Project Best Friend (5 page)

Penelope finished her mouthful.

‘I’m sorry Oscar,’ she said, very softly. ‘I’m so sorry for not doing the sausage sizzle with you. It was a bad decision.’

Oscar shrugged. A curl of hair flopped down over his forehead.

‘Don’t look so sad. It doesn’t matter,’ he said. ‘I got one of the older girls to help.’

Penelope managed a small smile. The older girls were always going on about how cute Oscar was. Personally, Penelope couldn’t see it. But suddenly she realised that the
inside
of Oscar Finley was very, very nice.

‘Penny, I don’t know what happened today,’ Oscar said.

Penelope was on the verge of correcting him when she stopped herself. She wanted to hear what Oscar had to say – even more than she wanted him to call her Penelope.

‘It’s very weird for you to bail like that. You’ve helped with practically every fundraiser the Parents Committee has come up with. You’ve done even more than I have. I checked with Gwen.’

Penelope tilted her head to the side. Gwen had been on the Parents Committee ever since Penelope first started school. Which was a little strange, since her kids had finished primary school years ago. But Gwen was very nice and very dedicated. Penelope had a sneaking suspicion that she stayed on the committee because it made her feel needed. ‘So you’re not angry with me?’ she asked.

All the clues suggested that he wasn’t, but Penelope wanted to be extra sure. Being extra sure would make it slightly easier to go back into the classroom after her outburst.

‘Nup,’ Oscar said. His mouth stretched into a wide grin. ‘I reckon you deserve a second chance. But just so you know, I signed you up for the next three fundraisers.’

Penelope smiled back.

Usually she found it annoying the way Oscar popped up everywhere. But she was very, very glad he’d popped up now.

Penelope was already at her table when the other girls came in from lunch. Oscar had walked in with her, but now he was at his own table, all the way across the room. For some reason that seemed much further away than usual.

Penelope made a very big effort to sit up straight. Probably the best thing would be if everyone tried to forget what had happened. She even attempted a smile as Eliza and Rita walked through the door.

But her smile was not returned. In fact, although it was hard to be sure, Penelope thought she saw Rita roll her eyes. Which would have been very rude.

Penelope definitely felt bad about her explosion. She wished that, if she’d
had
to explode, it could at least have been about something important. Like the girls taking over her tour of the school. If that had happened, though, things would probably be even worse right now.

Penelope kept smiling as Bob entered the classroom with Joanna.

But she didn’t get a chance to see Bob’s expression, because Ms Pike spotted them.

‘You girls look like you’ve taken a tumble or two,’ she said. ‘Perhaps you could step outside and brush yourselves off before you spread half the oval in here?’

Joanna giggled. She turned to face Penelope and cupped her hand over the side of her mouth so Ms Pike couldn’t see. But Penelope definitely saw. Joanna poked her tongue out at Penelope, then headed out of the classroom.

Joanna poked her tongue out quite frequently. In fact, tongue poking was something Joanna seemed quite passionate about. She had several different versions, from making a point at the end to a whole rolled tongue. It was disgusting, but Penelope had almost become used to it. Almost.

This time it bothered Penelope a lot.

Penelope looked at the clock above Ms Pike’s desk. There were still ninety-three minutes of class to get through.
She pressed her lips together to get rid of the wobble
. Then she got on with her work.

For the rest of the day, Penelope worked hard and didn’t talk to anyone. Occasionally, she found herself staring at Bob’s back. In fact, Penelope could tell anyone, if they asked, how many freckles were on Bob’s neck. She could also tell Ms Pike that Bob was wearing a chain around her neck (if she wanted to, which she didn’t – even though it was against school rules).

Bob’s chain made Penelope think of some of the charms she’d made. And that it might be better to give Bob the frog or perhaps the mini-bicycle, instead of earrings, since she didn’t have her ears pierced. Penelope let out a sigh. It seemed that giving Bob her best-friend gift (absolutely free) was a long way off. Perhaps it would never, ever happen.

It also seemed (from the back, at least) as though Bob was getting on well with Eliza and Alison. Penelope could see that Alison, in particular, was being very chatty. When Alison talked she often moved her head from side to side. It was very hard to watch, and Penelope took far too long to complete the book quiz Ms Pike had set. She came second to Felix Unger, a boy who sat at Oscar’s table. Felix Unger was the best basketball player in the whole year. He was good at English, too, but not normally good enough to beat Penelope.

After the final bell rang, Penelope waited for everyone to leave the classroom before packing up her things. In the corridor, past the lockers, Oscar was standing with Felix Unger, a basketball in his arms. Felix had one foot out the door, as though he was desperate to get out on the court. But Oscar was holding his arm. Penelope suddenly realised that Oscar was making Felix wait for her.

Oscar narrowed his eyes, looking at Penelope in a concerned way. He seemed to be checking that she was OK.

‘I’m going to go and shoot a few hoops with the Unger,’ he said. ‘You know, give him a few tips on how it’s done.’

Despite the terrible day she’d had, Penelope felt a little smile creep onto her lips. A smile that wasn’t stitched on.

‘Wanna come, Penny?’ he asked.

Penelope shook her head. Felix ran off straight away, but Oscar lingered for a second. A second was all Penelope needed.

‘I have things I need to do. But thanks for asking, Oscar Finley,’ she whispered in his ear.

As Penelope walked towards the school gate, she looked over at the basketball court. Felix was pointing at a spot on the backboard, clearly telling Oscar where to aim.

Oscar’s first shot fell short. So did his second. But the third shot went in, not even touching the sides of the ring. Without planning to, Penelope clapped. Oscar must have heard, because he turned and gave her a wonky bow.

Penelope was very surprised how much watching Oscar try and succeed (and perhaps also that wonky bow) puffed out her heart and rallied her spirit.

Yes, there had been a setback in Project Best Friend. OK, a few setbacks. One part of Penelope felt like the project had totally failed. But another part of her remembered that people who strive for excellence do not give up easily.

Mobile phones were not allowed in school, but as soon as she left the school grounds, Penelope pulled out her phone, switched it on and texted Grandpa George.

Penelope kept her phone in her hand as she walked home, waiting for a response. She stopped outside her favourite house and sighed deeply. Recently, a ‘for sale’ sign had appeared out the front. Penelope had taken a photo of the sign and sent it to her dad just in case he wanted to buy the house. Unfortunately he did not.

The house was painted white, with a huge bay window upstairs that made Penelope think of princesses and very long hair.