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Back Stargazing for Beginners Save as PDF
Contents ( 64)
  1. A Letter from the Author
  2. ONE
  3. TWO
  4. THREE
  5. FOUR
  6. FIVE
  7. SIX
  8. SEVEN
  9. EIGHT
  10. NINE
  11. TEN
  12. ELEVEN
  13. TWELVE
  14. THIRTEEN
  15. FOURTEEN
  16. FIFTEEN
  17. SIXTEEN
  18. SEVENTEEN
  19. EIGHTEEN
  20. NINETEEN
  21. TWENTY
  22. TWENTY-ONE
  23. TWENTY-TWO
  24. TWENTY-THREE
  25. TWENTY-FOUR
  26. TWENTY-FIVE
  27. TWENTY-SIX
  28. TWENTY-SEVEN
  29. TWENTY-EIGHT
  30. TWENTY-NINE
  31. THIRTY
  32. THIRTY-ONE
  33. THIRTY-TWO
  34. THIRTY-THREE
  35. THIRTY-FOUR
  36. THIRTY-FIVE
  37. THIRTY-SIX
  38. THIRTY-SEVEN
  39. THIRTY-EIGHT
  40. THIRTY-NINE
  41. FORTY
  42. FORTY-ONE
  43. FORTY-TWO
  44. FORTY-THREE
  45. FORTY-FOUR
  46. FORTY-FIVE
  47. FORTY-SIX
  48. FORTY-SEVEN
  49. FORTY-EIGHT
  50. FORTY-NINE
  51. FIFTY
  52. FIFTY-ONE
  53. FIFTY-TWO
  54. FIFTY-THREE
  55. FIFTY-FOUR
  56. FIFTY-FIVE
  57. FIFTY-SIX
  58. FIFTY-SEVEN
  59. FIFTY-EIGHT
  60. FIFTY-NINE
  61. SIXTY
  62. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. ONE

She’s pretty much summed it up. I force myself to hold my head up high. ‘It’s called a star party,’ I say.

Bella grins. ‘Megara, everything you touch turns to nerd!’ Then Raj bursts out laughing and Ed joins in too.

SIX

After school, I fit in another hour in the library before I head home. I walk up the hill, through the estate, then climb the three flights of stairs to our flat. As soon as I push open the door, I notice how quiet it is. Usually I’m hit with Mum’s Ibiza anthems, or a crazy mash-up of singing, TV, crying and barking, but right now the flat is silent.

Perfect. I can practise reading my speech out loud without anyone listening to me.

I drop my bag on the floor and go into the front room. I know the start off by heart so I clear my throat, focus on Mum’s poster of a green Buddha, and say loudly and clearly, ‘To me, space means freedom …’ My voice echoes round the flat and sounds so embarrassing and Meg-ish that I immediately forget the next sentence. Panic rushes through me and suddenly the Buddha’s saintly smile looks like a supressed sneer. This is ridiculous! If I can’t speak in front of a piece of paper, how can I ever expect to speak in front of human beings?

I take a deep breath. I can do this … But I’ll just have something to eat first, something high-energy like peanut butter on toast.

I step round the paddling pool, noticing that Mum’s emptied it at some point, then go into the kitchen, and that’s when I see the note on the fridge: Meg, don’t forget to collect Elsa and Pongo from Grandad’s. Ta! Xxxx Mum.

I’d forgotten all about Mum going to the airport. Looks like that’s the end of my rehearsal time, unless I want to do it in front of Elsa and Pongo. Actually, that’s not such a bad idea …

I ring Mum’s mobile to check when she’ll be back, but as soon as the call connects, ‘Let It Go’ starts playing from the living room. I follow the sound until I find Mum’s phone shoved under the sofa. Then I kick my way through the mess on the floor and grab my keys. I’d better go straight round to Grandad’s. I might not want to babysit Elsa, but Grandad can’t really be trusted with babies. He’s easily distracted and has a love of both bonfires and flammable liquids. Not a good combination.

I find Grandad lying in front of his cooker, surrounded by tools. ‘Hello, Love!’ he says, glancing up. ‘Come to pick up your sister?’

‘Yep … What’re you doing?’

‘Attaching the cooker to a gas canister,’ he says, scratching his wild grey hair. ‘I haven’t got any instructions, but I think I can work it out.’

I pick up the adapter then sift through the tools in his toolbox until I find the right wrench. ‘Pass me the hose,’ I say, then I crouch next to him and get to work – no way am I sitting on his filthy floor. Grandad lets his chickens wander wherever they like and Pongo’s his only vacuum cleaner. Mum and Grandad are eerily similar in their attitude towards housework. Compared to the flat and Grandad’s house, my bedroom is an oasis of cleanliness.