‘I was . . .’ I didn’t like to say the word toilet to her. I just stood there, not finishing my sentence.
‘Sit down, then, Mandy. Now. I hear you’ve been having a rather unhappy time at school recently?’
I sat down and stared hard at my lap. ‘I . . .’ I didn’t know what to say to this either.
‘You’ve certainly done very well at your lessons, and you’ve seemed happy and cheerful enough as far as we could see,’ said Mrs Edwards briskly.
‘Oh, yes,’ I said, desperate to agree.
‘But for a while now there have been some girls who have been upsetting you?’
I bent lower.
‘Some girls in your class?’ Mrs Edwards persisted.
My head was nearly touching my clasped hands.
‘Mandy! Sit up straight. Now, there’s no need to look so worried. We’re going to get this little problem all sorted out. If you’d only told your teacher about it earlier then it would have been so much easier to nip this nasty bullying in the bud. So, why don’t you tell me all about it?’ She waited.
I waited too. Mrs Edwards took her glasses off and rubbed the purple pinch marks on the bridge of her nose. She was trying to be patient.
‘Now look, Mandy, there’s no need to be frightened. You can tell me. I know it all already, but I just want to hear it from your lips.’ She paused. She sighed. She put her glasses back on and peered at me. ‘It’s Kim and Sarah and Melanie, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘So what have they been saying to you, mmm?’
I couldn’t speak. I opened my mouth but no words came out. I couldn’t gather together all those worrying weeks of teasing and squeeze them out into short sentences. Especially not with Kim and Sarah and Melanie waiting just the other side of the door.
‘Your mother says they’ve been tormenting you, is that right?’ Mrs Edwards persisted. ‘And last Wednesday they chased you right out into the road and you were knocked down by a bus? Is that true, Mandy? Because this is very, very serious and it has to be dealt with. Did they chase you, Mandy? Did they?’
‘Well. Sort of,’ I mumbled into my lap.
‘Aha!’ said Mrs Edwards. ‘So what were they saying to you?’
‘I – I can’t remember,’ I said, shaking my head to stop the words echoing in my ears.
‘Well, what sort of things do they usually say?’ Mrs Edwards demanded.
‘I forget,’ I said.
Mrs Edwards sighed. She stood up. She suddenly went over to her door, swiftly in her stubby heels, and opened it up. Kim shot backwards, taken by surprise.
‘So you’ve been listening, Kim!’ said Mrs Edwards. ‘Well, why don’t you three girls come in here and join us? Perhaps we’ll only start to get somewhere if we all talk this through together.’
They came crowding into the office. I shrank down into my chair. Mrs Edwards shut the door and sat on the edge of her desk frowning at Kim. Kim was taller than her. She had her head stuck in the air, one hand on her hip, acting like she couldn’t care less. Melanie and Sarah were shuffling and drooping, much more scared.
‘As doubtless you heard for yourself, Mandy here is being incredibly loyal to you girls, refusing to say anything against you,’ said Mrs Edwards.
They all looked at me. Melanie blinked at me gratefully. Sarah sniffed.
‘But it’s obvious to me that you three girls have been very unkind to Mandy and this has got to stop, do you hear? I detest bullying. I won’t have it in my school. Now, Kim, Melanie, Sarah, I want you three to say you’re sorry to Mandy, and promise that you won’t call her any nasty names or chase her ever again.’
They swallowed. Melanie started to say sorry. But Kim interrupted.
‘I think Mandy should say sorry to us,’ she said, tossing her head.
Even Mrs Edwards was taken aback.
‘It was just as much Mandy’s fault,’ Kim went on smoothly. ‘That’s what started it. She told us these stories about her mum being a fashion model—’
Mrs Edwards’ lips twitched. She was obviously thinking about Mum in her too-tight suit.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Kim,’ she said crisply. ‘Don’t make things worse for yourself telling these silly lies.’
‘I’m not lying, Mrs Edwards,’ said Kim. ‘You did say that, didn’t you, Mandy?’
I bent my head further. I knew I was going very red.
‘Mandy?’ said Mrs Edwards, her voice wavering.
‘It was Mandy who told the lies, Mrs Edwards,’ said Sarah.
‘And then when we told her we knew she was lying she got really furious and she shouted at us and then she hit me,’ said Kim.
‘Now really, Kim, you can’t expect me to believe that,’ said Mrs Edwards. ‘Mandy’s half your size.’
‘But she still hit me. Really hard.’
‘She did, Mrs Edwards. She punched Kim straight in the face,’ said Sarah.
‘Yes, she did,’ Melanie said, joining in. ‘She hit Kim.’
‘And then she ran away and she wasn’t looking where she was going so she got hit by the bus,’ said Kim. ‘It was all Mandy, Mrs Edwards.’
Mrs Edwards got up and came and stood beside me. She put her arm round the back of the chair, and bent her head towards me so that her pepperminty breath tickled my cheek.
‘You didn’t hit Kim, did you, Mandy?’ she said softly.
I shut my eyes.
‘Just tell the truth, dear,’ said Mrs Edwards.
‘Yes, I hit her,’ I said, and then I burst into tears.
Kim was triumphant. Mrs Edwards looked at me as if I’d let her down.
‘I still can’t quite believe it of you, Mandy,’ she said. But then she frowned at Kim and the others. ‘However, I know that you three have certainly been ganging up on Mandy recently. It’s got to stop. You’re not to call her names or say anything horrid to her, do you understand?’
‘Oh yes, Mrs Edwards, we understand,’ said Kim. ‘We won’t say anything to Mandy.’
That was the catch. She kept to her word. She didn’t say anything at all to me. Neither did Sarah. Neither did Melanie. Kim marched them off and by lunchtime they had their act perfected. They hovered near me, but they didn’t speak. They looked at me, they nudged each other, they made faces . . . but they didn’t say anything.
I tried to pretend I was Miranda Rainbow, far too cool to care. It wouldn’t work though, not with them bobbing about in the background.
Arthur King came over to me, his eyes twitching behind his glasses. He was holding a big old book and he offered it to me like a talisman.
‘Here’s that book I was telling you about, Mandy,’ he said, gabbling a little. ‘Do you want to have a look at it?’
Kim screeched with unkind laughter. Sarah and Melanie giggled.
‘Over here. Where we can have a bit of peace,’ said Arthur, steering me away from them.
The book was King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. I flipped through it gratefully, my hands shaking as I turned the pages.
Kim and Sarah and Melanie followed.
‘Look, clear off,’ said Arthur, trying to sound threatening.
‘We’ve got a perfect right to be in this playground, same as you,’ said Kim. ‘We’re not doing anything. And we’re not saying anything to her.’
She thrust her chin at me, smacking her lips together to show they were sealed. Sarah and Melanie copied.
Mrs Stanley was on playground duty. She walked in our direction. She saw Kim and Sarah and Melanie. But I suppose they looked as if they were smiling at me.
‘Let’s get away from those loonies,’ Arthur muttered, and he pulled me right over to the edge of the playground, by the boys’ toilets. Where the girls never go.
We leaned against the wall and looked at Arthur’s book together. Kim and Sarah and Melanie kept away, maybe because Mrs Stanley kept walking backwards and forwards across the playground keeping an eye on things.
Arthur kept finding me his favourite bits and reading paragraphs to
me. It wasn’t really my sort of thing at all. The king and the knights all spoke in this weird old-fashioned way, and I kept getting them all mixed up, but it didn’t really matter. I did like the pictures, especially the women with their flowing hair and long swirly dresses. They looked a little like the picture Tanya had drawn of her mother.
My mother came to collect me from school. She wanted to know what Mrs Edwards had said to me, what she had done, how she had dealt with Kim and Melanie and Sarah.
‘Sh, Mum,’ I said, agonized, because we were still at the school gates and anyone could hear us.
Kim and Melanie and Sarah weren’t that far behind. They all had their mouths pressed together. Their big new joke.
‘Did Mrs Edwards give that Kim a good telling off?’ said Mum.
‘Mmm. Please, Mum. Don’t let’s talk about it now,’ I hissed.
Mum looked back over her shoulder.
‘That’s her, isn’t it? The tall girl with the black fringe. Well, she doesn’t look very sorry. She’s got a smirk all over her face,’ said Mum. ‘Maybe I’d better have a few words with that young madam.’
‘Mum, no! Please, please, please,’ I begged. ‘Mrs Edwards sorted it all out and they’ve promised they won’t say anything else.’
‘Are you sure, Mandy?’ said Mum. ‘You still look very bothered, darling.’
‘I’m not bothered a bit,’ I said, trying to smile and act bouncy.
And then I saw Tanya at the end of the road, pushing the baby. Tanya, in her shortest shorts and a tiny top showing off her navel, her high heels clacking at each step.
‘Tanya!’
‘Hey, Mandy!’
I went charging up the road to greet her. She did that high-five hand thing so I did it too.
‘How was school then, eh?’ she said.
I pulled a face.
‘I get you,’ said Tanya. ‘It’s great for me, eh? I don’t have to go because it’s nearly the summer holidays. Not that I ever go much. I can’t stick school. All them stupid teachers. And silly cows calling you names.’
‘They call you names?’ I said, astonished.
‘Yeah, but I call them worse stuff,’ said Tanya, grinning. ‘Why, anyone giving you hassle, Mandy?’
‘Oooh,’ I said vaguely.
Kim and Sarah and Melanie were already past Mum, who was puffing in the background. They were staring at Tanya and me. Melanie practically had her mouth hanging open.
Tanya saw me glance at them. She had it all sussed out in a second.
She ignored Sarah and Melanie. They were small fry, beneath her. She looked straight at Kim.
‘What you staring at then?’ she said. She wasn’t as tall as Kim even in her high heels, but she was older and much much tougher.
‘Nothing,’ Kim mumbled.
‘Good. Well run off home, little girlies. Leave me and my pal Mandy in peace, eh?’
They cleared off. Even Kim. Their faces! Me and my pal Mandy. I was Tanya’s friend. I was sure they were green with envy.
‘I’m taking his Lordship for a walk round the park,’ said Tanya. ‘Coming?’
I was desperate to go, but when Mum reached us she wouldn’t hear of us going there by ourselves.
‘No, you can get funny men hanging around there,’ said Mum. ‘It’s no place for young girls on their own.’
‘I’ll look after your Mandy, don’t worry,’ said Tanya.
‘Thank you, dear, but I really don’t think so. Mandy had better come home with me and have her tea,’ said Mum.
‘Oh, Mum, please, I’ve got to go to the park,’ I begged.
‘We can have ice creams if she’s peckish,’ said Tanya, jingling coins in her tiny pocket. ‘Mrs Williams gave me some spending money. Oh, please, Mrs White, go on, say yes.’
‘No, dear. Perhaps another day,’ said Mum, taking hold of my hand.
I pulled it away.
‘I want to today, Mum. It’s not fair. Why do you have to treat me like a baby all the time?’ I said.
Mum blinked at me, looking hurt. But she seemed to be wavering.
I was suddenly inspired.
‘Mrs Edwards said I should try to be a bit more independent,’ I said. ‘She thinks I’m too young for my age and that’s why the others pick on me.’
‘Don’t be silly, Mandy,’ said Mum, but she sounded uncertain.
Maybe Mrs Edwards really had said something of the sort!
‘We’ll be back in half an hour,’ said Tanya.
Mum sighed. ‘All right, all right. If you really want to go to the park, Mandy, we’ll walk along with Tanya.’
I took a deep breath.
‘No. You don’t have to come, Mum. There’s not even any main roads or anything. And we’ll keep away from any funny men. All the others go up the park by themselves. Not with their mums.’
I couldn’t believe it was me saying it. Miranda Rainbow had taken over my mouth. And it worked! Mum let me go to the park with Tanya, though she didn’t look at all happy about it. I knew she’d be hurt and huffy all evening but for once I didn’t care.
Tanya and I ran across the grass, little Ricky jiggling up and down in his pram. Tanya sang old Nirvana songs and I tried to copy her. Ricky burbled a bit too, but then the bumping got a bit much for him.
‘Yuck. Baby Ricky’s been a bit sicky,’ said Tanya.
She mopped him up with a tissue, wrinkling her nose, and then washed her hands in the paddling pool.
‘My dad used to take me here when I was little,’ I said. ‘Sometimes he used to roll up his trouser legs and come in with me.’
‘Your dad sounds nice,’ said Tanya.
‘Mmm. But my mum’s a bit . . .’ I pulled a face.
I was scared Tanya might tease me about Mum.
‘She fusses because she cares about you,’ said Tanya, surprisingly. ‘I used to fuss about Carmel heaps.’
‘Do you miss her a lot?’
‘Yeah,’ said Tanya, folding her arms and hunching over. But then she straightened up again. ‘Still, I’ve got you instead now, haven’t I, young Mandy?’
‘I’m not young Mandy,’ I protested.
Tanya laughed and pulled my plait.
‘You look about six with these.’
‘Don’t. It’s not my fault. I begged my mum to let me have it up the way you did it, but she wouldn’t do it.’
‘You should learn to fix it yourself,’ said Tanya.
We walked up and down slowly, rocking Ricky until he nodded off to sleep. Tanya parked him carefully in the shade.
‘But we can do a spot of sunbathing, eh, Mandy?’
She kicked off her sandals and lay back on the grass, pulling up her top even more.
‘I’ve got to get my tummy brown,’ she said.
‘I don’t go brown, I just go pink,’ I said, lying down beside her. ‘I hate pink. It’s my least favourite colour in all the world.’
‘Well, we’ll just lie in the sun for two minutes. We don’t want you burning,’ said Tanya.
I didn’t care if I frizzled into a crisp. I wanted to stay lying next to Tanya in the sun forever. I stared up at the green leaves far above us. They rustled, as if they were sharing a secret.
‘Oh, Tanya, I’m so happy I’ve got you for my friend,’ I said.
‘Ah, you’re sweet,’ said Tanya. She sat up. ‘Hey, you’re going pink already. We’d better cool you down. Let’s go and buy ice creams.’
We went to the kiosk at the park gates. Tanya bought us a small 99 cone each. Ricky wailed enviously, so Tanya put a little swirl of ice cream on her finger so he could lick it off. He liked this game and moaned for more.
‘No, greedy guts. You’ll make yourself sick again,’ said Tanya. ‘Come on, Mandy. We’d better get you home. Can’t have your mum fussing.’
We walked along companionably, both of us pushing the pram. Tanya’s heels went clack and my Clarks shoes squeaked. Her shadow was bouncy, with fancy hair. Mine was smaller and plodding and plaited.
&
nbsp; ‘Hey, mind Ricky for me while I get Pat her paper,’ said Tanya, when we got to the corner shop.
I stood outside, gently rocking Ricky, feeling great to be left in charge of a baby. I peered into the shop to watch Tanya. It was shadowy after the sunlight. I could just make her out, fiddling in her shorts pocket to get the right change for the Evening Standard. She handed it over, she took the paper, she walked towards the door.
Then her hand reached out, quick as a wink. She snatched something off a shelf and carried on sauntering straight out of the shop.
‘Hey, Mandy. Got you a little present,’ said Tanya, holding out her hand.
It was a green, velvet, crinkled hairband.
Tanya brushed out my hair when we got back to my house and fixed the green velvet band into place.
‘It’s called a scrunchie,’ said Tanya. ‘There! Looks great, eh?’
‘Yeah. Great. Thank you ever so much, Tanya,’ I said. ‘I love my scrunchie.’
My tummy felt as if it was all scrunched up, too. It was so lovely of Tanya to give it to me. She was the best friend in all the world. But she’d stolen it.
Well, I didn’t know that for certain. It looked as if she’d snatched it straight off the shelf. But I hadn’t been able to see properly. She might have paid for it with the money in her pocket.
I could ask her straight out. But I didn’t dare. It would sound so awful.
‘Thanks for my present, Tanya. By the way, did you pay for it or did you steal it?’
And if she had stolen it, then what?
I knew it was wrong to steal things. Especially from people like Mr and Mrs Patel, who didn’t make very much money out of their corner shop. Although it was only a hairband. A little, velvet, scrunchie hairband that only cost a pound or two. It wasn’t as if it was really valuable.
Tanya hadn’t stolen it for herself. She’d stolen it for me, because I was her friend. And she didn’t have any spare cash of her own. She didn’t get proper pocket money every Saturday like me. She had hardly anything at all. So it wasn’t really too awful for her to take it, was it?
I felt dizzy with all these conflicting thoughts buzzing round in my head. The scrunchie held my hair up tightly, pulling the little hairs at the nape of my neck. Every time I turned my head it gave me a painful little tweak, so that I couldn’t forget about it.