Read Online Brave New Girl by Catherine Johnson - Free Book Online Page A

didn’t want me in it at all. Why didn’t I take the hint? I shivered and closed my eyes. Because I had done all the work, sorted out the moves – everything.
    I remembered standing on our school stage, looking like some kind of giant next to Shazna and Christina, grinning like an idiot, so happy to be up on stage. So excited to be there in the dark of the hall, the curtains pulled tight so the afternoon light wouldn’t sneak through. There was a sudden rushing in my ears and I thought I would be sick if I remembered any more.
    I snapped my eyes open and looked at the dress. I took deep breaths to make the vomity feeling go away, and forced myself to concentrate on here and now.
    The dress was pale grey with silver sequins and fringing, that moved and rippled like water. I had wanted to wear this so much. Shazna got it because she was smaller than me, and to be honest it wasn’t long enough to be a dress on me. I took my school jumper off and put the dress on over my shirt and school trousers. It was more of a tunic top on me. “What d’you think?” I said.
    Keith got out the camera and flipped down the viewing screen. I pulled my best Kate Moss faces at him.
    Keith looked at me seriously. He nodded his head. “You know what, Seren, maybe that’s it....” He lookedback at the flipped-down screen and smiled.
    There was a high-pitched bleeping noise from the camera. “Dammit!”
    â€œWhat’s happened?”
    â€œDunno. I’ll just pop back and see if I can find Miss Tunks. I won’t be a sec.”
    After Keith had gone, I found a mirror behind one of the clothes rails and admired myself a bit. I did love this dress. I was mid-admire when the door flew open.
    â€œDid she sort it?” I said, looking round.
    But it wasn’t Keith.
    Standing in the open doorway was Sasha. For a tiny nano-second I thought she had come to find me to make everything up. We would be friends again. Or if not friends, then sisters.
    â€œFay said you were sneaking around in here.” The tone of her voice made it obvious I had been wrong. And she wasn’t alone. I could see Fay behind her, smiling.
    â€œI’m not sneaking,” I said. I stood up. The fringes of the dress rustled. Fay sniggered and I realised it wasn’t just Sasha and Fay. There were others too, at least three or four.
    One of them said, “What is she wearing?” AndI backed away into the dark. Sasha stepped forward into the cupboard, and even though my instinct was to shrink back I still couldn’t prevent the tiny seed of happiness I felt because Sasha had come and found me.
    She took a crumpled piece of paper out of her bag. It was my letter. She had read it! She must understand now, mustn’t she? I had written that Dad told me he’d had to let her go, that he didn’t want to and that he was really sorry. That the café wasn’t doing too well and it wasn’t anything she’d done.
    â€œI’m really sorry,” I said. “About the job.”
    I realised Sasha was red in the face. The corners of her mouth were pulled down into a frown. There was practically steam coming out of her ears. The tiny speck of happiness fizzled away into nothing. Sasha was so angry she might explode.
    â€œYou!” She waved the letter at me. “You did this! I bet you did.”
    I didn’t get it. “Yes, I wrote it.” I said. “Dad was such a chicken he couldn’t get the words out, well, you know what he’s like.... Can we talk about this at home, Sash, you know, there’s loads of people....” I was gabbling. Trying to calm things down, but I could feel my heartbeat racing away.
    â€œYou wish!” Fay said.
    â€œI bet,” Sasha snarled. She took a deep breath. “I bet you put your dad up to this. I bet it was you who got him to sack me!”
    â€œShe must have,” Fay said. “S’obvious.”
    â€œNo, I