Bad Girls Read online

  ‘I could teach you!’ I offered.

  But it didn’t work. I felt too shy to point out all Tanya’s mistakes. When I dared tell her something was wrong she went red.

  ‘Hey, this is boring! It’s the holidays. Who wants to do school stuff in the holidays? Come on, let’s go into the town.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Oh, come on, Mandy, I’m fed up with staying in.’

  ‘There’s not time before my mum comes to collect me.’

  ‘Don’t be daft. Your mum doesn’t come till half-one. Why don’t you want to go shopping, eh?’

  ‘You know why,’ I said desperately.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Because . . . because I don’t like it when you . . .’

  ‘When I what?’

  ‘You know.’

  ‘No. So tell me,’ said Tanya, doing up her sandals.

  ‘When you . . . take things.’

  Tanya stood up in her heels, her hands on her hips.

  ‘But I always nick something nice for you too,’ she said.

  ‘Yes, but . . . I wish you wouldn’t. I get so scared.’

  ‘Look, it’s OK. I know what I’m doing. I won’t get caught, honest. I never do.’

  ‘But . . . it’s wrong,’ I said, nearly in tears.

  ‘What?’ said Tanya. ‘Oh, give me a break.’

  ‘It’s stealing.’

  ‘I know it’s stealing. But they won’t miss it. They mark the prices up to counteract any shoplifters. And how else am I going to get all the stuff I need, eh? Old Pat isn’t exactly generous with the pocket money even though she gets paid a fortune for looking after me. It’s OK for you to be Miss Goody-Goody. You get heaps of things bought for you.’

  ‘I know. I’m sorry. Don’t get mad at me, Tanya. OK. We’ll go shopping,’ I said tearfully.

  ‘Oh, I’ve gone off the whole idea now,’ said Tanya. ‘You’ve just spoilt it all. I used to get things for Carmel and she was thrilled, she thought I was really great. We used to have such fun together. But you’re no fun at all, Mandy White.’

  She threw herself down on her bed and hid her face.

  ‘Oh, Tanya, don’t, please,’ I said, sobbing now.

  I couldn’t believe everything had gone so terrifyingly wrong in just a few seconds. I could have bitten out my tongue.

  Then Mrs Williams knocked at the door and poked her head round.

  ‘Yes, I thought I heard someone crying! What’s up, Mandy?’

  ‘Nothing,’ I said stupidly, although I was howling.

  Mrs Williams looked at the bed.

  ‘Is Tanya throwing a moody?’ she said. ‘Hey, Tanya?’

  Tanya didn’t move.

  ‘Never mind,’ said Mrs Williams. ‘You come downstairs with me, Mandy. We’ll have a cup of tea and a biscuit, OK?’

  ‘But what about Tanya?’

  ‘She’ll come and join us when she feels like it,’ said Mrs Williams.

  I was sure she was wrong. I cried so much I couldn’t gulp down my tea. Simon came and sat on my foot, staring up at me curiously. Charlie crawled over too, whining irritably himself because he was teething. Great drools ran down his chin. Baby Ricky started whimpering in his pram in the hall.

  ‘Good heavens, you’re a moany lot today,’ said Mrs Williams. ‘So what was the row about with you and Tanya, eh, Mandy?’

  ‘Nothing,’ I repeated, blowing my nose.

  ‘Yeah, nothing,’ said a familiar voice.

  Tanya came clacking into the kitchen.

  ‘I want a cup of tea too, Pat. And let’s have some chocky biscuits too, yeah?’ She bent down and tickled Simon’s tummy. ‘We want chocky bickies, don’t we, little pal?’

  He giggled and squealed. Charlie clamoured for attention too and she swung him high above her head. He drooled with delight.

  ‘Yuck, you’re drenching me, you little waterspout,’ said Tanya, putting him down again and wiping her face.

  She looked at me.

  ‘Hey, you’re spouting too! What’s up, Mandy?’

  ‘Oh, Tanya,’ I sobbed. ‘Will you make friends?’

  ‘We’re always friends, you daft banana,’ said Tanya, and she dabbed at my face with the dishcloth. ‘Here, wipe your eyes.’

  ‘We’ll go shopping now,’ I said.

  ‘No, it’s OK,’ said Tanya, nibbling her chocolate biscuit. ‘Maybe tomorrow.’

  I decided I didn’t care what Tanya did. I had to have her as my friend no matter what. Even if it meant she went shoplifting while we were out.

  I got terribly scared all the same when the two of us set off for the town the next morning. Tanya looked at me closely.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes!’ I said quickly, forcing a smile.

  ‘Come on, tell old Tanya what’s bugging you,’ she said, tickling me under the chin as if I was Charlie.

  ‘Give over,’ I said, laughing too loudly.

  I wanted so badly to show her I could be fun.

  Tanya might not be that great at reading words but she could read my mood just like that.

  ‘It’s OK, Mandy,’ she said. ‘Look, if it seriously bothers you I promise I won’t nick any more stuff for you, OK?’

  ‘Really?’ I said, dizzy with relief.

  ‘I’m not saying I won’t nick any stuff for me, mind you,’ said Tanya, grinning. She put her arm round me. ‘You still want to be friends with me, yeah?’

  ‘You’re the best friend in the whole world,’ I said fervently.

  We went to the Flowerfields Shopping Centre and at first we had the greatest time ever. We larked around watching the animated mice and bunnies and squirrels dancing through the plastic flower display. Tanya fished out a whole handful of change from the wishing fountain – but then she threw it all back.

  ‘Come on, make lots of wishes, Mandy,’ she said, scattering coins so fast the water plinked.

  I wished that Tanya would be my friend forever.

  I wished that Kim and Melanie and Sarah would stop teasing me when I went back to school.

  I wished that I could turn into Miranda Rainbow.

  I wished that wishes always came true.

  ‘What did you wish for, Tanya?’ I asked.

  Tanya wiggled her nose. ‘If I tell then it won’t come true,’ she said.

  We wandered all round Flowerfields. We spent ages in the HMV shop listening to music. Tanya fingered a new Kurt T-shirt wistfully. I held my breath. But she just gave it a little stroke.

  ‘It’s lovely, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘I’ll see if Pat will buy it for me. I need new clothes for the summer.’

  ‘I’ve got some savings, Tanya. I could buy it for you as a present,’ I said. I fumbled with my purse. ‘I haven’t got all my money with me today, Mum won’t let me take it all out at once, but I’ve got nearly twenty pounds at home, honest.’

  ‘You keep it, Mandy,’ said Tanya, but she looked touched.

  We went up in the glass bubble lift to the top floor. Tanya held my hand as we flew up in the lift together. I was so happy I felt as if we were flying right out in the air, soaring sky high. Then we stepped out into the top arcade and Tanya peered round, sussing out all the best shops.

  ‘Hey, this looks good,’ she said, tugging me along with her.

  It was a shop called Indigo. I’d never been there but I’d heard Melanie going on and on about it. It had a dark blue front with silver slatted doors, the sort you get in a cowboy saloon. It was dark blue inside, with swirly silver lights. We looked strangely blue ourselves and we got the giggles.

  All the clothes were on silver racks with special spotlights. They were mostly denim, jeans and shirts and little skirts and jackets, and there were some dark blue knitted sweaters too that Tanya went crazy over. She tried one on and whirled around, stroking its softness.

  ‘I could buy you that instead,’ I said.

  Tanya wrinkled her eyebrows and showed me the price ticket.

  ‘Wow! Well. I can’t afford th