Gracie Rose | tracy beaker returns {on hiatus}

3

A FEW WEEKS LATER

Tracy had been working here for a few weeks, and already, everyone loved her. She was so kind and sweet, and she was always there to listen to us if we had a problem. The night she first arrived, she was really nice to me. I was really embarrassed when she noticed my nerves, but she was so genuine, and it really made me feel safe. What was even better, though, was when she said our names rhymed. I didn't even notice it until she mentioned it, but after all, she is a writer. She should be able to notice a lot of cool English and reading techniques.

I walked into the kitchen to find Liam and Frank making more Liamade. Honestly, that thing is disgusting. God knows what they put in it, but it explodes everywhere and they end up leaving Mike or Gina to clean it up.

"Oh god, not this again." I moaned.

"Gracie, shush," Liam said, putting his finger over his mouth. "Don't say anything. Let Mike and Gina find out for themselves!" I rolled my eyes at them and walked away. Frank found it hilarious. Liam once made me try Liamade, and it tasted really strong. To be honest, I don't know what it tasted of, but I just remember the strong taste that it gave me that didn't go away for days, even though I was brushing my teeth twice a day. Gina even had to buy me some chewing gum to try and help it. Guess what? It didn't help at all. What a surprise.

Just then, Mike called everyone into the living room for a house meeting. I knew he'd catch Liam and Frank now. All I heard was him shouting, "LIAM!!!!!" We all laughed, because we knew exactly what he was doing, and what had just happened. Mike ended up walking into the living room absolutely soaked.

"So, I have to go and get changed first," Mike moaned, "but myself, Gina and Tracy have decided we are going to go out bowling tonight! What do you all think?"

We hadn't been out bowling in ages, so we were all really looking forward to it. It was also our first fun night out with Tracy. I was determined to make it a good one. Mike and Gina had split us into two groups, with one team having 6 and the other having 7. I was put on the team of 6, with Tee, Frank, Sapphire, Harry and Gus. That was Mike's team. The other group went with Gina. Because we had less in our team, Tracy came with us. I couldn't wait. The last time we went bowling, I was pretty new here, so I was only nine. I remember finding it quite hard, but hopefully now that I'm almost eleven, I should find it a bit easier.

Once everyone had got sorted, we were ready to go. I sat down on the bus and put my seatbelt on, ready for the 10 minute journey to the bowling alley. I just hoped that everything would be alright.

When we arrived, it was really busy. Lots of people were staring at us, probably because we were such a big group. It made me feel very uncomfortable though. It always did when people stared at us. We got to our lanes and ordered some food. We were all starving and we couldn't make anything back at home in time due to the incident with the Liamade, because it always took AGES to clean up. I ordered the mini pizza and chips off the menu, and we got a big jug of juice to share too. We ate our food while we waited for our turn. While Frank was taking his third turn, Tracy came and sat next to me.

"You look down. Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired, that's all," I replied.

Tracy stroked my shoulder gently. "Me too, but we need to get this game done. You're doing alright so far!"

"Thanks," I replied. "I'm slowly getting better at it the older I get."

"It just takes a lot of practice," Tracy said. I smiled at her. She made me feel so good, and I don't even know how. She was just being so nice to me. Maybe that was why she made me feel good. She was nice, and when she talked to me, she would stroke my shoulder and make everything feel calm. That's probably why it felt so good. Mum would slap me every time she touched me. When I first arrived at ElmTree, I didn't like being touched, but I got used to it after a while, because I knew that the people here were kind.

"It's your turn next," Tracy said. I got up and walked over to pick up a ball. I turned around to see Tracy before I did anything, and her gorgeous reassuring smile lifted my spirits. I took a deep breath, and rolled the ball towards the pins, getting my first ever strike. Everyone in the team jumped up with excitement, and Mike picked me up and spun me round, like I was Harry's age. It felt amazing. Tracy gave me the biggest hug and congratulated me on such a big achievement. It was as if I'd come first in an Olympic sport or something!
By the end of the night, we were all shattered. My team won, and I was so happy, but all I wanted to do was go to sleep. As soon as I walked through the door, I gave Mike and Gina a kiss goodnight and ran upstairs to get ready for bed. By the time I was tucked up and sorted, it was way past my bedtime. Just then, Tracy knocked at the door. She walked in and sat down on my bed.

"A little birdie told me that you were interested in finding out more about me by reading my book and talking to me more." she said. I blushed. Tracy looked at me and giggled.
"Hey, don't be embarrassed! It's okay, you could've just come and asked me if we could talk!" she said. She brought in a copy of her book, which she had signed the words,
"Gracie, you can get through this.
I did, so you can too.
Lots of love,
Tracy Beaker
xxx"
"When you earn £6, you can give me it, but for now, don't tell the others!" Tracy smiled. "Now you can read all about my experiences!"

"Thanks, Tracy. That's so kind of you," I said.

"You're welcome. Now, you get some sleep, and we can get to know each other in the morning, okay?" Tracy whispered, taking my hand. I nodded and said goodnight, as she turned off my light and left the room. I overheard Mike walking past my room, asking Tracy if I was okay, and her reply was "She's fine. She's an absolute sweetheart, Mike. What do I need to know about her? I need a recap."
I smiled. But also had a funny feeling in my stomach about explaining everything. I hoped and prayed that it would be okay. All I could think about was "you can get through this." I repeated it multiple times in my head until I fell asleep.