Katie's Secret Admirer by Holly Webb

hall cupboard, where she’d stashed her creation from earlier, and carried it in.
    The others stared as she struggled in with it – it was massive.
    â€œWhat is that?” Becky asked, coming to help as Katie tried to turn it the right way round. Suddenly the others started to giggle. Katie had made a huge figure out of balloons, covered it in some old clothes, and taped a paper face on to it. The face wasn’t particularly recognizable, but the hair gave it away. It might only be yellow tissue paper, but somehow Katie had managed to give the balloon boy exactly Josh’s floppy blond hairdo.
    â€œI thought you might enjoy this, Bel – it’s therapy! We’re going to squish Josh.” Katie stretched the figure out on the carpet. “OK – count of three, we all jump on him. Ready? One – two – three!”
    Stamping, jumping and laughing, the six of them burst all the balloons – and Katie had used two whole packets. Eventually they sank back on to the sofa in a giggling pile, and Katie nudged Bel – “Feel better?”
    â€œDefinitely!” Annabel sighed happily. “This is great! Loads more fun than yesterday.”
    â€œYeah!” the others agreed, still breathless, and Megan summed it up – “Katie, you’re a star. This was the best idea ever!”
    Katie smiled. Valentine’s Day had turned out to be excellent fun after all!

 
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    Read the opening of the next Triplets book:
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    Becky gazed at her reflection in the mirror and smiled delightedly. She’d never worn anything like this dress before – it was beautiful. She bounced on her toes slightly, and watched the layers of silky skirts ruffle and flounce. It was fab!
    â€œFtand ftill a minute, dear,” muttered the dressmaker through a mouthful of pins. “Jutht need to get the hem level.” She crawled round Becky on her knees, adding a pin here and there.
    It was the final fitting for the dresses that the triplets were to wear as bridesmaids at their Auntie Jan’s wedding in three weeks’ time. Becky was really excited – none of the triplets had been bridesmaids before, and she and Annabel had been talking about it for ages.
    Carefully making sure she didn’t move a muscle from the neck down, Becky glanced over at Annabel – her dress had been adjusted first, and now she was peacocking in front of the mirrors that surrounded the workroom, clearly even more entranced than Becky was. Annabel had played Cinderella in the school pantomime last term, and had a beautiful costume, but this dress was even better.
    Auntie Jan was a journalist for a smart homes magazine, and she was very stylish. Her wedding was being perfectly designed down to the very last rose petal, and everything was colour-coordinated. Auntie Jan’s dress was going to be made of silver-grey raw silk and she was going to have flowers in shades of purple and mauve, and an amethyst tiara. So the triplets’ dresses had silvery-white bodices with lilac-coloured skirts to match.
    Becky looked at her reflection again, almost shyly – it seemed hard to believe that the princess-like figure in the mirror was her! The silvery-white fabric of the dress brought out the deep blue of her eyes, and made her long golden-blonde hair all sparkly. Next to her Annabel seemed to be thinking the same thing. As the dressmaker heaved herself up off her knees with a sigh, Annabel tiptoed over, moving super-carefully in the precious dress. She stood close to Becky and they gazed at the effect of the gorgeous, identical dresses.
    â€œWe look fantastic,” said Annabel smugly. She’d never had a problem with false modesty.
    Becky grinned at her – she’d never have said it herself, but yes, they did! She looked over her shoulder for Katie, wanting her to share in the excitement. Her other triplet was standing in the corner, waiting for the dressmaker to make