Unfortunately for Felix, Flo did not forget. In fact, she made her feelings very clear indeed at school on Monday morning. She refused to sit next to Felix; she wrote secret notes to the Pink Brigade (aka Millie Hampton and Sophie Disbry); she giggled and whispered; and, worst of all, she ignored Felix at break-time.

‘I don’t know why I miss playing with her when she is being so nasty,’ Felix muttered to himself.

He did know really. It was because Flo was the only person who had ever made school bearable and the only person who knew the difference between a black and a white rhino, or an African and an Indian elephant.

She was also the only person who liked poking around in the dirt with sticks to look for bugs.

Felix took himself off to the far side of the playground and found a stick to poke around with on his own. Usually poking around with a stick made him feel Calm and Peaceful, as he would get lost in looking at the tiny creatures that lived in the soil. But today, even this did not make him feel any better.

Felix sat back on his heels and sighed as he looked up at the world of humans.

I bet ants don’t get cross with their Best Friend just because their Best Friend is going to Africa and they can’t go with them, he thought.

Suddenly Felix realized that Flo and the Pink Brigade were coming towards him. Before he could move away from his corner of the playground, they had circled him.

Flo exchanged a knowing look with the others, then she stepped forward, with her hands on her hips.

Felix cringed. Much as he missed having Flo as his Best Friend, there was always something to be feared about the hands-on-the-hips pose.

‘I have decided to forgive you,’ Flo announced.

The Pink Brigade sniggered.

‘Oh?’ said Felix. He glanced nervously around the group before him.

‘Yes,’ Flo went on importantly. ‘I have decided to forgive you – but ON ONE CONDITION!’

Felix shuddered. ‘Hmm?’ he said worriedly.

You have to bring me back Something Very, VERY Special to make up for leaving me behind,’ she said.

‘Yeah, special,’ squeaked Sophie Disbry.

‘OK. Yeah, course I will,’ he said. After all, it couldn’t be that hard to find a present from Africa, could it? ‘Like a special cuddly toy or something?’ he asked hopefully.

Flo’s face darkened and she opened her mouth to speak, but Millie Hampton had leaned in and cupped her hand to Flo’s ear and was now whispering something into it. As she whispered, Flo’s face changed from Spiky And Scary to Delighted And Mischievous and she nodded slowly. Then Millie stepped back, looking very pleased with herself indeed.

Flo’s smile grew broader and broader until it had developed into a Full-On Grin. Then she said, slowly and ever-so-slightly menacingly, ‘I have just had an excellent idea.’

Millie let out a squeak of protest at this, but Flo gave her a shove, so she shut up.

‘Oh yeah?’ said Felix, sounding a lot tougher than he felt. (His left leg was actually wobbling, he was feeling so completely un-tough at that moment in time.)

‘Oh yeah!’ said Flo. ‘You, Felix Stowe, are going to make up for the fact that you are a useless friend.’

‘I am?’ said Felix.

‘You are,’ said Flo. ‘D’you remember when we went to Shortfleet Safari Park and you had the stupid idea of trying to capture a monkey and we all got into trouble?’

‘Well, actually it was your idea and—’

‘And d’you remember how the man said that it was stealing because the monkeys belonged to the park?’

Felix nodded sadly. There was no point in interrupting Flo when she was On A Roll.

‘Well,’ said Flo, with a very self-satisfied smirk, ‘this is your chance to make it up to me twice over. Number One –’ she held up a finger – ‘you owe me for that Dreadful Day at Shortfleet when you let all the monkeys into the car . . .’

‘But it was you who opened the windows!’ Felix cried.

‘AND Number Two,’ Flo spoke over him, ‘you owe me for not taking me to Africa. Sooooo –’ she paused and exchanged another triumphant look with the Pink Brigade – ‘you are going to bring me back a baby monkey.’

‘BUT –!’ Felix tried to protest.

‘No buts,’ said Flo, sticking her nose in the air. ‘If there’s no monkey, then, Felix, there is No Us.’

And with that, she turned on her heel and flounced off.