Read Online Ava XOX by Carol Weston - Free Book Online

looked like I’d hit her with a pillow. “I was about to put this in your locker,” I said and handed her the envelope. I hoped Pip was right and that Tanya knew I was trying to be helpful.
    â€œThanks,” she said and skimmed the list. It was awkward. I guess it’s one thing to tell your quiet new friend that you wish you could lose weight and another to have her little sister show up with actual suggestions after you’ve been laughed at in front of the whole middle school. But Tanya had asked for tips. And to be honest, ever since Bea and I made the Pip Pointers, I’d kind of wanted to do another good D-E-E-D.
    I’d also been thinking that if I ever do get to write kids’ books someday (my new answer to “What do you want to do when you grow up?”), maybe I could write one called Ava Wren Does It Again . Or I could make a series called Ava and Bea about two girls who go around solving problems the way detectives solve mysteries…
    Tanya studied the handwriting on the envelope and looked up. “Whoa, Ava. You’re the one who gave me that valentine?”
    â€œSorry,” I mumbled guiltily. I hadn’t even thought about disguising my handwriting. I’d forgotten that you can recognize people by their handwriting just as you can by their voice or haircut or…posture. I hoped Tanya didn’t feel tricked.
    She frowned. “It’s okay. At first, I guess I was hoping it was from a guy. But then I thought someone was making fun of me.”
    â€œNo one would make fun of you!” I almost blurted, but, well, we both knew that wasn’t true.
    Some people really are mean . You know the saying, “He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body”? Some people have mean skeletons . Some could give lessons in mean. Kelli has a few mean ribs in her rib cage. And Rorie, that scary eighth grader, probably has a whole mean spine!
    I looked at Tanya in the mirror and what I did say was, “Tanya, don’t let those dumdums get you down.”
    She gave me a soft smile and said, “My grandmother says, ‘Don’t let the turkeys get you down.’”
    I mumbled, “Gobble, gobble,” which I knew was immature the second it came out.
    But Tanya laughed and said, “Gobble, gobble” back. Then three other girls came in, so we left.
    After that, I went to find Ms. Sickle. I showed her my poster and asked if I could put it up in the hallway. She said, “Sure,” and complimented my handwriting. I would have preferred if she’d complimented the words themselves, but I could tell she was busy.
    I hope people like it as much as they liked “The Cat Who Wouldn’t Purr.”
    AVA, ATTEMPTING TO AID AND ASSIST

2/18
STUDY HALL
    DEAR DIARY,
    At lunch, Kelli was sitting next to Chuck, showing him photos of her goldendoodle, Snuggles. I wished I were sitting next to Chuck talking to him about my yellow tabby rescue cat, Taco. (I also kept sneaking peeks at the back of his head and then telling myself not to.)
    After lunch, Tanya came by my locker. “I didn’t know you were making a poster,” she said. “I thought you made the tips just for me.”
    I didn’t know what to say. It was true that Tanya had inspired us, but after Bea and I spent so much time on the tips, we (I?) thought it would be okay to share them with other people too. Especially since I want to be a writer and Bea wants to be an advice columnist.
    â€œDoes it matter?” I asked. I didn’t want Tanya to be upset.
    She looked down. “I guess not.”
    â€œNo one knows you had anything to do with it,” I said, in case that was her worry. “Ms. Sickle has been doing a unit on ‘health and body image.’”
    Tanya shrugged. “I just kind of liked the idea that you two made the list for me, special.”
    â€œWe did,” I said. “We mostly did.”
    She nodded. “It’s okay.