Discount Diva (Zodiac Girls) Read online

  Zodiac Girls –

  Discount Diva

  Cathy Hopkins

  Copyright © 2008, Cathy Hopkins

  ISBN number: 9781908426895

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One: The Crazy Maisies

  Chapter Two: Movie night

  Chapter Three: Osbury

  Chapter Four: Party time!

  Chapter Five: Old mate, new mate

  Chapter Six: Miniature people

  Chapter Seven: More planets!

  Chapter Eight: Help!

  Chapter Nine: Making the £££

  Chapter Ten: Inspiration

  Chapter Eleven: Acceptance

  Chapter Twelve: Planet Earth to Tori

  Chapter Thirteen: All Alone

  Chapter Fourteen: Dan’s day

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  The Crazy Maisies

  I wish, I wish, I wish I could go, I thought when our form teacher Miss Creighton first made the announcement.

  “…I will be taking names from all you Year Eight girls in the next week,” she continued. “All those who want to go must register before the end of May which only gives you two weeks.”

  A school trip to Venice. Four days in sunny Italy. I wanted to go more than anything, ever, since the beginning of eternity and even before that.

  “You going to put your name down, Tori?” asked Georgie when the bell went and we headed out of the classroom for the lunch break.

  I shrugged my shoulder as if I didn’t really care. “Maybe,” I said.

  “I definitely am,” said Megan catching us up and linking arms. “Mum said I could go on the next school trip wherever it was.”

  “Me too,” said Hannah linking arms with Megan.

  “Me too,” said Georgie. “Which means you have to come, Tori. It wouldn’t be the same without you. The Crazy Maisies hit Europe.”

  Me, Hannah, Megan and Georgie. We called ourselves the Crazy Maisies. My mum used to call me that when I was little and acting daft. Me and my mates act daft a lot hence the name.

  “Venice isn’t that great,” I said. “Too many tourists. Florence is much more interesting.” Hah. Like I’d been to either of them. Not. But I had heard my well travelled Aunt Phoebe saying that Venice was so full of tourists these days that you could hardly move.

  “You have to come,” said Hannah. “And so what if there are loads of tourists? We’ll be four of them!”

  “Yeah,” said Georgie. “Italy here we come.”

  I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. I was so going to miss out but I could never tell them the real reason why I couldn’t go.

  “Si signora, pasta, cappuccino, tiramisu,” I said, trying to remember all the Italianish words I had ever heard and to distract them from trying to persuade me to go. I’d have to think up some excuse that they’d all buy later.

  “Linguine, Botticelli, spaghetti…” Megan joined in.

  “Da Vinci, Madonna, pizzeria, Roma,” said Hannah.

  Then they started singing a song that we’d done in music class last term. We’d had a supply teacher who had us singing songs from around the globe. “Trying to broaden your horizons,” he said as he taught us folk songs from Italy to Idaho. By the end of term however, I think he was glad to broaden his horizons and move onto another school where the pupils weren’t tone deaf.

  “When the moon hits your eye like a great pizza pie, it’s amore…” my mates chorused off-key and in terrible Italian accents.

  A few girls from Year Nine sloped past and looked at us as if we were bonkers. I play acted that I wasn’t with them but Georgie dragged me back and Hannah and Megan got down on their knees, put their hands on their hearts and continued hollering away at the tops of their voices.

  Mad. They all are. And they’ll have a great time in Venice that’s for sure. Another thing that was for sure was that no way would I be going with them. Not a hope in hell.

  In the break, we went out into the playground, found a bench on the sunny side and did each other’s hair. When we first met, only Georgie, out of the four of us, had long hair. After a short time hanging out together, we all decided to grow it to the same length so that we could play hairdressers and long hair is best for experimenting with. Georgie and Meg are blonde although Megan’s hair is thicker and golden blonde whereas Georgie’s is fine white blonde. Hannah and I have standard brown hair although Hannah has had chestnut highlights put in her’s lately. It looks totally cool. I’d love to have highlights but that’s another thing to add to the “not going to happen unless Mum wins the lottery” list.

  I think Georgie’s the prettiest of the four of us although Megan and Hannah are good-looking in their own ways too. Hannah could pass for being Spanish. She has olive skin and amazing dark brown eyes which look enormous when she puts make-up on and Megan has a sweet face, cornflower-blue eyes and a tiny nose like a doll. Out of all of us, boys mostly pay attention to Georgie and me though. Hannah and Megan say it’s because I am pretty too but sometimes I wonder if the main reason that boys talk to me is to get in with Georgie.

  I’m not huge on confidence in that department. Some days I can look okay, I know I can, but I could look heaps better if I got my hair done properly and bought some fab new clothes and make-up, but I doubt if that’s going to happen any time soon. Reason being, my family are broke and a half, so it’s hard trying to keep up on the appearance front. Most of my clothes come from second hand shops but I worry that my mates will find out. At school, girls who don’t wear the latest designer gear get called Nickynonames because their clothes don’t have recognizable labels. Megan, Georgie and Hannah have no idea that I’m Queen Nickynonames.

  “I think we should go for a really sophisticated look when we’re in Venice,” said Megan as she pulled back Georgie’s hair and began to braid it.

  “No. I think we should wear it loose,” said Hannah.

  “Yeah,” said Georgie. “Loose and romantic looking. There might be some cute Italian boys to flirt with.”

  Oh no! Boys! Italian boys. I hadn’t thought of that. What if one of my mates got a boyfriend and I wasn’t there to share it all with them? What if all three of them got boyfriends and had their first kiss? It might happen. I’ve heard that Italy is a really romantic place. Romeo and Juliet happened over there and they were way loved up. I’ve also heard that Italian boys are very hotblooded. (I’m not totally sure what that means and whether they really do have hotter blood than us on account of living in a hot climate. Whatever.) Apparently they are more forward than English boys who mostly seem more interested in computers than they do in girls. Anyway, I would be left so far behind in the game of lurve. I’d be like Cinderella left at home while everyone else went to the ball. Erk! That would be freaking tragic. The Crazy Maisies do everything new together, that way we can talk about it all and see how we all feel.

  “Ow,” said Hannah with a wince as I brushed her hair up into a ponytail. “You’re hurting.”

  “Sorry,” I said, and made myself brush more gently. I didn’t mean to take my frustration out on her but all the talk for the next few weeks would be about the trip. And then they’d go and I’d be on my own. And then they’d come back and all the talk would about the trip again. And I’d have nothing to say because I wouldn’t have been there. I’d be left out. It would be awful.

  Luckily, Megan changed the subject and began making plans for the weekend. A new comedy movie was on at the local complex. Of course everyone was up for seeing it.

  “Brill!” said Georgie. “And we could go for snacks afterwards?”

  Megan and Hannah nodded enthusiastically. “Loads of those Mexican spicy cheesy tacos thingees. I luuuurve them.”

/>   “Ice cream for me,” said Georgie. “Pistachio with… strawberry.”

  “Pecan fudge is my fave,” I joined in.

  “We’ll have to do the early show, about six o’clock or Mum won’t be able to pick me up,” said Hannah.

  I did a quick calculation as they were discussing how they were going to get there and back and what they were going to eat. I’d need money for the movie. Bus fare. Snack. Coke. Nope. No way I could do it on my pocket money. I get about a quarter of what my mates get and some weeks when things are really tight, Mum can’t give us anything at all – us being me, my elder sister Andrea and two brothers William and Daniel. I took a deep breath and got ready to apply my usual philosophy: when the going gets tough, the tough bluff it.

  “I can’t make it tonight. Mum got me and Dan and Will tickets for the Cyber Queens gig.”

  “The Cyber Queens? Wow! You lucky thing!” said Georgie.

  “You’ve kept quiet about that this week,” said Megan. “Those tickets are like the hottest in town.”

  Hannah playfully punched my arm. “Yeah. Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Mum only told us last night. It was a surprise for when we got home.”

  “A surprise? That’s so mint,” said Georgie. “She’s so cool your mum. I wish my mum did stuff like that. I bet my mum hasn’t even heard of the Cyber Queens. Can she get the rest of us tickets?”

  “Don’t think so,” I replied. “I think she got the last ones.”

  “Take your digicamera,” said Hannah, “take lots of pics to show us.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  I felt guilty when the bell went for afternoon lessons. Not only did I not have tickets for the Cyber Queens but I don’t have a digicamera either even though I’d told everyone that my gran had got me one as an early birthday pressie. I lied. I don’t really like doing it but sometimes it’s necessary. I have to make things up so that they don’t think that I’m a total loser. My mates all have rich parents who buy them the latest gear: iPods, mobile phones with cameras, computer games, designer gear. They’ve all got their own telly and their own computer in their bedrooms. I don’t have my own bedroom. Not even my own bed. Not really. I have to share a room and a bunk bed with my sister, Andrea. Sometimes I sleep on the downstairs sofa just to get a bit of space although even then I have to share it – with our cats, Marmite and Meatloaf (My brother Will named them. Marmite’s black and Meatloaf is a dark tabby.)

  Anyway, my mates would surely dump me if they knew the truth about my situation and how poor we really are compared to them. When we first all started hanging out together as a group at the beginning of this year, to put them off coming round, I told them that our house was being decorated from top to bottom, kitchen, bathroom, the lot. I keep telling the girls that we’re having “nightmares” with the builders who keep letting us down. It’s an expression I’ve heard their parents use a million times.

  So far, they haven’t been round a lot but when they have, my excuses have worked because the fact is, our house does look like it’s in the middle of being decorated. The walls are patchy with daubs of paint here and there where we decided to try out some paint samples but there wasn’t enough dosh to buy the paint. There are no carpets on the stairs. The carpets that are down on the floor are worn. There are floorboards up here and there. The whole place looks like it needs ripping out and redoing from top to toe so my story has never met with any questions.

  Sometimes I think that Georgie may have twigged but she’s never come out and said anything, not yet anyway. It can be stressful on the rare occasions when the girls do come over as I’m afraid that Andrea, Will or Dan might blow my cover. Instead, I try and make sure that we hang out at Megan, Hannah or Georgie’s house. I tell them that the floor’s up again or the scaffolding is a bit dodgy or the water’s off or something. They’re so sympathetic that I feel rotten, especially as Georgie seems to like coming to our house and she always brings something with her like some fab shortbread or expensive choccie biscuits or elderflower juice (my fave).

  All my mates are kind. They invite me to sleep over at their houses when I lay the builder nightmare scenario on really thick – like last week I said that a plumber had caused a burst pipe and there was water everywhere. I like going to Georgie’s place the best. It’s awesome. They have five bedrooms at her house for just her and her mum. Five. And seeing as Georgie is an only child, that means they have three spare. Three. I wish I could go and live with her sometimes although I know deep down that I’d miss my family and especially the cats. Her house is like a palace compared to where I live, I feel like a princess when I’m there and her parents never interfere with her life. Not like my home. No privacy there. Not even in the bathroom as there is always someone knocking on the door telling whoever is in there to hurry up.

  Some days, like today, being poor sucked. It is Friday. The twelfth of May. The whole world would be out enjoying the early summer sun this evening. Certainly half of our school would be. All down the local cinema complex to watch a movie and hang out. Some of the older girls from our school would also be there, showing off fab new outfits they’ve just got. There would probably even be some boys there from Marborough High down the road. And I’d have to miss out on the whole outing because I haven’t got enough money to go.

  As we got up to go back into school, there was a sudden blast of wind blowing up dust and debris from the playground.

  “Woah,” said Georgie as her skirt billowed up. “Where’s that come from?”

  “Dunno,” said Meg, “but let’s run.”

  In an instant, more papers and toffee wrappers began to blow in a mini tornado around the playground as pupils headed back inside. A piece of paper flew towards me and stuck to my hand. I flicked it off but it fluttered back again and we all laughed because after I brushed it off for the second time, it seemed to follow me as we headed for the door back into the classrooms. It was dancing along behind me and just before I reached the door, it blew right up until it covered my face so that I couldn’t see.

  “Bleurgh,” I blustered as I pulled it away from my eyes.

  “Maybe it’s meant for you,” said Megan taking the paper away from me. “Let’s see what it is.”

  “Yeah right,” I said. “Maybe it’s a message from a fairy.” I was teasing her because last year, she was into fairies and angels and her bedroom was covered with posters of them.

  “What does it say?” asked Hannah.

  Megan scanned the paper. “Dear Tori, you are to go to the bluebell dell at midnight on Friday night…”

  I punched her arm playfully. I knew she was making that up. “What does it really say?”

  “It looks like some sort of promotion type thing,” she replied. “Er… advertising local businesses kind of thing. A beauty salon in Osbury. A café/deli. An astrology site. Stuff like that.”

  “I’ll chuck it,” I said and took it to put in the outside litter bin in the corner of the playground. As I threw it away, there was a flash of lightning then a rumble of thunder in the distance. I glanced up. The sky had darkened, threatening sudden rain so I raced back to join the others at the door.

  “The fairies are angry that you threw away their business promotion,” joked Georgie.

  “Yeah right. Fairies and elves are alive and well and have taken over Osbury,” I laughed back.

  Seconds later, the skies opened and rain pelted down so we darted inside as quick as we could.

  “Phew,” I said as we raced along the corridors. “Just made it.”

  As we settled into class, our teacher Miss Wilkins was busy closing the windows that had been open earlier in the morning. The rain continued pouring down and the wind was still whipping up debris outside. As she reached the last window at the back of the class near my desk, a piece of paper blew in the window. It sailed right across the classroom and landed plonk in front of me.

  Meg, Hannah and Georgie turned to look. I glanced down. It was the same piece of pa
per that had been following me in the playground! Beauty salon, deli, astrology website…

  Maybe Megan was right and there were fairies and guardian angels out there. Maybe this was a message from one of them in code or something. Yeah. And I’m the richest girl in the world, I thought. However, the paper arriving in front of me did make me wonder. I didn’t believe in fairyland like Meg but I did believe that some things are meant to be. Like fate. Or destiny. And this was a coincidence. I couldn’t deny that. Maybe it was meant for me. I was about to put the paper in my rucksack to look at more carefully later when Miss Wilkins closed the last window and turned back to the class. As she did, she saw the paper that had landed on my desk.

  “That rubbish is blowing everywhere!” she said as she picked it up, ripped it into tiny pieces and took it to the front where she put it into the bin. “Such a nuisance.”

  Oh no, I thought as I watched her do it. There goes the message about my destiny, straight into the bin!

  Chapter Two

  Movie night

  “I’m sitting there. I got the DVDs,” said Will as he shoved Dan off the most comfortable chair in our living room. It’s red and velvety with thick plush cushions. Okay, it’s a bit worn on the arms and some stuffing’s coming out of it round the back but you can sink right into it like it’s made of marshmallow. Will found it on a skip last summer and dragged it back here with the help of a few of his mates.

  “No. I’m sitting there,” Dan insisted. “ It’s my turn. You sat there last night.”

  After a bit more shoving and pushing, they ended up wrestling on the floor and pulling each other’s hair.

  “Welcome to my world,” I said to no-one in particular. I stepped over them with the pan of popcorn I’d just made and went and sat on the chair in question. “Movie time,” I said as I turned on the telly.

  They both sat up and stared at me in amazement when they saw that I was sitting in the prize chair. For a moment, we all looked at each other then burst out laughing. We did look daft. I was dressed in black with a tall hat in a Wicked Witch outfit and Dan and Will were dressed as devils complete with horns and vampire teeth. Dressing up appropriately to watch a movie on a Friday night has been a tradition in our house since we were small. Mum started it and it makes it more fun. We have a huge trunk of assorted costumes that Mum has either made or that have been collected from various jumble sales over the years. Witches, wizards, clowns, gorillas, giant vegetables, you name it and it’s probably in the trunk. Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Kev, Aunt Pat and Uncle Ernie have all contributed to the trunk and bring stuff back from holidays abroad. They also like to get in costume if they come over to watch a DVD at our house.