The next day at registration, Ms Hardy tells us that Curtis won’t be returning to school due to ‘personal problems’.
‘Like the fact that he was a rubbish spy,’ I whisper to Sam and she grins. I have a feeling Curtis is going to find it difficult to get any more spy work with the enemy HQ.
But all I’m concerned about now is my own last day at school. Though no one except Sam knows it, after today I won’t be coming back to Bothen Hill Primary. So at break and at lunchtime, I play as much football with Sam as we can fit in – soon she won’t have the chance to beat me any more.
Mum’s mission was a complete success – the double agent was caught and our gadgets proved that he’d been giving information to enemy spies for months. Dan McGuire’s reputation has been protected. Mum’s happy because she completed the mission and Dad’s happy because Mum is safe. It all means that tomorrow I’ll be on my way to a new life – a new life as a boy. I don’t know where we’re going, but I do know that if I ever see another pink sparkly bunny rabbit hair clip, it will be too soon.
I should be happy. Really, really happy.
But every time Sam slams another goal past me, I feel worse.
And it’s not because she’s winning.
* * *
We don’t speak at all on the way home.
‘Do you want to come in for a bit?’ I ask her outside my house.
Sam shrugs. ‘I don’t know. Maybe we should just say goodbye here.’
‘Oh. Right.’ I stand looking at her. I can’t think of what to say.
‘Well – good luck with everything,’ Sam says. ‘I suppose you won’t be allowed to have any contact with me in case they trace your new identity to your old one.’
I hadn’t thought of that! I’d assumed we’d at least be able to FaceTime or text each other.
This is complete pants!
‘It’s been great hanging out with you,’ Sam says, trying to smile. ‘Thanks for all the missions.’
‘Thanks, Sam,’ I say. ‘For – you know.’
‘Not giving you away?’
I take a breath. I wouldn’t have guessed it in a million years but having to be Josie did give me one good thing – Sam. ‘For being my friend.’
Sam raises her hand in a half wave. She starts to walk away towards her house. And I watch her go.
Then the door to our house flings open. ‘Where do you think you’re going, young lady?’ Dad calls out after Sam.
‘Let her go, Dad,’ I say. I walk into the house feeling like a really, really flat tyre.
Inside, I slump down on the sofa and stare at the wall.
A minute later, Dad’s back, clapping his hands together. ‘I don’t know, Josie, that’s not a very nice way to treat your new neighbour.’
‘She’s our old neighbour, not our new neighbour,’ I say.
‘Um, not any more.’
I jerk my head up to see Sam standing next to Dad with a huge grin on her face.
Dad waves his hand at her. ‘You tell him.’
‘Are you sure?’ Sam asks. ‘But it’s all down to you and Ms Marcus.’
‘No, really, we think you should tell him.’ Mum’s appeared from the kitchen. She’s wearing a huge grin as well.
Sam steps forward. ‘HQ have arranged for a job transfer for my mum. What she’s always wanted – a head journalist position!’
The excited feeling that had been bubbling in my chest dies down. A job transfer. That’s all this is about.
‘That’s great, Sam, that’s blinding news,’ I say, because I know that Sam’s mum being happy means Sam will be happy – and that’s what you want your best friend to be.
‘It’s at a different paper to the one she works on now,’ Sam goes on, her grin even wider. ‘In the same town where some friends of ours are going to live. A really nice family – a couple and their son.’
‘You mean?’ I look from Sam to Dad to Mum and then back again. ‘Us?’
‘HQ think that you and Sam work really well together. They don’t see why you shouldn’t carry on working together – except from now on, you’ll be back to being a boy,’ Mum says.
I can’t speak. I keep staring at them all, knowing that I’m grinning like an idiot.
I used to want to be Dan McGuire. But who needs to be Dan McGuire when you can be yourself?
