Wave Me Goodbye by Jacqueline Wilson

Author:Jacqueline Wilson [Wilson, Jacqueline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: RHCP
Published: 2017-05-18T00:00:00+00:00

THE NEXT MORNING, when we were all sitting at the kitchen table in our new clothes, ready to go to school, I peered at Archie’s head. It had a promising dark shadow now. I rubbed my hand across it to see if it felt prickly.

‘Leave off,’ he said irritably, swatting my hand away.

‘What’s up with you, Mr Grumpy?’ Chubby asked.

‘I don’t want to go to school, do I?’ Archie growled. ‘It’s not fair. In London I hardly ever had to go. My last auntie said I could stay home if I felt poorly. And I feel poorly now. Look.’ He lolled in his chair and stuck his tongue out of one side of his mouth. It had porridge all over it and looked horribly unattractive.

‘Put that tongue back in at once and stop playacting,’ said Chubby. ‘You’re going to school and that’s that.’

‘I don’t mind school,’ said Kevin. ‘Me and the other lads have a laugh. I’m looking forward to it. I’m fed up of sticking around with girls and babies.’ He pointed at Archie and me with his spoon and spilled porridge down his new tie.

‘For pity’s sake,’ said Chubby. ‘What is it with you kids? Can’t you keep clean for five minutes? Clean and dry.’ She glared at Archie, who had disgraced himself again in the night.

I didn’t want to go to school, either. I wasn’t even sure where it was. Chubby had told us but it seemed such a long walk down the hill and through the village. I’d hoped Mrs Waverley would take us in her car, but she wasn’t even up yet.

Chubby packed us off at eight o’clock. She took us all the way down the drive, holding Archie’s hand and chivvying Kevin and me along.

’I’m not having you darting off into the woods and playing hooky,’ she said.

‘I don’t know how to play hooky,’ Archie objected. ‘Is it that game with sticks?’

‘That’s hockey, Goofy,’ said Kevin, laughing at him.

‘How’s he to know that – he’s only little,’ said Chubby. ‘You hold your tongue, Mr Know-All.’

Kevin stuck his tongue out at her. It was only the tip, hardly noticeable, but her hand whipped out and cuffed him on the back of the head.

‘Don’t you cheek me, mister!’ she said. ‘Come on, stop messing about. Quick march!’

‘My shoes hurt,’ I said. They really did – almost as much as my red ones. These new clodhoppers were big enough, but the leather was so hard it was like wearing iron boots. It dug right through my socks. I was sure my feet were starting to blister already. I started limping ostentatiously but Chubby sniffed at me so fiercely that I stopped, scared I might get a clump on the back of the head too.

I caught up with Kevin and smiled at him. ‘Kev, do you think I could have the shoebox your shoes came in?’ I asked. ‘And Archie’s too?’

‘What for?’ he said, rubbing his head. His hair was already sticking up and he was making it worse.

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