The Flower Power Collection - Jean Ure

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      PS I keep all your letters, too! In a special box with a LOCK.

       PROBLEM PAGE

       Dear Katie,

      My sister has such a big head that if I walk behind her no one can see me. What do you think I should do? Please help! – Norah Nobody.

       Dear Katie,

      I have a confession to make… I am frightened of my own shadow. This is so pathetic! How can I cure myself? – Scaredy Cat.

       Dear Katie,

      When I go to parties I stand in the corner and nobody talks to me. How can I make myself more noticeable? – Mouse.

      Ever since the incident with the riding boots, Mum and Lily had been on really bad terms. Lily, as usual, said that Mum was ruining her life, because how could she hope to be a top class rider and ride for Britain if she didn’t have the proper riding boots. Mum said the riding boots she had were perfectly adequate and that Lily was a spoilt brat.

      She said, “Sometimes I wonder why your dad and I bother! We work our fingers to the bone, all the hours God sends, and what for? Just so that you can go to your snotty little school and mix with your snotty little friends and be thoroughly grasping and disagreeable!”

      Wow!

      She said she had a good mind to take Lily away from Lavendar House and send her to the local comprehensive.

      “Why just me?” said Lily. “What about little Shrinky Winky? Of course, she couldn’t go to the comprehensive, could she? She’s too delicate. She’d get crushed.”

      “I could go there!” I said. Though as a matter of fact I am the reason that Mum and Dad work their fingers to the bone and send us to our snotty little school. (Which is quite nice, really.) It is because of me being a shrinking violet and Mum being scared that I couldn’t cope. Which maybe I couldn’t.

      The thought of being with boys, and lots of tough kids, is scary. It wouldn’t scare Lily. She’d be all right! She’d be one of the tough kids.

      But she was really resentful.

      “Why just me? Why is it always me?”

      “Because Violet doesn’t constantly make demands,” said Mum.

      “No, ‘cos she never does anything!” screeched Lily. “She just sits upstairs writing letters to the Blob!”

      “I’m not just writing letters,” I said. “We’re doing a magazine. We’re going to call it GIRLZONE… Girls’ Own. Geddit?”

      Lily said, “Hey! That’s quite cool,” in tones of some surprise. She then got a bit sidetracked, wanting to know when the magazine was going to be finished and what sort of things were going to be in it and whether we were going to have any articles about horses.

      ‘“Cos if you like, I could do one for you.”

      I said that I would ask Katie, though to be honest I didn’t really think we wanted anything about horses, I mean it wasn’t a horsy mag, and I definitely didn’t think I wanted Lily interfering.

      “Well, just let me know,” said Lily. “I could do you a really good article about riding boots.”

      She looked at Mum quite boldly as she said this. Mum snapped, “I don’t wish to hear another word! If you want to go down to Francine’s again at Easter, my girl, you had just better watch your step!”

      So after that, Lily started being all polite. Unnaturally polite. Like everything was please and thank you and could I possibly. And always with this big bright beam to show how charming she was being. Sickening, really.

      One day she came home from school and said that Debbie’s dad was going to take Debbie into town on Saturday and they were going to go on the London Eye and Debbie had asked Lily if she’d like to go with them.

      “Of course I said I’d have to ask my mum,” gushed Lily, beaming away as hard as she could.

      “You can go on the Eye,” said Mum. “I have no objections to that.”

      “Oh, how darling!” cried Lily.

      Mum gave her this long look, then slowly shook her head.

      “She could come, if she wanted,” said Lily. “I don’t s’ppose Debbie would mind.”

      “Violet? Would you like to?” said Mum.

      I would have done, quite. But I just knew that Lily was only saying it to get in Mum’s good books. She didn’t really want me.

      “Just say,” said Lily. “You’ve only got to say.”

      “‘S all right,” I said. “I’ve got things to do.”

      “Violet? Are you sure?” said Mum.

      “I’ve got to write a short story,” I said.

      “Oh! Well.” Lily tossed her head. “If you’d rather write a short story —”

      “I’ve got to,” I said. “I promised Katie.”

      I went upstairs to my bedroom, thinking that I would do it straight away, but I couldn’t even get started! I kept thinking how I could have written a story about someone going on the London Eye, and wishing that I’d said I’d go. It would have been something to tell Katie! I am so stupid at times. I really annoy myself.

       Dear Violet,

       I have answered all your problems! I have done some pictures to go with them.

       I thought that we could also, maybe, have some funny articles. But only if you feel like doing them. If you are not too busy with all your homework! I told Mum about your homework. She said, “And a good thing too!” She really approves of your school! Ours doesn’t really have homework too much, but I do lots of things with Mum, such as working out problems and reading books together. We do that quite often.

       Hey, guess what? I have been invited to THREE PARTIES! Two are people in my class and one is a girl that lives over the road. I am really excited and wondering what to wear. Mum says we will go into town at the weekend and buy something. She has promised that I will get to choose! I said, “Can I choose whatever I like?” She said, “Anything so long as it is decent.” That means anything! ‘cos I wouldn’t want not to be decent, would you?

       What I would really really REALLY like is this fab top I saw someone wearing, white with gold fringes, and these really swanky jeans with a sparkly belt. Oh, and some zip-up trainers! Pink ones. That is what I would REALLY like. I will tell you if I get them!!!

       Must dash.

       Oodles of love!

       xxx Katie

       PTO FOR PROBLEM PAGE.

      [ANSWERS]

       Dear Norah,

       Do not despair! The solution is simple. FIND YOURSELF A PIN. A quick sharp JAB will soon deflate your sister’s head. Good luck!

       Dear Scaredy Cat,

       There are several things you can try. First off you could avoid going out on days when there is sunshine, then there would not be any shadow for you to be scared of. However, this

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