it on the wall. It’s still there, even now.
“Yes, well, this is it,” said Annie. “I probably would have given it to her if she’d offered to send you a book, but all she did was just ask what part of the country we lived, and when I said Wiltshire she said was it anywhere near Salisbury, so I said yes, and she said in that case there was no problem. She’s going to ask her mum and see when to do it. It will be your birthday treat,” said Annie, all self-important. “A special present from me to you! You might try to look a bit happy about it.”
I said, “I am happy! It would be the most brilliant birthday present I’ve ever had!”
“So why are you looking worried?”
“I’m just scared in case it doesn’t happen!”
“It will happen. Lori’s promised.”
“But why should someone important like Harriet want to see me?”
“Because you’re her number-one fan! Because you’re doing this thing about her! Because it’s your birthday. I told you I was going to give you a really good present! You didn’t believe me, did you? You thought I was going to give you something stupid, like last year.”
I bleated a protest. “I didn’t!” The reason I bleated was that I was in such a tremor my voice had gone. I’d swallowed my voice! “I didn’t,” I said, “honestly!”
“Bet you did,” said Annie.
“I did not. You always give me good presents!”
“Not as good as this. I’m your fairy godmother!” Annie sprang off the bed and did a little twirl. “I’m the one that makes your dreams come true!”
I thought that meeting Harriet really would be a dream come true. I’d read once where she’d visited a school to talk about her books, and I had just been so jealous of the people at that school. Annie couldn’t understand, as her dream would be to meet someone from her favourite band, which at that moment was Dead Freaks.
I thought Dead Freaks were really creepy! But Annie had all their albums, just like I have all of Harriet’s books, so sometimes I would listen to Dead Freaks and sometimes Annie would read Harriet Chance. That is what friendship is all about, sharing each other’s interests even if you don’t really understand them.
“When do you think we’ll know?” I said.
“Soon as Lori’s spoken to Harriet. Tomorrow, maybe? I said it would be best if it was in the afternoon, ’cos then we could go while old Bossyboots is out, so she wouldn’t be able to stop us.”
“How d’you know she’ll be out?”
“’cos she’s got this thing about one of the boys in Savemore. Tyrone.” Annie pulled a face. “He’s really gross! But she’s got the hots for him. So she has to keep going there every day to check her friend Jem hasn’t pinched him. See, they’re stacking shelves and she’s stuck here babysitting, which is why she’s in such a tetch. But it means we can go and meet Harriet and she won’t know anything about it! Well, not until we get back, and she won’t be able to say anything ’cos she’s not meant to leave us on our own. And I don’t think, probably, that we ought to say anything, either. Not even to your mum, ’cos I know what you’re like.”
I said, “What am I like?”
“You tell her everything,” said Annie.
“I don’t tell her everything.” I’d never told her about hiding in the stationery cupboard. I’d never told her about the birds’ nests.
“Well, you’d better not tell her about this,” said Annie. “Not unless you want her coming with us! She’s already going to listen in on Saturday. You don’t want her sitting there while you talk to Harriet, do you?”
I had to admit, I didn’t. I definitely didn’t! If I was going to meet Harriet I wanted it to be private. Just the two of us. Well, and Annie, of course. But I didn’t mind Annie. She’s my best friend and we don’t have any secrets. But it would be really offputting if Mum was there!
“Let’s listen to music,” said Annie; and she snatched up this one CD that is my least, least favourite of Dead Freaks as it is quite scary, well I think it is, but Annie just loves it. She doesn’t usually play it when I am around, but this time she said that I “owed her”, and I couldn’t deny it, so we were sitting there listening when the door crashed open and it was Rachel, shouting at us to “Turn that music down! They’ll complain next door, and I’ll be the one that gets into trouble!” She then added that she was going out and would be back in a couple of hours and we were to just behave ourselves or else.
“Else what?” said Annie.
“Else you’ll be in deep ****!”
The reason I have put **** is so as not to write what she actually said, as what she actually said was quite rude and I don’t think really she ought to have said it; but as she was in this strop on account of having to baby-sit for me and Annie instead of stacking shelves with Tyrone, I forgave her. The minute she’d gone, Annie turned the music up again.
“Now we can have fun!” she said.
I was in a state of jitters again next morning, desperate to get round to Annie’s and discover if she’d managed to speak to Lori again, but I did my best to contain myself as I didn’t want Mum growing suspicious, thinking I was up to something. The minute she dropped me off, we raced upstairs to Annie’s bedroom. I could see that Annie was bursting with news.
I said, “Well? Did you speak to her?”
Annie’s face broke into a big beam. “Yes! It’s all arranged. We’re going to have tea with her!”
I said, “Tea … ” I could hear my voice, all hushed and breathy, like it was going to be tea with the Queen. Only this was far more exciting! I wouldn’t have anything very much to say to the Queen. I’d got simply loads to say to Harriet!
“We’re going on Thursday,” said Annie. “I thought Friday would have been better, ’cos of being nearer to your birthday, but Lori said her mum couldn’t manage Friday. And I said we couldn’t manage Saturday ’cos of your birthday party, so she said what about Thursday, and I said Thursday would be OK, so—”
“Thursday is good!” I said. “Mum has to work late on Thursday!”
“Anyway, we’ll be back ages before then,” said Annie. “It’s only tea. What we’ve got to do, she said, is get a bus to Brafferton Bridge—”
“We go through there on the way to visit Gran!” I knew exactly which bus, and where to catch it: a number six, at the back of Market Square. “Is Brafferton Bridge where she lives?” I said, thinking that I would have to change the first bit of
