Daizy Star and the Pink Guitar Read Online Free PDF

points out. ‘She looked like she’d been crying when she answered the door.’
    ‘She had,’ I say gloomily. ‘Crying and yelling. And the other night, she and Dad were arguing until way past midnight. I don’t know what feels scarier – the idea of going to live in Malawi, or … or …’
    There is a lump in my throat the size of a small grapefruit.
    I can’t say it, not out loud. I can’t say that I’m scared my mum and dad might split up over this.

    Beth and Willow seem to sense my distress, though, because they each put an arm round me and hug me tight. By the time I pull away there is a damp patch on Beth’s shoulder, and Willow is holding my hand so tightly it hurts. It seems impossible that anything bad could happen to me when I have such cool friends, but something bad is happening. Something very, very bad. My dad is leaving us to live in sub-Saharan Africa. He couldn’t get further away if he tried. And what if he doesn’t come back? Last year, Kelly Munroe’s dad ran off with the woman from the chip shop on the corner, but they only went as far as Bridge Street. At least Kelly gets to see her dad on weekends, and she gets free chips whenever she wants them.
      
    I can’t see myself nipping over to Tatu Mtengo for visits, or not very often, anyway. And I bet they don’t have chips there.
    Murphy takes a bag of custard doughnuts from under his jacket and offers me one. ‘Good for pain,’ he says wisely. ‘And they taste better than medicine.’
    He’s right about that, of course.
    ‘So,’ I snuffle, in between mouthfuls, ‘it’s serious. Winning the Battle of the Bands is my last hope. Dad should be home from Malawi by then, and if he sees us up on stage – sees how amazing we are – well, he’ll come to his senses and realize he cannot take me away from all this. From my friends, my school, my star quality …’
    ‘Custard doughnuts,’ Murphy muses.
    ‘Yes, them too,’ I agree. ‘He will see the error of his ways. He will be proud of me, and he will turn to Mum and look at her, and everything will go all mushy and kind of soft focus like it does in the films, and they will fall in love all over again.’
    ‘I hope so,’ Beth sighs.
    ‘And then I will hand over our cheque for five hundred pounds, and we can really help the children of Tatu Mtengo, and all my troubles will be over!’
    ‘Ri-ight,’ Willow frowns. ‘I hope so too.’
    ‘What kind of a band did you say we were?’ Murphy asks.
    ‘Thrash-metal-punk,’ I explain. ‘Ted Tingley, my guitar guru, suggested it. And Spike. It is all about destruction and disaster and you don’t even have to be any good at your instruments!’
    ‘Well, that’s something, I guess,’ Beth frowns. ‘But, Daizy … we don’t actually have any instruments!’
    ‘My dad has an old bass guitar in the attic,’ Murphy offers. ‘I’ll dig it out.’
    ‘Brilliant,’ I grin. ‘I’ve got the pink guitar, obviously, and we can practise with the school drum kit too. You could be the drummer, Beth, and Willow can sing!’
    ‘We don’t have any songs, either,’ Willow argues.
    ‘I’m on to it,’ I tell them. ‘I’ve been writing stuff myself. I have two songs already! “Malawi Madness” and “My Dad’s Mid-life Crisis”. What do you think?’
    ‘They sound … interesting,’ Willow says doubtfully.
    Murphy sighs. ‘I’m not really sure about this, Daizy Star,’ he says. ‘But if you think it will help, I’ll give it a go.’
    ‘We can do it!’ I tell him. ‘I know we can!’
    ‘I’m in too,’ Beth sighs. ‘Does it have to be the drums, though? Couldn’t I play the triangle or something?’
    ‘They do not have triangle players in a thrash-metal-punk band,’ I tell her firmly.
    ‘I suppose I’m in too,’ Willow shrugs. ‘Who knows, it might even be fun!’
    A thrash-metal-punk band is not supposed to be fun, of course, but I decide to keep quiet about that.
    ‘That’s settled then!’ I grin. ‘Thank