Free Mumnesia by Katie Dale Page A

she’s doing.
Weird!’ I shrug.
    ‘
Mega-
weird!’ Megan sniggers, slipping her
arm through mine. The rest of the Megababes laugh, but all I can
see is the surprise and disappointment on Kimmy’s face as
she stops dancing. Then she runs out the door.
    OMG. What have I done?

28 SHAZZA
    ‘Keep the change –
Oof!
’ Someone hurtles into my back, knocking me
straight into the delivery guy! Pizza boxes crash everywhere as
we both stumble. Then I look up and spot Kimmy racing away.
What’s going on?
    I gather up the boxes, then go back into the
lounge and dish them out – but there’s no sign of
Lucy. Uh-oh.
    ‘Pizza!’ I cry, opening the kitchen door to find
her slumped miserably at the table.
    ‘I’m not hungry,’ she
mutters.
    ‘What
happened
?’ I hurry over,
sliding the pizza box on to the table as I sit down beside her.
‘One minute everyone’s totally psyched, dancing
around, the next Kimmy’s bowling me over as she rushes out
the door! Did you two fight?’
    ‘Kind of.’ She explains what
happened. ‘I wanted to go after her, but I couldn’t
leave my own party!’ Lucy sighs. ‘Why can’t we
just all be friends together?’
    ‘Ugh,’ I groan, opening the pizza box
and serving us each a big slice. ‘I went through, like, the
exact same thing last month. Me and my best friend Lily had a big
bust-up when this new girl, Caroline, started at our school. I
got jealous because they started going to ballet class together.
But now we’re all friends!’ I beam, taking a bite of
pizza.
    ‘Really?’ Lucy picks at her slice
doubtfully, making a little pile of sweetcorn on her napkin.
    ‘Mm-hmm.’ I swallow. ‘I was
worried Caroline was going to, like, take my place, but I was
being totally dumb. Just because you make new friends or like
different things –’ I pop a piece of Lucy’s
discarded sweetcorn in my mouth and grin –
‘doesn’t mean you can’t still be best
friends.’
    Lucy smiles and passes me the rest of her
sweetcorn.
    ‘Just let Kimmy cool off, then talk to her
later,’ I advise. ‘Ooh – and take her some cold
pizza as a peace offering!’
    ‘Cold pizza?’ Lucy winces.
‘Yuck!’
    ‘Are you kidding? I LOVE cold
pizza!’
    ‘Weirdo!’ She laughs, taking a big
bite.
    ‘Takes one to know one!’ I wink. At
least Lucy’s smiling – and eating! – again.
    Suddenly Megan rushes into the kitchen followed
by the Mega-clones. ‘Luce! Shazza! Quick!’ she cries,
her face pale. ‘
MEGA-emergency!
’
    Lucy drops her pizza and jumps up.
‘What’s happened?!’
    ‘Like, duh! Look at me!’ Megan
gestures to her school dress, which has the tiniest bit of pizza
sauce smeared down the front. ‘Help!’
    That’s
the emergency?
    ‘Don’t worry!’ Lucy says.
‘I’m sure it’ll come out.’
    ‘Can you wash it for me, please,
Shazza?’ Megan asks anxiously.
    ‘Um. Yeah . . . probably,’ I say with
a shrug.
    ‘Thank you!’ Megan beams.
‘Luce, can I borrow something to wear?’
    They hurry out, leaving me staring helplessly
round the kitchen. I have no idea how to use a washing machine
– especially a futuristic one! – and where on earth
even
is
it?

29 LUCY
    ‘Oh, Luce, what an adorable
room!’ Megan coos as the Megababes follow me inside.
‘Now, let’s see what we’ve got here . .
.’
    She flings open my wardrobe doors and I wince. I
so
don’t have anything cool enough for Megan to wear. This is
going to be uber-embarrassing – especially if anyone spots
Zebby! I shove him under my duvet quickly, but luckily the
Megababes are too busy rifling through the hangers to notice.
#CloseShave. But as Megan tosses an array of tops, jumpers and
dresses into a mounting reject heap on my bed it’s hard to
resist the urge to crawl underneath and hide with him.
    ‘What’s this?’ Megan says suddenly, peering
inside a shopping bag.
    I freeze as she pulls out the sparkly white dress Shazza
bought