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  ‘I was mostly talking about you, Tilly. I’ve been so worried because I know how sad you’ve been, and I’ve been a bit of a wet week as a dad.’

  ‘No, you’ve been a lovely dad,’ I said.

  ‘I wish,’ said Dad. ‘But anyway, Simon said you’re happy and well-adjusted and seemed to think I’d done a reasonable job with you – and he’s a head teacher, so he really does know about children.’

  ‘And I know all about dads, and you’re the best,’ I said, and gave him a big hug.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I HAD HEAPS and heaps to tell Matty at school the next day. I told her about the Flower wedding before school. I told her more at playtime. I told her during lunch and when we were playing ball in the playground afterwards. She listened carefully and made all the right noises and even said she was sure I had looked lovely in the bridesmaid’s dress, but somehow she didn’t really seem interested. She even yawned when I was telling her all about the Flowers.

  ‘Matty! Don’t act like you’re bored!’ I protested, bouncing the ball at her.

  ‘Well, you have gone on and on about it, Tilly. Still, I’m truly glad you had a chance to be a bridesmaid and wear that stupid dress,’ said Matty, bouncing the ball even harder.

  ‘It’s a beautiful dress. The most beautiful bridesmaid’s dress ever. And I’m going to be wearing it again, not this Saturday but next,’ I said happily, throwing the ball high in the air.

  ‘Really? You got another reply?’

  ‘Yes, and Dad and I went to Sunday lunch with them, and they’re soooo nice, and they’re thrilled that I’m going to be their bridesmaid,’ I said triumphantly, giving her an easy catch.

  ‘Is this another old couple then?’ Matty asked, bouncing the ball herself and then kicking it again and again, doing Keepie Uppie.

  ‘No! Well. Sort of middle-aged. Simon’s a teacher, though obviously not at our school, and Matthew has that lovely bookshop by the market,’ I said.

  ‘Two men?’ said Matty. ‘Rats, you made me miss the ball! Why do they want a bridesmaid?’

  ‘Well, because they want their wedding to look weddingy.’

  ‘Yes, but the whole point of being a bridesmaid is that you’re a maid of the bride, and you’re supposed to sort out her dress and veil and all that stuff. You can’t do that if there are two grooms,’ said Matty, bouncing the ball hard at me.

  ‘Don’t be mean,’ I said. The ball stung my hand slightly. Perhaps that’s why I had to blink my eyes hard.

  ‘I’m not being mean. I’m just pointing out a fact, that’s all. I’d have thought you’d have wanted to be a bridesmaid at a proper fancy do like my Aunt Rachel’s, seeing as you’re so fixated on weddings. Though goodness knows why. The food was OK at Aunt Rachel’s, but apart from that I was bored out of my skull and I felt a right twit in all those frills. Why can’t they have bridesmaid’s trousers? If I ever get married, I’ll definitely wear trousers instead of a bride’s dress.’

  ‘Well, you’ll look stupid then,’ I snapped.

  ‘No I won’t. I’ll have white trousers, with a white jacket, and white boots,’ said Matty. ‘I’ll look seriously cool.’

  ‘You’ll look seriously dirty, because you won’t be able to keep anything clean even for five minutes,’ I said. I threw the ball at her. Hard.

  She threw it back even harder. I ducked, but it caught me on the forehead.

  ‘Ouch!’ I bent over, clutching my forehead.

  ‘Tilly? Oh, Tilly, are you OK?’ Matty asked.

  ‘No!’

  If I’m absolutely truthful, it didn’t hurt that much, but it meant I could have a little cry. Matty saw the tears and started panicking.

  ‘Oh no, I hit that bit above your eye. I think that’s your temple, and my dad knew someone once playing cricket and they got hit on their temple and they died! They dropped down dead there and then!’ she wailed.

  It was obvious to both of us that I hadn’t been instantly struck dead but I started panicking too. Matty clutched my hand and we ran up to the teacher on playground duty – our own Miss Hope.

  ‘Miss Hope, Miss Hope, I think Tilly’s dying and it’s all my fault!’ Matty shouted. ‘I hit her on the temple!’

  ‘She didn’t mean to, she truly didn’t,’ I said, because she was still my best friend even though we were quarrelling, and I didn’t want her to be arrested for attempted murder.

  ‘Hey, hey, calm down, girls,’ said Miss Hope. She smoothed back my hair and looked at my forehead carefully. ‘I think you’ll live, Tilly. You might get a little bruise, but that’s all. It’s just a minor bump.’

  I couldn’t help feeling disappointed. I rather wanted my head to swell alarmingly and my whole forehead to turn black and blue. Still, I was relieved for Matty’s sake.

  She flung her arms round me and gave me a hug. ‘I’m so sorry, Tilly!’ she said.

  I hugged her back. ‘I’m sorry as well. I think I might have been trying to hit you with the ball too, but my aim isn’t as good as yours,’ I admitted, feeling ashamed.

  ‘You two!’ said Miss Hope. ‘You’re best friends and yet you keep quarrelling as if you were worst enemies. What was it all about this time?’

  ‘Being a bridesmaid,’ I said.

  ‘I see,’ said Miss Hope, though it was clear she didn’t.

  I started explaining, and it took so long that Miss Hope sat down on the step by the canteen and we sat on either side of her. She seemed very worried about my rent-a-bridesmaid advertisement, but was reassured when I told her all about the lovely Flower wedding and how special it had been.

  ‘Yes, I think it sounds a very special wedding,’ said Miss Hope. ‘And romantic too. It just shows that you, you can fall in love at any age.’

  ‘I don’t think I’m going to fall in love,’ said Matty. ‘I think weddings are rubbish. Especially all the fancy clothes. I’m wearing trousers if I ever get married. You are allowed to wear trousers at your own wedding, aren’t you, Miss Hope?’

  ‘You can wear anything you want,’ she said.

  ‘What would you wear at your wedding, if you were ever thinking of getting married?’ Matty asked.

  ‘Matty!’ I hissed, because it wasn’t the sort of thing you should ask your teacher.

  Miss Hope was used to Matty, and just laughed again. ‘I’m not actually thinking of getting married, but if I were, then I know I wouldn’t want to wear a white meringue dress. I’d look silly in it anyway, and I’d have to go on a serious diet. Talking of which . . .’ She felt in her pocket and brought out a bar of dairy milk chocolate with caramel. ‘This is my secret treat when I’m on playground duty. It’s my chocolate comfort diet. Want to share with me?’

  She broke it into thirds and we all munched happily.

  ‘You still haven’t said, Miss Hope,’ Matty persisted. ‘Might you want to wear trousers too?’

  ‘Not trousers. I haven’t got the figure for them either. Oh, I don’t know what I’d choose. I’m going to a wedding soon and I still haven’t decided what to wear just as a guest. I’m hopeless at buying clothes. I suppose I’d like something elegant and slim-looking, but not so tight that it showed all my lumps and bumps.’ She sketched a shape in the air.

  ‘I think that would look lovely, Miss Hope,’ I said politely. ‘And would you have a bridesmaid?’

  ‘Well, I don’t have any little nieces, so in the extremely unlikely event that I get married in the near future, I’ll bear you in mind, Tilly. And you too, Matty, if you ever get your bridesmaid’s trousers,’ said Miss Hope. ‘Now, what did you do this weekend, while Tilly was having such an exciting time in her bridesmaid’s dress?’

  ‘I went to the zoo and it was absolutely ace. Especially the monkeys! They were so gross! And then Marty and I had such fun imitating them, and this old granny lady said we were very rude little girls.’ Matty started giggling, and then clapped her hand over her mouth, looking guilty.

  ‘Yes, you should certainly be ashamed of yourself,’ sa