It was then that I noticed the M&Ms standing by the bookshelves near our table, looking seriously grumpy.
“Oh, I forgot!” I said loudly. “Some people in this class weren’t lucky enough to go on the school trip to Spain!”
The Queen had had chickenpox at the time and the Goblin didn’t want to go without her, so now we could really rub their noses in it!
The M&Ms flounced off, looking annoyed, and left us all giggling.
“I can’t wait for July!” I said. “It’s going to be seriously brilliant!”
But I didn’t know just how wrong I was…
“Quick, check the email box, Kenny!” Fliss poked me hard in the back. “See if Isabella and the others have replied to our last email!”
“OK, OK!” I said crossly, as the others crowded round me eagerly. “Stop hassling me!”
It was a few days after Mrs Weaver had told us about the Spanish pupils coming to visit. It was mine and Lyndz’s turn to use the class computer, and, although we were supposed to be finishing off the story we were writing together, Mrs W. had agreed to let us check the email box and send a reply.
“We’ve got an answer!” Frankie announced triumphantly as a new message popped up on the screen. “Quick, Kenny, see what they say!”
I hit the mouse, and opened the message.
Hi, Sleepover Club!
We look forward very much to see you all in England in July. We are all very excited. Can we have a special sleepover when we are staying with you?
Love from Pilar, Maria,
Isabella, Elena and Anna
“Go on, Kenny!” This time it was Rosie who poked me in the back. “Tell them it’s my birthday, and we’re going to have a big sleepover on the day they arrive!”
Frankie tapped me on the shoulder. “Tell them we’re going to sleep out in a tent in Rosie’s garden if the weather’s good!”
“And tell them they’re going to be staying with us!” Lyndz added, jogging my elbow.
“Will you lot get off!” I moaned. “I’m going to be black and blue all over at this rate!” And I started typing in our reply.
Dear Spanish Sleepover Club,
We’re really excited too, and we can’t wait for July! We’ve got loads of exciting stuff happening here. First, it’s Rosie’s birthday a few days after you get here, so we’re going to have a big birthday sleepover on the day you arrive! We’ll have a party in Rosie’s garden, and then we’re going to sleep out in a big tent.
We’re going to play loads of games, give each other makeovers, have a fashion show and stuff our faces with birthday food!
“No pizzas though!” Fliss said as I typed that, and we all started laughing.
“I heard that!” snapped Emma Hughes, who was sitting nearby. “And it wasn’t funny!”
“Oh yes, it was!” I retorted wickedly. “Seeing you with tomato sauce sliding down your face would make anyone laugh!”
“You think you’re so clever, Laura McKenzie!” Emily Berryman chimed in.
“Well, at least I’m not stupid enough to wear a pizza on my head!” I pointed out, and the other Sleepovers fell about.
“Take no notice of them, Emma,” said Emily.
“I won’t,” Emma said, and stuck her nose in the air.
“Wait till our Spanish friends get here!” Frankie said gleefully. “Then there’ll be ten of us to get on your nerves!”
“These Spanish girls must be crazy,” Emma sniffed. “Fancy wanting to be mates with a bunch of losers like you!”
I nudged Frankie. “Emma’s looking just a little bit green, don’t you think?”
“Oh, definitely,” Frankie agreed. “She’s starting to go green all over!”
“I am not jealous!” Emma snorted furiously. “I don’t care if you’ve got a million Spanish friends!”
“So how many Spanish people do you know, Emma?” Fliss asked.
Emma picked up her work and stormed across the classroom to queue up at Mrs Weaver’s table. Emily followed, leaving us all in fits of giggles.
“This visit is really winding the M&Ms up!” Frankie said.
“Good!” I replied. “They deserve it!”
“Come on Kenny, get on with the email,” Lyndz said. “Mrs Weaver keeps giving us dirty looks.”
Quickly I began to type again:
Has your teacher told you you’re going to be staying with us? Pilar’s staying with Frankie, Isabella with Fliss, Elena with Lyndz, Anna with Rosie and Maria with me. So you and me can have lots of arguments about footy, Maria!
Got to go now, because our teacher’s giving us dirty looks! REPLY SOON.
Kenny, Lyndz, Frankie, Rosie and Fliss
“It’s funny how you and Maria both like football, Kenny,” Frankie remarked as I sent the email on its way to sunny Spain. “And you’re both a bit mad too.”
“Well, what about you and Pilar?” I retorted. “You’re both about six feet tall and bossy with it!”
We’d discovered that the Spanish girls were so much like us, it was spooky. Isabella and Fliss were scarily alike – they’d even had exactly the same swimsuits on holiday! Elena and Anna, who were twins, were a bit like Lyndz and Rosie too. Elena was pretty easy-going, like Lyndz, and she was always getting hiccups too! And Anna was kind-hearted, but she could be a bit prickly sometimes (sound like anyone you know?). Anyway, the reason why we got on so well with them was probably because we were so alike.
“How many days to wait before they get here?” I asked.
“Seventy-five,” Frankie said immediately. “I worked it out last night.”
“Seventy-five days!” I groaned. “That’s ages! We might be dead by then!”
Frankie gave me a shove. “Oh, look on the bright side, Kenny, why don’t you!”
“Anyway, it gives us lots of time to plan what we’re going to do,” Lyndz added.
“Yeah, this has got to be special!” I said firmly. “We want to make sure Pilar and the others have a trip they’ll never forget!”
“Are they here yet?” Fliss asked for about the millionth time, standing up to peer out of the classroom window.
“Not unless they’re invisible, and so is their coach!” I said impatiently. “I’ll tell you as soon as I see them.”
It was Friday July 12th at last. It seemed a very long time since Mrs Weaver had first told us that the Spanish pupils were coming over, but at last the day had arrived. They were coming to our school from the airport by coach, and because I had the best view of the playground gates from my seat, I was watching out for them. We were all supposed to be doing silent reading, but Mrs Weaver wasn’t bothering much about keeping us quiet. She was pretty cool about things now that we were almost at the end of