Pick 'n' Mix (7 page)

“Hey, Melia!” I said, as we went to bed that night.

She looked at me uncertainly, pulling up the duvet and stuffing a corner of it into her mouth.

“It's OK,” I said. “I'm not mad at you! I was going to ask you something.”

Melia went on munching at the duvet, her eyes big and apprehensive. She obviously didn't trust me. She thought I was some kind of horrible bully!

“I was wondering,” I said, “whether you'd like Rags to sleep with you? Just for tonight! Just this once.”

That got her going. She sprang up immediately, her face engulfed in a great beam.

“Frankie, Frankie, thank you, thank you!” Before I knew what she was doing she'd hurled herself at me and locked both arms round my neck. And then she hesitated, and in doubtful tones whispered, “Frankie, I didn't really break the mug, did I?”

I told her not to worry about it. “These things happen. Rags, you go and sleep with Melia!
Just for tonight.
”

I don't know how long he stayed with her, but when I woke up in the morning he was cuddled up next to me, as usual. He knew whose dog he was!

Chapter Seven

The next day, at break, while Skye was having an extra music lesson to make up for the one she'd missed, me and Jem sat in the downstairs cloakroom, huddled together over one of the hot water pipes. We are not supposed to sit in the cloakroom, we are supposed to be outside even when it is ice cold and freezing, but just now and again we manage to sneak in undetected. There is hideous trouble, of course, if we are found, and if Skye had been with us we wouldn't have been doing it since Skye is one of those law-abiding people that think rules are there to be obeyed. Me and Jem are more, like,
some
rules are there to be obeyed; others are just stupid and pointless. Such as being made to go outside and freeze half to death. I couldn't help a slightly guilty feeling that it was a great deal more
comfortable
without Skye there to lecture us and nag.

“Look,” I said, peering through one of the mesh-covered windows, “people are turning blue. Their lips are blue. And oh, look, there's Daisy! I do believe her knee caps are bouncing up and down.”

Jem said, “Yeah.” She seemed preoccupied. I watched for a while as she frowningly sorted a tube of Smarties into different colours.

“Green one,” I said. I pointed. “Over there.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Absently, Jem picked up the green one and popped it into her mouth, thus breaking her own rule about not starting to eat until all the colours had been arranged in rows.

I turned back to the window. “People could die out there. Get frostbite and die. You know what happens if you get frostbite? You rot
.
All your fingers and toes drop off. And then it starts to creep up your legs. And it
smells.
Once that happens, you're doomed.”

Jem said, “Yeah?” Then suddenly, cramming her mouth with a great fistful of Smarties, she gabbled, “Saddy meenskygobyernanprez.”

Well, that was what it sounded like.

“You what?” I said.

Jem swallowed. “On Saturday me and Skye are going to go and buy her nan's birthday present.”

I said, “You and Skye?”

“She wants to get that little flower thingie we saw? The thing with primroses? Cos that's what her nan's name is… Primrose.”

“Yes,” I said, “I know.” Skye had told us when we were in Turton's, looking at the china and glass, before Melia had gone and breathed too heavily and upset things.

“Yeah. Well! I just thought I'd tell you,” said Jem.

I took a deep breath. “You and
Skye
are going?”

“Yup.” Jem nodded.

“On your own?”

She looked uncomfortable at that.

“Without me?”

Jem picked up a Smartie and lobbed it at her mouth, and missed.

I said again, “Without
me
?”

“It's just… we didn't want you bringing Melia!”

“You mean, Skye didn't want me bringing Melia.”

“Not just Skye.” Jem mumbled it, apologetically. “Me, as well.”

“But you're her friend!” She was always going on about
my friend Jemma.
“She thinks you like her!”

“I do like her,” said Jem. “I do. Honestly! She's really sweet and I hate it when people like Daisy make fun of her, but you've got to admit she does ruin things!”

I couldn't deny it. It really was quite impossible to relax and enjoy yourself when you had Melia with you. You had to be on your guard every single second, and even then she could take you by surprise and go plunging off into disaster.

“So I won't bring her,” I said.

Jem looked at me, doubtfully. “Won't your mum make you?”

“She won't
make
me.” She'd just be disappointed, that was all. I was a bit disappointed myself, to tell the truth. As a rule I really enjoy doing things for people, even if they don't always turn out quite right. I'd thought it would be fun, looking after Melia!

I was beginning to wonder if I would have to settle for a career change. Something
not
to do with people. An electrician, maybe, like Dad. Or a TV celebrity chef. Or a plumber. Except I couldn't really get very enthusiastic about sinks and pipes and stuff, and the last time I'd tried cooking anything it had all ended up in the bin and Angel had got food poisoning, or so she
said.
And on second thoughts I couldn't be an electrician cos of being what Dad calls a liability. I once plugged the wrong thing into the wrong socket and all the lights went out. I was only ten at the time, but Dad still says I should have known better. Probably, on the whole, I had to admit, I was not cut out for a career in electricity.

So what
was
I cut out for? If I couldn't even look after Melia! I heaved a sigh. Why did life have to be so complicated?

“I knew you'd be upset,” said Jem.

“I'm not upset,” I said. Though I was, of course. “Anyway, we've solved the problem… I just won't bring her!”

“So have you checked with your mum?” Skye wanted to know, as we finished school on Friday afternoon.

“Not yet,” I said. “But I will! Be round my place, eleven o'clock. You'll see!”

Mum was really good about it. I managed to get her on her own in the front room, while she was waiting for one of her ladies.

“It's just this once,” I pleaded. “Cos last time, Mum, it was so embarrassing! She won't stop touching at things. And she knocked down all these glasses, and this woman got really angry with us, and then we went into Boots and she started using make-up, and it wasn't even testers, so we had to pay for it. We thought they'd arrest us or something!”

“Oh, dear,” said Mum. “What a sorry tale! Never mind, she's only here for another week.”

“But tomorrow!” I said. “What about tomorrow?”

“Don't worry about tomorrow, she can stay home. I'm going to be a bit busy, but your dad's around, and Tom. They can help out.”

I said, “
Tom?
”

“Well, your dad.”

“He won't let her take Rags out on her own, will he?”

“Of course he won't!”

“And he'll make sure she doesn't open the front door and let him escape?”

“She's not going to open the front door.”

I said rather darkly that you never knew
what
Melia was going to do. “You have to watch her all the time!”

“We'll watch her,” said Mum. “You go out with your friends and have fun.”

I was so looking forward to it! It was like a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was going into town with Skye and Jem and
no Melia.
Yay!

And then, next morning, it all fell to pieces. It was Dad's fault. He is such a soft touch! Sometimes you just have to harden your heart.
I
hadn't enjoyed telling Melia that she couldn't come with us. Her face had immediately gone all wobbly. Her lips had puckered and her cheeks started to quiver.

“Not go with you?”

“Not today,” I said. “It's just the three of us today.” And then I shouted, “Sorry!” and rushed downstairs to play with Rags until the others arrived.

A few minutes later, I heard Dad's voice: “Hello! What's up with you?”

I went into the hall and saw Dad, sitting at the top of the stairs with his arm round Melia. Melia's big moon face stared tragically down at me. It was swimming in tears.

“What's the matter?” said Dad. “Who's upset you?”

Melia wiped her nose on her sleeve and pointed accusingly at me.

“Frankie? What's she done?”

“She won't let me go shopping with her!”

“Won't let you go shopping?”

Melia shook her head, waving it tragically to and fro.

Dad said, “Why's that?”

Melia hiccuped. “Cos she's mean!”

“Very mean,” said Dad. He gazed down at me, reproachfully. “Why can't you take her with you?”

I wasn't quite brave enough to say, “Because we don't want her.” I muttered that it wasn't convenient.

“Not convenient?”

Reluctantly I said, “She messes things up.”

“Pardon me?” Dad cupped a hand to his ear. “Say again?”

“She messes things up!”

“Oh, come on,” said Dad, “it can't be that bad. Suppose I were to give you…” He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out some notes. “Suppose I were to give you a fiver to buy yourselves a bag of chips, or whatever it is you eat, how would that be?”

“Dad,” I said, “that's bribery!”

“Well, of course it is,” said Dad. “Nothing wrong with a good honest bribe! Not if it makes someone happy. Stops them crying. Eh?” He gave Melia a hug. “How about it?”

I tried to stand firm, but the sight of Melia's face got too much for me, and in the end I gave way. I guess I am a bit of a soft touch too. Mum always says that Rags has me under his paw, meaning that he knows how to get round me.
And he always knows when he's won.
Melia knew when she'd won. Her tears dried up as if by magic. She came hurtling down the stairs towards me.

“Thank you, Frankie, thank you, Frankie! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Well, now,” said Dad. “Doesn't that make it all worthwhile?”

I didn't reckon Skye and Jem were going to think so. The door bell rang at that moment, and with deep foreboding I went to answer it. They stood there on the doorstep, their faces wreathed in happy smiles. And then they saw Melia beaming at them, and the smiles faded.

“I'm coming shopping!” cried Melia.

“I couldn't help it.” I mouthed the words, desperately. “It was Dad!”

“I'll tell you what,” said Dad, “I'll give you a lift. Won't be a jiffy, you wait there.”

Skye was glaring at me like I was some kind of low, creeping thing that had come sliming out from under a stone.

“You promised!” said Jem.

“I know,” I said, “I know. But look! Look what I've got!” I held out Dad's fiver. “We can share it!”

Skye gave me this look; really withering.

“
Traitor
,” hissed Jem.

Dad arrived with the car and we all climbed in. Skye sat in the front, very stiff and straight. I sat at the back, sandwiched between Jem (scowling) and Melia (wriggling).

“You're all being very solemn,” said Dad. “Taken a vow of silence, have you?”

Nobody said anything. Dad caught my eye in the mirror. “Cat got your tongue?”

For some reason, Melia found this funny. She went off into one of her great gurgles of laughter, rocking backwards and forwards on the seat.

“Well, at least someone's happy,” said Dad.

He dropped us off at the entrance to the shopping centre. “OK, girls, there you are. Spend wisely!”

“Where we going, where we going?” demanded Melia. She bounced energetically up and down. “Go back to Boots, do the make-up!”

“No,” I said, “we've done the make-up. We're going to buy a present for Skye's nan.”

“You just make sure you keep hold of her,” said Skye.

“I will!” I said. And I did. I clamped my arm very tightly through hers so that we were practically glued together. It wasn't very comfortable, but at least she couldn't break away or make any sudden lunges. Skye and Jem walked ahead, like they were nothing to do with us, which didn't stop Melia shouting out after them.

“Hey, Jemma! Hey, Skye! We're going shopping!”

And then she'd do one of her clumsy twirls and kick me in the ankle or stamp on one of my feet, and Skye would turn round and hiss, like really exasperated, and Jem would pull a face, and I'd say, “Melia, be quiet!” but only half-heartedly cos I mean she wasn't doing anything wrong. She was just enjoying herself.

We went up the escalator to China and Glass and Skye gave me this look which said, as plain as anything,
just watch it!
I clamped Melia even tighter, pinning her to me with superhuman force, but still she almost managed to cause disaster.

“Frankie, look!” she cried. “There's a mug like your mum's one that you broke!” Her free arm went flailing out. I jerked her away just in time.

“Don't
do
that!”

Skye rolled her eyes heavenwards. Jem said, “You broke your mum's mug? The one I helped you choose?”

She hadn't helped me
choose
, but she had been with me. I'd told her about pansies being one of Mum's favourite flowers.

“How'd you break it?” said Jem.

“I didn't.” I jabbed a finger at Melia. “She did.”

“Oh.” Jem nodded.

“Frankie!” Melia clutched me, excitedly. “You could buy another one!”

“I can't,” I said. “I don't have enough money.”

I had Dad's fiver, but that was for sharing with Jem and Skye, to make up for me bringing Melia and ruining their shopping experience. In any case, a fiver wasn't enough. Mum's mug had been a superior mug. Bone china! I'd had to use nearly two weeks' pocket money.

“For goodness' sake,” said Skye. “Let's go and get Nan's present before we're thrown out.”

“Yes, and then we can decide what we want to spend Dad's money on.”

I kept Melia clamped so tight while Skye was buying her present that she didn't have a chance to get at anything. She'd even stopped shouting out, so I couldn't really see that Skye had any reason to complain. I felt quite jubilant as we made our way back to the escalator. We'd been all round China and Glass and Melia hadn't touched anything, she hadn't broken anything, she hadn't even breathed on anything. She was really behaving quite nicely. Maybe I wouldn't need a career change, after all!

“Let's go to the Pick 'n' Mix and spend Dad's money,” I said.

“Yesss!” Jem liked that. “Let's buy all the really sticky icky yucky stuff we can find!”

All the stuff our mums wouldn't approve of.

“
Pink
stuff.”