My Sister Jodie Read online

  ‘I don’t want Old Shep or Old Frenchie,’ said Jodie.

  ‘Don’t call her that!’

  ‘Why not? Everyone else does. No, I was thinking, how about Jed?’

  Mum blinked. ‘What? No! Don’t be silly. You’re definitely not asking him!’

  ‘Why not? He’s ever so nice. He’s teaching me how to garden, him and Mr Wilberforce.’

  ‘You stay away from that Jed, Jodie, he looks a wild lad. I’m not having you hanging round boys like that. Now stop the nonsense. This is Pearl’s party, not yours.’

  Jodie pulled a face at Mum and turned her back on both of us. ‘Pearl Pearl Pearl Pearl Pearl! It’s always Pearl’s party,’ she muttered.

  I stared at the hunch of her shoulder, astonished.

  ‘No it’s not! Look, I don’t want a party. I won’t have one, OK?’ I said.

  ‘ Now look what you’ve done, Jodie,’ said Mum.

  ‘You should feel thoroughly ashamed of yourself, trying to spoil things for Pearl. You should count yourself lucky you’ve got such a dear little sister.

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  Now up you get, both of you. Breakfast in twenty minutes.’

  ‘Thank you for the curtains, Mum,’ I said. ‘ And the lovely fluffy black rug.’

  ‘You’re welcome, pet,’ said Mum, bustling out the room.

  ‘Creep!’ Jodie muttered.

  ‘I know. But it was nice of her.’

  ‘Mmm.’

  ‘Jodie, I really don’t want a party.’

  ‘I know. I’m not really fussed, I was just winding Mum up. But it’ll be fine. We’ll make it a lovely party for Zeph and Sakura and Dan. And Harley will be cool about it. He likes little kids. he likes you, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Do you think he thinks about me as if I’m that little?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. No. I don’t know. What about Jed? Do you think he thinks I’m a little kid?’ said Jodie.

  ‘I hope he does,’ I said. ‘Jodie, if you really want to ask Jed to come, I could ask Mum again.’

  ‘No, she’d never budge on that one. And can you really see Jed at a children’s party?’ Jodie jumped out of bed, grinning at me. ‘Maybe Jed and I will have our own private party.’ She started doing a sexy dance, running her fingers up and down her own arms and twitching her hips.

  ‘You’re so bad! Hey, teach me how to dance like that.’

  I jumped out of bed too and did my best to copy her, narrowing my eyes and pursing my lips in an effort to look sultry.

  ‘You look like a short-sighted goldfish!’ said Jodie, rocking with laughter.

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  At breakfast time she told Zeph and Sakura and Dan that I was having a party.

  ‘I’m maybe having a party,’ I said. ‘I might not really want one.’

  ‘Why wouldn’t you want a party?’ said Zeph. ‘Will you have lots to eat?’

  ‘I expect so.’

  ‘I’ll wear my party dress,’ said Sakura.

  ‘Do I like parties?’ Dan said cautiously.

  ‘Maybe. I don’t like them much,’ said Harley, from up the other end of the bench.

  ‘Oh,’ I said, all my cornflakes squeezing tight into a soggy lump in my tummy.

  ‘You’ll love parties, Dan,’ said Jodie. ‘And you’ll have to come to Pearl’s party whether you want to or not, Harley, otherwise she’ll sulk big time.’

  ‘No I won’t!’ I said. ‘You don’t have to come, Harley.’

  ‘But you will, won’t you?’ said Jodie.

  ‘Maybe,’ said Harley. He winked at Sakura. ‘So long as I can wear my party dress.’

  Sakura looked startled. Zeph and Dan roared with laughter. Sakura started giggling too, her hands over her mouth. The three of them collapsed against each other on the bench, chortling.

  ‘Oh well, we won’t need to hire a clown, not if we’ve got Harley here on tap,’ said Jodie.

  ‘Has he really got a party dress?’ Sakura asked me when she’d stopped giggling.

  ‘Probably not,’ I said.

  ‘ I’ve really got a party dress,’ Sakura confided.

  ‘Yes, I know. You were wearing it yesterday,’ I said.

  ‘That wasn’t my party dress!’ she said, giggling 175

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  again. ‘My party dress is much, much prettier. Do you want to see it? I’ll show you.’ She slipped her hand into mine.

  ‘All right,’ I said. ‘Though are you allowed?’

  ‘Of course she’s allowed,’ said Jodie. ‘I want to see this dress too.’

  We got up off the bench together. Miss Ponsonby stood up over at the top table.

  ‘You’re not running off, are you, Sakura? We’re going to make our special raffia baskets today,’ she said.

  ‘I don’t want to make a silly girl’s basket,’ said Zeph. ‘Can I come with you too?’

  ‘Me too!’ said Dan.

  Miss Ponsonby frowned.

  ‘We’re just going to see Sakura’s dress, Miss Ponsonby. We’ll bring everyone back in ten minutes tops,’ Jodie said, smiling. ‘You can relax and have another cup of tea.’

  ‘Now there’s an offer you can’t refuse,’ said Mr Wilberforce, eating one of Mum’s sausages with great relish. ‘So you’re a teacher’s assistant and general childminder today, young Jodie. You’re proving a very versatile member of the Melchester community. You’re also a gardener and a dog-walker.’

  ‘I hope you’ll take Old Shep for another walk this afternoon, Jodie. He’s so much better behaved if he’s had some really good exercise. I’m useless. I get worn out long before he does,’ said Miss French.

  ‘Of course I’ll walk him,’ said Jodie. She glanced at Jed. ‘And I can help out with any gardening stuff if you like. Any odd job you get bored with. I love gardening.’

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  Jed raised his eyebrows at her, looking amused.

  Mr Wilberforce was most enthusiastic.

  ‘Do come and help, my dear. There’s always heaps to do. Jed and I do our best but the grounds are determined to revert to wilderness. Even the formal garden is a disgrace this year, the lawn especially.’ He sighed.

  ‘Don’t look at me,’ said Jed. ‘There’s not much point trying to mow it into nice neat stripes when those blooming badgers have been burrowing.

  Pesky vermin. You should let me put poison down.’

  I stiffened. I forgot to be shy. ‘You can’t poison badgers! They’re lovely animals,’ I said.

  ‘She’s right,’ said Harley, behind me. ‘Morally and indeed legally. It’s totally against the law to kill a badger. You’d be prosecuted and severely fined.’

  ‘You’re just a silly townie kid,’ said Jed contemptuously. ‘No point getting all sentimental over badgers. They burrow all over the shop and they spread TB amongst your cattle.’

  ‘I think you’ll find that’s heavily disputed,’ said Harley. ‘In fact some experts think it’s the cattle that give the badgers TB.’

  ‘Toffee-nosed twit,’ Jed said softly to Harley, turning his head so that Mr Wilberforce couldn’t hear.

  ‘Come on, Sakura, lead the way,’ said Jodie hurriedly.

  We walked out with all three little ones. Harley loped along too, his fists clenched.

  ‘Did you hear what he called me?’ he said.

  ‘No,’ I lied tactfully.

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  ‘He called you a toffee-nosed twat,’ said Jodie, thinking she was being helpful. ‘Nothing to get too steamed up about.’

  ‘What? I’m so steaming I’m boiling.’

  ‘He didn’t mean it. Or even if he did, so what? You are toffee-nosed, Harley. No one could talk posher than you. And you deliberately act like a twat half the tim