Withering Tights - By Louise Rennison Page 0,24

me a foul look. I tried to get it to stand up again, but it was making a hell of a noise clanking about.

The ‘Brontës’ were excitedly saying, “I think I can see, I can hear…a little hand tapping at the window, is it Cathy out on the moors looking for Heathcliff????”

Then Flossie said, “Yes, yes, I can hear it, what is that over there?”

And she pointed at me. And everyone stopped and shone their torches on me.

So I put my arms down by my side and bobbed about.

I don’t know why I do Riverdance when I’m in the spotlight. I must have an inner Irish dancer trying to get out.

Everyone started laughing.

Apart from Dr Lightowler who said, “What are you doing, Tallulah Casey?”

I said, “Um, I’m sweeping up. I’m an Irish broomstick.”

I could see Flossie put her fist into her mouth and Jo had a coughing fit.

Dr Lightowler just looked at me.

I can see that inwardly she’s ticking me off her list of people for next year’s places.

CHAPTER 9

I want to live! I want to live!

Do you think my corkers are growing?

As we walked down the long main corridor towards the café, Vaisey said, “Ruby was telling me about The Jones. They are supposed to be cool, but moody. And the lead singer is called Cain, that’s la gothic, isn’t it?”

Cain.

I didn’t answer. Where to begin? Where to end?

The Mark of Cain.

I am haunted by Cain.

And now he could be somewhere in the building.

I haven’t even got any fake tan I can slap on.

I could wear my hat and pull it right down. That’s what I would do. If Sidone can wear a velvet suit, I can wear my hat.

I put my hat on in the loos. Avoiding looking at Bob’s notice about my smalls, which makes me feel somehow dirty.

When I came out Lavinia and her mates were coming out of the dance studios wearing ballet shoes and leggings. Lav was saying to Dav, “I love the ballet, just love it. If I was as slim as you, Dav, I would go for it like a shot.”

Dav said, “But Lav, you’ve got a railly, railly nice figure and anyway you are soooo good at modern and jazz. Madame Frances said she had never seen better jazz hands.”

Lavinia said, “Now you are just being a railly big love.”

When she saw us, Lavinia gave me a number 58 on the beam-o-meter. Really beaming. Like she really liked me. Perhaps she did.

She twitched my hat, which is annoying. Especially as it had probably made my hair stick up. She said, “Sweet. How you doing little Oirish, are you oiright? Are ye haven the crack?”

Then Lavinia said, “Oh, and there is another performance lunchtime in a fortnight, you should try and do a little something for it. I’d be glad to help with anything you have an idea about.”

And she went bouncing off. She is very bouncy, if you know what I mean.

Vaisey said, “She’s really nice, isn’t she?”

Flossie said, “Hmm.”

And I said, “Hmm.”

But not in an entirely good ‘hmm’ way.

Honey said, “She’th got a vewy nithe complexthun.”

It was a lovely day and Jo said, “Oh, I don’t know. Where should we have lunch, here do you think? Or it’s such a nice day…what about in the woods, maybe?”

And we all went, “Oh…yeah, that’s a good idea. If you like, yeah. I don’t mind.” Really casually. As if we hadn’t given meeting Charlie and Phil a second thought.

We went into the woods and settled down under the dancing tree.

Talking about our morning, I said, “Dr Lightowler hates me.”

Vaisey said, “You’re not wrong. But why did you have to be a broom? Why couldn’t you just flit around being a bat? Anything. Why a dancing Irish broomstick?”

I said, “I don’t know, it’s because she notices me so much, it makes my brain freeze and when my brain freezes my legs get out of control.”

Jo was munching her way through twenty-five apples. She’s got a very healthy appetite for a small person. She said, “I wonder if the Woolfe boys will come over. Have you seen them around the village?”

I said, “Why, are you missing them?”

Jo nearly choked on her Granny Smith. “No. How could I miss them when I don’t know them?”

Flossie said, “I think you’ve been thinking about Phil, haven’t you? You were talking in your sleep last night saying, ‘Phil, Phil, I want you’.”

Jo said, “I was not. Anyway, how would you know? I had to come and put your teddy