16

Death by Shopping!

The next morning I kept thinking about Nadima. It had been a bit of a shock, finding out where she came from, and it was weird being the only one who knew. I wondered whether I could talk to Lily about it. She was coming round early so we could go shopping for the camp-out – and the compulsory midnight feast of course. We were going to spend most of the day together – just us.

It had been ages since Lil and I had done anything together. I was so looking forward to it. I was a bit worried she might be funny with me for (accidentally on purpose) leaving Kara out. I bet Kara had been going on and on about it. But why shouldn’t I invite Lil to something without Kara? Lily was my mate long before Kara even met her. And Kara and Lily did plenty of stuff without me. They never thought twice about leaving me out – did they?

I never left people out deliberately. Well, not usually. I thought of Nadima again – and felt rotten. I should have invited her to the camp-out. It was mean of me to leave her out just so that I could have a better time without her. Really mean of me. I remembered how she’d gone all quiet when Mum had asked where she came from, and how she hadn’t wanted to talk about what it had been like. It must have been terrible. Really, really terrible. I should be trying to make things better for her, being extra nice to her. Not leaving her out.

Lil’s mum and dad arrived to drop her off and have a ‘quick’ coffee with Mum. I ran down to the kitchen to say hi. Lily’s dad swept me into a huge hug like he always does. Other kid’s mums hug me all the time – but he’s the only dad that hugs me. But then I’ve known him forever.

‘We haven’t seen you for ages!’ cried Lil’s mum. ‘What have you been up to?’

‘Growing, by the look of it!’ laughed her dad.

I absolutely LOVE Lil’s mum and dad. They’re really funny and they do everything together. It’s probably because they don’t have any other kids to look after – so everything revolves around Lily.

‘I hear there’s a midnight feast planned for later,’ said Lily’s dad, hoicking a ten-pound note out of his wallet. ‘Do you need some money for carrot sticks, health bars and fruit?’ he asked, with a perfectly straight face.

‘No, but we do need some for marshmallows, chocolate and crisps!’ declared Lily, snatching it out of his hand.

‘Thank you!’ I yelled as we ran up to my room to get ready to go shopping.

They were all still in the kitchen, nattering away, when Lily and I headed off into town. It was lovely – just like it used to be.

Lil and I stood at the self-service tills at the express supermarket in town checking we had everything.

‘Marshmallows?’ asked Lily.

‘Check!’

‘Crisps?’

‘Check!’

‘Cans of Coke?’

‘Check!’

‘Bag of popcorn?’

‘Check!’

‘Chocolate?’

‘Double check!’ I laughed, since we’d got two bars. Cookies and cream (Lily’s favourite) and caramel (my favourite).

‘Sorted!’

We loaded the food into plastic bags and headed off to look around the clothes stores. Partly because we needed to get a birthday present for Chloe, but mostly because we just like looking at clothes. Lily and I are always swapping clothes – like sisters probably do. We know exactly what we both like. So we kept finding stuff that would be perfect for each other. We must’ve tried on about a hundred tops and skirts. We didn’t actually buy anything of course – neither of us had any money!

I was really going to have to get my trading website up and running. I was fed up of being poor! I told Lil about it.

‘OMG! That’s a brilliant idea,’ she said. ‘I’d use it! I’ve got loads of stuff I could sell. Mum just takes it all to the charity shops!’

I literally groaned. ‘Noooo! Don’t let her take any more. Make her hang on to everything until we can sell it!’

Lily laughed. But by now we were tired and sticky, and the handles of the supermarket bags were cutting into my hands.

‘Let’s just get something for Chloe and go home,’ I said.

‘What d’you want to get her?’ asked Lily.

Chloe’s cat mad so I suggested a pink T-shirt we’d seen earlier, with a cat’s nose and whiskers on it.

‘OMG yes!’ said Lily. ‘She’d love it. Where was it?’

‘I can’t remember!’ I groaned, and we both burst out laughing. She linked arms with me and we headed off to play Hunt-the-T-shirt! And then her phone rang. It was Kara.

‘What’s up?’ Lily asked. She turned away from me and I heard her say, ‘Shopping, with Jaz.’

You would think, wouldn’t you, that Kara would take the hint and ring off? But no, she carried on talking to Lily for the best part of half an hour while Lily and I trudged back to all the shops we’d been to and I trawled through all the T-shirt rails until I found the cat one. Huh! I thought. So much for Kara having to devote every precious moment of the weekend to her dad.

It turned out the top was £19.99. Which was more than I could afford. So I just stood there, like a lemon, waiting for Lily to finish talking to Kara.

Eventually I pointed at my watch and pulled a face and Lily finally got the message.

‘I’ve got to go, Kara. Yes, call you later,’ she said and rang off. ‘Kara’s a bit upset,’ she said, shoving her phone in her bag. ‘She’s had a row with her dad.’

I tried to be sympathetic. Actually, that’s not true. I tried to look sympathetic. Then Lily noticed I’d found the T-shirt.

‘Yes! That’s perfect for Chloe!’

I pulled a face. ‘I know, but I can’t get it. It’s too much!’

‘How much too much?’

‘£9.99 too much.’

‘Let’s get it together!’ suggested Lily. ‘It can be a joint present from both of us!’

We often used to do that, so I grinned and hugged her. On a scale of one to ten, I wondered how jealous Kara would be that Lil and I were giving Chloe a joint present. I guessed eleven.

As we walked back through town to get the bus home, one suddenly appeared round the corner – and we were still miles away from the stop!

‘Lily! The bus!’ I cried.

We pelted down the high street, our bags bashing against our legs. We only just made it and literally fell onto the bus, gasping and laughing.

At which point Lily’s phone rang – again. It was Kara – again.

‘She’s only calling you because she knows you’re with me!’ I said.

‘No, she’s not. I told you. She’s upset. She’s had a row with her dad!’ she said, but she put her phone back in her pocket without answering it. Neither of us spoke for a while. After a bit she said, ‘You know, Kara’s actually really nice. You’d like her, if you got to know her.’

I do know her, and I don’t like her, I thought. ‘It’s not that I don’t like her,’ I lied. ‘It’s just that she doesn’t like me. And she doesn’t like you being mates with me either.’

‘Well, you don’t like me being mates with her, do you?’

I shrugged.

‘Look, I don’t mind you being friends with Nadima,’ said Lily.

‘That’s different. Nadima doesn’t have any other friends. I’m just being nice. Trying to help her settle in. And there’s nothing stopping you and me and Nadima all being friends.’

‘Well, there’s nothing stopping you and Kara and me all being friends either,’ said Lily. ‘Except you.’

‘That’s not fair!’

‘Yes, it is! You’ve never liked her.’

I slumped back in my seat with my arms folded.

‘All I’m saying is give her a chance,’ she pleaded.

‘Fine!’ I said.

Lily sighed and looked out of the window. She knew I didn’t really mean it. I tried to catch her eye, but she ignored me and kept staring out of the window.

So I leaned forward and said, ‘I will, Lil, honest I will,’ and I wasn’t just saying it this time. I was going to try to be nice to Kara – for Lily’s sake.

She turned and smiled at me. ‘Thanks, Jaz.’ I think it was more of a relieved smile than a happy one. But at least things felt a bit better again between us.