Read Online Horse Camp by Nicole Helget - Free Book Online

stretch my neck by bobbing my head side to side. This is the part I hate. I can just picture it flapping and clawing at me, drawing blood or worse. I get low and quickly jolt my hands around its body, and the thing practically screams at me, beating its wings in my face. I jump back and look over to June Bug. “Dang!” I say.
    Pauly looks up at June Bug and says, “He’s scayohd.”
    â€œPut a sock in it, dunderhead!” I yell at Pauly.
    â€œJust stay calm,” says June Bug. “Imagine your arms are cotton balls.”
    â€œUm, these things have way too many muscles in them for that to happen,” I say. I flex.
    June Bug shakes her head. “How long you think this’ll take?” she says.
    After two more tries, I nab one, and June Bug has her answer.
    At the dinner table, Sheryl stands over me, dishing up some mashed potatoes. Apparently, she and June Bug are now being invited to family dinners in Stretch’s dining room. I can tell it bugs Penny because she can barely look at Sheryl or June Bug without rolling her eyes. Sheryl bends way over me, and I can see her bra again—jeez! It’s light blue today. Then Uncle Stretch comes in with the main course on a big plate and sets it down.
    â€œChicken?” I say. “You’ve got to be kidding!”
    He gives me the evil eye, starts to say something, then looks at Sheryl, who shows him this little smile. This chain reaction has been happening a lot lately. Uncle Stretch takes a deep breath. He picks up a knife, hacks off a leg, thunks it down on my plate, and says, “Yep. Chicken.”
    â€œI don’t think I can do this,” I say. “No disrespect, Uncle Stretch, but I’ve been working with these things all day, and it just doesn’t seem right.”
    Sheryl takes a seat, and Uncle Stretch goes on hacking up the chicken, not saying anything but slinging pieces on everybody’s plate, one by one. June Bug tears right in, as if we hadn’t just spent the entire afternoon washing our own chickens.
    I look at Penny, and she looks at Uncle Stretch. The only time she sides with me anymore is when I’m against Uncle Stretch, which is pretty common. But still, it’s more about her rebelling against Uncle Stretch than supporting me. Pauly follows June Bug’s example, chewing loudly as he wolfs down the meat.
    â€œHow can you two eat that?” I say.
    â€œPerseus,” says Uncle Stretch. Sheryl puts her hand on Uncle Stretch’s arm.
    â€œBut,” I say, “what if that thing had parrot fever or rot gut?”
    Everybody looks at me like I’m crazy—except Penny, who seems suddenly very interested. “What’s parrot fever?” she says.
    â€œIt’s rare,” says June Bug. “Beak discharge, conjunctivitis, diarrhea, green feces.”
    â€œWhat’s rot gut?” asks Penny.
    â€œA bacteria,” says June Bug. “It causes the bird’s feces to smell, well, worse than normal or look slightly darker because of blood staining, and the bird may become emaciated. Highly treatable, though.”
    â€œHey, I’ve heard of that,” says Penny. “I’ve heard of the avian flu, too. This chicken could very well have that.”
    â€œDoubtful,” says June Bug.
    â€œIt might have egg dwop sydwome, too,” says Pauly.
    â€œHe’s right,” I say. “Lots of chickens get egg drop syndrome—ask June Bug. I’ll just give mine to Penny. She doesn’t mind eating diseased chickens.” I pick up my plate and shove it in her direction. “Here you go, Penny.”
    Penny screeches and jumps back from the table. “I’m not eating this chicken,” she says. “It definitely could be contaminated. I’ve seen that barn, and it’s not very clean. Who knows what the living conditions were even like for this chicken?”
    Uncle Stretch bangs his fist down on the table and