said, pulling back the curtain and stepping out. “What do you think?”
“Oooh!” Maya sighed admiringly. “So nice!” It was the gypsy skirt Poppy had been admiring, in flounces of spots and stripes, and it looked fab.
“Yeah, I like it too.” Poppy twirled, giggling as the skirt whirled round. “Really like it… Go on, Izzy, try your things on, I need to think. This is going to take almost all my birthday money.”
Izzy went hesitantly into the cubicle, and Maya and Poppy exchanged a worried glance. Maya hoped they weren’t forcing her into dressing up. She looked round for Poppy’s mum, wondering if they should ask her advice, but she’d gone into the other room to look at the bags.
But when Izzy sidled out a couple of minutes later, she looked half-pleased, half-frightened.
“Why are you looking like that?” Emily demanded, not bothering to be tactful, as usual.
Poppy stepped in quickly. “It’s great. It really suits you!”
Izzy stared at her, as though she was waiting for something else.
“It does look nice, Izzy,” Maya promised. “Don’t you believe us?”
Poppy frowned. “Did someone say mean stuff to you in a shop, or something? You look like you think we’re going to be rude about you.”
Izzy glared at the floor, hugging her arms around the pretty blue T-shirt. “Ali. The last time Dad really made an effort to take me shopping was for my birthday. It was just bad luck that she happened to be in the same shop. She was so horrible…” Izzy’s voice filled with tears, and she gulped. “I can’t cry on the clothes!”
Maya hugged her. She didn’t care if Izzy didn’t look like a hugging person. “It doesn’t matter, because you should buy that T-shirt anyway. It looks so good. I mean it. And Ali has a nose like an ugly dog, Izzy, just remember that when she’s being mean.”
Izzy spluttered, halfway between tears and giggling.
“You see! She does! You know it too!” Maya told her triumphantly. She elbowed Emily and gave her a glare. Couldn’t she see that this was more importantthan her squabble with Izzy?
“She really does,” Emily said solemnly. “And she always smells like an accident in a body-spray factory.”
Izzy snorted, her hand over her mouth. “Stop it!” she wheezed. “I’ll be sick.”
“OK. But promise you’ll get the T-shirt. Unless there’s something nicer,” Maya told her firmly.
Izzy nodded. “You try your stuff on.”
Maya tried on her favourite thing first – a long T-shirt, with a belt to go round it that was covered in little embroidered birds and flowers. The label said it was organic cotton, and it had been made in India.
“That’s pretty!” Izzy told her, as she came out. She was still sniffing a little, but she looked much happier, and she was sharing a chair with Poppy while they looked through a basket of bead necklaces. It was the friendliest Maya had ever seen her look.
“It’s good with the belt,” Emily agreed.
By the time they’d all tried on everything, Maya’s pile had gone down to the T-shirt and belt, and a cool printed scarf. Izzy was getting the T-shirt and skirt, and Poppy had stuck to the gypsy skirt. Emily was still trying to decide.
“Do you want to try some bits on again?” Mayaasked. “I really like this fashion show thing. We should all go shopping together always!”
Emily sighed. “I don’t think it will help. I like all these. Maybe we can talk to the owner of the shop about Fairtrade clothes before we buy things, and then I’ll decide.”
But Maya hardly heard her. She was staring at the clothes rails with an amazed expression on her face, which slowly turned into a delighted smile.
“I think I’ve just had a stunningly brilliant idea!”
“What? Is it a way for me to decide what to get? I’m not just tossing a coin, Maya.” Emily folded her arms firmly.
“No, no, no! I think we should have a fashion show!” Maya sat down on one of the madly painted wooden chairs with a
“Oooh!” Maya sighed admiringly. “So nice!” It was the gypsy skirt Poppy had been admiring, in flounces of spots and stripes, and it looked fab.
“Yeah, I like it too.” Poppy twirled, giggling as the skirt whirled round. “Really like it… Go on, Izzy, try your things on, I need to think. This is going to take almost all my birthday money.”
Izzy went hesitantly into the cubicle, and Maya and Poppy exchanged a worried glance. Maya hoped they weren’t forcing her into dressing up. She looked round for Poppy’s mum, wondering if they should ask her advice, but she’d gone into the other room to look at the bags.
But when Izzy sidled out a couple of minutes later, she looked half-pleased, half-frightened.
“Why are you looking like that?” Emily demanded, not bothering to be tactful, as usual.
Poppy stepped in quickly. “It’s great. It really suits you!”
Izzy stared at her, as though she was waiting for something else.
“It does look nice, Izzy,” Maya promised. “Don’t you believe us?”
Poppy frowned. “Did someone say mean stuff to you in a shop, or something? You look like you think we’re going to be rude about you.”
Izzy glared at the floor, hugging her arms around the pretty blue T-shirt. “Ali. The last time Dad really made an effort to take me shopping was for my birthday. It was just bad luck that she happened to be in the same shop. She was so horrible…” Izzy’s voice filled with tears, and she gulped. “I can’t cry on the clothes!”
Maya hugged her. She didn’t care if Izzy didn’t look like a hugging person. “It doesn’t matter, because you should buy that T-shirt anyway. It looks so good. I mean it. And Ali has a nose like an ugly dog, Izzy, just remember that when she’s being mean.”
Izzy spluttered, halfway between tears and giggling.
“You see! She does! You know it too!” Maya told her triumphantly. She elbowed Emily and gave her a glare. Couldn’t she see that this was more importantthan her squabble with Izzy?
“She really does,” Emily said solemnly. “And she always smells like an accident in a body-spray factory.”
Izzy snorted, her hand over her mouth. “Stop it!” she wheezed. “I’ll be sick.”
“OK. But promise you’ll get the T-shirt. Unless there’s something nicer,” Maya told her firmly.
Izzy nodded. “You try your stuff on.”
Maya tried on her favourite thing first – a long T-shirt, with a belt to go round it that was covered in little embroidered birds and flowers. The label said it was organic cotton, and it had been made in India.
“That’s pretty!” Izzy told her, as she came out. She was still sniffing a little, but she looked much happier, and she was sharing a chair with Poppy while they looked through a basket of bead necklaces. It was the friendliest Maya had ever seen her look.
“It’s good with the belt,” Emily agreed.
By the time they’d all tried on everything, Maya’s pile had gone down to the T-shirt and belt, and a cool printed scarf. Izzy was getting the T-shirt and skirt, and Poppy had stuck to the gypsy skirt. Emily was still trying to decide.
“Do you want to try some bits on again?” Mayaasked. “I really like this fashion show thing. We should all go shopping together always!”
Emily sighed. “I don’t think it will help. I like all these. Maybe we can talk to the owner of the shop about Fairtrade clothes before we buy things, and then I’ll decide.”
But Maya hardly heard her. She was staring at the clothes rails with an amazed expression on her face, which slowly turned into a delighted smile.
“I think I’ve just had a stunningly brilliant idea!”
“What? Is it a way for me to decide what to get? I’m not just tossing a coin, Maya.” Emily folded her arms firmly.
“No, no, no! I think we should have a fashion show!” Maya sat down on one of the madly painted wooden chairs with a
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