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?!
“Maybe you’ve got worms, Lyndz,” I said to wind her up. “Dad says they make you feel hungry all the time.”
“Eeeeugh!” Rosie said, pretending to be sick. “Gross, Kenny!”
“I have not got worms!” Lyndz said hotly. “I just feel like a cheeseburger, that’s all.”
“Yeah, you look a bit like one, too,” I said, dodging out of her way as she tried to whack me with her bag.
“You’re in a good mood for someone who hates shopping,” Fliss said suspiciously. “What’s got into you?”
“I wish a cheeseburger would get into me,” Lyndz was moaning. “Like, now.”
“I’m on a mission, that’s what,” I said mysteriously.
“What, with that bloke in the shop?” Frankie said, winking at me. “They looked very cosy when I walked over there!”
“Get knotted!” I said crossly, but they’d all creased up giggling and Lyndz started making smoochy kissing noises in my ear.
“He was quite a babe actually, wasn’t he?” Fliss said thoughtfully. “Not as nice as Ryan Scott, though.”
“Well, now we know what Kenny’s type is like,” Lyndz said between giggles. “Action Man! What a perfect couple you two would make! Mwaaah!!
“Shut up!” I said.
“Ooh, getting a bit hot and bothered, are we?” Rosie teased, elbowing me. “You must like him!”
“I don’t like him – well, he was OK, I suppose,” I said. For some reason I was blushing like anything. “It’s snowboarding I’m into now! That’s my mission!”
“Oh, here we go,” Fliss sighed. “I thought it was trampolining you wanted us all to get into?”
“That was last week,” I said. “But this sounds much more fun! Even better – it sounds much more dangerous! You have to have nerves of steel to try it, Nick said!”
Fliss did this big dramatic groan like she’d rather eat worms. As I told you, she’s a bit of a wuss sometimes, especially when it comes to my brilliant ideas. Nerves of steel? Nerves of cotton wool, more