Pick Your Poison. Lauren Child

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      After a couple of minutes he said, ‘A drink – it’s a drink of some kind, most probably a kids’ drink.’

      ‘Why a drink?’ said Mouse.

      ‘Because of the straw,’ said Elliot.

      ‘Where’s the straw?’ asked Mouse. ‘I can’t see any straw.’

      ‘The twisting words, they represent a straw.’

      ‘I don’t see it myself,’ said Mouse. ‘But if it were a drink then what flavour would it be?’

      ‘Milk,’ said Elliot. ‘Milk. Has to be.’

      ‘Why?’ said Mouse.

      ‘Look at the kid’s teeth. If it was for soda or something then they wouldn’t emphasise how white the kid’s teeth were. They’re saying drink milk and have strong white teeth.’

      ‘When do they ever advertise a drink and show the kid with rotten teeth?’ said Ruby. ‘Doesn’t matter if the drink is choc full of sugar and treacle, they would still show the kid smiling a pretty smile. White teeth proves nothing.’

      ‘Who cares what it is,’ said Del. ‘I’d as soon drink a blue slushy, they’re super good.’

      ‘Think like that, my friend, and you’ll never taste anything better,’ said Red.

      ‘What’s better than a slushy?’ said Del.

      ‘You’ll never know,’ said Red.

      ‘I like slushies,’ said Del.

      ‘You should broaden your horizons,’ said Ruby.

      They sat looking for a little longer until Elliot shook his head and said, ‘I gotta make tracks.’

      The bus came into view and Mouse picked up her bag and waited for it to pull into the stop.

      Ruby sat a little longer. Cross-eyes, she thought. If it’s a drink then it’s a sharp-flavoured drink. It has bite.

      The game itself might only have been forty-eight minutes plus stoppage time, but it was a long and uncomfortable forty-eight minutes plus stoppage time. Vapona Begwell and her team (the Vaporizers) took every opportunity to step on Ruby’s toes, elbow her in the ribs and knock her over.

      The Deliverers (Ruby’s team) did not make it through to round two, and so as far as Ruby was concerned, there didn’t seem like a whole lot of point sticking around until the end of the tournament. She certainly wasn’t going to sit there and watch the Vaporizers grab victory.

      Vapona’s parting words were, ‘I’m gonna pulp you Redfort.’

      ‘Yeah, change the record would you, you said that at least forty times.’

      Del Lasco didn’t have to suffer the insults and general barging because her wrist was still strapped and she was sitting comfortably on the sidelines.

      ‘She’s only looking to pulp you because she can’t pulp me,’ said Del.

      ‘Is that supposed to make me feel better,’ said Ruby, ‘knowing that just being your friend causes me pain?’