Sleepovers Read online

  "There are hundreds and hundreds of chocolates!" she said. "So I've won. Give us the notebook then."

  "But they are meant to be all different things," I said.

  "You didn't say so," said Chloe.

  "I thought it was obvious."

  "It's obvious you're just a bad loser," said Chloe. "I want my notebook!"

  So I had to give it to her, even though Emily and Amy agreed it wasn't really fair. Bella was too busy helping herself to Chloe's chocolates to comment.

  I couldn't stick Chloe. I decided that I didn't want to go to her sleepover party. But I very, very badly wanted to go to Emily's. I tried so hard to think of a good birthday present for her. Mum took me shopping on Saturday morning and I spent ages and ages and ages looking at pens and crayons and books but nothing seemed special enough for Emily.

  Lily was in a good mood at first and slumped to one side, daydreaming, but after an hour she started fussing. Loudly.

  "Shut up, Lily," I hissed. "Why do you always have to spoil things?"

  "Hey, hey!" said Mum. "It's not Lily's fault. And she's been really really sweet today. You're the one who's grumpy."

  "Well, I can't choose," I said, nearly in tears. "And Emily's party is this afternoon. I can't be the only one not giving her a present."

  "All these birthday presents!" said Mum. "It's getting a bit much. Still, I suppose it's your birthday soon. Are you still keen on this sleepover idea, Daisy?"

  "Yes. No. I don't know," I said.

  I didn't want to think about my birthday. I wanted to think about Emily's. I was so looking forward to going to her house – and she had said she'd show me her little teddy, Buttercup.

  "I've had an idea!" I said.

  We went down to the toy department. I searched along a whole shelf of teddy bears. There were great big growly ones, tiny baby ones, plump teddies in silk waistcoats, soft teddies with velvet paws, smiley teddies and sad teddies and silly teddies with goofy faces. And right at the very end of the row was a little girl teddy. She had pink fur and a little blue pinafore frock embroidered with a tiny white flower.

  "She's perfect for Emily's birthday present!" I said.

  Seven

  Emily loved her bear. She gave me a big hug.

  "A bear hug!" she said. "Oh Daisy, she's so sweet. And look, she's got a daisy on her pinafore. I'll call her Daisy."

  "I think teddies are stupid," said Chloe. "They're for babies."

  Chloe gave Emily a special CD album of girl singers. She left the price on to show it was very expensive. Emily gave her a hug too. Emily gave everyone a hug. She was so happy she got very pink in the face. She matched Daisy Bear's fur.

  Chloe suggested Emily play her new CD so we could all dance but Emily's mum said she'd sooner we didn't play music just at the moment as Emily's little brother Ben was having a nap, and there wasn't really space for us to dance, so perhaps we could all go out in the garden for half an hour while she got the picnic ready.

  So we went into the garden with Emily's dad and played football. Emily got to pick her team first as it was her birthday. She picked Chloe and me. Emily's dad went on Amy and Bella's team but guess what – we still beat them! Emily is very good at football and Chloe is very good at barging into people to stop them getting the ball and, although it sounds like showing off, I happen to be very good at football too.

  "We are the champions!" Emily and Chloe and I sang, and we jumped up and down and hugged each other every time we scored a goal. It felt very strange hugging Chloe. Maybe we were proper friends now.

  Maybe not. When we were setting off for the picnic Emily suggested I fetch Midnight while she got her Buttercup and brand-new Daisy.

  "Yuck! What do you want them for?" said Chloe.

  "It's a picnic, Chloe!" said Emily.

  "A teddy bear's picnic!" I said.

  We both started singing that funny old teddy bear's picnic song. Amy joined in. Bella joined in.

  We sang it in the car. Emily's mum and dad joined in. Emily's baby brother Ben tried to join in. Chloe didn't even try. She sat scowling and sighing and muttering that we were all dead babyish. When we got out the car at the park Chloe suddenly gave me a push so that I fell on my knees and got my new trousers all dirty. It hurt too. I tried very hard indeed not to cry.

  "Did you push Daisy, Chloe?" said Emily's mum.

  "No, of course not. I was just helping her out the car. It was an accident," said Chloe.

  It was accidentally on purpose. I hid my face in Midnight's fur.

  "Oh look at little diddums with her teddyweddy," Chloe muttered.

  I wished Midnight was a real bear and could bite her.

  We had another game of football but my knees were bleeding and sticking to my trousers so it was too sore to run. I couldn't be on a team. I had to sit on a rug beside Emily's mum and her little brother Ben.

  Still, that wasn't so bad. Ben got a bit grizzly so Emily's mum let me give him his bottle. I am very used to helping people drink. I know exactly the right angle.

  "You're just like a little mum, Daisy," said Emily's mum. "Have you got a little brother at home?"

  "No, I've just got . . . my sister," I said, sitting Ben up and burping him.

  "Is she still a baby?" said Emily's mum.

  "Not really," I said, vaguely.

  "Well, anyway, I'm very glad you and Emily have made friends. You must come round and play whenever you want. You'd be very welcome."

  I was so happy I gave Baby Ben a big kiss on his button nose. Emily's mum was frowning over at Chloe who was stamping her foot and complaining because Amy and Bella had managed to score a goal. She didn't look as if Chloe was very welcome at all!

  I gave a great grin. Emily smiled back at me and came running over. "How are your poor knees, Daisy?" she said.

  "Emily! Come back. You're the goalie !" Chloe screeched.

  "I'm not playing any more. It's not really fair playing football when Daisy can't join in," said Emily.

  "Anyway, now that we've got Ben fed I think it's time for our picnic," said Emily's mum quickly, before Chloe could make any further fuss.

  The picnic was delicious: chicken drumsticks and tiny tomatoes and crusty French bread and crisps and apples and cherry flapjacks and a yellow birthday cake in the shape of a teddy bear! Emily insisted Daisy Bear and Buttercup and Midnight all had tiny slices too.

  "I wish I'd brought my teddy along," said Bella. "This is yummy cake, Emily. Though I think chocolate's still my favourite. You haven't got anything chocolatey at all."

  "I've gone off chocolate," said Emily firmly.

  She seemed to have gone off Chloe too! When we got changed into our pyjamas back at Emily's house it hurt pulling my trousers off and my knees bled a bit. Emily looked shocked.

  "Your poor knees, Daisy," she said. She looked hard at Chloe. "Look at the state of Daisy's knees, Chloe," she said sternly.

  Chloe shrugged. "It was an accident, I said."

  "Poor Daisy," said Bella.

  "Yes, you're being ever so brave, Daisy," said Amy.

  Emily put her arm round me while Emily's mum gave my knees a wash and put stingy stuff on them and bandaged them carefully.

  "I don't see why everyone's making such a fuss about Daisy's boring old knees," Chloe muttered. "They're just scratched, that's all."

  "Do shut up, Chloe," said Emily.

  Then you'll never guess what. Emily said I could share her bed for the sleepover. Amy and Bella shared the other bed. And Chloe had to have the spare mattress all by herself.

  Eight

  I was certain Chloe wasn't going to invite me to her sleepover party. Especially now that Emily was very nearly my best friend too.

  Chloe had special invitations. They were all different colours. Emily had a red envelope, Bella a blue, Amy an orange. Surprise, surprise.

  I didn't have an invitation.

  "What about Daisy?" said Emily.

  "Who?" said Chloe, as if she'd never even heard of me.