on the swing and twist. I do it most afternoons after school if it's not raining. But today, twisting isn't cheering me up the way it usually does. The breeze teasing round my face has stolen all the smell from Mum's garden flowers – and I love the smell of flowers – but even that isn't making me feel any better.
The kitchen door opened. I dug my heels into the ground to stop myself swinging.
'You're horrible, you are!' I shouted at Tobey the moment he set foot in our garden. He was wearing the T-shirt Mum and me bought for his eighth birthday – the one with a photo of Tobey's pet snake, Cuddles, on it. Mum took a photo of Cuddles to a special shop where they did stuff (I don't know what!) and put the photo on a Tobey-sized T-shirt. But the whole thing was my idea.
Now I was really sorry I'd bothered. And why had Mum let him in after what he did?
'Sorry, Rosie. Your mum just told me off for what happened at school today,' Tobey said as he walked towards me. His mouth wasn't laughing, but his eyes were.
'It's not funny. I got into tons of trouble – and it's all your fault.'
Tobey tried to hide the smile on his face, without much luck. He smoothed his floppy, brown hair down over his forehead the way he always did. But it wasn't long enough to hide the fact that his eyes were still twinkling. 'Sorry, Rose.'
I sprang off the swing. 'You get out of my garden.'
I lowered my chin and gave Tobey my best worst look. I was so angry my face felt like it was getting smaller and more squashed up. I was so angry that my eyebrows were knitting together.
'I said sorry,' said Tobey. 'I didn't mean to get you into trouble. It was just a joke.'
'Some joke! And you should've told me. I told my teacher what you said Goosey Loosey said, and she sent me out the room for swearing.'
Tobey burst out laughing. My eyes squinched up and my cheeks puffed out and my lips were pressed together so hard, they were beginning to tingle.
'Oops!' said Tobey. 'I'm not very popular in your house today, am I?'
I wanted to say all sorts of thing to him but the words just kept tripping over each other and falling down inside my mouth. Then my eyes began to prickle and itch which was even worse.
'Tobey Durbridge, I'm never going to believe another word you tell me as long as I live.' The words were meant to come out all fierce and angry but instead my eyes began to leak – which made me even more mad at Tobey. He was still my next-door neighbour but he wasn't one of my best friends any more.
'Rose, I didn't mean to make you cry,' said Tobey. And just like that the silly, smiley look on his face had gone. He looked all serious but I didn't care. Too little too late, as my mum says.
'I don't believe you,' I snapped like a crocodile.
'Rosie, I really am sorry,' said Tobey. 'Tell you what – you can ask me to do anything you like to get your own back, and I'll do it.'
'You will?'
'Yep! Anything!'
Hhmm! I didn't feel like crying so much any more. Now the afternoon was warmer and the sky was bluer and I was in charge!
'Will you do absolutely anything?'
'Anything.'
'Eat a slug?'
'Anything.'
'Would you kiss my feet?'
'Yuk! Anything.'
'Right then. You're on!'
I looked around. Mum had planted pink and red rose bushes up one side of our tiny garden. And she regularly put horsey smelly doings under each bush. She said it was ferty-liza to help the plants grow. Time to make Tobey suffer! I was actually beginning to enjoy myself now.
'Grab a handful of dirt from under that rose bush.' I pointed.
Tobey looked relieved. 'Is that all?'
'Nope. Then I want you to eat it.'
'Eat what?'
'The dirt you pick up.'
He didn't like that – not one little bit. 'Are you serious?'
"Course. Eat dirt and then I'll know you're really sorry.'
Tobey walked over to the closest rose bush. It was covered with dark red roses but half the petals from half the flowers were decorating the ground like the rose bush had had a nose bleed or something. Tobey scooped up a
The kitchen door opened. I dug my heels into the ground to stop myself swinging.
'You're horrible, you are!' I shouted at Tobey the moment he set foot in our garden. He was wearing the T-shirt Mum and me bought for his eighth birthday – the one with a photo of Tobey's pet snake, Cuddles, on it. Mum took a photo of Cuddles to a special shop where they did stuff (I don't know what!) and put the photo on a Tobey-sized T-shirt. But the whole thing was my idea.
Now I was really sorry I'd bothered. And why had Mum let him in after what he did?
'Sorry, Rosie. Your mum just told me off for what happened at school today,' Tobey said as he walked towards me. His mouth wasn't laughing, but his eyes were.
'It's not funny. I got into tons of trouble – and it's all your fault.'
Tobey tried to hide the smile on his face, without much luck. He smoothed his floppy, brown hair down over his forehead the way he always did. But it wasn't long enough to hide the fact that his eyes were still twinkling. 'Sorry, Rose.'
I sprang off the swing. 'You get out of my garden.'
I lowered my chin and gave Tobey my best worst look. I was so angry my face felt like it was getting smaller and more squashed up. I was so angry that my eyebrows were knitting together.
'I said sorry,' said Tobey. 'I didn't mean to get you into trouble. It was just a joke.'
'Some joke! And you should've told me. I told my teacher what you said Goosey Loosey said, and she sent me out the room for swearing.'
Tobey burst out laughing. My eyes squinched up and my cheeks puffed out and my lips were pressed together so hard, they were beginning to tingle.
'Oops!' said Tobey. 'I'm not very popular in your house today, am I?'
I wanted to say all sorts of thing to him but the words just kept tripping over each other and falling down inside my mouth. Then my eyes began to prickle and itch which was even worse.
'Tobey Durbridge, I'm never going to believe another word you tell me as long as I live.' The words were meant to come out all fierce and angry but instead my eyes began to leak – which made me even more mad at Tobey. He was still my next-door neighbour but he wasn't one of my best friends any more.
'Rose, I didn't mean to make you cry,' said Tobey. And just like that the silly, smiley look on his face had gone. He looked all serious but I didn't care. Too little too late, as my mum says.
'I don't believe you,' I snapped like a crocodile.
'Rosie, I really am sorry,' said Tobey. 'Tell you what – you can ask me to do anything you like to get your own back, and I'll do it.'
'You will?'
'Yep! Anything!'
Hhmm! I didn't feel like crying so much any more. Now the afternoon was warmer and the sky was bluer and I was in charge!
'Will you do absolutely anything?'
'Anything.'
'Eat a slug?'
'Anything.'
'Would you kiss my feet?'
'Yuk! Anything.'
'Right then. You're on!'
I looked around. Mum had planted pink and red rose bushes up one side of our tiny garden. And she regularly put horsey smelly doings under each bush. She said it was ferty-liza to help the plants grow. Time to make Tobey suffer! I was actually beginning to enjoy myself now.
'Grab a handful of dirt from under that rose bush.' I pointed.
Tobey looked relieved. 'Is that all?'
'Nope. Then I want you to eat it.'
'Eat what?'
'The dirt you pick up.'
He didn't like that – not one little bit. 'Are you serious?'
"Course. Eat dirt and then I'll know you're really sorry.'
Tobey walked over to the closest rose bush. It was covered with dark red roses but half the petals from half the flowers were decorating the ground like the rose bush had had a nose bleed or something. Tobey scooped up a
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