by Ginny Deals
For W, an avid fan
CONTENTS
Have you been Invited to all these Sleepovers?
Oh, hiya! I didn’t hear you come in. Just hold on a sec, while I stick this sequin on… What do you think? What do you mean, what is it? It’s a choker, you derr-brain. See? All the sequins and beads, with these silver ribbons to tie at the back? I’m making it for this party I might be going to at the weekend. Yeah, check my careful use of the word “might”. It all depends on what mood Dad’s in when I ask him about it. He’s been mad for a week or so now, ever since—
Oops! Nearly gave the game away there! That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To hear all the latest Sleepover Club goss? Well, you’ve come to the right gal. I might be in a whole heap of trouble, but I’ve got some inside info on our latest disaster that’s so secret, you’ve got to swear not to tell a single soul. Not even the other Sleepover Clubbers, OK? Even if they torture you by tickling your feet with grass stalks. This has to be strictly between you and me, or my dad will never let me out of the house again.
You probably know all about us by now, don’t you? The Sleepover Club – five girls who really know how to get into trouble. Maybe you don’t remember? I’ll give you a quick run-down on us before I tell the story, then. But first of all, I’ve got a question for you.
Do you know that rhyme, “Five Little Piggies”? I know, it’s a really weird question, but hey! My mates don’t call me Spaceman for nothing! So, do you know it? “This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed at home, this little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none, and this little piggy went WEE WEE WEE all the way home”? I bet your mum or dad used to tell it to you when you were a little kid, maybe when you were getting out of the bath or something. And I bet they wiggled your toes when they did it, too. Parents can be so dorky sometimes.
Basically, my mates in the Sleepover Club are kind of like those pigs in the rhyme. Take me for instance. Francesca Theresa Thomas, known as Frankie. I’m probably the piggy who goes to market, ’cos I’m dead sociable – always the life and soul of the party. I like dressing up and going a bit crazy when I get the chance, to tell the truth. Mind you, I’ve calmed down a bit since my cute baby sister Izzy was born. A big sister has responsibilities, you know? I’m the leader of the Sleepover Club, I guess. At least, that’s what the others would say – though they wouldn’t say it in front of me.
Lyndz is probably the piggy who stays at home. She’s the peacemaker, with a crazy family life. Lyndsey Marianne Collins is her full name, and she’s got FOUR brothers – two older, two younger. Imagine that! Eight smelly socks on the landing every day! I don’t think I could live with that. She’d love this piggy comparison, ’cos she’s totally loony about animals of all shapes and sizes. She’s particularly mad about horses, and spends most of her time down at the stables – when she’s not hanging out with her best mates, of course.
The piggy with the roast beef would be Fliss, the girl with the best of everything. Felicity Diana Sidebotham, she used to be. What a cringe – I’d have died of embarrassment if I’d been stuck with a name like that! I know Thomas isn’t anything special, but I’m well pleased I’ve got that and not Sidebotham. Well, she’s not Sidebotham any more, you’ll be pleased to know, ’cos her mum just got married. Guess what she is now? Proudlove! Not much better, is it? She doesn’t have a great sense of humour, Fliss, so don’t go winding her up about her name, will you? She lives with her mum and step-dad in a perfect little house with a perfect little bedroom and a perfect little wardrobe. She’s a perfect little pain in the you-know-what sometimes, too, but basically she’s a good laugh. She’d probably hate this pig comparison, though – she goes on and on about diets, which is totally stupid.
Rosie’s probably best described as the piggy with none – but don’t tell her that, ’cos she’ll go mad. She gets really touchy about money. I don’t think her mum has got much, not since her dad left home. But what’s money got to do with anything? She’s got loads of other things – a brother, a sister, a wicked sense of humour, a fab talent for singing and mimicking people, and four top mates. She’s the newest member of the Sleepover Club – and we wouldn’t have invited her to join if we didn’t think she was cool.
Which leaves my best mate of mates – Laura “Kenny” McKenzie. We’ve known each other since we were little kids, and have done pretty much everything together ever since! She’s the piggy who goes “WEE WEE WEE” all the way home, ’cos she’s got so much energy. (Plus it’s kind of funny, that bit about weeing.) Kenny loves playing footie and doing other sporty stuff, and is a total tomboy. Like, she refuses to wear skirts and dresses ever, which Prissy Flissy can’t understand at all! Oh, except once, when she was a bridesmaid at Fliss’s mum’s wedding. Even then, she thought she looked like a meringue. Nope, Kenz would much rather be charging around in her Leicester City football strip and a pair of jeans. Kenny and frills just so don’t go together.
So, ta-da! There you have us, the Sleepover Club, the fabbest group of mates in the world. We all hang round each other’s houses at weekends and have sleepovers, which are totally ace. We have midnight feasts, and reeeally