Read Online Party at Silver Spires by Ann Bryant - Free Book Online Page B

half-term? I hated that thought and I actually cried myself to sleep in the end, but they were silent tears so I wouldn’t wake the others up.
    â€œAre you going to running club?” I asked Bryony when lessons had finished for the day.
    â€œYes. Why don’t you come too? It’ll be good!” she said.
    I’d been hoping she’d say something like that and I hurried off to get my stuff from Forest Ash, then joined the others in the changing room.
    Two Year Eights were getting changed at the same time as us and started talking about the party on Saturday, which made my stomach churn.
    â€œI think it’s going to be even better than last year’s, don’t you?” said a girl called Zoe. “The Year Tens are in charge of decorating the common room and I heard them talking about an ‘Oscar party’ theme.”
    â€œOh wow, that’d be so cool,” said Zoe’s friend, Bec. “I love dressing up. And I think the music will be good too. It’s the Year Nines doing that, isn’t it?”
    My whole stomach seemed to squeeze then, because if it was an Oscar party, I’d just die. I really wouldn’t be able to go. It would be practically compulsory to look over-the-top glam for an Oscar party. I could feel my heart banging against my ribs and a part of me was dreading the Year Eight conversation spreading to Emily and Bryony and me, but another part of me was hoping it would, because then at least I’d find out what they were planning on wearing. I looked at them leaning forwards comparing trainers, and realized that there was no way they were about to join in the party conversation. They weren’t even listening to what the Year Eights were saying.
    â€œCome on, let’s get down to the athletics field,” said Emily, when we were all in our tracksuits. And as we jogged off together, I found myself wondering if I dared to ask them outright what they were going to wear for the party. But in the end I couldn’t bring myself to do it, because I kept going back to the obvious fact that even though Emily and Bryony weren’t the type to dress up, they were bound to have packed something suitable and they’d just get on with it because I was sure that it wouldn’t be a big deal to them. I wished now that I’d ignored Antonia and gone ahead and bought that lovely dress I’d tried on – then I wouldn’t be getting myself into such a state right now.
    On Tuesday evening my worst fears came true, because some Year Elevens came round telling everyone that it was definitely going to be an “Oscar Night” party and there would be “Oscar awards” for the best-dressed girl in each year group. Sasha and Izzy immediately got really excited and started comparing jewellery, and then they asked Antonia to show them hers, and she tipped out necklaces and bracelets and earrings all over her blue duvet till it looked like a sea of sparkling jewels. And I shrivelled a bit more inside.
    Emily eyed all the jewellery, then said it wasn’t really her thing. My heart sang at the sound of those words, but then Sasha whipped out a tiara from one of her drawers and said, “Wear this, Emily! I’ll do your hair for you. You’ll look fab!”
    I was pinning my hopes on Bryony saying something to make me feel better, and when she announced that she’d only got one pair of earrings I felt my spirits lifting.
    â€œLet’s see them,” said Emily, and Bryony took out a huge pair of shiny silver hearts. “Mum got me these for Christmas. She said they’d go well with my short hair. I haven’t even got pierced ears – see. They’re magnetic.” She put one of them on and looked instantly amazing.
    I felt so alone at that moment. Even Bryony, who was really quite a tomboy, was going to be more dressed up than me. If only I was brave enough to ask one of my friends if I could borrow