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sure do.

      Don’t want her.

      Just want you!

      Trust me, babe!

      It’s me ‘n you.

      

      She had sat up all night learning them.

      When they reached the studio there were dozens of really cool kids there, all hoping to become famous. They took one look at Gerry (who by now had turned quite green thanks to the mustard, oil of cloves, soya sauce, tomato ketchup and garlic sandwich) and curled their lips.

      “Look at her!” they went. “What chance does she think she stands?”

      “None!” came a voice from the doorway.

      Gerry turned, with a gasp. It was Nasty! What was she doing there?

      

       Part 3

      “Ha, ha,” sneered Nasty. “You didn’t expect me, did you?”

      Gerry shook her head. She was beginning to feel very odd and weird.

      “The minute you left I jumped into a cab and followed you,” said Nasty. “My voice is far louder than yours! I will be the pop star, not you!”

      Gerry opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a big … BURP! Ugh, phew! The smell of garlic was so strong that Gerry’s poor mum instantly passed out with the stench.

      “Tee hee!” giggled Nasty. “That will teach her a lesson!”

      Nasty could not forgive her mum for putting Gerry in for the contest instead of her.

      Gerry turned to her sister. She opened her mouth – and another burp came out. Yeeeeeeurgh!!! It was even stinkier than the first one. Nasty promptly joined her mum on the floor. She was out for the count!

      And now all the other contestants were plopping down. All those really cool kids that had curled their lips! They were dropping like flies. The smell was too much!

      Very soon, Gerry was the only one left…

      

       Part 4

      Gerry felt a whole lot better, now that she was getting rid of some of the garlic fumes. But she still couldn’t stop burping! How could she sing Love ya, baby! if she was burping all the time?

      The answer was – she couldn’t! She had to think quickly. There were millions of viewers out there, waiting to be entertained. And all the other contestants were flat on the floor. It was up to Gerry!

      So guess what she did? She burped her way through three whole verses of God Save the Queen! (She only knew the words to the first verse, but it didn’t really matter as she wasn’t singing them.)

      

      Burp burp burp BURP burp burp

      Burp burp burp BURP burp burp

      BURP burp burp burp

      

      Nobody had ever heard anything like it! The clapometers went mad! And of course Gerry won the contest, because who else was there?

      Now she is famous. She has changed her name to Betsy Burp, and even has her own backing group… Betsy Burp and the Belchers!

       THE END

       Dear Katie,

       I hope you liked my short story that I sent you last week. Maybe you have not had time to read it yet. I expect you are very busy going to parties.

       I have been on the London Eye! I was not sick as it really does go slowly so that you hardly know you are moving. The view is amazing, you can see all over London.

       Well, that is all for now. Please write back soon!

       XXX Violet

       PS You never said how many miles you walked but here is a cheque for the cats.

      Dear Violet,

      I am sorry I have not written sooner. I read “Betsy Burp” at once and it is brilliant! I nearly died laughing, and so did Mum. We think you are so clever to be able to write like that. I will do some drawings as soon as I can but I may not be able to do them for a little while. But I will do them! This is a PROMISE.

      My big big huge GINORMOUS news is that I may be coming to your school in September!!! My gran has said that she will pay for me! You will probably wonder how this can have happened when I told you that my gran is proud and unforgiving and will have nothing to do with us. Well, she has changed her mind! It is so amazing! This is how it happened.

      Mum picked up the phone and there she was, at the other end of it. Shock horror and wonders will never cease!!! She asked Mum if she could speak to ME. I was quite nervous, to tell you the truth. I am not usually a nervous sort of person, but I couldn’t think what I would say to her. I felt that I hated her because of the way she has treated Mum, but at the same time she is my gran and I have always wanted to have a gran. So I picked up the receiver and said “Hallo?” in what I hoped was a NONDESCRIPT way, like not cross, exactly, but not friendly, either, in case she was going to say something mean about Mum, but she didn’t. You’ll never guess what she did… she APOLOGISED!!!

      She said that she was really sorry about not speaking to us all these years. She said, “I’m just a stupid stiff-necked old woman and you must try to forgive me.” So I did, which I hope you won’t think was weak of me but she is my gran and she did say sorry. To me AND to Mum. I think this may be because she is growing old and is feeling all alone in the world. She says that now we have “broken the ice” we must behave like a real family before it is too late and so she is going to come and visit with us, and then later on we are going to go and visit with her. I will tell you all about it!

      After she had finished speaking to me she spoke to Mum. They were on the phone for simply ages. I heard Mum telling her all about your school and how lovely it is, and my gran said it sounded just the place for me. She said that she would get in touch immediately, and she did. The very same day! They said they have some girls that are leaving at the end of this term and they think that they will be able to take me!

      I am so excited! It will be such fun! I do hope we will be in the same class, then we can sit together and do things together and be best friends. If you would like to, that is. Mum says you probably already have best friends and I mustn’t push myself in, so please say if you have and I will understand. We can just go on being pen pals if you would rather. It will still be fun. I can’t wait for September!!!

      Lots and loads of love

      from your pen pal, Katie

      PS Thank you very much for the cheque for the cats. Please say thank you to your mum.

      PPS Mum is typing this letter for me on her typewriter. I am dictating it to her! This is so it can be done quickly. Also it will be easier to read!

      I was thrown into deadly panic when I got Katie’s letter. I know I should have been happy for her about her gran, but all I could think of was me. My stomach went blurp! and my heart went thunk. I was filled with a bottomless pit of total despair. I knew that if I told Mum – “Katie’s coming to my school!” – she would say, “Oh, isn’t that lovely?” But it wouldn’t be lovely! It would be a disaster! She would discover how dim and nerdy I was and how it was Lily and not me that went to parties and had been on the Eye and had best friends. She would utterly despise me and never want to talk to me again. She might even team up with Lily! I didn’t think I could bear it if she did that.

      I had to write to her immediately.

       Dear Katie,

       I am really happy that you liked my story. I will look forward to seeing the pictures but I quite understand if you are too busy at the moment.

      

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