Party at Silver Spires Read Online Free Page A

talking around me, and trying to think of the right things to say.
    â€œWell, my parents definitely won’t be missing me,” Emily said, bringing me back to the present, and then she craned her neck to see what was happening at the counter where the food was being served. “When do you think we can get pudding?”
    An older girl from the table behind must have heard her. “You can help yourself whenever you’re ready. The puddings are over there, see.”
    Emily thanked her and got up with her plate. “Dad’ll be getting the cows in so Mum can start on the milking right now. They will have forgotten all about little me!” She laughed and I envied her again for taking everything so casually.
    â€œMy parents will probably be watching telly with my brother and sister,” said Izzy. She sighed. “I expect they’re feeling a bit funny without me there.”
    â€œWell, my mum will be giving the babies a bath or something,” said Sasha, rolling her eyes.
    â€œBabies? Are they twins?” asked Izzy.
    Sasha nodded. “And Dad will be on his computer, working away. He doesn’t stop working ever. Not even on Sundays.”
    â€œWhat’s his job?” asked Bryony.
    â€œHe’s a company director.”
    â€œOh, snap! My mum’s a company director!” said Bryony.
    Then a girl from the next table, who must have been tuning into our conversation, suddenly said, “Both my parents are company directors, actually!” She was looking at Bryony as if to say, So what’s the big deal? And I didn’t like the way she’d spoken in a kind of posh drawl, her eyes all cold and clever.
    My heart started hammering. Any second now someone would ask about my parents’ jobs, and how could I admit that Dad’s a painter and decorator and Mum works in a supermarket? I looked at Antonia to see if she’d been following the conversation. It would be great if someone thought to ask about her family before they asked about mine. It might turn out that her parents had got such interesting jobs that we wouldn’t ever get round to finding out about what my mum and dad did. Or maybe Antonia would have trouble explaining because of her English not being fluent, and we’d take so long trying to understand what she meant that I’d be completely forgotten. I ought to quickly ask her myself, but then if I did that, she might give a one-word answer and ask me straight back.
    Quick, change the conversation, Nicole.
    But I was too late. Izzy had turned to me.
    â€œWhat do your parents do, Nicole?”
    The girl on the next table had fixed me with her cold gaze. I wished she’d go back to talking to the people on her own table.
    â€œDad’s a…” I can’t say decorator…I just can’t say it. Everyone will stare at me. The nasty girl will snigger. “…a painter.”
    It wasn’t a lie exactly, but I’d deliberately given completely the wrong impression. I hadn’t explained to them that it wasn’t pictures he painted, but houses.
    â€œMy auntie loves to paint too,” said Izzy. “She’s really arty!”
    â€œCan you pass the water, please, Suki?”
    And with that, thank goodness, the girl turned back to her own table and picked up the water jug. So now I knew two things for sure – one, that she was called Suki, and two, that I really didn’t like her.
    â€œWh…what do your parents do?” I asked Antonia a bit shakily, to get the attention away from myself. “For their work?” I quickly added, to help her understand.
    â€œPapa has a ristorante ,” she answered. “A restaurant,” she quickly corrected herself. “We eat good food.”
    There was an awkward silence. It sounded as though Antonia was saying that the Silver Spires food wasn’t good. She’d certainly left quite a lot on her plate, as though she hadn’t really