Read Online Deep Green: Color Me Jealous with Bonus Content by Melody Carlson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melody Carlson
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toward school. “My whole life is just totally falling to pieces, and it’s like I can’t do anything to stop it. It’s like it’s all just totally out of control.”
I’d already told him pretty much the whole ugly story while we pigged out on ice cream at O’Grady’s. Okay, I may have left out a few critical things, but a girl’s got to have some privacy.
“Sometimes you just need to get perspective,” he told me as he pulled into the high-school parking lot.
“What do you mean?”
“I know it’s hard for you to understand since you’re right in the thick of this now, but believe me, this will all pass. What seems huge and impossible to you today will be just a memory before long. You might even laugh about it someday.”
I turned around in the seat and stared at him like he had a hairy purple wart growing on the tip of his nose. “ Laugh about it?”
“You might, someday.”
“Yeah, sure.” I reached for the door handle now.
“I know this is hard on you, Jordan, but sometimes these hard things have ways of making us stronger, better people.”
I rolled my eyes at him, thinking he was starting to sound just like Kara Hendricks. “Well, I don’t want to be a stronger or better person, Dad. I just want my old life back.”
He smiled. “I know, honey. Maybe you should just do like the Good Book says and try to take it one day at a time.”
Well, that sounded manageable, so that’s exactly what I decided to do. Just get through this day , I told myself as I walked to my first class.
“I hear you’re on probation,” said Ashley when she spotted me heading toward the English department.
I frowned. “How’d the word get out so fast?”
“Ms. Brookes posted a memo for the cheerleaders.”
“Great.” I sighed. “Shawna is probably elated.”
“What happened?”
I told Ashley the sweetened, condensed version, carefully emphasizing my suspicions that Shawna had stolen both my keys and jeans. And Ashley was appropriately indignant. “That is so unfair,” she said as I reached my class.
“Tell me about it.” I just shrugged, playing up my role as innocent victim, figuring I’d better milk this for all it’s worth since the cheerleaders could get seriously mad at me for getting suspended and messing things up for Flair Fair.
“Well, I’m going to tell the others,” she said.
I wanted to hug her and say, “Thank you, thank you!” but instead I continued to play the hopeless fatalist. “It won’t change anything.”
“Well, it’s just not fair.”
Throughout the day, I got a mixture of sympathy and irritation from the girls. Some—influenced by Shawna, I’m sure—believed my stupidity in the parking lot was going to cost them first place at Flair Fair. Others felt, like Ashley, that the whole scenario was totally unfair. Amber fell somewhere in the middle.
“We all know that everyone breaks the rules sometimes ,” she told me at lunch. “The thing is, you have to be smart about it, Jordan. You don’t break the rules on the school grounds, and you never break the rules when Ms. Brookes or any faculty member is in the vicinity.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered.
Then, of course, Shawna had to show up. “Way to go, Ferguson,” she said. It was weird though. She was trying to act all indignant and mad, but it was plain to see, at least to me, that she was totally elated.
“Just chill,” said Ashley. “Jordan feels bad enough.”
I looked evenly at Shawna now, determined to keep my victim mask on. “Anytime you’d like to return my car keys and jeans, I’d appreciate it.”
“What are you saying?” she asked in a wounded tone. “Are you actually accusing me?”
“If the shoe fits.”
She looked around at the other girls, who were all looking at her now. “Well, I can’t believe that you really think that I—”
“Give it a rest, Shawna,” said Ashley in a bored voice. “We all know you did it.”
Shawna’s eyes grew
I’d already told him pretty much the whole ugly story while we pigged out on ice cream at O’Grady’s. Okay, I may have left out a few critical things, but a girl’s got to have some privacy.
“Sometimes you just need to get perspective,” he told me as he pulled into the high-school parking lot.
“What do you mean?”
“I know it’s hard for you to understand since you’re right in the thick of this now, but believe me, this will all pass. What seems huge and impossible to you today will be just a memory before long. You might even laugh about it someday.”
I turned around in the seat and stared at him like he had a hairy purple wart growing on the tip of his nose. “ Laugh about it?”
“You might, someday.”
“Yeah, sure.” I reached for the door handle now.
“I know this is hard on you, Jordan, but sometimes these hard things have ways of making us stronger, better people.”
I rolled my eyes at him, thinking he was starting to sound just like Kara Hendricks. “Well, I don’t want to be a stronger or better person, Dad. I just want my old life back.”
He smiled. “I know, honey. Maybe you should just do like the Good Book says and try to take it one day at a time.”
Well, that sounded manageable, so that’s exactly what I decided to do. Just get through this day , I told myself as I walked to my first class.
“I hear you’re on probation,” said Ashley when she spotted me heading toward the English department.
I frowned. “How’d the word get out so fast?”
“Ms. Brookes posted a memo for the cheerleaders.”
“Great.” I sighed. “Shawna is probably elated.”
“What happened?”
I told Ashley the sweetened, condensed version, carefully emphasizing my suspicions that Shawna had stolen both my keys and jeans. And Ashley was appropriately indignant. “That is so unfair,” she said as I reached my class.
“Tell me about it.” I just shrugged, playing up my role as innocent victim, figuring I’d better milk this for all it’s worth since the cheerleaders could get seriously mad at me for getting suspended and messing things up for Flair Fair.
“Well, I’m going to tell the others,” she said.
I wanted to hug her and say, “Thank you, thank you!” but instead I continued to play the hopeless fatalist. “It won’t change anything.”
“Well, it’s just not fair.”
Throughout the day, I got a mixture of sympathy and irritation from the girls. Some—influenced by Shawna, I’m sure—believed my stupidity in the parking lot was going to cost them first place at Flair Fair. Others felt, like Ashley, that the whole scenario was totally unfair. Amber fell somewhere in the middle.
“We all know that everyone breaks the rules sometimes ,” she told me at lunch. “The thing is, you have to be smart about it, Jordan. You don’t break the rules on the school grounds, and you never break the rules when Ms. Brookes or any faculty member is in the vicinity.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered.
Then, of course, Shawna had to show up. “Way to go, Ferguson,” she said. It was weird though. She was trying to act all indignant and mad, but it was plain to see, at least to me, that she was totally elated.
“Just chill,” said Ashley. “Jordan feels bad enough.”
I looked evenly at Shawna now, determined to keep my victim mask on. “Anytime you’d like to return my car keys and jeans, I’d appreciate it.”
“What are you saying?” she asked in a wounded tone. “Are you actually accusing me?”
“If the shoe fits.”
She looked around at the other girls, who were all looking at her now. “Well, I can’t believe that you really think that I—”
“Give it a rest, Shawna,” said Ashley in a bored voice. “We all know you did it.”
Shawna’s eyes grew
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