Read Online Watcher by Valerie Sherrard - Free Book Online

experience that they could wear me down if they were really determined. I figured a pre-emptive strike was in order. I waited for about an hour, then plunked down on the couch beside Lynn, who was drowning her sorrows in a stupid soap opera.
    â€œUh, do you know anything about...?” I let my words trail off deliberately. She can’t stand that and I knew she’d practically torture me, if she had to, in order to get me to finish what I’d started saying.
    â€œWhat? Do I know anything about what?”
    â€œNothing. Forget it.”
    â€œPorter, you tell me what you were going to say right now! ” She tilted her head sharply and put on what she probably considered a fierce face.
    I almost laughed at that. What was she going to do, overpower me with her massive five-foot-three, hundred-and-five-pound physique? She’s tried that a few times over the past years, when she’s been especially outraged over some “terrible thing” I’ve done. And let me tell you, it doesn’t take much for her to see a thing as terrible.
    Anyway, she’d come at me when that happened — arms flailing and (I swear) eyes closed. Nuttiest sight you ever saw. She was no more threatening than a housefly and about as much of a challenge to swat away. Not that I actually swatted her. I’d just get hold of her wrists and stand back until she wore herself out trying to kick me. Then I’d kind of walk her to a chair and plop her down.
    This was no time for any of that, though, not if I was going to save my room. I pushed those thoughts off and kept a serious look on my face. Then I let her slowly coax it out of me, but not until I’d made her swear she wouldn’t tell anyone because it was embarrassing. I thought that was a nice touch — kind of made it sound more realistic, in case she wasn’t entirely convinced.
    â€œOkay, okay,” I said at last. “Do you know anything about fungus?”
    â€œFungus?” she said, in a tone that was so disgusted you’d have thought I’d offered her some for dinner.
    â€œYeah, like, in a rash ... on a person.”
    She looked horrified. “Whereabouts?” she asked, leaning away from me.
    â€œUh, it’s kind of a travelling condition,” I said, barely managing to hang onto my straight face. “It seems to move around. First it’s in one place, then that clears and it shows up somewhere else.”
    â€œEeeww.”
    â€œYeah, I know. It’s real itchy, too.” I scratched a couple of spots on my legs and chest for good measure. “And scaly. Want to feel it?”
    â€œNo!” she nearly shrieked before getting a hold of herself. “I don’t want to be mean or anything, but it could be contagious. You should see a doctor right away.”
    â€œI dunno, it’ll probably clear up eventually,” I said. “I’ve only had it for a few months.”
    â€œPorter! You have to see a doctor! Does Mom know about it?”
    I shook my head sadly. “You’re the only person I felt like I could talk to.” I thought that was a nice touch. Lynn’s face softened.
    â€œI’m so glad you felt you could come to me,” she said, almost choking up. “But you have to see a doctor!”
    â€œOkay, okay,” I said. “Just don’t tell Mom.”
    â€œI won’t, if you promise to get it looked at right away.”
    â€œI will” I said solemnly. “I’ll go to the walk-in clinic tomorrow, right after school.”
    I don’t want you to get the idea from this that I’m one of those casual liars who’d rather make something up than tell the truth. I’m not. I’m no saint, but I’m usually pretty truthful. This, however, was an emergency situation and I preferred to think of the story as more of a trick than an actual lie. Anyway, when Mom came home a couple of hours later I didn’t think I was going to