Free The Worry Web Site by Jacqueline Wilson Page A

Samantha.”
    I blinked again.
    “Can William
do
conjuring tricks?” Wendy asked doubtfully. She hasn't got to know all the children in Mr. Speed's class—but you can't miss William.
    “No, of course he can't. He drops all the cards and fails to pull out the ribbons and he can't produce the toy white rabbit from his cardboard top hat,” said Mr. Speed, chuckling.
    I decided maybe I didn't like Mr. Speed after all.
    “They will laugh at him,” I said. I can't put expression into my voice machine, but I tried to look disapproving.
    “Don't frown at me, madam. They're
supposed
to laugh. William is
deliberately
mucking up his act. He's playing a totally useless conjuror. Well, he doesn't need to try hard, does he? And Samantha is going to get all gussied up in her ballet frock, being his beautiful blond assistant, and
she
will sort him out and do the trick each time.”
    I nodded. I looked at another comment on the computer screen.
    I wanted to sing a song with Holly but she's doing a dance with her little sister so I've got to sing on my own and my voice goes all wobbly and Mr. Speed shouts, “You're out of tune, lad,” and makes it worse so I don't want to be in the concert.
    “Oh dear,” said Mr. Speed, reading over my shoulder. “I do sound a bully, don't I? I'm not really that bad, am I, Natasha?”
    “Yes!” I said.
    Mr. Speed laughed. Wendy laughed. Lisa looked up from her painting and laughed. I laughed too.
    “Is everyone taking part in the concert?” Wendy asked.
    “Not quite everyone. Lisa says she doesn't feel like performing. She's come to my rescue with the scenery. And hopefully she might help out with the props too.” Mr. Speed gestured at the remains of his fairy carriage.
    I asked Wendy to wheel me over to Lisa so I could have a closer look at her scenery. She parked me beside her and then went to have a little talk with Mr. Speed. Probably about me. People are always having little talks about me and my progress—or lack of it. I'm OK at the difficult stuff. Ten out of ten in alllessons. I'm just useless at all the easy-peasy ordinary things everyone else takes for granted. I'm trapped in my baby body, unable to do anything for myself. Zero out of ten for walking, talking, going to the loo, combing my hair, whatever.
    I like the way Lisa has her hair, short and spiky. It looks seriously cool. Maybe it's time I had
my
hair cut?
    I started telling her with my machine that I liked her hair. The mechanical voice made her jump and she blotched a bit of paint so that her princess got a red spot on the end of her nose to match her scarlet smile.
    “Whoops!”
    “Sorry I've spoilt your lady.” I wanted to say I'm sorry my mechanical voice sounds so stupid and I loved the way she's painted the beautiful fairy-tale princess but it would have taken too long.
    “I think the wizard's put a curse on her. She's got spots. So have I, actually,” said Lisa. “My mum says it's too much chocolate.”
    My hand wasn't behaving itself because I wanted to make friends with Lisa so much. I had to make several stabs at it before I managed to say, “I love chocolate.”
    “I've got a Galaxy bar here,” said Lisa, fishing itout of her pocket with painty fingers. “Do you want a bite?” Then she went pink. “I mean — can you — can you eat, like, normally?”
    “Try me!” I said.
    She had the sense to break off a small square. She held it tentatively to my mouth. I tried
sooo
hard not to drool on her. I sucked the chocolate in and as I munched I made my voice machine say, “I can talk with my mouth full.”
    Lisa burst out laughing and gave me another piece of chocolate. She ate a square herself and then started sketching a house in a little wood at the right of her scenery.
    “This is going to be the witch's gingerbread house, right? It's made out of sweets and chocolate and cakes and cookies. Maybe I could do it a bit like a collage, eh? Stick real little bits of chocolate on the roof?”
    “Fruit