Sleepover Girls Go Karting. Narinder Dhami

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СКАЧАТЬ “I still think we should dress up and haunt them. That’d soon shut them up!”

      “The Grumpies must be pretty weedy if they moan about the sound of a couple of babies crying,” Rosie remarked. “It can’t be that bad.”

      Right on cue, one of the twins started crying inside the house. A few seconds later the other one joined in. They were both yelling at the top of their lungs, and it sounded like ten cats screeching their heads off at the same time. It was pretty deafening.

      “See?” Fliss yelled over the racket. “It’s not that bad, is it?”

      “NO!” we all shouted back. I dunno about the others, but I was dying to put my hands over my ears!

      Fliss’s mum appeared at the French windows.

      “Fliss!” she yelled. “Could you come in and keep an eye on the pasta, while I see to the twins?”

      “All right, Mum!” Fliss yelled back. So we all trooped inside and into the kitchen, where the spaghetti was boiling away on the cooker. Luckily, after a few minutes the screaming stopped.

      “We can play with the babies after tea if you like,” Fliss offered.

      “Yeah, good idea,” Rosie said eagerly. Frankie, Lyndz and me didn’t look that keen, though. Rosie hasn’t got any babies at home, that’s why she’s so up for it. But Frankie and Lyndz both have, and as for me, I’m just not that that interested. I only like people who can talk, and are toilet-trained.

      “So what are we going to do with the rest of this half-term, then?” Frankie asked, taking charge as usual.

      Everyone looked at each other.

      “Have a couple more sleepovers,” Lyndz suggested. We’re not allowed to have sleepovers during the week in term-time, so we were making the most of the holiday by packing in as many as possible.

      “Yes, but what else?” I asked impatiently. “I wanna do something exciting. Something interesting. Something I’ve never, ever done before…”

      “Be sensible?” Rosie said, deadpan.

      The others fell about. Rosie’s jokes can sometimes really get you where it hurts!

      Right at that moment we heard the sound of the front door slam, and a few moments later Andy came into the kitchen. He’s not Fliss’s real dad, but he’s OK. Andy’s a plasterer and he’d just got in from work, so he was still in his dusty overalls.

      “Hi, girls,” he said, going over to the fridge. “I don’t suppose any of you are interested in karting?”

      I didn’t think I’d heard him right, so I just stared at him. So did all the others.

      “What did you say, Andy?” Fliss asked.

      “I said, are any of you interested in karting?” Andy took a can of beer out of the fridge, and popped it open.

      “What, in a horse and cart?” Rosie asked, looking confused.

      “No, you twit!” Frankie said. “He means go-karting.”

      Andy nodded. “Yeah, go-karting.” He looked round at us. “So, are you interested?”

      “You bet,” I said eagerly. “I can just see myself burning rubber like Michael Shoemaker or whatever his name is!”

      “Schumacher,” Frankie corrected me. “Sounds like a laugh!”

      “I’ve never done it before, but I’ll give it a go,” Lyndz said.

      “Me too,” Rosie agreed.

      “Don’t you have to wear a safety helmet?” Fliss asked anxiously. “It might ruin my hair!”

      The rest of us groaned.

      “Come on, Fliss, get a life,” I ordered. “Stop being so girly!”

      “Oh, all right,” Fliss retorted. “Anyway, isn’t karting expensive?”

      “Yeah, it is,” Andy agreed, “if you haven’t got free passes!” And he pulled five green tickets out of his pocket and held them up. “Here we are – five free three-day passes to the brand-new Silver Streak karting centre, starting tomorrow.”

      Our eyes nearly popped out of our heads.

      “Three days of karting – brilliant!” Frankie gasped.

      “Do you think we’ll have races?” Lyndz asked.

      “And do you think we’ll need any special clothes?” Rosie chimed in.

      “I hope my kart’s pink.” That was Fliss, of course!

      “Cool!” I exclaimed, grabbing one of the passes and studying it. “Where did you get them from, Andy?”

      Andy grinned. “I’m doing some plastering for a Mr Stevens at the moment,” he explained. “He’s got a big house in the country, and pots of money. He owns the karting centre, and he offered me the passes. The centre’s only been open a few days, and I think he’s a bit worried no-one’s going to turn up!”

      Just then Mrs Proudlove bustled into the kitchen with a baby in each arm.

      “Andy, Joe and Hannah both need changing,” she said, looking harassed. “Can you give me a hand?’

      “I think this is where the Sleepover Club disappears!” I muttered to Frankie, and we all legged it into the living room.

      “And it’s Kenny in the blue kart who takes the lead,” I announced, as I swerved ahead of Rosie, and elbowed her out of the doorway. “And it’s Kenny who’s first into the living room, and first into the comfy chair!” I sat down in the armchair, and grinned at the others. “I’m gonna blow you all off the track tomorrow!”

      “Knowing you, you’ll probably crash into something!” Fliss sniffed.

      “Or turn your kart over,” Frankie added.

      “Hey, I wonder if you can do stunts in those karts?” I said eagerly. “Maybe I’ll be able to do a wheelie or something.”

      “If you do, you’ll be wheelie lucky!” Frankie joked, and the rest of us bombarded her with cushions.

      “I’ll get my mum to take us tomorrow,” I offered. “She’s not doing anything. Well, even if she is, I’ll get round her somehow.”

      “I hope they show us how to drive the karts,” Fliss said anxiously. “I’ve never been in one before.”

      “Oh, it’ll be cool!” I assured her. “It’ll be just like driving a dodgem car at the fair.”

      “Oh yeah?” said Lyndz. “Remember last time we were on the dodgem cars?”

      “That was an accident,” I said with dignity. “I didn’t СКАЧАТЬ