My Mum Tracy Beaker Read online

  The Little Mermaid had always been my favourite Disney film. Suddenly I badly wanted to join the Ariel Club. I wondered if you pretended to be a mermaid. Maybe you had to wear a mermaid costume!

  ‘Please please please can I go, Mum?’ I asked when she collected me.

  ‘I suppose so. Yes, I’ll take you. Though I hope your Miss Oliver isn’t involved,’ said Mum. ‘Oh, hang on a minute – Tuesdays?’

  I suddenly remembered. That was the day Mum went kick-boxing at Sean Godfrey’s gym.

  ‘Maybe Cam could take me?’ I suggested hopefully. Then she might get me another strawberry milkshake afterwards.

  ‘I’ll take you,’ said Mum.

  ‘I’m your mum.’

  ‘But what about your kick-boxing?’

  ‘Well, I can practise with Sean any old time. I’m getting good at it. Watch!’ She demonstrated, kicking her leg right up at an imaginary opponent on the pavement. The other mums gasped and giggled, and all the kids stared in awe.

  ‘Mum!’ I hissed, horribly embarrassed.

  Of course I wouldn’t swap my mum Tracy Beaker for the world, but sometimes I wish she’d act more like ordinary mums. Still, I was touched that she was giving up her kick-boxing to go to the leisure centre with me.

  I was really excited about going to the Ariel Club – but it wasn’t a bit how I’d imagined. We didn’t dress up as mermaids – everyone wore regulation black swimsuits. We didn’t sit on the edge of the pool pretending to comb our long hair, and then dive deep into the water to our palace. We just swam up and down, up and down, doing front crawl and breast-stroke and backstroke and butterfly. It was exhausting! And I wasn’t the best, as I’d hoped. I was one of the worst. There was one tubby little girl of about six who flashed past me and finished half a length in front.

  It wasn’t fun in the changing rooms either. The other girls all knew each other, and chatted about some special swimming gala, totally ignoring me. Stevie, the swimming instructor, came striding past in her tracksuit, and gave me a Sean Godfrey-type wink.

  ‘How are you doing, kid?’ she asked. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll soon catch up. I can see you’ve got potential. If you train really hard, by the end of the year you might make the B team.’

  I was used to being top at most things at school. I couldn’t help feeling humiliated.

  ‘Did you like it?’ Mum asked when I went up to the viewing balcony to find her.

  ‘Not much,’ I muttered.

  ‘Maybe we’ll find something else to do, just you and me,’ she said. ‘Or you and me and Alfie. Shall we see about those dog-training courses?’

  ‘Oh yes! But do you think Alfie would get along OK? He doesn’t seem to like doing what he’s told. I’m not sure he’s very trainable. I wouldn’t want him to be bottom of the class,’ I said.

  ‘Everyone can be trained. When I was a kid Cam even managed to train me. I used to be a holy terror, but now look at me. Little Miss Perfect!’ said Mum.

  When we got back to Sean Godfrey’s we saw there were two cars outside. The red Porsche – and a little white car.

  Mum wrinkled her nose. ‘Sean must have brought one of his lads back from the gym,’ she said.

  ‘I’m not sure it’s a lad,’ I said, peering at the white car. There was a little white lucky-mascot unicorn dangling from the driving mirror – and a copy of Glossip on the front passenger seat.

  My heart started thumping. I’d been a bit shivery after swimming but now I went hot all over.

  ‘Do you think that’s Sandy Forthright’s car?’ I whispered.

  ‘It had better not be,’ said Mum, ‘or I’ll be practising my kick-boxing on her!’

  We let ourselves into the house. We could hear Sean Godfrey’s voice in the living room – and a woman’s voice answering. Then they both laughed.

  ‘Sean?’ Mum called, her hand on my shoulder.

  ‘Hey, babe!’ he said, coming out into the hall. He was wearing a tight white T-shirt that showed off his toned muscles, and white trackie bottoms. I thought he looked a right prat, but he strutted about as if he was drop-dead gorgeous. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you!’

  ‘I’m not sure I like surprises,’ said Mum.

  ‘Chill, darling! It’s an old friend.’

  ‘I’m not sure I want to meet any of your old friends.’ Mum’s fingers were digging into my shoulder now.

  ‘She’s not my old friend, babe. She’s your old friend, back when you were kids,’ said Sean Godfrey. ‘Come and say hello.’

  Mum walked into the living room, still holding onto me. A woman in a slinky black top, very tight jeans and black high heels was sitting back on the sofa, a glass in her hand. She was wearing a lot of make-up and her hair was ultra-styled. The whole room smelled of her musky perfume.

  Mum stared.

  The woman raised her glass. ‘Hi, Tracy. Remember me?’

  ‘Justine Littlewood!’

  The name made the back of my neck prickle. I knew that name so well, even though I’d never met her. Justine Little-wood, my mum’s arch enemy at the children’s home. She’d stolen Mum’s best friend Louise away, and then they’d ganged up on her. They’d fought over everything. They hated each other. So what was Justine Littlewood doing here, lounging in the living room as if she belonged there?

  ‘Long time no see,’ she said. ‘Oh, Tracy, you haven’t changed a bit! I’d have known you anywhere!’

  ‘I’d have known you too,’ said Mum.

  They looked each other up and down. Mum ran her hand through her wild curls. One leg of her jeans was rucked up from sitting in the car – she stood like a stork to push it down with her high-top.

  ‘So, you know Sean then?’ she said.

  ‘I do now,’ said Justine, smiling.

  ‘She came to the gym.’ Sean Godfrey was smiling too. ‘We got talking, and she said you two used to be best friends at the children’s home.’

  ‘Best friends?’ said Mum.

  ‘Well. Frenemies,’ said Justine. ‘Oh my God, the laughs we had then, Tracy. Remember our Dare Game? I couldn’t believe it when you ate that worm and then were sick in the bushes!’

  ‘I wasn’t sick,’ said Mum, jutting her chin.

  ‘That’s my girl!’ said Sean Godfrey, putting his arm round her. He winked at me. ‘They’ll be daring each other again any time now!’

  I saw that Mum was completely rigid, her fists clenched. Then she moved closer to Sean Godfrey, nestling in to him. ‘We’re not kids any more. A lot has changed since then,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll say!’ said Justine.

  ‘Show Justine your ring, Trace,’ said Sean Godfrey.

  Mum held out her hand and the diamond flashed.

  ‘Oh my, that’s a rock and a half!’ said Justine. ‘Congratulations, you two. And you have a family already?’ She looked at me. ‘Dear goodness – apart from the glasses you’re the spitting image of your mum!’

  ‘Jess isn’t mine – but I treat her just like my own daughter,’ said Sean Godfrey.

  I wanted to spit.

  ‘And, of course, Tracy and I want our own kids too,’ he went on.

  That thought made the saliva actually rush into my mouth.

  He poured Mum a glass of wine and me an apple juice. We were still standing there as if we were the guests.

  ‘I’ve asked Justine to stay for supper,’ said Sean Godfrey. ‘I thought you two would like to catch up on old times. Don’t look so worried, Tracy – I’ll do the cooking! You girls have a good natter while I go big-game hunting in the kitchen for a steak or three.’

  He went off whistling. Mum sat down on the sofa opposite Justine. I sat close beside her.

  ‘This is so spooky,’ said Justine, crossing her legs. ‘Big Tracy and little Tracy!’

  ‘So how come you just happened to wander into Sean’s gym?’ asked Mum, gulping her drink. ‘You don’t look ready to do a stint on the treadmill in those shoes.’

  ‘I’ve got my gym kit in the car,’ said Justi