Read Online Penelope Crumb Never Forgets by Shawn Stout - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Shawn Stout
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her, too, and it feels like we might be back to being best friends again. And maybe if I just hold on tight to her, I can break Vera Bogg’s spell and Patsy won’t be gone from me again. But while I’m holding on to her, I forget about the necklace stuffed under my arm, and it falls to the floor.
Of course Vera Bogg would notice. “What’s that?” she says.
Patsy lets go of me.
“What?” I say.
“That,” she says, bending down to pick it up.
“Oh that, ” I say. “ That is a necklace.”
Then that Vera Bogg brings it closer to her face like she hasn’t ever seen a necklace before in her life. “What’s it for?”
“It was for Patsy Cline,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. Patsy’s eyes get big, and she has a look on her face that says, Really, for Me? And I’m about to say, “Yes, for you, Patsy Cline,” but Vera Bogg’s scream gets in the way.
“A tooth!” shouts Vera Bogg. “A tooth!” She drops the necklace, and me and Patsy Cline bend down at the same time to get it. Patsy gets there first. She scoops it up.
The screams are still coming out of Vera’s mouth, murdering screams, and her mouth is open so wide when she’s hollering that I can practically see her tonsils. Which are also pink. And she doesn’t stop until Miss Stunkel comes running. “Mercy! What is happening out here?”
Vera Bogg points to the necklace in Patsy’s hands and yells, “A tooth!” for the hundredth time.
Miss Stunkel says, “Let me see, Patsy.” And then she takes the necklace from Patsy, holding it up by the floss. Meanwhile, other kids from my class, including Angus Meeker, are crowding around trying to see who’s being killed. “There’s a P and a C, ” says Miss Stunkel. “And, yes, Vera, that appears to be a tooth.” Then she points her chicken-bone finger at me and bends the tip toward her. “Penelope Crumb, follow me.”
I follow her all the way to her desk. “Is this yours?” she says.
“The necklace or the tooth?”
“This,” she says, holding it away from her, “is a necklace?”
I nod. “It’s not mine, really, because I made it for Patsy Cline. It belongs to her. We have the same initials.”
“And the tooth is . . . ?”
“Mine.”
She sighs. “Yours.” Then she hands me the necklace and tells me to see her after school because I’ve given her no choice but to send a note home about this one.
Good gravy.
“Here,” I say, handing Mom the note from Miss Stunkel as soon as I get home.
“Penelope,” she says. “Not again.”
I save her from the pain of having to read it and tell her what happened. “I brought a tooth to school for Patsy Cline.”
“What kind of tooth?”
“The kind that came from my mouth.”
She says, “Don’t be smart.” Which I really wasn’t being.
“Not one with blood on it,” I say.
“Penelope Rae.” (Dislocated knee.) She stuffs the note inside her purse. “We’ll talk about this later. I’ve got to go see Felix. He had some people in his apartment to paint, and he thinks they took some things.”
My cheeks start to burn. “Took some things?”
Mom grabs her keys from the hall table and then shakes her head. “I don’t know how he can tell anything’s missing, with the way he keeps that place.”
“Something’s missing? What’s he missing?” Then I cup my hands over my ears because I’m afraid what she’s going to say. But somehow her voice still gets through my fingers because I can still hear Mom say, “Probably nothing. You know Felix.” And just when I think it’s safe to take my hands away from my ears, she says, “I’m not sure—something about a camera.”
That’s when I practically go dead.
Mom doesn’t seem to notice, though, because she is halfway out the door when she turns and says, “Anyway, your brother is in charge. Which reminds me. Terrence!” she hollers.
He yells back from his room. “What?”
“It’s your turn to do dishes. And please be more careful with
Of course Vera Bogg would notice. “What’s that?” she says.
Patsy lets go of me.
“What?” I say.
“That,” she says, bending down to pick it up.
“Oh that, ” I say. “ That is a necklace.”
Then that Vera Bogg brings it closer to her face like she hasn’t ever seen a necklace before in her life. “What’s it for?”
“It was for Patsy Cline,” I say, folding my arms across my chest. Patsy’s eyes get big, and she has a look on her face that says, Really, for Me? And I’m about to say, “Yes, for you, Patsy Cline,” but Vera Bogg’s scream gets in the way.
“A tooth!” shouts Vera Bogg. “A tooth!” She drops the necklace, and me and Patsy Cline bend down at the same time to get it. Patsy gets there first. She scoops it up.
The screams are still coming out of Vera’s mouth, murdering screams, and her mouth is open so wide when she’s hollering that I can practically see her tonsils. Which are also pink. And she doesn’t stop until Miss Stunkel comes running. “Mercy! What is happening out here?”
Vera Bogg points to the necklace in Patsy’s hands and yells, “A tooth!” for the hundredth time.
Miss Stunkel says, “Let me see, Patsy.” And then she takes the necklace from Patsy, holding it up by the floss. Meanwhile, other kids from my class, including Angus Meeker, are crowding around trying to see who’s being killed. “There’s a P and a C, ” says Miss Stunkel. “And, yes, Vera, that appears to be a tooth.” Then she points her chicken-bone finger at me and bends the tip toward her. “Penelope Crumb, follow me.”
I follow her all the way to her desk. “Is this yours?” she says.
“The necklace or the tooth?”
“This,” she says, holding it away from her, “is a necklace?”
I nod. “It’s not mine, really, because I made it for Patsy Cline. It belongs to her. We have the same initials.”
“And the tooth is . . . ?”
“Mine.”
She sighs. “Yours.” Then she hands me the necklace and tells me to see her after school because I’ve given her no choice but to send a note home about this one.
Good gravy.
“Here,” I say, handing Mom the note from Miss Stunkel as soon as I get home.
“Penelope,” she says. “Not again.”
I save her from the pain of having to read it and tell her what happened. “I brought a tooth to school for Patsy Cline.”
“What kind of tooth?”
“The kind that came from my mouth.”
She says, “Don’t be smart.” Which I really wasn’t being.
“Not one with blood on it,” I say.
“Penelope Rae.” (Dislocated knee.) She stuffs the note inside her purse. “We’ll talk about this later. I’ve got to go see Felix. He had some people in his apartment to paint, and he thinks they took some things.”
My cheeks start to burn. “Took some things?”
Mom grabs her keys from the hall table and then shakes her head. “I don’t know how he can tell anything’s missing, with the way he keeps that place.”
“Something’s missing? What’s he missing?” Then I cup my hands over my ears because I’m afraid what she’s going to say. But somehow her voice still gets through my fingers because I can still hear Mom say, “Probably nothing. You know Felix.” And just when I think it’s safe to take my hands away from my ears, she says, “I’m not sure—something about a camera.”
That’s when I practically go dead.
Mom doesn’t seem to notice, though, because she is halfway out the door when she turns and says, “Anyway, your brother is in charge. Which reminds me. Terrence!” she hollers.
He yells back from his room. “What?”
“It’s your turn to do dishes. And please be more careful with
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