Mumnesia Read Free Page B

giggles. ‘I pierced my friend Kelly’s ears. Well,
ear.’
    ‘She only had one done? Is that an eighties
thing?’
    ‘Well, no, she was going to have both, but she fainted
after the first one. Lame.’
    ‘She
fainted
?’ I gasp.
    ‘Kelly always freaks out at the sight of
blood.’
    My stomach lurches. ‘
Blood?
’
    ‘It was the same in biology when we dissected
hearts,’ Shazza says, squinting with concentration as she
lifts the needle to my very-cold-but-nowhere-near-numb-yet
earlobe. ‘Now, just hold still—’
    ‘Wait!’ I cry, jumping up out of her reach.
    ‘What’s the matter?’
    ‘I . . . er . . .’ I search desperately for an
excuse.
    ‘Have you changed your mind?’ she asks, the needle
still glinting in her hand.
    ‘I . . .’
Hang on
– is that her
plan
? Is she trying to scare me off getting my ears
pierced? Is she really still Mum?
Who’s
bluffing
who
here . . . ?
    ‘It’ll only take a minute!’ She smiles
encouragingly.
    ‘Is that the time? I’ve gotta go!’ I’m
not taking any chances where needles are involved!
    ‘Go where?’ She frowns.
    ‘Duh! School!’
    ‘
School?!
’ Shazza grabs my arm. ‘No,
no, no! You can’t
leave
me! Take the day
off!’
    #JawDrop. ‘You mean . . .
skip school
?’
    ‘Yes!’ she cries. ‘Say you’re ill!
Stay home!
Please
, Lucy!’
    ‘Wow.’ I sink on to the toilet lid, dizzy with
shock, all my doubts instantly skittering out the window.
‘Mum – the old Mum – would never in a
million years
let me bunk off. My school had to send
me
home when I had chickenpox!’ I look up.
‘You’re really not her, are you?’
    She shakes her head. ‘Not yet!’
    ‘But . . .
how did this happen
?’
    ‘I’ve no idea!’ Shazza shrugs.
    ‘I mean, do you have a . . . a
time machine
or
something?’ I ask.
    ‘No.’
    ‘And how did you end up in Mum’s middle-aged
body?’
    ‘I don’t know!’ Shazza insists. ‘All I
know is, yesterday I was twelve years old in 1985, and now
I’m here, like this! I wish I knew how. I wish I knew
why.’
    #LightBulb! ‘
That’s it!
’ I cry,
jumping up. ‘It’s my
wish
!’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Last night I
wished
that Mum – Old Mum
– knew what it was like to be twelve for a day, and now
you’re here: twelve-year-old Mum!’
    Shazza stares at me. ‘You
wished
me
here?’
    ‘I know it sounds crazy, but—’
    ‘No – it all makes sense!’ She beams,
hugging me tight. ‘Wow . . . so
that’s
why I
travelled through time! That’s totally AMAZING! Plus, if
I’m only here because of you, and I’m only here for
ONE DAY, you’re
definitely
skipping
school!’
    ‘Deal!’ I laugh. And for once I’m actually
glad Kimmy has sports practice on Monday mornings instead of
walking to school with me; this would take a
lot
of
explaining!
    We hurry into the lounge and Shazza bounces on the sofa as I
ring the school then pass her the phone.
    ‘Oh
hello
!’ she trills as the secretary
answers, and I have to bury my face in a cushion to muffle my
giggles. ‘I just wanted to let you know my daughter
can’t come to school today. Lucy Miller.’
    ‘Andrews!’ I hiss urgently. ‘Lucy
Andrews
!’
    ‘I mean Andrews! Sorry! Miller’s my maiden
name,’ Shazza says quickly, then covers the mouthpiece, her
eyes sparkling. ‘Andrews? Really?’ she whispers.
‘Who did I
marry
?’
    ‘Shh!’ I hiss, pointing at the phone.
    ‘Sorry, what? Oh, she’s ill. No, nothing
infectious, just um . . .’ Shazza hesitates.
‘She’s got . . .’
    ‘Flu! Tonsillitis! Food poisoning! Anything!’ I
mouth, but she still looks stumped! Exasperated, I flap my arms
to mime ‘flew’.
    ‘The doctors think it’s . . . um . . .
chicken—’ Shazza begins.
    ‘
Flu!
’ I hiss. The school knows I had
chickenpox last year – and you can’t have it twice!
Plus it’ll look well suss when I go back to school
tomorrow, pox-free.
    ‘Flu.’ Shazza finishes, giving me a