Diary of a Lottery Winner's Daughter by Penelope Bush Page B

someone to giggle with in the back row. Stacy drew a really funny cartoon of Miss Carlisle. It had me in fits and for a moment we thought Miss Carlisle was going to demand to see what it was that was distracting us. Luckily she was too busy telling off some of the boys so we got away with it. But I did make sure I got into the classroom before Stacy for the next lesson so that I could get my usual seat next to Lauren.
    When it was time to go home, I nearly turned left at the school gates with Lauren and Stacy before I remembered that I had to go the other way to get the bus.
    ‘See you tomorrow,’ called Stacy cheerfully, linking arms with Lauren. Stacy sounded friendly enough but what Lauren didn’t see was the sly smile she was giving me. I must have looked as dejected as I felt because Lauren smiled at me and unlinked her arm from Stacy’s. I didn’t look back as I set off for the bus stop but I didn’t really need to. The image of Stacy walking along next to Lauren was burned into my brain, and I’d got a pretty bad headache coming on.
    I managed to get off the bus at the right stop. Annabel got off there as well. I ducked into the mini supermarket next to the bus stop, thinking that I could buy some sweets, and by the time I came out she’d have gone and it would avoid any awkwardness of walking with her. My way was blocked by a fat shop assistant. ‘You can’t come in here with that,’ he said, pointing to my rucksack.
    ‘What?’
    He pointed to a sign on the wall. No more than two school children at a time and NO school bags. Is that even legal? What are we supposed to do with our bags? Leave them on the pavement outside? I walked out, deeply offended. Obviously the shop must have had some problems with school kids pinching stuff, but that didn’t mean we were all like that. I objected to being treated like some sort of criminal.
    I stomped off up the hill.
    This hill is going to be a pain. Literally. The backs of my legs were burning before I was even halfway up. Icould see Annabel ahead of me and the gap between us was shortening. I slowed down. But it was no good; I’d have had to stop in order not to catch up with her. I wondered if she knew I was behind her and was going slow in the hope that I would catch her up. When I finally reached her I saw that this probably wasn’t the case. She was bright red in the face and breathing heavily.
    ‘Hi there, Annabel,’ I said, giving in to the inevitable. It would have been rude just to walk past her.
    Annabel pushed her glasses back up her nose and peered at me. ‘Hi.’ I think she would have blushed if she hadn’t been so red anyway;she was obviously painfully shy. I could see conversation was going to be difficult. We carried on walking at her snail’s pace.
    She smiled at me. ‘It’s nice to have someone to walk with. It helps to take my mind off the agony.’
    Oh God, I hoped she didn’t think I was about to become her new best buddy. As if she could read my mind she added,’ It’s okay. I won’t talk to you at school or anything.’
    That made me feel really bad. Was I that obvious? And why shouldn’t she talk to me at school? But I knew what the others would say if she did. I could hear their cutting remarks about her appearance in my head. It only made my headache worse and I was glad when we reached the top of the hill where I turned left and Annabel turned right.
    Tomorrow I’d find out where she lived. I’d ask her about her family. She was right; it did make the walk less tedious having someone to talk to. I might even say hi to her at school. Maybe. If there’s no one else around.
    I was thinking all this as I walked along our street and was so absorbed that I nearly missed the little white cat. She was sitting outside the gate of the house next door to ours. I slowed down so as not to frighten her and I thought she was going to let me stroke her, but just as I got close enough she bolted away. I stopped at the open gate and looked