Free Sleepover Girls Go Gymtastic! by Fiona Cummings Page B

there was still a great big camera pointing right in my face. I’d almost forgotten that we were still being filmed. It wasn’t going to look good if we were big cry-baby losers, now was it?
    “Well,” I looked straight into the camera. “I guess we were just too good for this lot!”
    Julia Ward laughed. “Aren’t you disappointed that you haven’t got through to the final?” she asked. “Wouldn’t you have liked the chance to learn to do gymnastics properly and be filmed at the same time?”
    We all looked at each other.
    “Nah!”
    We cracked up laughing, although Fliss was still looking a bit tearful and wobbly.
    “We’ve really had a great time and everything,” Frankie explained. “But to be absolutely honest, gymnastics is much harder work than we thought.”
    “You’re not kidding!” I agreed. “We’re absolutely exhausted now.”
    I stuck my thumb in my mouth and pretended to fall asleep on Fliss’s shoulder.
    “Gerroff!” she shrugged, but even she had started laughing.
    “But at least Lyndz has discovered a new hair accessory,” I said seriously, and pulled my SC badge from my leotard and stuck it on my head.
    The others did the same and we started striking mad model-type poses in front of the camera.
    Julia Ward was cracking up, but she managed to say, “Well girls, although you didn’t win, you’ve certainly given us a lot of pleasure.”
    Then she turned to the camera and said, “Now let’s go and interview some of the successful finalists.”
    She gave us a wave and mouthed, “well done” before heading into the throng of excited bodies crowding round the judges’ tables.
    “I know they’ve filmed us and everything, but do you think we will appear on TV?” Rosie asked wistfully as we watched Julia interviewing other people.
    “I doubt it,” Frankie said. “It’ll only be on the local news for about a minute, so I bet they’ll just concentrate on those people who’ve got through.”
    “I hope so,” Lyndz sighed. “I look really awful in this leotard.”
    We collected our stuff and walked out of the Leisure Centre.
    “Look guys, we might not have won, but it’s been an experience hasn’t it?” I asked. “We’ve been filmed even if we don’t end up on television this time. I mean, at least when we do get the chance to appear on TV again, we’ll know what to expect. We’ll be like old pros!”
    “But I wanted to appear on TV now, ” Fliss groaned. “It’s so unfair.”
    “No it’s not, Fliss. The others must have been better than us, that’s all,” Frankie reasoned. “I mean, we’re not exactly natural gymnasts, are we?”
    “Nope,” Rosie admitted. “But you were right before, Frankie. All that gymnastics lark was too much like hard work. Let’s face it, none of us are really cut out for it, are we?”
    Fliss sniffed and narrowed her eyes meaningfully.
    “Not even you Fliss,” Frankie agreed. “You’re much more model material, aren’t you?”
    Fliss grinned and admired her reflection in one of the shop windows we were passing. Frankie raised her eyes at the rest of us and we had to stifle our giggles so as not to give the game away.
    “Anyway guys, there are two good things as far as I can see,” Lyndz began seriously. “The first is that I can finally do a backward roll properly…”
    We all cheered.
    “… and the other is that we’ve got another sleepover to look forward to. It’s round at your place at four, isn’t it Kenny?”
    “Sure is,” I grinned. “And we’ve no SATs to revise for, and no gymnastics to practise. Tonight girls, we’re just gonna have fun!”
    Whooping and yelling, we all ran down the road like loonies. And it kind of carried on that way round at my house later. In fact we only flopped down in front of the television in the middle of the evening because we were so exhausted after charging round in the garden playing crazy chasing games.
    “Aw no, it’s the news, bor-ing,” Rosie moaned as I