Read Online Poisoned Pin: A Cozy Mystery (Brenna Battle Book 2) by Laney Monday - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laney Monday
Tags: Fiction
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would say. Which would’ve been fine, if thinking of Jake didn’t make me feel like a beat up, clumsy puddle of a little girl, too.
“There are worse things in life than not having a perfect nose.”
“Yeah, like being a complete klutz and bashing yourself into a window!”
“Look, even if it’s the most awful thing in the world, the sooner you put it behind you, the better, right? Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
“I really don’t want to go in there.” Big fat tears accompanied the rivers of rain.
I switched gears and tried to channel Blythe. “They’re pretty nice girls. I’m sure this’ll be the kind of thing you laugh about together, once you get to know them.”
“Oh, I know them. And they know me. From ballet, you know?”
“Oh. I don’t remember seeing you at the going-away party. But there were a lot of new faces, all at once. Were you in the recital?”
“Uh, no. I quit ballet after I ruined the Christmas recital two years ago. I was so bad, I literally broke it. Into a million pieces.”
Curiosity got the better of me. “How do you break a recital?”
“Technically, I broke the set. And a few of the ballerinas. I knocked over the gigantic Christmas tree and sent it flying through the sugar plum fairy and up into the lights. Then I tripped on a cord and there went more of the lights. The stage went dark and everyone was screaming and crying and trampling eachother until someone finally found the main light switch. It was a nightmare.”
“Ouch,” I said.
“I thought judo might be different, but … I guess I’m still Klutzy Katie.”
“That wasn’t judo, that was Girl versus Window. Come inside and we’ll get some ice on your face.”
Judo gets a lot of misfits—kids who want to be athletic, or whose parents want them to be more active, and who haven’t found a sport that isn’t a complete disaster for them. I wasn’t as naturally gifted an athlete as Blythe. She’d just lacked the competitive fire, which I had more than my share of. But I’d never been a truly awkward, unathletic kid. People were often disappointed to realize that yes, judo was a sport, too, and athleticism mattered.
But many of the less athletically gifted found that they enjoyed it anyway. Some of those gawky kids had been my best friends growing up. They’d fallen in love with judo, and they’d grown in coordination, fitness, and the ability to push themselves. Some had actually been solid athletes who just needed to find the right sport. I have to admit, handling any sort of ball flying through the air is not my strong point. I prefer people flying through the air. A much bigger target. Though, unlike a ball, they tend to fight back. I said a little prayer that judo really would be different for Klutzy Katie.
Katie held her nose with a bloody hand and said in a nasally voice, “No way am I sitting in there with ice on my face.”
I gave her a look. One that reminded her there truly were even worse things to endure than than total humiliation. It may have been just a tad threatening. Okay, so I need to work on my soft side. But I got her in, out of the rain, and settled on a bench with a towel wrapped around her to warm her up and a wad of paper towels to absorb the steady trickle of blood. Now, all we needed was some ice.
I opened the mini fridge door, and the image of Katie smashing into that window filled my head and tickled my funny bone with all of its awful, humiliating glory. I laughed silently into the fridge. Too bad it wasn’t big enough for me to step inside and really bust my guts. I hoped the kids couldn’t see my shoulders shaking. I liked the kid, and I sure felt for her, but that had to be one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. I forced the image of her smacked against the glass out of my mind and grabbed one of the pre-made ice bags. I was determined to hang on to Klutzy Katie.
12
I wrapped up my freshly washed hair, put on my comfy shorts and
“There are worse things in life than not having a perfect nose.”
“Yeah, like being a complete klutz and bashing yourself into a window!”
“Look, even if it’s the most awful thing in the world, the sooner you put it behind you, the better, right? Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
“I really don’t want to go in there.” Big fat tears accompanied the rivers of rain.
I switched gears and tried to channel Blythe. “They’re pretty nice girls. I’m sure this’ll be the kind of thing you laugh about together, once you get to know them.”
“Oh, I know them. And they know me. From ballet, you know?”
“Oh. I don’t remember seeing you at the going-away party. But there were a lot of new faces, all at once. Were you in the recital?”
“Uh, no. I quit ballet after I ruined the Christmas recital two years ago. I was so bad, I literally broke it. Into a million pieces.”
Curiosity got the better of me. “How do you break a recital?”
“Technically, I broke the set. And a few of the ballerinas. I knocked over the gigantic Christmas tree and sent it flying through the sugar plum fairy and up into the lights. Then I tripped on a cord and there went more of the lights. The stage went dark and everyone was screaming and crying and trampling eachother until someone finally found the main light switch. It was a nightmare.”
“Ouch,” I said.
“I thought judo might be different, but … I guess I’m still Klutzy Katie.”
“That wasn’t judo, that was Girl versus Window. Come inside and we’ll get some ice on your face.”
Judo gets a lot of misfits—kids who want to be athletic, or whose parents want them to be more active, and who haven’t found a sport that isn’t a complete disaster for them. I wasn’t as naturally gifted an athlete as Blythe. She’d just lacked the competitive fire, which I had more than my share of. But I’d never been a truly awkward, unathletic kid. People were often disappointed to realize that yes, judo was a sport, too, and athleticism mattered.
But many of the less athletically gifted found that they enjoyed it anyway. Some of those gawky kids had been my best friends growing up. They’d fallen in love with judo, and they’d grown in coordination, fitness, and the ability to push themselves. Some had actually been solid athletes who just needed to find the right sport. I have to admit, handling any sort of ball flying through the air is not my strong point. I prefer people flying through the air. A much bigger target. Though, unlike a ball, they tend to fight back. I said a little prayer that judo really would be different for Klutzy Katie.
Katie held her nose with a bloody hand and said in a nasally voice, “No way am I sitting in there with ice on my face.”
I gave her a look. One that reminded her there truly were even worse things to endure than than total humiliation. It may have been just a tad threatening. Okay, so I need to work on my soft side. But I got her in, out of the rain, and settled on a bench with a towel wrapped around her to warm her up and a wad of paper towels to absorb the steady trickle of blood. Now, all we needed was some ice.
I opened the mini fridge door, and the image of Katie smashing into that window filled my head and tickled my funny bone with all of its awful, humiliating glory. I laughed silently into the fridge. Too bad it wasn’t big enough for me to step inside and really bust my guts. I hoped the kids couldn’t see my shoulders shaking. I liked the kid, and I sure felt for her, but that had to be one of the funniest things I’d ever seen. I forced the image of her smacked against the glass out of my mind and grabbed one of the pre-made ice bags. I was determined to hang on to Klutzy Katie.
12
I wrapped up my freshly washed hair, put on my comfy shorts and
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