by Anya Rafa
Chapter One
“Are you SURE you don’t
want me to walk you to school?” Mum asks me for the twentieth time.
“Mum, I told you, NO! You’re
making me late, anyway!” I groan.
“Okay Andrea,” Mum sighs. She kisses me and drives off.
“You got rid of you’re mommy?” Isabella Jefferson says meanly in
her American accent. “Or do you want her to go home to get your teddy for you?”
All of the kids behind her laugh.
“Yeah!” says a girl I think is called Casey. “What’s your teddy
called? Cutie-Pie?”
Suddenly, Mrs Canstal, the principal, appears. All the kids immediantly
start talking nicey-wicey. As usual.
Isabella says, “And my favourite teacher – and principal, is Mrs
Canstal,” and smiles at me.
Mrs Canstal blushes.
“Isabella Jefferson, would you like a lolly?” she asks. “Oh, that would
be LOVELY!” says Isabella, and claps her dainty little manicured hands.
I have to admit, Isabella IS quite pretty, with her blonde hair
tied up and her blue kitten eyes.
I just have scruffy dark brown hair and cloudy green eyes.
But it just isn’t fair when she gets whatever she likes, just by
lying! I mean, I’m a good student,too!
I guess I AM sort of jealous, but I would only lie if I need to.
********
After school, Mum picks me up.
I can see Isabella stepping
inside her limo.
Mum follows my eye and looks at
Isabella and her fans. “Who IS that pretty girl?” she sighs.
“Oh, she’s Isabella Jefferson,
she’s pretty popular,” I sigh, trying to take intrest with the chat.
“I can clearly see why,” Mum
says. “And is that her own limo?”
I say,“Oh, we’d better get going!
I have homework to do!”
“Oh, yes, home,” Mum tears her
gaze from the perfect Isabella and drives off.
********
Chapter Two
New
Girl, New Bestie
“Where’s Chip?” I ask Dad.
Chip’s my big eighteen year old
brother.
“Oh, he’s out with his new
friend, Derek Jefferson,” Dad says carelessly, staring at the TV.
I am VERY shocked. “Jefferson?
Does Derek have a sister?”
“Yes, I think it’s Isabel or is
it Isabella?”
Now I am even MORE shocked.
I pick up my phone and dial Chip’s number
numbly.
“Hello? Andrea is that you?”
Chip’s voice comes out of the phone.
“Yes, it’s me, Andrea,” I say. “Are you at
Derek and Isabella Jefferson’s house right now?”
“No, I’m at the skate park, but I
am with Derek. Why?” Chip sounds confused.
“Oh just a thought, but make sure
you don’t say anything about me, OK?” I say urgently.
“OK, bye,” says Chip, and hangs
up.
********
Today, there is a new girl, and her name is Ruby Pole.
“Now, Ruby, I’d like you to introduce yourself to the year fives,”
says Mrs Drikner.
“Hi!” Ruby says, her voice bright and friendly. “I’m so excited to
be at Dark Wood Elementary! I was born in Ireland, 2002, but then my parents
moved here when I was one, to Melbourne!”
“Thank you, Ruby. Class, give her a round of applause.”
The room fills with polite claps.
“Ruby, I’d like you to sit with Andrea Grey, she doesn’t have many
friends and I think you two would fit together PERFECTLY! Andrea, you show her
around, OK?”
I blush nervously. “OK.”
Ruby takes her seat beside me.
“I’d LOVE to have brown hair like you! My hair just looks mad!”
She ruffles her red hair. “Mum put yellow highlights in it and now it just
looks WIERD!”
“Ruby Pole, please be silent. The bell is going to ring in a
minute, anyway!” says Mrs Drikner.
Suddenly there is a ring, and everyone waits for Mrs Drikner to
say we can go.
“Stand behind your seats, class,” she says. We follow her
instructions obediantly. “Now you may go.”
********
Chapter
Three
“So,” says Ruby. “I was wondering if you can be my BFF? Andrea is
SUCH an epic name! I wish my mum named me something good, like, Lavinia or
Tracie?”
“I’d LOVE to be your BFF! What’s your email? Mine is AndreaGrey@swapchat.net !” I reply.
“Oh, and why is it always ‘My Mum,” not, ‘My Dad’ ?”
“We-ell,” Ruby sighs and looks at me. “My dad was out one day, and
my mum was with him. They were driving their car and I was with my aunt, when I
heard they had a car crash. I was devastated.
But then, I was even MORE devestated, when they said my dad died.”
I am shocked for a moment.
Squeezing her hand, I say, “Oh, I...had no idea. You acted like
nothing bothered you and...and...” I am lost for words. “I just, well, as
before, had no idea...”
“I know how you feel. That’s how gramps felt once I visited him.
No one had told him, and when he asked where my father was...I...I....” then
her face turns happy again. “Anyway, my email is RubyRocket@sweettalk.com .”
“You’re SO lucky it’s only you and your mum. My dad is pretty
careless most of the time.”
And that’s how our first real chat went.
********
After school, I am chatting with
Ruby, like we have been friends for years.
Suddenly, a woman with blonde
hair that looks like a model out of the Candies
and Crushes magazine appears.
“Hello, Ruby, I see you have made
a new friend,” she says.
“This is my mother, Mrs Pole,”
Ruby says proudly. “Honey, call me Janice, Mrs Pole sounds old.” She turns
around. “And who must you be?” She looks at me. “You look very beautiful,
better than Ruby, who made me let her have blonde highlights so she could be
like me.”
Ruby blushes.
“I’m Andrea,” I stammer.
Suddenly, Mum walks up to me.
“Come on, Andrea.” She sees Janice.
“Hello, and you are..?”
“Oh, I’m Janice, Janice Pole.”
Janice smiles and she and Mum shake hands.
“Well, what a coinsidence,
because MY name is Jane Grey! Jane’s short for Janice!” Mum grins. “Did you
just move in?”
“Yeah, we did, we just moved from
Midsouth, Sydney.” She tilts her head and smiles. “Ruby’s father here has
passed awaya few years ago.” Lowering
her voice, she says,“And she doesn’t really try and talk about him.”
“Oh, I see,” Mum says. “And I
also see that Andrea and Ruby are already besties.”
“Actually, now that you mention
it, why doesn’t Andrea come over for a sleepover? Our new home sure does need
lightening up!”
“Please!” I say, and add: “Double
please with a cherry on top, hold the sprinkles?”
Double Please With A Cherry On
Top, Hold The Sprinkles, is a Grey family joke.
It’s been passed down from Greys
like me for centuries!
Mum laughs. “Alright,” she says.
“We’ll just go get Andrea’s stuff. Oh, Ruby, do you want to come, honey?”
Ruby blushes. “Thank you, Mrs
Grey.”
“Oh, you can call me Jane, OK?”
Mum says.
“OK, Mrs Gre – I mean Jane!”
Ruby squeezes my hand.
Chapter Four
“So then he says, ‘I don’t care
about the torches, ‘cos I need to watch TV and CHLLAX!’ and turns towards the
TV, and stares at it like it’s on, while me, Mum, and Chip look for the
torches!” I say, giggling, and choking on my ultra pack of Skittles.
Ruby laughs. “And he actually did
that on a BLACKOUT! Man, I’m glad MY dad wasn’t a TV addict!”
Me and Ruby are at the Pole’s
house, in Ruby’s HUMONGOUS room, and sitting on the couch with music playing in
the background.
Suddenly, Janice pokes her head
into Ruby’s room and says, “Kids, Ruby, Andrea, it’s time for...THE MALL!”
When she leaves, Ruby says, “If
you haven’t got any money, then here’s an early birthday gift!” and hands me an
eighty-dollar voucher with a grin.
“Ruby, if the PHCP’s find out
about this, you should NOT want to be their friend unless they let me join in,
too,” I say worriedly.
“Who are the PHCP’s?” Ruby asks,
busily pulling on a denim jacket over her Tee.
“They are the Popular, Hot and
Cool People club. Or you can call them THE Cool Kids.” I put my wallet and
eighty-dollar voucher in my leather handbag, put on my favourite glittery top,
and slip on my two-inch heels.
“Funny, I thought YOU should be
one of them, because you’re pretty and all. I also saw this other girl with
blonde hair, and I guessed she MUST be one of the kids on the Rude List.”
“Ruby, Andrea, what are you doing
in there? Working on a hair lotion ad?” Janice drags me and Ruby out of the
house and into a big glam open-roof-ed car.
I am REALLY feeling like a movie
star now! I’m thinking, as I take a seat at the back with Ruby.
“Wow, if I were to compare you to
that blonde girl – her name is Isabella – I would DEFINETLY choose you, not
only because you’re glam, but also because you’re SO considerate!” I say.
“Well, then, OFF WE GO!”Janice
cries, and we head off to the mall.
*******
After the trip to the mall, I am clutching a packet of gummy bears
and a plastic bag.
Ruby has two of them, and Janice as five, because of the daily
shopping and the homely things.
Ruby has two of them, and Janice has six, because of the daily
shopping and theT-shirts and clothes.
“Well, girls, when we get inside, I want you to pick a movie from
the rack, and the three of us will watch it,”Janice says, fumbling for the
keys.
Once we get inside, Ruby shows me the rack of CD’s. I even saw
cousin Dakota’s favourite movie, Princess Sugar Crumb Saves Pixie Forest.
“Usually, I get the honours of choosing the movie, but because
you’re the guest, then, come in!” Ruby says, ending with a dramatic gesture.
I end up with a Tarla Tark movie that cost nearly fifty bucks.
“Woah! I didn’t even know my mum got it!” Ruby screams, hugging
the DVD close to her chest.
*******
After the movie, me and Ruby
snuggle up on the spare bunk bed.
“Remember the bit where Tarla
runs up to the stage with a half-done made up face,” I giggle.
“Yeah, and then Tanny’s like...”
Ruby laughs and makes an impression of Tanny with a gawky mouth and we fall
aobut laughing.
“Girls, it’s time for BED!”
Janice calls from across the house.
“OK!” we call, and shut our eyes
until we see nothing but Sleepland.
The next week, me and Ruby find out that Isabella has been caught red handed. She is excluded for two weeks.
We really are best friends, Ruby and me, and nobody can ignore that.
********
