The Jacqueline Wilson Christmas Cracker Read online

  ‘Yes, but that’s Ruby’s way. She doesn’t really mean it,’ I said.

  ‘Mmm,’ Lucy said again.

  I decided not to argue further. It’s not Lucy’s fault. And she is my best friend. Though of course Ruby is my bestest best friend. Oh, I can’t wait to see her!

  We’re going to take the car to Hineford to meet Garnet from the station, Dad and Rose and me. Rose is our stepmother. We used to hate her but actually she’s not such a bad old stick when you get to know her. Of course, she’ll never take the place of our lovely special mum – but I’m not going to write about her or I’ll start crying.

  We lived with Dad and Gran till Rose came along, but now we’ve moved to this bookshop in the country – and Gran’s gone to live in sheltered housing. She says she likes it there. She’s got this friend called Albert. I suppose he’s Gran’s boyfriend, which is seriously embarrassing. Rose has invited him to come for Christmas. That’s going to be weird. But at least Garnet will be back and it will be sooooo brilliant.

  Oh-oh. Christmas. I haven’t gone out and bought my presents yet, and I spent all my money on a new game for my Xbox. Oh well. I’m sure Garnet will have presents for everyone, and then I can just add Love from Ruby.

  I’m writing this on the train, on my way home! It was sad saying goodbye to everyone at school. I even felt a bit teary saying goodbye to the teachers! I gave Jamilla a big hug – and she seemed delighted with the scarf I’d knitted her. It was worse saying goodbye to Lucy. We share a rabbit in the school zoo which we call Lettuce. So I made her a little clay rabbit and painted it grey and white, just like Lettuce. The ears went a bit floppy but Lucy said she loved the rabbit even so.

  I’ve done my best with everyone’s presents. I’ve knitted another scarf for Gran, and hemmed a pocket handkerchief for Uncle Albert. I’ve painted a special watercolour picture of our Red Bookshop for Dad and threaded a red glass bead necklace for Rose. I’ve tried extra hard to make the perfect present for Ruby. I got friendly with our craft teacher and she’s helped me make two twin rag-dolls – one with short hair and one with neat plaits. I’ve given them identical clothes, but I’ve made the one with short hair have a few little patches on her jeans and sewn a purple bruise or two on her arms. I’ve put Velcro inside their hands, so that even when they hug each other they really cling together.

  She’s here! It’s so great! And yet it was really truly weird at Hineford because I saw this girl struggling off the train and just for a moment I didn’t recognize Garnet! She looks exactly the same, I suppose, and she’s still got her funny little plaits – but somehow she seems bigger and she’s turned ever so posh too. I thought it was just her ridiculous school uniform, but even when we were home and she’d changed into a sweatshirt and jeans she still seemed different. And her voice! That truly is different. She sounds as if she’s got a plum in her mouth and she uses all these la-di-da expressions.

  ‘What are you talking like that for?’ I asked.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she said, like she didn’t know she was doing it.

  ‘You haven’t gone all snobby on me just because you go to that posh school?’ I said.

  ‘Don’t be so daft,’ she said, suddenly the old Garnet.

  She put her arms around me tight and gave me a big hug.

  ‘Oh Ruby, I’ve missed you so much!’ she said.

  I was suddenly so choked up I couldn’t say a word in case I burst into babyish tears.

  I’m home and it’s quite wonderful! It’s so fantastic to be back. It feels like I’ve been away for years and years. Dad and Rose were so pleased to see me – and Gran is coming to stay at the weekend, hurray. And of course, best of all, I’m back with Ruby. Oh, it feels so good to be with her. I realize that I’ve just felt like half of myself at Marnock Heights. She’s exactly the same, with her hair sticking up all over the place. It looks kind of cool. She makes me feel terribly prim and proper and old-fashioned now.

  I don’t think she’s missed me much. She hasn’t said so anyway. She’s just talked nineteen to the dozen about all these boys she knows. She goes everywhere with Blob now. Plus she’s got heaps of friends at her drama class. I tried to tell her about Lucy and her rabbit, and Jamilla and all the other girls, but I think I must have been a bit boring because she started yawning and rolling her eyes. I shut up quickly. I don’t want to upset her right at the start of the holidays.

  It was great when we went to bed and we could talk in our twin language and replay all our secret games. Then it suddenly seemed as though the last few months had never happened.

  I love having Garnet here – but she doesn’t half get on my nerves sometimes. Dad and Rose are all over her, wanting to hear every teeny-tiny detail about her life at Marnock Heights. And Gran’s even worse. She came to stay for Christmas today and she hardly took any notice of me whatsoever. She was all, ‘Oh Garnet, your hair looks so pretty and tidy in your neat plaits’ and ‘You keep your clothes so nicely, dear, they all look new’ and ‘You speak really beautifully now, it’s a treat just to listen to you.’

  She doesn’t say, ‘Oh Ruby, your hair’s such a mess’ and ‘You’re such a terrible scruffbag’ and ‘You mumble and use slang and silly words’ but it’s obvious that’s what she means. Garnet is definitely the favourite now. It’s not that I’m jealous or anything. I mean, I’d much sooner be me. But I can’t help feeling that my entire family are starting to take me for granted. Still, see if I care. I’ve got Blob and all his gang and we have the best fun ever. Blob doesn’t like Garnet best.

  Oh dear, Ruby wanted to go and hang out with that Blob today. I went along too, because I want to be with her all the time – but it was awful. Ruby and Blob and all those other boys hang about at the bus shelter and climb up on the roof and yell rude words at people. I tried to climb up too, just to show I’m willing, but I’m useless at it – and I didn’t dare shout at anyone. I don’t see the point. Then they all started jeering at me, even Ruby. I was scared I was going to burst into tears, but I stuck my nose in the air and pretended I didn’t care.

  ‘You’re all pathetically infantile,’ I said.

  I hoped I’d squash them, but they all started saying worse things, and eventually I walked off back to the bookshop. I hoped Ruby would come running after me, but she didn’t.

  Dad and Rose and Gran asked where Ruby had got to when I went back.

  ‘Oh, she’s just hanging out with her friends,’ I said. ‘She’ll be back later.’

  Rose put her arm round me.

  ‘Didn’t they want you to hang out with them too?’ she said.

  ‘Oh, yes. They were very nice to me,’ I said quickly.

  ‘Those boys don’t sound very nice at all,’ said Gran. ‘If I had my way I’d stop young Ruby running wild with them. But I know some people believe in letting young kiddies do exactly as they please.’

  This was a dig at Rose. Gran still isn’t very keen on her, though Rose tries very hard to be friendly. The way I’m trying very hard to be friendly with Ruby. But it’s not working. When she came home last night, Gran said straight out, ‘What are you doing, getting into trouble with all those awful boys, instead of playing sensibly with your sister?’

  Ruby glared at me, thinking I’d been telling tales. And now I don’t think she’s speaking to me.

  I can’t believe Garnet can be so mean. She’s changed so much. She never used to tell tales on me. She used to join in all the fun and do whatever I said. Now she just sticks her snobby nose in the air and acts like she’s too good for us. Well, see if I care.

  I don’t know what to do. I thought Ruby and I would have such a brilliant time together these holidays, but it’s not working. She barely talks to me. I just hope Christmas Day will make everything come right. I do hopes she likes her dolls – but maybe she’ll think them babyish and pathetic.

  I don’t know what to do. Garnet’s put all these beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. I was going to ask her if I could add my n