Freias Summer of Awful Chapter Sampler

7/29/2019 Freias Summer of Awful Chapter Sampler

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Text 2013 Aimee Said. All rights reserved.


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NB. This is an ADVANCE UNCORRECTEDCHAPTER SAMPLE. Please note contents

and publishing information are subject tochange. When quoting from this book,

please check publishing details and refer tothe nal printed book for editorial accuracy.

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3/12

9

1

Everyone knows the last weeks o the school year are

a complete waste o time. Since we fnished our Year

Ten coursework all weve done is listen to lectures about

how the next two years will be the most important o

our lives, play stupid games (Im looking at you, periodic

table bingo) and watch DVDs. I told Mum the last day o

term would be a wipe-out, but she reused to budge on

her you-go-to-school-unless-youre-dying rule. (Just like

she wouldnt let me skip prize night when we both knew Iwasnt going to win any awards.)

Even in English, which is usually my avourite subject

on account o our teacher being both extremely dishy

and actually attempting to make his classes interesting,

Mr Naidoos making us watch Wuthering Heightswhile he

studies the Lonely Planet Guide to Paris(where he and thesoon-to-be Mrs Naidoo are honeymooning). He doesnt

bother telling o Kate and Brianna or turning round to

chat with Belinda and Bethanee, even though theyre

sitting right in ront o him.



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The seat on Kates left is empty, as it has been since

I made myself persona non grata with her and the Bs

halfway through Term Three. I dont mean to stare at

the four of them; I just cant help myself. Its like whenI watch a horror movie and I know I should look away

because the sight of blood even obviously fake blood

makes my toes tingle (and not in a good way), but I cant.

When Belinda throws her head back to laugh and give her

trademark double ponytail ick, she catches me looking

and her eyes narrow in response. Whatever she whispersto the other three makes them stare back at me in unison.

I turn my gaze to my notebook and add a line of scrawl

to the list I was working on before the Bs distracted me,

in an attempt to seem otherwise occupied.

Reasons why these will be the most awesome summer

holidays ever

1. No school, obviously. And no schoolwork, unless youre

a freak of nature like Vicky and love studying so much

that youve already bought the Year Eleven Chemistry

textbook as a treat.

2. No English tutoring. I love Nicky (despite her being

hired to spare my parents the embarrassment of being

the only English Literature professors in history to

have a daughter whod rather readCharlottes Web

than Charlotte Bront) and Ill miss her while shes off

researching the medieval libraries of eastern Europe,



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but I cant say Ill be sad not to write a practice essay

for six weeks.

3. No Bs. I know I shouldnt care about Belinda Sinclair

and her blond clones now that I dont have to hangout with them any more, but seeing them in classes ve

days a week reminds me of how hideous most of this

year was.

4. Siouxsie, Steph and Vicky. Friends: I have them! And

although weve only been hanging out together for a

few months, I feel like Ive nally met some people whoget me (as opposed to being out to get me, see 3).

5. Daniel Taylor-Fairchild, aka Dan to his friends, Dan

the Man when Siouxsies feeling snarky. Lasagne lover,

Ramones fan and the best kisser I know. (Also the only

person Ive ever kissed.)

6. New Years Eve. For the rst time in my life I wont

be seeing in the new year with my family like Lonely

McLoser. Ill be with my friends, having a moonlight

picnic and watching the reworks over the river, which

can only be a good omen for the coming year.

I know Im probably jinxing myself by looking forward

to these holidays so much. Grandma Thelma has this

saying, No expectations, no disappointment, which

basically means, If you dont get your hopes up, you

cant be upset when it doesnt happen. Unlike most of

Grans sayings (stuff about stitches in time and sucking



6/12

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eggs, which make no sense at all), I can see the wisdom

in this, but I also think its often the expectation thats the

best bit. Take Christmas, for example. Every October I

give my parents a list of the things I really want (this year:an MP3 player to replace my crappy portable CD player, a

mobile phone, for my curfew to be moved from ten-thirty

to midnight) and then I spend two months imagining how

great it will be to have those things, right up until the

moment I open my present and nd yet another classic

novel/bath gel gift set/ergonomic pen grip. I am very

experienced in dealing with disappointment, so I think Ill

cope if these holidays are not one hundred per cent made

of awesome. Ninety per cent would be ne.

When the last bell of the year nally rings Mr Naidoo hits

stop on the DVD and wishes us a hasty goodbye. I dawdle

over packing up my stuff, surreptitiously checking to

make sure Belinda and Co. leave ahead of me and Vicky,

to avoid a humiliating confrontation.

It mightve worked, too, if Siouxsie wasnt waiting for

us at the door. Whats the hold-up? she calls. Stephs

only got the keys to the art rooms for half an hour.

I wont miss thatover the holidays, says Belinda in a

voice loud enough for everyone within a ve-classroom

radius to hear. Six weeks away from this freak show is

exactly what I need.



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13

Freak show? says Siouxsie. Is that any way to talk

about your friends, Bella?

Belinda stops dead in front of Sooz and xes her with

the death stare. I wasnt talking to you, Morticia. Dontyou and the BOS have anything better to do than obsess

over me and my friends? Surely theres some satanic

ritual youve been saving for the holidays.

The BOS is the Bs most recent nickname for me. It

stands for Bride of Skeletor, Skeletor being their nickname

for Dan, on account of him being on the skinny side

(especially compared to the thick-necked, thick-headed

footy players the Bs hang out with). Siouxsie says I should

be attered the Bs feel Im such a threat that they have to

take cheap shots at me to make themselves feel better. On

good days I believe her. Today is not a good day.

Luckily for me, Siouxsies one of those people who

has a comeback to every put-down. She smiles sweetly

at Belinda and says, Id invite you to join us, but we dont

need a goat.

Belinda shakes her head, turns it into a ponytail ick

and keeps walking. Bethanee, Brianna and Kate follow.

Ready for Operation Time Capsule? asks Siouxsie

once theyve passed.

The time capsule was Vixs idea, but it was Steph who

suggested preserving it as a photo. The plan is that we

each bring something that sums up the year for us and

Steph will take a photo, and then the photo can be buried



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in a vault or the school archives or wherever. Ive got my

copy of Pride and Prejudice, since it was studying Jane

Austen for English Extension that led to Siouxsie and me

becoming friends (despite the fact that shes a certiedJane Austen nut), which is how I got to know Steph and

Vicky. Actually, I sort of cheated and brought two things;

Im also wearing the silver guitar plectrum pendant that I

havent taken off since Dan gave it to me for my birthday

in September.

While Steph nishes setting up her camera, Siouxsie

slips on her Meat is Murder T-shirt (to mark becoming a

vegetarian in April) and Vicky puts on the gold and silver

medals she won at the Maths and Science Olympiad.

Steph lines us up in front of the camera and checks

her light meter again. Everyone ready? she asks, taking

a last look through the viewnder of her fancypants SLR

camera.

Hang on, says Vicky. What did you bring, Steph?

Steph grins and runs to join us, throwing an arm around

my and Vickys shoulders as she slides into position

between us. You! she says, just as the camera goes click.

Im sure I blinked when the ash went off I was

laughing too hard to keep my eyes open but Steph saysthat what she wants to capture is the feeling of this exact

moment in time, and if we do it over and over again, well

end up looking like were posing for a family photo, or

worse, the Westside Grammar annual.



9/12

15

We walk to the entrance gates together before going

our separate ways. As I unchain my bike, I bid a silent

farewell to what has been both the very worst and very

best school year of my life.



10/12

FREIA LOCKHARTS SUMMER OF AWFUL by Aimee SaidISBN: 9781921977800

Arrp: $16.95 NZrrp: $19.99


11/12

FINDING FREIA LOCKHART by Aimee SaidISBN: 9781921529153

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12/12

LITTLE SISTER by Aimee SaidISBN: 9781921529214

Arrp: $16.95 NZrrp: $19.99

Freias Summer of Awful Chapter Sampler

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