Fizzypop Read Online Free PDF Page A

Mum.
    â€œIt wouldn’t worry me,” I said. “Jem’s adopted. She says it makes you special. But I think if I was,” I said, “I’d want to find out who my birth mother was. Wouldn’t you?”
    â€œI suppose I might, at some stage,” agreed Mum.
    â€œJem says she’s not interested.” Well, that’s what she’d said in her essay. She might feel differently now that her life had been blighted. “She says she wouldn’t want her mum and dad thinking she didn’t love them.”
    â€œIn that case,” said Mum, “don’t you go putting ideas in her head.”
    â€œMe?” I said.
    â€œYes, you.”
    â€œI wouldn’t!”
    â€œWell, make sure you don’t.”
    I munched for a bit on a slice of pizza.
    â€œJem wants to join a model agency,” I said. “She’s decided she wants to model clothes for catalogues and earn pots of money. Would you let one of us do that? If we wanted to? Jem’s mum won’t let her. Jem’s so upset.”
    â€œI wouldn’t mind joining a model agency,” said Angel.
    â€œOh, no!” Mum was very firm about it. “We’re having none of that, young woman! You’re already quite obsessed enough with your weight as it is.”
    â€œSo you mean you wouldn’t let us?” I said. “Not even me? I’m not obsessed!”
    â€œNeither of you,” said Mum.
    â€œBut why not? I don’t understand why not!”
    â€œBecause apart from anything else, it would distract from your school work.”
    â€œAnd who would want you, anyway?” said Angel.
    I said, “Somebody might.”
    Angel tossed her head. She likes doing that as it makes her hair swish. I guess she thinks it will attract boys.
    â€œYou have to be joking,” she said. “What would you model? Boxing gloves?”
    Dad banged again on the table. “Enough!” he said. “I have had enough. If you can’t manage to be civilised with each other—”
    I said, “I’m civilised. She was the one being rude.”
    Angel opened her mouth, then caught Dad’s eye and closed it again. Dad doesn’t very often get ratty, but when he does it’s best not to try his patience.
    â€œI’m going up to my room,” I said, grabbing a slice of pizza.
    â€œGood,” said Angel. “Give us all a break.”
    I hope Dad told her off. If he didn’t, he so should! She is the rudest person on earth.
    Next morning, on the way to school, I told Jem about Mum saying how she wouldn’t let either me or Angel do modelling.
    â€œSo you see it’s not just your mum,” I said. “It’s mine, as well.”
    I’d hoped Jem would find this a comfort and stop raging on about her mum being prejudiced against thin people, but all it did was start her off all over again.
    â€œ Specially chosen ,” she said. “Huh! They probably just took what they could get. Here’s a baby nobody wants, have this one! ”
    â€œWhat makes you think nobody wanted you?” said Skye.
    â€œWouldn’t have been up for adoption otherwise, would I?”
    â€œDoesn’t mean nobody wanted you.”
    â€œMeans my real mum didn’t.”
    I said, “Your real mum? I thought you s—”
    â€œMy birth mum!”
    â€œWell, but you don’t actually know,” I said. “You don’t know anything about her. Just cos she had you adopted doesn’t necessarily mean she didn’t want you.”
    Jem looked at me, doubtfully.
    â€œShe could have been forced into it. You just don’t know.”
    Jem said, “Mm… maybe.”
    â€œAnything could have happened! They could have come and torn you away from her, and she’d be like all screaming and crying… don’t take my baby! Don’t let them take my baby! ”
    I clutched, dramatically, at an imaginary bundle. A