Zodiac Girls: Brat Princess (18 page)

I stayed in touch with my boot-camp inmates and
count them among my closest friends although we live
in different countries (Mummy and Daddy got me into
a local school so I don’t have to board and be away
from them any more). All of them email regularly and
we speak on the phone when we can. Marilyn and
Lynn went back to their school and were elected to run
the school bookshop, with great success apart from the
nights they sneak in the crème de menthe liqueur and
have to be carried home singing rugby songs. Mark
decided that he wanted to be an actor, specializing in
mime. I think that he’ll be good at it and, from his
emails, it sounds like he is happy now that he knows
what he wants to do with his life and has a secure home.
Sadly, although Jake’s brother went on to make a
terrific recovery, Jake never did get over his addiction
to joyriding. After nicking a silver Merc, he got caught
driving the wrong way down the motorway singing
God Save the Queen with his boxers on his head at four
in the morning. Luckily he didn’t hit anyone or
anything but he was locked up for two years.
C’est la vie
.
You can’t win them all.

And in case you’re wondering if I let Shirla, Mason
or Henry off their debt? No way! Excuse me, do I look
sucker of the year? But I
did
let them off the interest. I’m
not a total Scrooge. They earn a stonkload of dosh
compared to other people so give me a break, I’m not
the
only
person who had lessons to learn. Like, reality
check – they shouldn’t have been borrowing money
from a
fourteen
year-old head case who didn’t know any
better!

The best news though, was that, the year after my
time in the boot camp, I was on the front cover of
Teen
Vogue
and there was an article about me inside saying
“I was the teenager who best knew how to keep
Christmas well.” A fact I pride myself on actually. Oh
yes. I am Queen of Generosity, I really am. Even
though I say so myself. Oh yes. Ding dong merrily on
wotsit. Bring it on and deck the halls with Christmas
holly, yada yada yada. I’ll be there. Every year in
December. Okay, so maybe on a yacht somewhere
fabbie dabbie doobie. But why not? I can afford it and
hey – ’
tis
the season to be jolly.

So, indeed. Peace on Earth and God bless us. Every
one.

First published 2008 by Kingfisher

This edition published 2009 by Macmillan Children’s Books

This electronic edition published 2010 by Macmillan Children’s Books
a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-0-330-53068-2 PDF
ISBN 978-0-330-53066-8 EPUB

Copyright © Cathy Hopkins 2008

The right of Cathy Hopkins to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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