Free Swap Over by Margaret Pearce

staggering. She went red and came rushing back to Maddy with her arm raised. Maddy grinned and raised her clenched fists. She was going to enjoy punching Bronwin hard in the nose and hammering her until she howled.
    Bronwin saw the expression on her face, went white, and stopped. Maddy lowered her fist and decided regretfully not to punch her. She didn’t want to do the wrong thing by Jennifer’s reputation in her posh school. Bronwin turned and walked away without a word.
    Maddy put her arm around Linda. “Don’t cry, Linda. We’re so glad you don’t play like Bronwin.”
    â€œShe’s the best player in the school,” Linda sniffled.
    â€œShe’s not the best sport, which is what counts,” Katrina said. “The tuck shop will still be open. Come on back with us and we’ll shout you a chocolate milk shake. We’ve all earned it after that game.”
    â€œMy shout.” Maddy remembered the coins in the zipped-up purse pinned to her blazer pocket. “Dry your tears. You deserve a chocolate-coated medal for putting up with that pill through six sets.”
    Katrina started to giggle. Maddy realized what she had said and started laughing. Linda looked at them, gave a watery smile, and started laughing as well. They ran across to the tuckshop, and drank their chocolate milkshakes.
    It was Katrina who spotted the chocolate-coated coins among the sweets and bought one for Linda. Only she had three tries at trying to make a proper speech and kept collapsing into giggles.
    This attracted every-one else, curious at what they were all laughing about. The joke spread. It seemed that Bronwin, the best tennis player in the school, was also the most disliked person to play against.
    Everyone bought the chocolate-coated coins and presented them to everyone else. It was Rowena, who at last gave everyone a stern glare, and formally awarded another chocolate-coated medal to Linda for “bravery over and beyond the cause of duty.”
    Linda giggled, her face flushed with happiness, and her eyes soft and large. She was really a pretty girl when she was happy, Maddy decided, despite the dragged–back, tight plait and the overlong school dress. Her eyes didn’t look at all beady or wary and with her mouth curved up in a smile, she actually had dimples.
    And the warmth that her happy face gave Maddy lasted her all the afternoon. Maybe it was unhappiness that made people go plain and ugly, Maddy thought as she ran for class with everyone else. Maybe it was happiness that made the difference between being the most attractive girl in the district and being the plainest? Was Jennifer the best-looking girl in the district because she was such a happy person?
    She remembered Jennifer as she had seen her this morning, racing paper boats in the gutter. Despite the raggy jumper and the drooping hemline on the school dress, the face Jennifer had lifted up had still been that of the best-looking girl in the district.
    She flushed as she thought of the ragged hem. Her mother had nagged her to sew it up, and she couldn’t be bothered. It was awful that Jennifer was wearing her raggy, uncared-for school clothes.
    Maddy made the decision to go and visit the Matsons as soon as school was over. Jennifer seemed very happy as a Matson sister, despite not enough money in the family and having to do chores all the time.
    Maddy’s pen stopped moving as she thought. What if it did need two wishes to be wished together for her to return home? What if Jennifer wasn’t interested in swapping back? Maddy bent her head back to her work. She wasn’t going to know anything that was happening until she actually talked to Jennifer.
    She was surprised how fast the afternoon passed. She hadn’t realized how fast time passed when you concentrated on working hard. It was weird that you could shorten the school day by working hard. Maybe she would try it when she went back to her own