily, and I've been to Amy's and I've been to Bella's. I haven't been to Daisy's. She doesn't even know for definite if she's going to
have
a sleepover party,” said Chloe.

“You're just being
mean
, Chloe,” said Emily.

“Don't you start getting all stroppy with me, Emily, or you won't be coming to my sleepover party either, even if you are my best friend,” said Chloe.

“It's OK, Emily,” I whispered.

“It's
not
OK,” said Emily. “I don't want to come to your sleepover party if Daisy can't come too.”

She stared very fiercely at Amy and Bella. “You don't want to either, do you?” she said.

Amy and Bella looked uncertain. But then Bella nodded and said, “That's right, Emily.”

And Amy nodded too.

Chloe glared at Amy and Bella. She looked as if she might hit Emily. She seemed all set to
murder
me.

“See if I care then,” she said, and she flounced off.

“Oh dear,” said Amy.

“She said she was going to have a gigantic chocolate cake at her party,” said Bella, sighing.

“She's really going to have it in for me now,” said Emily. “You know what she can be like. I've tried and tried to stop being friends with Chloe – but it's better to have her as your friend than your deadly enemy.”

“It's all my fault!” I said, feeling truly dreadful.

Emily and Bella and Amy were very comforting but I still felt bad. I didn't tell Mum when I got home from school. I didn't tell Dad when he got home from work.

I waited until it was bedtime and then I crept into Lily's bed and cuddled up with her and told her all about it.

Lily went, “Ur ur ur ur ur.”

I decided that was Lily-language for, “That Chloe is a mean hateful pig.”

“I'm scared she'll be really, really horrible now,” I whispered. “I'm
used
to her being mean to me. But it'll be so awful if she's mean to Emily too.”

Lily went, “Ur ur ur ur ur,” as if she were saying, “Don't you worry about it, Daisy.”

I did worry. Lots and lots. I didn't sleep much that night. But guess what. Chloe dropped a pink envelope on my desk in the morning.

“I got my mum to change her mind,” she said. “You're coming to my sleepover party now, Daisy. And you, Emily. And Bella and Amy.”

“Oh
great
, Chloe!” said Emily, and she gave her a big hug. “Isn't that wonderful, Daisy?”

I wasn't sure.

I was even less sure when Chloe whispered in
my ear, “I don't
really
want you to come, Daisy Diddums.”

I didn't want to get Chloe a birthday present. Especially a birthday present she'd really, really like. But when Dad and I went down the video shop on Friday night they were having a special sale and there was this video called “The Spooky Sleepover” and I knew it would be just perfect for Chloe.

Mum was a bit cross with Dad for buying it.

“It's much too scary for a little girl,” she said.

“It sounds like this Chloe is much scarier than any soppy video,” said Dad.

He took me to the party on Saturday because he said he couldn't wait to meet Chloe. He looked a bit taken aback when he saw her. Chloe is little and cute and she's got big blue eyes and these blonde curls. It's pretty sickening actually.

Chloe gave me this great big false smile when my dad was still there.

“Ooh, what a super-sounding video! I hope it's not too frightening. Thank you ever so much, Daisy,” said Chloe.

But the second Dad was gone Chloe stuck her tongue out at me and dropped the video on the floor.

“I saw this ages ago and it sucks. It isn't spooky at all. Trust you to pick a
baby
film, Daisy Diddums.”

 
 

“COME ON, DIDDUMS,”
said Chloe. “We're all in the kitchen. I suppose you'd better come too.”

Chloe's kitchen was amazingly big and posh and shiny with all sorts of cupboards and ovens and machines. Chloe's mum was as shiny as her kitchen. She wore a white glittery top and white satin trousers, with a little pink-and-white frilly apron over the top. She looked more like Chloe's sister than her mum.

Emily and Amy and Bella were all standing at a crowded table with big aprons pinned around them and their sleeves rolled up.

“Hi, Daisy!” said Emily. “We're all making our own pizzas – it's such fun.”

“We can choose any topping we like,” said Amy, arranging pepperoni in a noughts and crosses shape on her pizza.

“I'm making a Bellaroni special,” Bella giggled, squirting chocolate sauce everywhere.

“See, I
said
I was going to have a brilliant
sleepover party,” said Chloe. “The best in the whole world.”

“For the best little girl in the whole world,” said Chloe's dad, popping his head round the door.

Chloe's mum was very young, but Chloe's dad was quite old, with a bald head and a big fat tummy. He made a pizza too – with
all
the toppings.

“Wow!” said Bella, seriously impressed.

“What are you going to put on your pizza, Daisy?” asked Emily.

I thought hard.

“I'm going to make mine a face,” I said.

I sprinkled lots of grated cheese on the top half for hair. Then I did olives for eyes and aslice of yellow pepper for a nose and a curvy redpepper slice for a smiley mouth. I placed a tomato each side for rosy cheeks and I used pineapple chunks for gold earrings and a choker necklace.

“Oh Daisy, you are
clever
,” said Emily.

“It looks so good you won't want to eat it,” said Bella.

“How about a couple of anchovies for eyebrows?” said Amy.

“No! They'd look good but I
hate
anchovies,” I said. I think they look like grey slimy worms. They always give me the shudders.

Chloe didn't say anything. But when we all followed Chloe's dad into their dining room Chloe hung back to help her mum put the pizzas into the giant oven.

Chloe's dad pretended to be a barman and fixed us all a fruit-juice cocktail. They didn't just have little paper umbrellas like at Amy's. They had tiny plastic Mickey Mouse stirrers and cherries on sticks and ice-cubes in the shape of stars.

We all clinked glasses and when Chloe came into the dining room we sang
Happy Birthday
. Chloe's dad conducted us and got all watery-eyed at the end. Then he seated us at the dining table. We each had a little present on our side plate. It was a little letter charm on a silvery bracelet. A B C D and E. Chloe's C was gold and her bracelet was a proper gold link one with little golden hearts.

“Real gold for our birthday girl,” said her dad.

“And look, I've got real gold heart earrings to match,” said Chloe, looping her curls behind her ears. “I had them pierced as an extra birthday present.”

We all stared at her ears enviously. My mum says I'm going to have to wait right up until I'm
sixteen
before I'm allowed to have my ears pierced.

Chloe's mum came in with the first two pizzas. She'd taken her apron off. Her T-shirt top was so tiny it showed her bare tummy and she'd had her belly button pierced! It looked truly cool. I hadn't realized mums could have curvy waists and flat tummies. My mum hasn't.

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