said. “The new sports shop it is, then!”
The others all groaned. “Ooh, surprise us,” said Frankie, rolling her eyes. “Let me guess… Could it possibly be something to do with…”
“Football!” everyone yelled out together.
I grinned. Did I mention that I love football?! Ahh. I already told you.
“C’mooooon you Foxes!” I shouted, jumping up and down. “I want to have a look at the new strip – I mean, we’re three months into the season and I haven’t even got the new top yet!”
Us five always have a good laugh in town – even if Fliss does drag us round every single clothes shop most of the time. YAWWWWWN! First of all, we went into Boots because Lyndz wanted to get some bubble bath for her mum. Fliss spent ages examining every type of nail varnish while we were in there, leaving me, Frankie and Rosie in front of this shelf of all sorts of yucky things like wart cream and sprays for smelly feet.
“OK, who can find the grossest thing?” Rosie said. “We should club together and buy it for someone we don’t like.”
“How about these drops for hard ear wax?” Frankie suggested. “That’s pretty gross.”
“Here’s some athlete’s foot powder,” I said, and started reading from the label. “For flaky, itchy feet. Yuck!! No thanks!”
“What about this spray for bad breath?” Rosie giggled. “Ugh! Just imagine how embarrassing it would be, buying that!”
Lyndz came up just then. “What are you lot all sniggering about?” she asked. “Fliss wants us to help her choose some perfume – she’s going to ask her mum for some for Christmas.”
I couldn’t help groaning. “Poo, you won’t catch me wearing any stinky perfume,” I said, as we started walking to the perfume counter. “It all smells horrible!”
“What – even this one?” Frankie said – then grabbed a tester bottle and sprayed this yucky sickly perfume all over me.
“Aaaargh!” I shouted, coughing and choking. It really was foul! “Right, Frankie Thomas,” I said, “you’ve asked for it now!” And I grabbed another tester bottle and squirted her with it. “Now you stink too!”
Fliss was so embarrassed, she dragged us out of the shop. As we all walked along the street, people kept giving us funny looks. We really did pong!!
Then I stopped dead on the pavement. “My. turn!” I said. “We’re going in here next.”
The others groaned as I led them into the new Mega Sports shop that had just opened in Cuddington. I’d been badgering my mum and dad all week to take me into town to check it out – and at last I was going to get to see it.
Woweee! It was a wicked shop. Heaven! I wanted to move in! Loads and loads of footy stuff, which of course I checked out straightaway. Loads of nice trackie tops and trainers – definitely a few to put on the Christmas wish-list there…
And then I found this whole surf and ski section at the back of the shop, which was just awesome. Lots of boards and all the gear – and there were these three tellies on the wall showing snowboarding videos. The sight of the snowboarders skimming down impossible slopes, doing jumps and turns, just made my legs go wobbly with excitement. It looked f-f-fantastic!!
“Hey, Frankie, check this out!” I shouted, waving some snow goggles in the air. “Snowboarding!”
I think I must have shouted quite loudly – me? Loud? Impossible! – because suddenly this guy appeared next to me.
“Ahh, a snowboarding fan!” he said. He sounded like someone off Neighbours so I guessed he had to be an Aussie.
“I wish,” I said to him. “I’ve never tried it, but it looks wicked.”
“Oh, it’s the best,” he said, enthusiastically. “It is so cool! You go so fast, the world’s like a blur – and then once you get in the half-pipe, you can really start having some serious fun.”
“Wow,” I breathed. I wasn’t quite sure what he was on about, but it sounded good.
“Yeah, it is pretty wow!” he laughed. “You should try it – get out on those slopes. It’s the most exciting thing you can get into. Believe me, I’m an addict!”
“Mega!” I said, just as Frankie wandered over.
“Well, it’s quite easy to pick up,” he said. “You should give it a go. All you need is good balance, good co-ordination – and nerves of steel!”
“And snow,” I pointed out.
“Snow helps,” he agreed. “Fingers crossed we get some soon, eh?”
“Fingers crossed,” I said fervently, crossing as many as I could.
“Well, if you ever want any advice or tips about snowboarding, just come and have a chat with me any time,” he said, smiling. “The name’s Nick.”
“Kenny,” I said, suddenly feeling shy as we shook hands. “Thanks.”
Nick suddenly coughed and wrinkled his nose. “Can you smell something?” he said. “I think the cleaner’s gone a bit mad with the air freshener this week!”
I could hardly keep a straight face as he went off to serve someone. As soon as he was out of earshot, Frankie elbowed me and we collapsed in giggles.
“Air freshener!” I snorted. “I knew that perfume smelled horrible!”
“Maybe Fliss should just ask for a can of that for Christmas instead!” Frankie giggled. “Save her mum a bit of dosh, anyway!”
Once we’d pulled ourselves together, I noticed the others had left the shop and were waiting outside for us. “We’d better go, I suppose…” I said reluctantly.
“Found the footy top you want, then?” Frankie asked.
“I think I’ve found something better,” I told her, pointing up at one of the videos where someone was going a 90-degree turn in mid-air, like it was the easiest thing in the world. “Snowboarding,” I said. “That’s what I want!”
You know what I’m like. Once I get one of my brilliant ideas in my head, it’s impossible for me to think about other stuff. Suddenly I really really really wanted to go snowboarding, more than anything else in the world!
I could just imagine myself whizzing down those slopes, a spray of snow flying up behind me, hat and sun-goggles on, arms out to keep my balance… WOW!! What a thought!
Lyndz had something else on her mind, though.
“Lunch time!” she said loudly as soon as we got out of the shop. “I’m STARVING!”
“Lyndz, you’re always starving,” Fliss said disapprovingly. Fliss’s mum thinks we should all live off carrot sticks and sunflower seeds – and sometimes I think Fliss agrees with her. Fliss even went on a diet once – I mean, D-U-M-B or what?!
