My Mum Tracy Beaker Read online

  ‘Yes, poor you! And poor Miss Oliver. Tracy’s always had a problem with authority, especially teachers.’

  ‘Still, I suppose it’s good that she sticks up for me,’ I said. ‘But it’s bad bad bad that she started doing kick-boxing because of it.’

  ‘I’m not sure Tracy doing kick-boxing is a great idea,’ said Cam.

  ‘She hasn’t kicked anyone yet, as far as I know. She just goes to classes at Sean Godfrey’s gym. I wish she’d kick him.’

  ‘Ah, the new boyfriend,’ said Cam. ‘The flash footballer. You know, he was the saddest, scruffiest kid ever, though certainly daft about football. I can’t believe he’s done so well for himself.’

  ‘He’s a terrible show-off and he wears stupid clothes. I don’t get why Mum acts so soft with him.’

  ‘I’ve never heard Tracy called soft before! It sounds as if she’s really keen on him then.’

  ‘She can’t be! And anyway, she’s been going out with him for more than three months so she must be getting fed up. Any day now he’ll be history, you wait and see,’ I said fiercely.

  I was wrong wrong wrong. When Mum came to collect me in the morning she looked different. Her eyes were shining and she was pink in the face. We had to whizz over to Marina’s to pick up Ava and Alice, but when we’d dropped them off at their school and driven to mine, Mum suddenly blurted out, ‘Jess, I’ve got something to tell you.’

  My tummy went tight. I didn’t want to hear what she was going to say. ‘Must go, Mum. Miss Oliver goes nuts if we’re late,’ I said hastily, and made to open the car door.

  ‘You’ve got five minutes, Jess. Listen!’

  ‘I can’t, Mum. I need to sort out some homework. Tell me later.’

  ‘It’s good news, I promise. Great news,’ said Mum.

  ‘What?’ I said warily.

  Mum reached out and held my hand. ‘You know Sean and I have been seeing each other for the last few months?’

  ‘Three months and one week.’

  ‘Have you been keeping count then?’ Mum asked.

  ‘Sort of.’

  ‘And you like Sean, don’t you?’

  I stared at her. She was my mum. She was supposed to know me through and through. I’d never actually said, I can’t stick Sean Godfrey, but surely it was obvious.

  ‘Are you breaking up?’ I asked hopefully.

  ‘Who said anything about breaking up?’

  ‘You always do. After three months,’ I said.

  ‘Well, I’m not breaking up with Sean. It’s the exact opposite. Oh, Jess, we’re going to live together, you and me and Sean,’ Mum said. ‘Can you believe it?’

  I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted to put my hands over my ears and go la-la-la so I couldn’t hear another word. I started scrabbling in my school bag, just for something to do.

  ‘Well, say something! Isn’t it wonderful? What are you looking for?’

  ‘It’s this homework, I said.’

  ‘Never mind your silly old homework. What do you think about us being a proper family at last?’ Mum asked eagerly.

  ‘We’re a family already,’ I told her.

  ‘Yes, I know, but it’ll be so different with Sean being part of things.’

  ‘I know it will,’ I said, nibbling at my lip.

  ‘Stop doing that, you’ll make it sore! Oh, Jess, come on, talk to me. Tell me what you really think,’ said Mum.

  ‘It’ll be too much of a squash,’ I said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Sean Godfrey’s too big. He takes up too much room. For a start he’ll need most of the sofa so we won’t be able to sit together. And there’s not room for three at the kitchen table. And whenever he has a shower he’ll splash everywhere,’ I said.

  ‘Don’t be daft, Jess. Don’t you get it? He won’t be coming to live with us! We’ll be going to live with him. We’re going to be living at Sean’s, right on the other side of town. It’s ever so swish, with huge leather sofas – they’re big enough for all of us. And he’s got a proper dining room, and his kitchen has a big fancy trestle table for when you have breakfast. And wait till you see his shower. It’s so powerful it’s like being in a rainstorm. And two of the bedrooms have baths too, those roll-top ones with clawed feet. You’ll absolutely love it.’

  ‘No I won’t,’ I said. ‘I love it at Marlborough Tower, just you and me.’

  ‘But it’s a dump, you know it is, no matter what we do to it. And I can’t see how I’ll ever earn enough to get our own place – certainly not a fantastic house like Sean’s. He’s really serious about it, Jess. He’s actually asked me to marry him! You always said you wanted to be a bridesmaid. Well, now’s your chance!’ said Mum.

  I couldn’t swallow properly. My eyes were prickling. I felt sick.

  ‘I can’t stop you marrying Sean Godfrey if you’re daft enough, but I’m not not not going to be your bridesmaid!’ I said, and I jumped out of the car, ran through the gate and raced across the playground, desperate to get away.

  I WAS RUNNING so hard I could barely see, my eyes blurry as I dodged in and out of the clusters of children straggling into school. I was scared Mum might come chasing after me and make a scene with everyone staring.

  I couldn’t let her catch me. I ran full-tilt – through the school entrance and down the corridor, though this was strictly forbidden. I rounded the corner – and barged right into someone bending over to tie a lace. It was a very big someone. He tipped forward onto his nose and shouted something very rude indeed.

  ‘Tyrone!’ I gasped.

  He scrambled up, his face strawberry pink with fury. ‘Jess Beaker!’ he said, his eyes popping with astonishment. Then he clenched his fists.

  I was for it now! I tried to dodge past him, but then stopped. He had bright red blood spurting out of his nose.

  ‘You’re bleeding!’ I said.

  Tyrone put his hand to his nose – and when he took it away again it was running with blood. ‘Help!’ he said thickly.

  ‘We’ll get Miss Oliver!’ I said. ‘Quick! It’s dribbling all down your shirt! Come on!’

  I took his arm and hustled him towards our classroom. I banged the door open and Miss Oliver looked up from her desk, startled.

  ‘Good heavens, what’s happened?’ she said, rushing towards us. ‘Let me look at you, Tyrone. I can’t believe you’ve been fighting with poor little Jess again. She’s half your size!’

  ‘It was Jess! I wasn’t doing nothing!’ he protested.

  ‘Anything.’ Miss Oliver corrected his grammar automatically as she sat him in her chair and clamped a wad of tissues to his nose. ‘There. Hold it tight and keep still. Are you hurt too, Jess?’

  ‘I don’t think so, Miss Oliver,’ I said shakily. ‘Look, the blood’s coming right through the tissues. What if he bleeds to death?’

  ‘No one’s allowed to bleed to death in my classroom,’ said Miss Oliver. ‘Fetch me some more tissues, Jess.’

  Just then the bell went for the start of morning school. Our classmates started coming in. They stared at Tyrone in awe. He was looking very pale now, and had started to shiver.

  ‘Oh, Tyrone, I’m so sorry,’ I said, clutching his hand. ‘Please don’t die. I don’t want to be a murderer!’

  ‘There’s no need to get into such a state, you two. It’s just a nosebleed. Tyrone will be as right as rain in five minutes,’ said Miss Oliver firmly, but she was looking a bit worried too. ‘Jess, run and get the towel hanging by the sink. Tyrone, pinch your nose really hard.’

  ‘It hurts enough as it is, Miss!’ he mumbled.

  ‘Miss Oliver,’ said Miss Oliver. ‘Perhaps we’d better take you to Mrs Michaels’ office. You come too, Jess.’

  I’d never been sent to Mrs Michaels’ office before. I had never done anything bad enough.

  Mrs Michaels is small and round, and she’s got a young-looking pageboy haircut, but don’t let that fool you. She can be soooo scary. When someone set off the fire alarm deliberately, she had the whol