Bad Girls Read online

  But Mum laughed at me.

  ‘A bikini! Honestly, Mandy, you’re as straight up and down as an ironing board!’

  She bought me a boring little-girl costume. She couldn’t pick pink again because they didn’t come in that colour. I wanted bright orange but Mum said it was too loud. She chose a blue costume with a silly little white bow at the front and two buttons in the shape of white rabbit heads.

  ‘You look so sweet,’ said Mum, trying hard to pretend we were having a lovely time after all.

  Mum wasn’t even cross when I showed her my broken pen. We went down to Maxwell’s stationery department and mum bought me a new ink pen and a matching propelling pencil.

  I was desperate to go home right away after the shopping spree but Mum wanted me to have a treat at the Soda Fountain. So we went there and I chose a Cherry Special and I sucked cherries and licked cream and churned the ice cream round and round in the silver dish because somehow it didn’t taste right.

  Tanya was waiting for me when we got back home at long last. She was perched on the little picket fence round our garden.

  Mum sighed as I sped ahead.

  ‘I don’t think that fence is really strong enough to sit on, Tanya,’ Mum called.

  ‘Yeah, it’s not very comfy,’ said Tanya, getting up and rubbing the red ridges on her thighs. ‘Hey, what’re all these carrier bags? Have you been getting presents, Mandy? You lucky thing!’

  Oh, how I wished we’d bought Tanya a present! Especially when she’d given me the green hairband.

  ‘Here, we’ve got you a little present, Tanya,’ I said quickly, and I snatched the propelling pencil out of its bag and gave it to her.

  Mum raised her eyebrows but she didn’t say anything.

  ‘Oh, wow! A present for me! A pencil, oh great, I’ve never had one of these posh propelling ones before. Thanks ever so,’ said Tanya, and she kissed me. She even reached up and kissed Mum.

  ‘Right – so what have you got, eh?’ Tanya said, delving in the bags.

  ‘Oh, they’re lovely!’ she said, holding up my new T-shirt and shorts.

  Mum looked surprised but pleased.

  ‘What do you mean, “lovely”?’ I muttered to Tanya. ‘You wouldn’t wear them.’

  ‘Yes, but they’ll look great on you,’ said Tanya.

  ‘Thanks!’ I said, giving her a little push.

  ‘And what else have you got?’ said Tanya, rooting in the other bags. ‘Oh, a pen like my pencil! And what’s this?’

  ‘Just a swimming costume.’

  ‘Let’s see. Oh, I like the little bunnies.’

  I squinted at her through my glasses, still not sure whether she was acting or not.

  ‘Can you swim then, Mandy?’

  ‘Oh yes, Mandy goes swimming with her father every Sunday,’ said Mum, fussing with the clothes, folding them back into their bags. ‘Come on, Mandy, indoors. We must get tea.’

  ‘Did your dad teach you to swim, Mandy? Will he teach me? Can I come on Sunday too?’

  ‘Oh, yes!’ I said joyfully.

  ‘We’ll see,’ said Mum.

  I knew what ‘we’ll see’ meant. It was a polite way of saying no.

  But Dad seemed keen on the idea. ‘Yes, of course young Tanya can come along too,’ he said.

  I whooped triumphantly.

  ‘I’m not sure that’s such a good plan,’ Mum called from the kitchen. ‘That Tanya is starting to tag around after Mandy everywhere.’

  ‘She doesn’t tag. I’m the one who tags round after her,’ I insisted.

  ‘Now calm down, Mandy,’ said Mum, coming into the hall in her apron. ‘Goodness, let Daddy change his work clothes and get comfy first before you start pestering him. We’ll discuss this swimming later on.’

  ‘There’s nothing to discuss, Mum. Dad said yes,’ I said.

  He went on saying yes even though Mum tried hard to make him change his mind.

  ‘I know you seem to have taken such a shine to Tanya – but I’m really worried about her. I’ve been talking to Mrs Williams and Tanya comes from a really dreadful background.’

  Mum started whispering to Dad. I tried to hear. I kept waiting for the word thief.

  Dad saw me biting my lip.

  ‘Yes, OK, poor old Tanya. It sounds as if she’s had a really tough time,’ said Dad. ‘So shouldn’t we try to be extra kind to her, then? Show her what life in a normal loving family is like? She seems a surprisingly nice girl, considering – and very fond of our Mandy. So where’s the harm in their friendship? You keep saying Tanya might be a bad influence on Mandy. Have you ever thought that Mandy might be a good influence on Tanya?’

  I punched the air in triumph. Dad had beaten Mum well and truly.

  So we went swimming on Sunday, Dad and Tanya and me. Tanya didn’t seem quite so keen on the idea at first. We called for her at half past seven and Mrs Williams said she was still in bed, though she’d called her twice.

  Tanya appeared ten minutes later, white-faced and yawning, her orange hair sticking up on end. It was the first time I’d ever seen her without make-up. She looked astonishingly different. Much younger. Softer. More easily hurt.

  Dad had been getting irritable hanging about waiting for her, but now he smiled.

  ‘Morning, Tanya!’

  ‘Morning! It feels like it’s still the middle of the night,’ she said. But she smiled back at Dad. And then she stuck out her tongue at me. ‘What are you staring at, eh?’ She rubbed her strangely-bare eyes and combed her hair with her fingers. ‘I look a sight, don’t I?’

  ‘I think you look lovely,’ I said.

  I thought Tanya would probably have a bikini but when we changed at the baths she put on an old faded navy costume, plain and ordinary.

  ‘I haven’t got my own costume. This was Mrs Williams’ daughter’s school thingy. Isn’t it foul? Look, there are all these little holes.’ Tanya poked at them with her finger. ‘I’m going to get arrested for indecency!’

  ‘It looks fine,’ I insisted. ‘I’m the one who looks an idiot.’ I tweaked my bow and the stupid bunny heads.

  ‘You look cute,’ said Tanya. She sounded wistful. ‘You’re lucky, your mum doesn’t half spoil you. Doesn’t she come swimming too?’

  I looked at Tanya. We both had a mental image of my mum in a tight bathing costume. We grinned guiltily. ‘Perhaps not,’ said Tanya.

  We stowed our clothes in the same locker. I liked it that my new T-shirt and shorts were curled up with Tanya’s top and leggings. I had to leave my glasses behind too. It’s always so strange taking them off. The whole world mists over and disappears in the distance. I have to half-feel my way to the swimming pool and all I can see is brilliant, sparkling blue.

  ‘Here, I’ll help you,’ said Tanya, and she held my hand tight. ‘Where’s your dad? Oh, there he is, standing on the edge. Hey, are you going to dive?’ She hurried us over to him, our bare feet pattering on the damp tiles. ‘Bet you can’t dive!’ she said.

  ‘Bet I can,’ said Dad, just like a schoolboy. And then he dived in and swam away, his arms smoothly dipping through the water, his pointed feet kicking, until I lost him in the turquoise blur.

  ‘Hey, he can! What an old show-off, eh?’ said Tanya, laughing at him.

  Dad was laughing too when he swam back. He pulled himself up onto the side and sat kicking his legs, little beads of water shining all over him. I was worried about his soft fat tummy and all the hairs on his chest. Grey hairs. But Tanya seemed to think he was some sort of Super-Dad.

  ‘Hey, show me how to dive. You’re great at it! And I want to swim all smooth like that too, I just splash.’ She kept on, but she took ages and ages actually getting into the water herself. Dad had to hold her hands and coax her down the steps. I jumped in. Then even after Tanya was in the water she wouldn’t duck down and get her shoulders wet. She stood shivering with her arms wrapped round herself, and when Dad tried to show her how to swim the crawl Tanya wasn’t sure she could do it, and remembere