Clementine Rose and the Special Promise 11 by Jacqueline Harvey Read Free Book Online Page A

the ground holding her leg. She was trying her hardest to stop the tears from spilling. Will knelt down beside her and put an arm around her shoulder.
    â€˜Hey, Angus,’ Joshua shouted, ‘Clemmie’s got a new boyfriend.’
    Angus gave the lad a dark look. ‘She’s not my girlfriend!’
    â€˜Ooh,’ Saskia called in a singsong voice. ‘His dad is her mum’s boyfriend too. He’ll be her brother when they get married.’ The girl smiled smugly as if she knew a secret no one else did.
    â€˜Is your mum getting married?’ Poppy asked.
    Clementine’s face flushed. She stood up and pushed Will out of the way. ‘No, she’s not!’ she shouted.
    â€˜Her mum loves his dad and they’re going to get married and have a baby,’ Saskia teased.
    Joshua laughed.
    â€˜It’s not true!’ Clementine said, her eyes brimming with tears.
    Will stalked towards the new girl. ‘Stop saying that!’
    â€˜Why? What’s the matter? You said so yourself they were in love,’ Saskia said, feigning innocence. ‘People in love get married and have babies.’

    Roderick Smee noticed the small crowd of children in the middle of the oval. He walked over to see what was going on. ‘Is everythingall right here?’ he said, noticing Clementine’s face streaked with tears.
    â€˜Clemmie got kicked in the shin by Joshua,’ Tilda said.
    â€˜Do you want to get an icepack?’ the man said kindly. ‘Tilda can go with you.’
    Clementine nodded and took the girl’s hand.
    â€˜Did anything else happen?’ the teacher said, glancing around at the group.
    â€˜Joshua was teasing Clemmie and Will and then Saskia joined in too,’ Poppy said. She was already fed up with their new arrival.
    Mr Smee scratched his head. ‘I see. I hope that’s not true.’
    â€˜I didn’t do anything,’ Saskia said in a trembling voice.
    â€˜Try to be kind to one another,’ the teacher said. ‘You’ve only got a few minutes until the bell – I suggest you get out there and have a good run around.’
    Angus picked up the ball and jogged away. Roderick Smee stood on the sideline to watch over the rest of the game. Saskia had onlybeen in his class for half a day but he already had a sneaking suspicion the girl was going to rival Joshua in the trouble stakes.

Clementine studied the page, then glanced up. Ethel Bottomley and the children were gathered in the assembly hall to watch the audition for the role of host. Clementine was up first. She wished she could stop thinking about what Saskia had said, but the girl’s voice was stuck in her head like an annoying tune. Clementine’s eyes wandered over to the girl, who shot her tongue out at her like a lizard. Clementine frowned and looked back at the page.
    â€˜We don’t have all day, Clemmie,’ Mrs Bottomley urged.
    The girl nodded and stepped up to the microphone. ‘Welcome to our Grandparents’ Day celebrity,’ Clementine stumbled. ‘Oops, I meant celebration.’
    â€˜Thank you, Clementine, that’s enough,’ the teacher said. ‘Joanna, you’re up next.’
    Clementine’s cheeks burned and she felt as though she might cry. ‘But I can do it better,’ she said.
    Mrs Bottomley looked at her watch. ‘I’m afraid we don’t have time.’
    Joanna was jigging up and down on the spot as if she needed the toilet. At the mention of her name, she stepped forward and took the script. Eager to prove herself, the Year Two girl read the first three lines so quickly it all sounded like mumbo jumbo. Mrs Bottomley thanked her and then passed the page to Saskia, who read the entire opening without making a single mistake.
    â€˜Thank you, girls,’ the teacher said. ‘Giventhat Clemmie already has a poem to recite and Joanna is a member of the dance group, Saskia can be the