Dad wasn’t much use He kept saying, ‘Just let me finish this and then we’ll go out and do something.’ But he obviously never did finish ‘this’, which seemed to involve him staring at his laptop screen and muttering to himself. So I mooched in my room for most of the day, counting the minutes until I could make up an excuse for going to feed the hamsters. I wished Kaboodle would come and visit. Even if he was rude again, it was better than being cooped up like that on my own. I hoped he might find his way in through the window again and curl up on my bed. But he was mysteriously and disappointingly absent. At last it was five o’clock and time to feed the hamsters. ‘I’m going to Jazz’s,’ I announced. ‘What? Again?’ Dad exclaimed, barely tearing his eyes away from the oh-so-riveting screen. ‘You two are inseparable!’ I wish. I let myself into Mr Smythe’s place and tiptoed in.
