Read Online My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter - Free Book Online

explained how I'd skipped out on day 9 of the Peanut Butter Diet.
    "Tilt-A-Whirl, anyone?" Hannah jumped up.
    "I call the middle," Luis said.
    "I'm game." José took Hannah's hand.
    "I don't know." Just sitting still made me feel like I might vomit.
    "We'll sit this one out," Tom said.
    Did he like me or was he also feeling kind of sick? We sat there not really saying anything while I finished my soda. A good-looking cowboy walked by wearing brand-new jeans, an enormous silver belt buckle, shiny boots, and a crisp, new-looking Stetson. A group of tween girls swung around to follow him. Exactly like the gaggle of sophomores always following Finn. And Tyler.
    "Those guys look so sharp," Tom said. "You ever been to the rodeo?"
    "Just the carnival." I forced myself to look at Tom's face, but he looked straight ahead.
    "You should go sometime. They're impressive athletes. And it won't upset your stomach." He smiled at me. "Come on. Let's walk around."
    We wandered over to the midway where a bunch of kids gathered around a big guy throwing darts at balloons attached to posters.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
His sleazy-looking girlfriend squealed, "Win the one with the Ferrari, baby." I imagined Megan hanging all over Tyler like that.
    Tom fanned his arm out like a game-show hostess. "Okay, pick your prize."
    "You're kidding, right?" He actually wanted to try to win something for
me?
    "I haven't invested ten years of allowance money in midway games for nothing."
    I glanced around at the stuffed cartoon characters, cheap-looking teddy bears, beer glasses, and raunchy posters. "That one!" I pointed at the Throw the Baseball in the Lion's Mouth game. Big stuffed snakes hung all around the booth, like a made in China jungle.
    "Very unexpected," Tom said again. "The girl with cupcakes on her shoes likes snakes." He walked over and paid ten bucks for ten balls. "I have to warn you. Baseball's never been my game." He straightened his shirt, nodded at me, and threw the first ball. The ball smacked the lion's tail.
    The carny guy laughed. "Come on, tough guy, you gotta do better than that to impress your lady." He laughed until he coughed.
Hack. Hack. Hack. Smack. Smack. Smack.
Tom missed the next three balls.
    "Fifth one will be lucky."
Smack.
Miss.
    Tom blushed, making his freckles stand out even more. He almost matched his red shirt. I noticed a little girl staring. Where was Hannah? Would someone I knew walk by and think we were actually together? What if Tyler found out? I stepped back a couple of feet.
    "It's okay," I said. "Maybe we should go meet those guys." I didn't like the way he looked kind of angry. A vein in his neck pulsed.
    Tom didn't even look at me. He bit his lower lip, closed his eyes, pulled his arm back, and released the ball.
Whoosh.
Right through the lion's mouth. Small snake.
Whoosh.
Medium snake.
Whoosh.
Giant snake.
    "We have a winner!" the carny yelled.
    Tom grinned at me. "What color do you want?"
    I picked out a black snake with red diamonds on its back. Tom gave his last two balls to a little kid standing in line.
    "It's a little tilted to the left," he told the kid. "Good luck, buddy. You can do it."
    Tom put the snake around my neck. "Goes great with the shoes." When he smiled at me, I saw that his face had turned back to a regular color. I kind of liked the attention. Maybe Tyler
would
find out and get jealous.
    As we wandered back toward the rides, Tom brushed his fingers against mine like he was about to hold hands, but then he must have changed his mind. Did he not want to give me the wrong idea? I could kind of imagine myself with a guy like Tom: big, burly, midway stud. But maybe I was so desperate for a boyfriend that I'd take any warm body in the fifteen-to-twenty-five age range. Anyway, he didn't want to hold my hand, probably didn't find me attractive and/or interesting.
    As we rounded the corner, I saw Hannah hunched over a garbage can. José and Luis stood back, pretending like they didn't know