Diamond Girls Read Online Free PDF Page A

all to myself,’ said Rochelle. She sounded hopeful.
    Mum glared at her. ‘Quit talking rubbish. Of course Martine’s not staying at Tony’s. Now come on, eat up, all of you. We’ve got to be all set and this tip cleared up by ten o’clock when the guy with the van comes for us.’
    â€˜My dad’s pal,’ I said proudly.
    â€˜I hope he’s not another undertaker,’ said Rochelle. ‘He’ll turn up wearing black and he’ll carry our table on his shoulders very slowly, like it’s a coffin.’
    â€˜My dad’s not an undertaker, he’s an embalmer,’ I said.
    â€˜And he’s not going to do all the humping around, apparently. He’s got a bad back. It’s our job to get the van loaded,’ said Mum.
    We stared at Mum in her tight black nightie. She looked like she’d explode if she lifted so much as a tray of teacups. Mum rubbed her stomach anxiously, pressing her lips together.
    â€˜Don’t worry, Mum, we’ll get it sorted,’ said Jude.
    â€˜Yeah, Jude and I will carry all the furniture,’ I said.
    â€˜You, pet!’ said Mum, grabbing hold of me by the wrist.
    I’m horribly small and scrawny for my age and I’ve got particularly stupid matchstick arms and legs. Jude’s tried to teach me how to fight but I’m rubbish at it. I just duck if anyone attacks me. I’ve done a lot of ducking in the playground, especially after Jude went to secondary school. It didn’t seem to make much difference when Rochelle left. She was sometimes the one doing the attacking.
    â€˜I’m not loading any stupid van. I’ll break my nails and I’ve just got them perfect,’ said Rochelle, waving her beautiful long pink nails, the thumbs decorated with little glass hearts.
    â€˜You’re not loading the van, you’re going to be doing the scrubbing. Wear my Marigold gloves if you’re fussed about your nails,’ said Mum. ‘No arguing, now! Let’s all get cracking.’
    Jude went out and rounded up some of her gang. She didn’t like any of the boys but they all looked up to her. She soon had half the lads from North Block getting our furniture along the balcony, into the lift and out onto the courtyard.
    I tucked Bluebell down the neck of my T-shirt, rolled up my cardie sleeves, and started heaving and shoving the cardboard boxes out the door. I tried lifting a couple, gasping and panting, but Mum made me stop.
    â€˜You’re too little, Dixie. You’ll do yourself an injury. Your womb will drop and you won’t be able to have any babies.’
    â€˜Good!’ I said. ‘Look, I’ll
shove
the boxes along the balcony, OK, Mum?’
    â€˜OK, pet, have a go. We’re a bit strapped for time. I’ll pack up all our Martine’s gear seeing as her ladyship has failed to do it herself.’
    â€˜Shall we knock at Tony’s door, Mum? Maybe she’s overslept?’
    â€˜I’m not talking to his rubbish mother, not after the mouthful she gave me. I wouldn’t graze my knuckles on her front door. No, Martine will just have to put in her appearance when she’s good and ready.’
    â€˜But what if she doesn’t?’
    â€˜I don’t think she will,’ Rochelle said, still hoping. ‘Oh bum, I’ve got my jeans all gungy kneeling on the kitchen floor. My
best
jeans!’
    â€˜Why wear your best jeans when we’re moving? What are you
like
, Rochelle?’ Mum fussed, spilling Martine’s clothes on her bed and then rolling them up in her duvet.
    â€˜I didn’t know I was going to be doing the bogging scrubbing. It’s not fair, you always give me the worst jobs, Mum. How come Martine gets out of doing her fair share? She made just as much a mess so she should be scrubbing too, even though she’s maybe not coming with us.’
    â€˜There’s no blooming maybe, I keep telling you!’ Mum said