Free Buried Alive! by Jacqueline Wilson Page A

goodness sake! Do you want to get
more
sand in that eye? Use the path!’
    I stopped listening to Mum. I saw who else was on the beach. Kelly and Kelly’s mum and Kelly’s mum’s boyfriend Dave and Kelly’s little brother Dean and Kelly’s baby brother Keanu.
    â€˜Look who’s here, Mum!’ I said, and Icharged down the sandy slope, too impatient to bother with the path.
    Kelly’s mum was sitting in my mum’s deckchair beside Dad. Kelly’s mum’s boyfriend Dave was sitting on the sand with baby Keanu on his lap. Dean was scrunched up in Keanu’s buggy pretending to be a baby. Kelly and Biscuits were sitting on a beach towel, Kelly wriggling and pushing, Biscuits refusing to budge. They all had ice-creams. I felt a little left out – and then as I slid nearer I saw Kelly was holding an ice-cream in each hand.
    â€˜Hey, Tim! Is your eye better? I was worried when your dad told us. I’ve saved you an ice-cream anyway,’ Kelly shouted. ‘Better come quick. Biscuits has been after it!’
    â€˜Well, it’s all started to melt,’ said Biscuits.
    â€˜You’re an old greedy-guts, you are,’ said Kelly, bounding forward to meet me.
    She nudged Biscuits a bit in the process. He dropped his own ice-cream in the sand. It was nearly finished anyway, but he gave an immense howl of protest.
    I suggested he had half of my ice-cream to make up. I could see it might be a bit difficult to keep things peaceful between Biscuits and Kelly. I liked Biscuits ever so much and I sort of liked Kelly a lot too. I couldn’t see why theydidn’t seem to like each other much.
    Mum didn’t look at all pleased when she arrived on the beach. She glared at me.
    â€˜I told you
not
to go down the sandy way, Tim,’ she hissed. Then she smiled, though her lips were very thin and showing too much teeth. ‘Well, this is a lovely surprise.’
    â€˜Oh, we can’t keep our Kelly away from your Tim,’ Kelly’s mum laughed, still sprawling in Mum’s deckchair, her skirt pulled up so she showed a lot of long brown leg.
    Mum’s smile got even thinner as she sat down heavily on the sand.
    â€˜Oh don’t sit down! I want you to come with me,’ said Kelly’s mum. She leapt up and started hopping around, brushing the sand off her feet and stuffing them into strappy little sandals. ‘There’s meant to be a huge great market this morning in a field the other side of Abercoch. I’ve been trying to get your old man and mine interested, but you know what men are like when it comes to shopping. But you’ll come, won’t you?’
    â€˜There you are, Mum! You can go shopping after all,’ I said, trying to squeeze in between Kelly and Biscuits. It was a terrible squash.
    Mum got a bit dithery, but eventually agreed.
    â€˜Come along then, children,’ she said.
    â€˜Oh, we won’t take the
kids
. They’ll be a terrible bore. The boys hate shopping.’
    â€˜Tim enjoys it,’ said Mum. ‘And I daresay Biscuits will come if there’s any food in the offing.’
    â€˜Me?’ said Biscuits.
    â€˜No, let them play on the beach and have fun. The boys might behave themselves but my Kelly will be on and on at me to buy her everything.’
    â€˜Me?’ said Kelly.
    â€˜And Dean
won’t
hold my hand and I’m always on pins in case I lose him – and the baby’s so grizzly with his teething he’s driving me round the bend. No, we’ll leave the kids with the men.’
    â€˜Oh, I don’t think we could do that,’ said Mum. ‘They’d let them run wild.’
    â€˜I daresay!’ said Kelly’s mum. She linked her arm through my mum’s. ‘They can have fun and we’ll have fun too. Come on. I insist!’
    So Mum went off with Kelly’s mum. As soon as she started picking her way across the sand Biscuits said,