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sleepsuits.
    By Friday, I was so exhausted that I looked like a raccoon. When Shenice invited me and Molly to sleep over at her house, I couldn’t get over there fast enough. So what if I had to sleep on a blow-up bed, or that Molly’s crazy ringlets might try to smother me in the night, like they always do? The odds of someone waking me up by screaming for milk at two in the morning were a lot lower than at my own house. At least I hoped they were.
    With one thing and another, I haven’t seen as much of Molly and Shenice as I usually do. Tucked up in Shen’s room in our pyjamas with The Droids blasting out, I could tell they were really keen to hear all about my new career as a journalist – every time I mentioned Kelly or Nisha or said the word “journo”, they’d sort of smile at each other, as though my success was their success. I’ve been worried that I might be making them feel a bit jealous. Their lives aren’t exactly overflowing with excitement, after all – Shenice’s mum is still hanging out with Julio every Thursday evening and Molly still spends every spare moment obsessing over my brother. I don’t want them to think I’m rubbing their noses in my new-found popularity, but maybe it will help take their minds off their problems.
    â€œListen, I’ve got something to ask you,” Molly interrupted when I started to tell them about Kelly’s fruit system for rating how juicy a story was. “It’s really important.”
    â€œYeah?” I said. “Although I have to tell you that if it’s about an ongoing story in HEY JUDE’S! my lips are sealed.”
    Molly scowled. “Will you shut up about that for a minute? It’s about Liam, anyway.”
    I sat back, a bit surprised at the irritation in her voice. Maybe I HAD been going on about my new career too much after all. “What about him? He’s still a moron, in case you were wondering.”
    She ignored me. “I read on JUICE ON JUDE’S that Max is moving to Leeds next week. Tell me it’s not true!”
    I guessed she meant the bass guitar player from WOLF BRETHREN – he’s called Max – but honestly, what was she asking me for? I’m the last person to know anything about Liam these days – he’s always rehearsing. JOJ is my new guilty pleasure – I know I shouldn’t love it but it’s the first thing I check when I get home each day – but I must have missed the bit about Max in amongst all the other gossip. Or maybe I have trained my brain to ignore all WOLF BRETHREN references. Whatever the reason, I was drawing a blank until a memory stirred at the back of my mind – hadn’t Liam said something to Dad about auditions for a new band member next week? Maybe that had something to do with it. “Er…it might be. Why?”
    â€œWHY?” she exploded, so loudly that Shenice and I jumped. “It’s only the first nail in WOLF BRETHREN’s coffin, that’s all! It’s like when Josie left The Go-Go Bunnies – the beginning of the end. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
    And to my utter astonishment, she burst into tears. Shenice and I stared at each other, unsure what to say. I mean, I know Molly loves the band but this was off the scale, even for her.
    â€œLiam doesn’t seem very worried,” I said uncertainly, pulling a confused face at Shenice over Molly’s bowed head. I racked my brains for details of the conversation he’d had with my dad. “He said bass players are two a penny and he hoped some really hot girls would apply.”
    Shenice was making a desperate, one-handed cutting motion across her throat but it was too late. Molly stopped crying mid-sob and raised her head to look at me through narrowed eyes.
    â€œWhat?”
    Ooops.
    â€œBut mostly, they want someone good,” I babbled, going for damage limitation. “And the