Free Worry Magic by Dawn McNiff Page A

lesson.
    I hit SEND  … 
    Ha, good! I’d beaten Bex to it. Get in there, Courtney!
    QUACK-QUACK.
    QUACK-QUACK.
    Everyone looked around, like –
what?
    But I froze, holding my breath  …  because I knew immediately what the noise was. Lois’s new phone, quacking to the world that she had a text.
    A text from me.
    In a lesson.
    Oh no, why wasn’t her phone on silent like it usually was? No one left their phone on loud at school!
    I felt my whole face burn up.
    Cave Woman was looking coolly along the front row. She was deaf, but not that deaf.
    â€˜Was that you, Kai?’
    But Kai just swung round, and pointed at Lois. ‘Her phone  …  in her bag.’
    What a grossoid! He was always dobbing people in like that.
    Cave Woman held out her hand to Lois.
    Lois stood up. I could just see the side of her face – she’d gone bright red. She pulled her phone out of her bag, glanced down quickly at the screen, and then handed it over.
    â€˜You know the rules – confiscated until tomorrow, and a letter home to your parents,’ Cave Woman said, briskly. ‘Now back to it, everyone. I want at least a page from all of you by the end of the lesson.’
    She looked back at her work.
    Everyone went silent then, scribbling like mad.
    I could see by the way Lois was sitting that she was upset. And she’d obviously seen the text was from me. I wished she’d turn around, so I could say sorry, but she didn’t.
    Of course Bex missed none of this. She took one look at my face and leant back in her seat.
    â€˜I reckon that text was from you, Courtney, wasn’t it?’ she hissed. ‘Well done. That’s Lois’s new phone gone. She’ll be so angry with you.’
    She was right!
    I was trying not to panic, but I could feel my face flushing. Oh, what could I do?
    I’d have to confess at least  … 
    I stuck my hand up.
    â€˜Miss Cave! It’s not Lois’s fault that her phone  … ’
    â€˜Hand down, Courtney, please.’
    â€˜But, miss  … ’
    â€˜No one should have their phone on in a lesson, and that’s it. Now please get on with your work.’
    I could see it was hopeless – she had one of those firm looks on her face, so I shut up.
    I hoped Lois would turn round and smile at me for trying, but she was too busy dabbing her eyes with her sleeves.
    Oh no  …  now she wouldn’t have her new phone for her birthday evening.
    Because of me  … 
    She’d be so fed up. And then she probably WOULD go to the film with Bex.
    I was feeling even hotter now. I held my face in my hands, trying to gulp back my tears. I felt all weak, like I could hardly stay in my chair.
    My brain was gummed up, on go-slow  …  And then finally I twigged  …  the worry magic was coming! Coming to help me dream-fix this mess.
    The wooziness rolled over me in big waves. I laid my head down on my table  …  and went out like a light.
    In Cave Woman’s lesson.

Chapter Nineteen
    The dream spun in lots of colours like a kaleidoscope. All I got was glimpses  …  Miss Cave smiling. Lois holding her phone and hugging me. Bex sulking. A huge ketchuppy chip. And then the fade  … 
    â€˜Courtney  … ’
    I sat up so quickly I jarred my neck.
    Cave Woman was standing by my chair.
    The whole class had frozen, like Cave Woman had brought on an actual mini ice age as she’d crossed the room.
    â€˜See me after the lesson,’ she said, quietly.
    The bell went right then, but still no one moved. I think everyone was waiting to watch Cave-Woman gnaw on my bones.
    And Miss Cave definitely wasn’t smiling like she was supposed to be. Maybe the dream hadn’t worked!
    â€˜Papers on my desk. Everyone out now, please,’ she said.
    The room emptied.
    Leaving me and Cave Woman alone.
    I stared down at my hands.
    My tummy was