busy for you to be talking on the phone right now.”
“I know that, Molly!” Amanda replied. Everyone was trying to drive her nuts! “I was just telling Peichi—oh, never mind...you shouldn’t be up here, Justin and Natasha will think we’re ignoring them!”
Molly turned and stomped downstairs. Amanda took a deep breath and had just put down the phone when it rang under her hand.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Amanda, it’s Peichi. I’m sorry! Do you want me to make a salad? I can’t bring it over, but you could pick it up before you deliver all the food.”
“Okay,” said Amanda. “That’ll help. Thanks. We’ll see you later. Bye!” She hurried back downstairs.
“Peichi is making a salad,” Amanda told Molly in her nicest voice. Then she walked closer to her and whispered, “Sorry!”
“Okay.” Molly whispered back. Good. She and Amanda were fine.
“We just have to pick up the salad at her house.” Amanda went on. “Hey! How are we going to deliver all this food? Mom and Dad are going to Matthew’s soccer game. Well, I guess the three of us can walk it—”
Justin spoke up. “My brother Ian can drive us,” he said. “He just got his driver’s license.” He chuckled. “It’s great for me! He’s so excited to drive that he’ll take me anywhere I want to go—when he’s allowed to use the car, that is. Can I use your phone? I’ll call him.”
“Sure, here’s the phone,” said Molly, handing Justin the cordless.
“My brother’s going out with his friends,” Justin told the girls after his phone call, “but my dad volunteered to drive.”
“Great!” said Amanda.
“I told him I’d give him a call right before we’re ready to leave,” Justin said. “What do you think? Another couple of hours?”
Amanda looked at her watch. “Something like that.” she said.
The girls and Justin worked hard. There was lots of cooking to do, but they finally got it all done.
When Justin’s dad pulled up in front of the house, they all helped load the food into the car. Then they all piled in—all except Molly.
“So. how’d it go today?” Mr. McElroy asked as he started the car. “How’d Justin do, girls? Did he burn anything?” His brown eyes were friendly. Justin looks a lot like him, thought Amanda.
“So, where are we going?” asked Mr. McElroy.
“First, the Cheng’s, at eighty-nine Windsor Avenue,” replied Amanda from the back seat. “We have to pick up the salad there, and then we have to go to seven sixty-two Berkley Avenue, and then 5 Whitehall Place.”
Peichi was waiting at the door when Mr. McElroy drove up. She walked quickly to the car, and Amanda rolled down her window.
“Hi, everybody! Hi, Justin! Hi, Mr. McElroy! Here’s the salad!” called Peichi. “It’s good—my mom helped me make it.”
“I’ll hold it on my lap,” offered Amanda. “Wow! What a necklace. I’ve never seen you wear it before.”
“It looks old,” said Natasha, craning her neck to see Peichi. “Where did you get that?”
Even Mr. McElroy looked closely at the necklace. Very closely.
“That’s quite a necklace, Peichi,” he said. “Does it belong in your family?”
“Oh, not really,” said Peichi. She’d put it on right before she’d gone out to the car to show it to her friends, but suddenly her stomach felt funny. Why was everyone so curious about where she’d gotten it? Why couldn’t they just say how pretty it was?
“Well, see you later!” Peichi said abruptly, and hurried into the house.
Peichi ran upstairs to her room. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection. The pendant hung from her neck. It felt too heavy.
Because it didn’t belong to her.
chapter 10
“H elloooo!” cried Ms. Brenda Barlow as she greeted the kids at the door. She was very pale, very slim, and very glamorous. She wore a sleek black cocktail dress and deep red lipstick. Her shiny chestnut hair was piled high on her head. Her long red nails matched her lipstick
“I know that, Molly!” Amanda replied. Everyone was trying to drive her nuts! “I was just telling Peichi—oh, never mind...you shouldn’t be up here, Justin and Natasha will think we’re ignoring them!”
Molly turned and stomped downstairs. Amanda took a deep breath and had just put down the phone when it rang under her hand.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Amanda, it’s Peichi. I’m sorry! Do you want me to make a salad? I can’t bring it over, but you could pick it up before you deliver all the food.”
“Okay,” said Amanda. “That’ll help. Thanks. We’ll see you later. Bye!” She hurried back downstairs.
“Peichi is making a salad,” Amanda told Molly in her nicest voice. Then she walked closer to her and whispered, “Sorry!”
“Okay.” Molly whispered back. Good. She and Amanda were fine.
“We just have to pick up the salad at her house.” Amanda went on. “Hey! How are we going to deliver all this food? Mom and Dad are going to Matthew’s soccer game. Well, I guess the three of us can walk it—”
Justin spoke up. “My brother Ian can drive us,” he said. “He just got his driver’s license.” He chuckled. “It’s great for me! He’s so excited to drive that he’ll take me anywhere I want to go—when he’s allowed to use the car, that is. Can I use your phone? I’ll call him.”
“Sure, here’s the phone,” said Molly, handing Justin the cordless.
“My brother’s going out with his friends,” Justin told the girls after his phone call, “but my dad volunteered to drive.”
“Great!” said Amanda.
“I told him I’d give him a call right before we’re ready to leave,” Justin said. “What do you think? Another couple of hours?”
Amanda looked at her watch. “Something like that.” she said.
The girls and Justin worked hard. There was lots of cooking to do, but they finally got it all done.
When Justin’s dad pulled up in front of the house, they all helped load the food into the car. Then they all piled in—all except Molly.
“So. how’d it go today?” Mr. McElroy asked as he started the car. “How’d Justin do, girls? Did he burn anything?” His brown eyes were friendly. Justin looks a lot like him, thought Amanda.
“So, where are we going?” asked Mr. McElroy.
“First, the Cheng’s, at eighty-nine Windsor Avenue,” replied Amanda from the back seat. “We have to pick up the salad there, and then we have to go to seven sixty-two Berkley Avenue, and then 5 Whitehall Place.”
Peichi was waiting at the door when Mr. McElroy drove up. She walked quickly to the car, and Amanda rolled down her window.
“Hi, everybody! Hi, Justin! Hi, Mr. McElroy! Here’s the salad!” called Peichi. “It’s good—my mom helped me make it.”
“I’ll hold it on my lap,” offered Amanda. “Wow! What a necklace. I’ve never seen you wear it before.”
“It looks old,” said Natasha, craning her neck to see Peichi. “Where did you get that?”
Even Mr. McElroy looked closely at the necklace. Very closely.
“That’s quite a necklace, Peichi,” he said. “Does it belong in your family?”
“Oh, not really,” said Peichi. She’d put it on right before she’d gone out to the car to show it to her friends, but suddenly her stomach felt funny. Why was everyone so curious about where she’d gotten it? Why couldn’t they just say how pretty it was?
“Well, see you later!” Peichi said abruptly, and hurried into the house.
Peichi ran upstairs to her room. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at her reflection. The pendant hung from her neck. It felt too heavy.
Because it didn’t belong to her.
chapter 10
“H elloooo!” cried Ms. Brenda Barlow as she greeted the kids at the door. She was very pale, very slim, and very glamorous. She wore a sleek black cocktail dress and deep red lipstick. Her shiny chestnut hair was piled high on her head. Her long red nails matched her lipstick
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