Swap Over

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Authors: Margaret Pearce
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It made the morning pass more quickly, and she was looking forward to playing tennis during the lunch break.
    Maddy had often walked down to the tennis club with Jennifer to watch everyone playing. Maddy liked playing sports. She played net ball all the time. She was dying to have a go at tennis. It looked like fun. Jennifer had explained to her how it was played and scored.
    The lesson was over at last. It was time for morning recess. As soon as she walked out, Maddy knew immediately that Bronwin had managed to let the entire school know that she had cheated Mr. Brown at draughts!
    She stared through everyone and kept walking briskly, pretending to be going somewhere. She only had to keep walking for fifteen minutes, and the dreadful morning break would be over.
    â€œDid you?” Rowena asked as she caught up with her.
    â€œReally cheat Mr. Brown?” Katrina caught up with both of them. “Our goody-goody Bronwin couldn’t wait to tell us all about it.”
    â€œYes, and so what?” Maddy snapped.
    â€œWish I had been game enough to do it,” Katrina said wistfully.
    The anger and resentment inside Maddy evaporated. Gratitude and warmth spread through her. At least Katrina wasn’t going to look through her with the cold contempt that was so hurtful.
    â€œIt was a pretty dreadful thing to do, though,” Maddy admitted. Because she didn’t feel so resentful and angry anymore, she realized that she was sorry about cheating. “I just lost my temper because he was such a sneaky player.”
    â€œEvery single one of us has been tempted to cheat when playing with Mr. Brown,” Rowena said. “He is so insufferable when he wins all the time.”
    â€œYou’re the only person in the school who keeps on playing draughts with him,” Katrina said. “No one else bothers. I reckon you deserve a medal for putting up with him for so long.”
    â€œBut not for cheating,” Rowena warned.
    Maddy felt happier. It was wonderful that Katrina and Rowena were still her friends after knowing the worst.
    â€œFace it,” Katrina said. “We’ve all been tempted after playing with the unbeatable champion of The Walkley Elderly Citizens Retirement Home.”
    â€œThat is not funny.” Maddy tried not to laugh. “I had to handwrite this groveling letter of apology. It just made me sick.”
    This set Rowena and Katrina off. They laughed so much they started to stagger. Somehow it was a nice sort of laughing at Maddy and not a bit nasty. When the morning break was over, Maddy went back into the classroom feeling a lot better.
    It had been stupid to cheat Mr. Brown at their game, but that was all it was, just something stupid she had done. She was sorry she had done it and would never be so stupid ever again.
    At lunchtime, she met up with Katrina and Rowena again, and they grabbed their racquets from the lockers. She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but everyone seemed friendlier and less aloof.
    Only Selina looked through her as if she didn’t exist. Maddy shrugged, but she felt hurt. Selina was supposed to be her special friend, after all. She had no right to be so nasty because she had been irritable and snubbed Linda just once.
    â€œWe’ll finish lunch fast,” Rowena warned. “And be first over at the courts and check which court we’ve got and who we’re playing.”
    Maddy’s lunch was dainty white salad and tuna sandwiches, a piece of homemade fruit cake, and an apple. She bolted it down without even noticing how nice it was. Although they were early, they still had to push their way through the crowd to reach the notice board. Everyone else had the same idea of arriving early.
    â€œBother!” Rowena groaned. “I’ve got to go to the third court and practise my backhand with all the other duds.”
    â€œWe’re listed as down in doubles with Bronwin and Linda,” Katrina said

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