Truly Tan Baffled

Now I know why Scooter wasn’t sitting in our row. He’s sitting with the other contestants. They’re a few rows ahead of us.’ Everyone is so excited. Scooter is the best artist in our entire school, even better than the art teachers. Scooter has many fans. Plus, added bonus, he sits at our table and that makes us famous too. Miss Dragone flicks on the projector and as Scooter walks up to receive his certificate, his winning drawing is projected on the screen behind him. ‘It’s just like Hollywood,’ says Verity, and this is true. It is a magical moment and we are proud of Scooter and even though he is Ted’s best friend and Ted will never stop bragging about this, we are happy. Then Gloria says, ‘Well, that’s the end of Rose. There’s no way they’ll give the queen prize to a grade five girl. That would be too uneven and just look downright silly.’ I had not thought of this. Now, suddenly, I feel happy and sad at the same time. My friend has won, but my sister has lost. Miss Dragone hits the keyboard again. It’s time for the girls’ prize.

28