Sleepover Girls in the Ring by Fiona Cummings Read Free Book Online Page A

natural.”
    The rest of us rolled our eyes,
    “No Fliss, I think you’ll have to pick something else,” Frankie told her.
    By the end of the afternoon, we’d all gone into different groups. But unfortunately I’d chosen to juggle, and so had Molly. I don’t know whether it was because there were quite a few of us in that group, or whether Ailsa’s dad had seen Molly and me looking daggers at each other, but he split the group into two and made sure that we were kept apart! But Lyndz was with me anyway, so that was cool.
    First we started by flipping one ball up and over into each hand. Then we added another. It worked better than with doughnuts, to be honest. Then, when we felt confident with the way that felt, we added a third ball. Lyndz and I were pretty dreadful. Our balls were flipping about all over the shop. One of mine even landed on one of theplates Fliss was learning to spin in the ring behind us. That didn’t go down too well, I can tell you. But then
I
didn’t take too kindly to Frankie crashing into me on her unicycle.
    “Watch it!” I yelled as I ended up on the floor with all my balls hitting me as they fell.
    “So-rree!” sighed Frankie, picking herself up. “This isn’t easy, you know!”
    But, with a bit of practice, we all started getting the hang of things. We even started trying to juggle with a partner. Lyndz kept giggling because she said I was sticking my tongue out and I kept putting her off.
    “I’m only concentrating,” I told her.
    But just at that moment I saw something which made me lose my concentration BIG time. It was Molly and Edward. They were juggling together, and they looked really good (although I hate to admit it). They’d got their timing right and everything, and they didn’t drop a ball once.
    “I don’t believe it!” I hissed to Lyndz.
    “Molly’s actually
good
at something! But why does she have to be good at it in front of me?”
    Before we went home, Ailsa’s dad called us all together again.
    “I have an important announcement to make!” he told us, grinning from ear to ear. “We’re all so thrilled about how well you’re doing that we want you all to perform in the circus on Saturday!”
    First there was an astonished hush. Then we all started chattering at once!
    “I can’t do that!” squeaked Fliss. “It’ll be too embarrassing!”
    “Get real, it’ll be brilliant!” I reassured her.
    “In the first half we want you all to open the show by demonstrating the skills you’ve all just been practising,” Ailsa’s dad continued. “Then we’d like you to open the second half of the show by being those great circus favourites – yes, we want you all to be clowns! You don’t have to do anything special, just run about in silly costumes and have a laugh.”
    How brilliant was that!
    We couldn’t talk about anything else all the way home. And when I did get home, Molly was already blabbing about theperformance to Mum.
    “It’s going to be great, because me and Edward have this great routine worked out and…”
    “Nanananana,” I mimicked behind her back.
    Molly spun round. “Will you just shut up? You’re only jealous because you’re so useless!”
    “Oh, yeah? Well, at least I’m not all soppy and mushy over a stupid boy. I bet he’s really laughing at you behind your back.”
    “That’s it!”
    Before Mum could stop her, Molly had pushed me against the fridge and was yanking at my hair. I kicked her in the shins and left her writhing on the floor.
    “Stop it you two,
now!
” Mum shouted. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
    She hauled us up by our ears and held us there like we were two stinky socks. “It might surprise you to learn that
I
make the decisions around here,” she told us angrily. “So if I decide, in my infinite wisdom, that you’re too naughty and downright unruly toeven go back to the circus again, never mind to star in a performance, then my decision goes. Do you understand?”
    We both