The Taming Of The Tights. Louise Rennison

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      It started to pelt down, and we ran and stumbled down the hill, almost blinded by the rain.

      By the time we got back to The Blind Pig, the rain was thunderous, pounding on the roof like it would break through. We got dried and had our supper in the back room. The Iron Pies were still ‘rehearsing’. Well, shouting and banging.

      We went up the two flights of stairs and snuggled into bed in Ruby’s room high up in the attic. Matilda was tucked up at the bottom of the bed and Ruby put a little nightcap on her head. She almost immediately nodded off. Oooooh, she is sweet.

      She reminds me of the owlets. Not her big puggy face and snoring, just the general feeling of lovey-doveyness.

      I said to Ruby, “Hey, I’m dying to see the owlets. Shall we pop down to the barn tomorrow? Cor, I bet little Rubes and little Lullah will be pleased as anything to see us.”

      Ruby started plaiting her hair.

      “They’re not there. Connie has chucked them out. They’ve flown the nest.”

      I looked at her.

      “Our little owlets have flown the nest? But …”

      Ruby said, “Well, when I say ‘flown’ the nest, what I mean is they’re crashing abaht in the woods somewhere. Tha’s nivver seen such rubbish flying in your life. Little Rubes knocked herself out on the barn door the first time she tried to get out.”

      Our little owlets. Gone?

      But they hadn’t even said goodbye.

      Not even, “Woo-hoo, see you later.”

      Ruby said, “And guess what, Beverley Bottomley has gone on hunger strike, and she says she won’t stop until her mum stops stalking Cain with her shotgun.”

      I said, “Isn’t Beverley glad about the stalking thing? She must hate Cain after what he’s done to her. He’s awful. He dumped her twice. And he made that song up about her called Put your coat on, girl, you’re leaving. And the second line was ‘You were all right in the dark but then I put the light on’. At The Jones gig. He sang it straight at her. Everyone could see.”

      Ruby said, “I know. But she LUUUUUVES him. She thinks he’s a dog wi’ a bad name.”

      “He IS a dog with a bad name – that’s because he’s a bad dog.”

      Ruby said, “I know. But you let Cain the bad dog lick your nose.”

      Oh no, the nose-licking incident rears its head again! What would Ruby say if she knew about the accidental snogging on the moors incident?

      As we lay in the dark with the wind howling and the rain sluicing down, I quickly said, “I wouldn’t like to be out in this. I hope the owlets have got little owl umbrellas.”

      Ruby went on snuggling down. I couldn’t settle though, I kept thinking about Cain.

      “Do you think he saw us – Cain? Do you think he was out there with his dog, watching us?”

      I shivered.

      Ruby said, “Mebbe. You know those Hinchcliffs. They can be anywhere at any time. Like a reight bad smell.”

      As she said that, I nearly fell out of bed because there was a massive farty noise from Matilda. It was so loud it even woke Matilda up. Ruby went mad.

      “Get down, Matilda!! Bad girl, you’ve let yourself down AND you’ve let the bulldog breed down.”

      Matilda looked all shamefaced and tottered about on the side of the bed. She got tangled up in her nightcap and then one leg got stuck. It took so long that in the end Ruby unfastened the stuck leg and said, “Oh for goodness’ sake, get in bed again. And no more trumping.”

      Matilda blinked sorrowfully at Ruby, who was still harrumphing about. “She hates it when I’m cross with her. Serves her right for trumping, she’ll worry all night and not get any slee—”

      She was interrupted by little snuffling snoring noises from Matilda.

      We settled down again.

      I said casually in the dark, “Have you … er, heard how Alex, you know your brother … erm, is getting on?”

      Ruby said sleepily, “Dun’t start that again. Anyway, I thought you liked that Charlie?”

      Ah yes, Charlie. I do like that Charlie.

      The boy from Woolfe Academy for naughty boys.

      But he was gorgeous. Not naughty.

      Well, not very naughty.

      Where’s the harm in wiring up your headmaster’s door handle to a minor electrical circuit? As Charlie said, “It was СКАЧАТЬ