Read Online A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis - Free Book Online

until Dad gives back my car or I buy one, I can take the bus from a block away. It’s gonna happen, Laine.”
    â€œThat’s amazing! I can’t believe you set this up so fast!”
    â€œIncoming,” Cheryl interrupts quietly. Mr. Wilcox is advancing on us with his usual jovial expression of good cheer.
    â€œMr. Keller, how nice of you to join us today,” Mr. Wilcox booms. Sim rolls his eyes and moves over to the next aisle as Mr. Wilcox continues, “If we could get started, people…”
    For the rest of class, I’ve got a little glow. I’m really happy for Sim, and I can’t wait to see his new apartment. He is so lucky. Even though I love my room and my house, I know it’d also be cool to have my own place for real. I can’t believe Sim’s parents are cool enough to let him do this.
My
mother would have a conniption fit.
    I’m halfway home after school when Sim catches up with me again.
    â€œHey, you!”
    â€œHey!” I turn around and give a ridiculously pleased smile.
    â€œSo, I’m already packed.” Sim grins back, dropping a companionable arm around my shoulders. He picks up the conversation where he left off this morning. “I’m trying to decide if I should wait to leave until my mother comes home and conveniently remembers it’s almost my birthday, or should I just sort of vanish before anyone’s looking for me?” He gives a wicked laugh. “I should be taking bets on how many days it’ll take for them to figure out that I’m not home. What do you think, Laine? Two days? Or three?”
    Sim’s arm is still around me, and I look up into his face. “Wait, what? Your parents don’t know you’re moving out?”
    â€œWhat did I just say?” He’s still grinning, with that manic light in his eyes.
    I stop. “Man,
that’s
going to freak them out. Your mom’s going to start calling hospitals and morgues. Then your dad’s going to call his friends on the police force.”
    â€œThe cops won’t do anything for something like twenty-four hours.” Sim smiles angelically. “And I’m not breaking any laws; I’ll come home once a week so they can’t say I’ve actually moved until I fill out the emancipation paperwork or I turn eighteen. As far as they’re concerned, I’m not a missing person—I just…moved.”
    Shaking my head, I fish out my keys, unlock the lobby door, and begin the climb to our floor. “You totally screw with your parents’ minds, Sim, you know that?”
    â€œYeah, well, they shouldn’t have started screwing with me. It’s not like they don’t deserve it.”
    â€œJeez, Sim…” I drop my backpack and close the door behind us.
    Simeon rolls his eyes, his mood evaporating lightning-quick.
“Jeez, Sim,”
he imitates me. He flops onto the couch in our front room and takes out a battered brass lighter, flipping open its lid and spinning around the small canister so that the flame appears as a blur. Even though he says he quit smoking, Sim still has tons of what I call stupid lighter tricks. He does one while he talks.
    â€œMy mom’s going to get back from her retreat or whatever, and then, at the last minute, she’ll remember it’s almost my birthday, and then she’ll make a big deal of it, and then she’ll start talking about what a beautiful baby I was and how I was such a lovable little fellow and all the neighbors were jealous, and then she’ll get all emotional because I’m such a disappointment to her now, blah blah blah.”
    â€œWell…” I don’t know what to say. I plop down next to him, feeling uncomfortable, as I always do when I think about Sim’s family. His parents really don’t get him. He’s sensitive and artistic and unique, but he’s not a perfectionist or all into grades and