Read Online Petal's Problems by Lauren Baratz-Logsted - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Ads: Link
really must be loony," Durinda said.
"She thinks she knows the queen," Georgia said.
"I hate to say it," Jackie said, "but only really crazy people think things like that."
"Maybe she does know the queen," Marcia observed. "I mean, why would she say it if she doesn't?"
"I don't think she knows the queen at all," Zinnia said. "If she did, she'd have mentioned it around us sooner. It's the sort of thing people boast about. I know I would."
" Tguewigfauifvuiawg, " said Petal.
Curiously enough, Rebecca said nothing. For once, she was simply observing.
We began to worry that now that Crazy Serena was revealed to be a relative for sure, Rebecca would adopt her as a role model.
Crazy Serena tore her stare away from Petal and turned her attention back to Aunt Martha and Uncle George.
"Yes, it is such a shame Queen and her brood couldn't be here," she said, adding, "but then Lucy's not here either, is she?"
She was referring to our mother. We resented that.
We also couldn't understand what Mommy had to do with the queen.
"Yes," Uncle George said sadly, "it is all such a shame. And so odd, Queen calling at the last minute to say she wasn't going to be able to make it. I wonder what she had to do that was so important?"
He seemed to get over his sadness very quickly, though, because his eyes lit up as he saw someone across the room.
"Oh, look!" he said to Aunt Martha. "There's my second cousin Mitch Smith—let's go say hello."
He took Aunt Martha's elbow and led her away.
We all looked at one another. What kind of name was Mitch Smith? It didn't exactly roll off the tongue, did it?
Crazy Serena glared over at us.
Seven pairs of eyes plus one squinched pair glared right back.
"Oh, this is rrrrr idiculous," Rebecca announced, going all Spanish on us again. "I'll just go over there and talk to the woman, find out what she's up to this time. I
mean, yes, she was obviously invited here, but she must be up to something else."
We should have stopped her, we realized that later, but it was such a shock seeing Rebecca take positive action about anything that we were dumbstruck.
We watched as Rebecca grabbed Crazy Serena's elbow, far less gently than Uncle George had taken Aunt Martha's.
Crazy Serena looked surprised by the frontal attack.
"Who are you?" Rebecca demanded. "I mean, we know who you are. Now. But what have you done with Mommy?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, you silly child." Crazy Serena yanked her arm away. "I only wish I knew where your mother was hiding herself these days."
"I'll bet," Rebecca said. "Now answer my questions. On Mommy's computer we saw—"
But we never got to hear her finish asking her first question, because Crazy Serena began backing away from Rebecca, slowly at first and then snaking more quickly through the crowd, with Rebecca hurrying after her, so all we could hear were little snippets from Rebecca: "Frank Freud ... the Wicket..." While from Crazy Serena all we could hear was the same thing over and over: "Get away from me, you wretched child."
Other guests just chose to ignore them, but it certainly caught Pete's attention. We didn't need to hear everything Rebecca and Crazy Serena said, however, because we could guess: Rebecca wanted Crazy Serena to explain what Crazy Serena's picture was doing in a file on Mommy's computer that also contained pictures of Frank Freud and the Wicket, two of our other enemies, while Crazy Serena kept accusing Rebecca of being a wretched child.
We didn't need to be mind readers to figure that out.
But we would have had to be mind readers to guess what Aunt Martha had on her mind when she interrupted our observation of Rebecca and Crazy Serena's bizarre little dance through the crowd.
"Excuse me, Petal?" Aunt Martha asked. "Can I speak to you about that special surprise now?"
" Dreaoiiwjfeah, " said Petal.
Since Rebecca was too occupied elsewhere to provide the desperate measures that were called for in these desperate times, Annie
"She thinks she knows the queen," Georgia said.
"I hate to say it," Jackie said, "but only really crazy people think things like that."
"Maybe she does know the queen," Marcia observed. "I mean, why would she say it if she doesn't?"
"I don't think she knows the queen at all," Zinnia said. "If she did, she'd have mentioned it around us sooner. It's the sort of thing people boast about. I know I would."
" Tguewigfauifvuiawg, " said Petal.
Curiously enough, Rebecca said nothing. For once, she was simply observing.
We began to worry that now that Crazy Serena was revealed to be a relative for sure, Rebecca would adopt her as a role model.
Crazy Serena tore her stare away from Petal and turned her attention back to Aunt Martha and Uncle George.
"Yes, it is such a shame Queen and her brood couldn't be here," she said, adding, "but then Lucy's not here either, is she?"
She was referring to our mother. We resented that.
We also couldn't understand what Mommy had to do with the queen.
"Yes," Uncle George said sadly, "it is all such a shame. And so odd, Queen calling at the last minute to say she wasn't going to be able to make it. I wonder what she had to do that was so important?"
He seemed to get over his sadness very quickly, though, because his eyes lit up as he saw someone across the room.
"Oh, look!" he said to Aunt Martha. "There's my second cousin Mitch Smith—let's go say hello."
He took Aunt Martha's elbow and led her away.
We all looked at one another. What kind of name was Mitch Smith? It didn't exactly roll off the tongue, did it?
Crazy Serena glared over at us.
Seven pairs of eyes plus one squinched pair glared right back.
"Oh, this is rrrrr idiculous," Rebecca announced, going all Spanish on us again. "I'll just go over there and talk to the woman, find out what she's up to this time. I
mean, yes, she was obviously invited here, but she must be up to something else."
We should have stopped her, we realized that later, but it was such a shock seeing Rebecca take positive action about anything that we were dumbstruck.
We watched as Rebecca grabbed Crazy Serena's elbow, far less gently than Uncle George had taken Aunt Martha's.
Crazy Serena looked surprised by the frontal attack.
"Who are you?" Rebecca demanded. "I mean, we know who you are. Now. But what have you done with Mommy?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, you silly child." Crazy Serena yanked her arm away. "I only wish I knew where your mother was hiding herself these days."
"I'll bet," Rebecca said. "Now answer my questions. On Mommy's computer we saw—"
But we never got to hear her finish asking her first question, because Crazy Serena began backing away from Rebecca, slowly at first and then snaking more quickly through the crowd, with Rebecca hurrying after her, so all we could hear were little snippets from Rebecca: "Frank Freud ... the Wicket..." While from Crazy Serena all we could hear was the same thing over and over: "Get away from me, you wretched child."
Other guests just chose to ignore them, but it certainly caught Pete's attention. We didn't need to hear everything Rebecca and Crazy Serena said, however, because we could guess: Rebecca wanted Crazy Serena to explain what Crazy Serena's picture was doing in a file on Mommy's computer that also contained pictures of Frank Freud and the Wicket, two of our other enemies, while Crazy Serena kept accusing Rebecca of being a wretched child.
We didn't need to be mind readers to figure that out.
But we would have had to be mind readers to guess what Aunt Martha had on her mind when she interrupted our observation of Rebecca and Crazy Serena's bizarre little dance through the crowd.
"Excuse me, Petal?" Aunt Martha asked. "Can I speak to you about that special surprise now?"
" Dreaoiiwjfeah, " said Petal.
Since Rebecca was too occupied elsewhere to provide the desperate measures that were called for in these desperate times, Annie
Similar Books
