to find Charlie in the kitchen with Mum. As soon as I came in she swung round, catching me a hearty thwack on my thigh with her hockey stick. I yelped. “Ow! That hurt!”
“Oh, don’t be such a wimp,” said Charlie. “Not like I did it on purpose. Listen, want to hear some news?”
“What?” I said it rather crossly. I wasn’t being a wimp! Anyone would object to being whacked by a hockey stick. I wouldn’t have minded so much if she’d apologised. But she never does. “Look,” I said, “it’s already coming up in a bruise!”
“Put some arnica on it,” said Mum.
“And stop making such a fuss. I hardly even touched you!”
“Excuse me,” I said, “but being clonked by a hockey stick is really painful.”
Charlie made an impatient tutting sound. “Do you want to hear my news or not?”
I didn’t particularly, but there is never any stopping her.
“Guess what?” She took a swipe at an imaginary ball and bashed her hockey stick against the leg of the kitchen table. Mum didn’t say a word. “We’re playing your lot in the next round of the InterSchools Hockey tournament!” She announced it with an air of triumph.
Guardedly I said, “Oh?”
“Thursday afternoon,” said Charlie. “At your place.”
What??? Charlie was coming to Sacred Heart?
“Just make sure you watch!”
“I won’t be able to cheer for you,” I said.
“Don’t expect you to cheer for me. Just expect you to watch.”
“I don’t know if they’ll let us.”
“Of course they will!” said Mum. “It’s an important event.”
“Not as important as lessons,” I said quickly. “I don’t think Sister Agatha would let us miss a lesson.”
“What, not even to watch your own sister?”
Mum sounded indignant. I told her that the nuns were very strict, and that Sister Agatha was the strictest of all.
Mum pulled a face. “I could always write a note, asking her to make an exception.”
“Oh, Mum, no,” I begged. “Please!”
“But it’s your sister ,” said Mum.
“Yes, but it would seem like favouritism. Please don’t!”
Mum looked slightly offended. “Very well, if you insist,” she said. “Have it your own way. I was only trying to help.”
I prayed that Sister Agatha would be as strict as I’d said she was. Surely she wouldn’t consider a hockey match important enough to miss class? Unfortunately, as I belatedly remembered, last period on Thursday was PE, when we normally had to play hockey.
“So as a special treat,” beamed Sister Agatha, “you may all go and attend the match.”
“I wish we could just go home early instead,” I said to Millie, thinking that she would be bound to agree with me. Millie isn’t any more sporty than I am. “I mean, who wants to have to stand around watching a stupid hockey match?”
“I don’t mind watching ,” said Millie. “Just so long as I don’t have to join in.”
“But it’ll be so boring,” I moaned. “Maybe we could hide in the library or something.”
Millie shook her head. “They’d notice if we weren’t there.”
“Not if we slipped away really quietly.”
“Not worth it,” said Millie. “We could get into a whole load of trouble all for nothing.”
“Anything’s better than having to watch people whacking a ball all up and down.”
“Well, it’s not what I’d choose,” agreed Millie, “but it’s not as bad as all that. I’m just happy we’re getting out of PE!”
Thursday loomed over me. I kept telling myself that I was simply being silly. Who was going to know that Charlie was my sister? Millie wasn’t going to tell anyone. In any case she’d only met her once, for about two seconds; she probably wouldn’t even recognise her. I was doing my usual thing, worrying myself sick for no reason.
And then Thursday arrived and I really did get sick. It happened at the end of the lunch break, as we were about to go back into class. I suddenly came over all limp and sweaty. I thought for a moment that I was
“Oh, don’t be such a wimp,” said Charlie. “Not like I did it on purpose. Listen, want to hear some news?”
“What?” I said it rather crossly. I wasn’t being a wimp! Anyone would object to being whacked by a hockey stick. I wouldn’t have minded so much if she’d apologised. But she never does. “Look,” I said, “it’s already coming up in a bruise!”
“Put some arnica on it,” said Mum.
“And stop making such a fuss. I hardly even touched you!”
“Excuse me,” I said, “but being clonked by a hockey stick is really painful.”
Charlie made an impatient tutting sound. “Do you want to hear my news or not?”
I didn’t particularly, but there is never any stopping her.
“Guess what?” She took a swipe at an imaginary ball and bashed her hockey stick against the leg of the kitchen table. Mum didn’t say a word. “We’re playing your lot in the next round of the InterSchools Hockey tournament!” She announced it with an air of triumph.
Guardedly I said, “Oh?”
“Thursday afternoon,” said Charlie. “At your place.”
What??? Charlie was coming to Sacred Heart?
“Just make sure you watch!”
“I won’t be able to cheer for you,” I said.
“Don’t expect you to cheer for me. Just expect you to watch.”
“I don’t know if they’ll let us.”
“Of course they will!” said Mum. “It’s an important event.”
“Not as important as lessons,” I said quickly. “I don’t think Sister Agatha would let us miss a lesson.”
“What, not even to watch your own sister?”
Mum sounded indignant. I told her that the nuns were very strict, and that Sister Agatha was the strictest of all.
Mum pulled a face. “I could always write a note, asking her to make an exception.”
“Oh, Mum, no,” I begged. “Please!”
“But it’s your sister ,” said Mum.
“Yes, but it would seem like favouritism. Please don’t!”
Mum looked slightly offended. “Very well, if you insist,” she said. “Have it your own way. I was only trying to help.”
I prayed that Sister Agatha would be as strict as I’d said she was. Surely she wouldn’t consider a hockey match important enough to miss class? Unfortunately, as I belatedly remembered, last period on Thursday was PE, when we normally had to play hockey.
“So as a special treat,” beamed Sister Agatha, “you may all go and attend the match.”
“I wish we could just go home early instead,” I said to Millie, thinking that she would be bound to agree with me. Millie isn’t any more sporty than I am. “I mean, who wants to have to stand around watching a stupid hockey match?”
“I don’t mind watching ,” said Millie. “Just so long as I don’t have to join in.”
“But it’ll be so boring,” I moaned. “Maybe we could hide in the library or something.”
Millie shook her head. “They’d notice if we weren’t there.”
“Not if we slipped away really quietly.”
“Not worth it,” said Millie. “We could get into a whole load of trouble all for nothing.”
“Anything’s better than having to watch people whacking a ball all up and down.”
“Well, it’s not what I’d choose,” agreed Millie, “but it’s not as bad as all that. I’m just happy we’re getting out of PE!”
Thursday loomed over me. I kept telling myself that I was simply being silly. Who was going to know that Charlie was my sister? Millie wasn’t going to tell anyone. In any case she’d only met her once, for about two seconds; she probably wouldn’t even recognise her. I was doing my usual thing, worrying myself sick for no reason.
And then Thursday arrived and I really did get sick. It happened at the end of the lunch break, as we were about to go back into class. I suddenly came over all limp and sweaty. I thought for a moment that I was
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