Free Annabel's Perfect Party by Holly Webb Page A

Zone. Annabel was finding the secret-keeping very difficult but she was still totally determined. What made it all so much harder was that she couldn’t let on that she had a secret at all, and she had to keep pretending to Becky and Katie that she was just as bemused and desperate to know what was going on as they were. Dad was in on the secret, obviously, as he was going to be helping organize the party, and he’d sent a series of tantalizing emails, which seemed to have the words “party” and “presents” in every sentence.
    Mrs Ryan and Annabel were finding it alm ost impossible to snatch time to discuss the party without Becky or Katie popping up unexpectedly to ask what they were whispering about. The longest time they’d had to work stuff out was the walk home from school the Friday before, when Mum had gone to fetch Annabel after her detention. Annabel had been fairly confident about her second French test – after all, Becky and Katie had spent the previous evening snapping their fingers in her face in a particularly annoying way and then yelling French words to demand an immediate translation. Most of their vocab list felt as though it was carved into her brain. Mr Hatton was very impressed with her thirty-eight out of forty, and spent ages telling her that if only she’d put the effort in in the first place she could be really good at French, waffle, waffle, while Annabel nodded vigorously and attempted to look suitably sorry. Then she’d dashed out of school to meet Mum and banish French from her head entirely by planning how to decorate the house for the party. Annabel was still in favour of repainting the living room glittery. She’d reminded Mum about it every day that week, in very subtle ways like leaving her glitter nail polish lying round, but Mrs Ryan was holding out. Annabel felt that she and Mum were well on track, though. Annabel did a lot of drawing and painting anyway, so provided she was careful she could make party decorations without the other two realizing what she was doing. Mum had a cake-decorating book, and another one with good ideas for party food, so Annabel had spent quite a lot of time in the evenings hiding in the bathroom making lists, and designing birthday cakes. Katie and Becky thought she was putting intensive conditioner on her hair even more obsessively than usual, in preparation for the party. The week did seem to fly by, though, and Mum had to calm Annabel down when she had a mild panicking session on Thursday night as she was convinced they’d never get it all done.
    The next day, scarily enough, was actually the day before the party, and the triplets were mentally ticking off the minutes of their last lesson of the afternoon. How could geography go on so long? Was it some kind of time warp? Mrs Travers let them start packing up five minutes early – even she could see that the last few minutes before half-term were not the best time to introduce Year Seven to the mysteries of sedimentary rocks.
    â€œSee you tomorrow!” the triplets yelled to Megan as they set off home with Saima and Fran, who had been warned that if they wanted to walk with them they had to go fast . It was probably the first time they’d gone down the high street without stopping to look at any of the shops – without stopping at all, in fact.
    The triplets practically broke the front door down, jumping up and down in frustration as Katie fiddled with the key, and then hurling themselves into the hall. Yes! Bags and parcels that definitely hadn’t been there this morning.
    â€œDad!” squawked Katie rapturously, rushing headlong into the kitchen and screeching to a stop next to the table – there he was, banging down his coffee mug to leap up and seize them all in a massive hug.
    â€œWatch it, you three,” Mum warned, laughing, “your dad’s not going to be much use at your party if you strangle him now.”
    They