My Sister Jodie Read online

  ‘ Jodie! I’m not doing that!’ I said.

  ‘No, yuck, don’t kiss me, I hate kisses,’ said Zeph.

  ‘No one in their right mind would kiss you –

  you’ve got half your tea all round your face,’ said Jodie scathingly. ‘Come on, Pearl, get kissing.’

  I looked wildly around the room. My eyes swiv-elled past Harley. I didn’t didn’t didn’t dare kiss him.

  ‘I’ll do the forfeit,’ I said, and I took off a shoe.

  ‘OK, I’ll do it,’ said Jodie. She sauntered towards Harley, tapping her high-heeled shoes.

  He folded his arms defensively, one eyebrow raised. Jodie stood in front of him, lips in a pout, but then she veered around him and skittered across the floor to Dad. He was squatting down, sorting through his CD collection. She gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek, taking him so by surprise that he keeled over onto his bottom.

  ‘Hey, hey, why the sudden affection?’ he said, grinning at Jodie.

  ‘Well, you’re a lovely old dad,’ said Jodie.

  ‘Your dad isn’t a boy,’ said Dan. ‘That’s cheating, Jodie!’

  ‘No, it’s not. It’s my game and I make up the rules and it’s only cheating if I say so,’ said Jodie. ‘OK, Dan, it’s your turn next. Dare someone.’

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  ‘I dare Pearl to stand on her head,’ said Dan.

  ‘That’s not fair, choosing me again!’ I said.

  ‘It’s your birthday, Pearl. Of course we all want to pick you,’ said Jodie. ‘Come on, stand on your head.’

  ‘No!’ I said.

  ‘You can do it,’ said Jodie.

  ‘ I can do it!’ said Dan. ‘My man can do it too, watch!’

  ‘No, wait, give Pearl a chance,’ said Jodie. She gave me a nudge. ‘Go on. You can stand on your head easy-peasy.’

  Of course I could stand on my head – but I was wearing my new short velvet skirt. The ruffles would flap upwards and show everyone my white knickers. I didn’t mind about Jodie, of course. I didn’t even mind too much about Zeph and Sakura and Dan, though they’d giggle. But I minded terribly about Harley.

  ‘I’m not going to stand on my head,’ I said, and I took my other shoe off.

  Dad looked up from his CDs. ‘This seems a bit of a silly game,’ he said.

  ‘No it’s not, Dad. It’s a great game, if Pearl would just play it properly,’ said Jodie. ‘Come on then, Dan, stand on your head.’

  Dan put his head on the floor and waggled his fat little legs in the air.

  ‘That’s rubbish,’ said Zeph. ‘Look at me.’

  He did a better headstand and kicked his legs in triumph. Too triumphantly. He fell over with a thump.

  ‘Now look!’ said Dad, running to him. ‘I said this was a silly game.’

  ‘No it’s not. I like this game,’ said Zeph, bouncing 226

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  up again. ‘I like standing on my head. I’m ace at it.

  All boys are but silly girls can’t.’

  ‘I can,’ said Sakura. She hitched up her ornate robe and did a perfect handstand, legs together, her toes neatly pointed. She held it steady for several seconds, her face going pink, and then sprang gracefully to her feet. She clapped her hands and bowed.

  ‘That was quite good, but mine was better,’ said Zeph. ‘Now it’s my turn to think of a dare.’ He whirled round and round for inspiration. He looked at the party table. ‘I know! Pearl, I dare you to put your head in the bowl of trifle.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Zeph, I’m not doing that,’ I said.

  ‘Which is it going to be then, Pearl? Your T-shirt or your skirt?’ said Jodie.

  ‘Now, then I don’t think we need to go that far,’

  said Dad. ‘Choose another dare, Zeph – that was a daft one.’

  ‘No, it was a brilliant one and I dare it,’ said Zeph, running to the table.

  Dad started running too but he wasn’t quite quick enough. Zeph plunged his head ear-deep in the trifle.

  ‘Oh Lordy,’ said Dad, seizing hold of him.

  Cream and custard and jelly lathered his curls and dripped down his forehead. He wiped his eyes, grinning.

  ‘See! I did the dare!’ he spluttered.

  Dad picked him up sideways and ran with him kitchenwards. ‘Stop the Dare Game this instant!’ he said.

  ‘I believe it’s my turn to choose a game,’ said Harley.

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  Jodie sighed and rolled her eyes. Harley started explaining how to play Countries. We all had to choose a country and stand on an imaginary world map. Then we had to whirl round while our Earth went spinning. Then Harley shouted, ‘Earthquake in Japan’ or ‘Monsoon in India’ or whatever, and the afflicted country had to erupt accordingly.

  Mostly the countries were pitted against each other, but every so often Harley would shout ‘Attack by Aliens’, and then we’d all have to join hands and stand shoulder to shoulder.

  I’m sure it could have been a good game, but Jodie kept messing about and Zeph (returned to us totally sluiced down) and Sakura and Dan kept forgetting which country they were, even though Harley made it easy enough for them: Zeph was Africa, Sakura Japan and Dan Britain. The game fell apart without anyone winning.

  ‘ My turn to choose the game now,’ said Jodie.

  ‘We’ll play Murder in the Dark.’

  ‘Definitely not,’ said Mum, who had come back into the dining room with Miss Ponsonby to keep an eye on us. Dad was washing up in the kitchen, in disgrace for not keeping an eye on Dan. ‘We’ve had enough of your silly games, Jodie.’

  ‘That’s not fair, Mum! Murder in the Dark is a proper party game,’ Jodie argued.

  ‘I think my children have gone a bit past party games,’ said Miss Ponsonby. ‘I’d better see them back to their houses now.’

  Jodie protested bitterly but I was relieved. Harley sloped off too, carrying little Dan on his shoulders.

  ‘Well, we’ll still party,’ said Jodie, putting the music on loudly.

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  She seized hold of me and we danced up and down the dining room, round and round until we were dizzy.

  ‘Good party, Pearl?’ Jodie yelled.

  ‘This is the best bit,’ I panted. ‘Just you and me.’

  ‘You funny girl,’ said Jodie, but she gave me a hug.

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  She disappeared and returned a minute later with two little badgers.

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  16

  Jodie and I played together in our bedroom all the next morning.

  ‘You are sooo lucky having me as a sister, Pearl.

  No one else would play all your pretend games with you. I’m the best at inventing stuff, aren’t I?’ said Jodie.

  We’d resurrected Mansion Towers and were cutting out new cardboard people to live there.

  ‘You’re too good at inventing. Don’t make any of your people murderers or ghosts, will you?’ I said.

  ‘No murderers. No ghosts. Nothing scary whatsoever, I promise, Pearly Girly,’ she said.

  She drew a Victorian man with a smiley mouth.

  Even his moustache had a cheerful upward twirl.

  ‘He’s called Mr Horace Happy and he’s just moved into Mansion Towers. He’s toddled into the kitchen and seen the cook being horrid to Kezia and 231

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  Pansy so he’s sent her packing. Now Kezia is the cook and she makes Horace ten different cakes every day because he’s so greedy. You draw and cut out Kezia and her cakes, Pearl. I’ll draw Pansy.

  Horace has taken such a shine to her. He employs little Flossie Floormop and Hettie