Read Online Second Kiss by Natalie Palmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Natalie Palmer
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straight again. “So anyway,” I sniffed and dabbed at my nose, “that was my first day of ninth grade.” I was still trying to clean up my face when the front door of my house swung wide open.
“Gemmalynn Judith!” Mom spoke sternly. There was serious anger in her eyes. “Could you explain to me why your principal just called to inform me that you weren’t at school today?” Mom was one of the most genuinely nice people I knew, but you did not want to get on her bad side. She had an aura about her that demanded respect.
Jess got up from the lawn and picked his book up off the porch step. “Uh, I better get home to do some homework.” Jess knew as well as anybody-regardless of the fact that Mom liked him better than anybody-that it wasn’t in his best interest to be around when she was angry. I begged him with my eyes to stay. I knew that the reprimand would be less severe if he was around. He glanced at me with apologetic eyes. “See you later, Gem.” Then with his head turned away from Mom, he mouthed, “Good luck.” And he took off across the street.
“Gemma!” Mom’s razor-sharp voice sliced through the silence. “I’m waiting for an explanation.” How a woman so petite could be so terrifying is something I’m still trying to figure out.
I looked up at her, my face still stained with tears.
“And don’t think that any amount of crying is going to get you out of trouble, young lady!”
I tried to speak, but my throat caught as more tears spilled out of my eyes. My mom’s anger immediately turned into concern. “Are you all right, Gemma? Did something happen?” She double stepped the porch stairs and kneeled at my side.
Oh, no. Now she was worried that something really bad happened. She’d only be more upset when she found out that physically I was just fine (though I couldn’t say the same about myself mentally or emotionally). I sniffed hard and shook my head. “No, I’m okay. I just had a really bad day, that’s all.”
She folded her arms and bent her head toward me,“I’m waiting, impatiently, to hear your side of the story.”
I told her everything-starting with the moment I realized I didn’t have my schedule and ending with me spending the day next to the dumpster.
Her first response was, “Why didn’t you just go to the office?” But when I started to cry again, she backed off slightly. “You didn’t know that you could get a copy there?”
I buried my head in my hands and shook my head. She rubbed the back of my head then pulled me close to her with her hand. “That does sound like a rough day.” She even chuckled slightly as she let what I told her run through her brain.
Mom picked herself up off the grass. “Okay.” She took my hand and hoisted me to my feet. “I’m not mad at you, Gem. But I’m disappointed that you decided to sit outside all day long rather than let me or another adult know you had a problem. So to help you remember that in the future, you’re going to be weeding my garden every day after school for the rest of the week. Got it?”
“Ah! Weeding!” That was worse than sitting by the dumpster!
The next day my mom drove me to school again so she and I could explain to the principal what happened. I then went to all of my assigned classes, having to explain to each and every single teacher what had happened. The only thing worse that my first day of ninth grade was having to retell it eight times the next day. I barely saw Clarissa or Nina the whole day. Clarissa wasn’t in any of my classes, but I saw her from a distance, standing at her locker. And even though I had World History with Nina, she sat on the other side of the room with a couple other girls she’d met over the summer at dance camp. I went from class to class sitting in the back rows-since the closer desks had all been claimed by students the day before-silently scribbling on the blank paper in my binder, and occasionally taking notes when the teacher specifi cally
“Gemmalynn Judith!” Mom spoke sternly. There was serious anger in her eyes. “Could you explain to me why your principal just called to inform me that you weren’t at school today?” Mom was one of the most genuinely nice people I knew, but you did not want to get on her bad side. She had an aura about her that demanded respect.
Jess got up from the lawn and picked his book up off the porch step. “Uh, I better get home to do some homework.” Jess knew as well as anybody-regardless of the fact that Mom liked him better than anybody-that it wasn’t in his best interest to be around when she was angry. I begged him with my eyes to stay. I knew that the reprimand would be less severe if he was around. He glanced at me with apologetic eyes. “See you later, Gem.” Then with his head turned away from Mom, he mouthed, “Good luck.” And he took off across the street.
“Gemma!” Mom’s razor-sharp voice sliced through the silence. “I’m waiting for an explanation.” How a woman so petite could be so terrifying is something I’m still trying to figure out.
I looked up at her, my face still stained with tears.
“And don’t think that any amount of crying is going to get you out of trouble, young lady!”
I tried to speak, but my throat caught as more tears spilled out of my eyes. My mom’s anger immediately turned into concern. “Are you all right, Gemma? Did something happen?” She double stepped the porch stairs and kneeled at my side.
Oh, no. Now she was worried that something really bad happened. She’d only be more upset when she found out that physically I was just fine (though I couldn’t say the same about myself mentally or emotionally). I sniffed hard and shook my head. “No, I’m okay. I just had a really bad day, that’s all.”
She folded her arms and bent her head toward me,“I’m waiting, impatiently, to hear your side of the story.”
I told her everything-starting with the moment I realized I didn’t have my schedule and ending with me spending the day next to the dumpster.
Her first response was, “Why didn’t you just go to the office?” But when I started to cry again, she backed off slightly. “You didn’t know that you could get a copy there?”
I buried my head in my hands and shook my head. She rubbed the back of my head then pulled me close to her with her hand. “That does sound like a rough day.” She even chuckled slightly as she let what I told her run through her brain.
Mom picked herself up off the grass. “Okay.” She took my hand and hoisted me to my feet. “I’m not mad at you, Gem. But I’m disappointed that you decided to sit outside all day long rather than let me or another adult know you had a problem. So to help you remember that in the future, you’re going to be weeding my garden every day after school for the rest of the week. Got it?”
“Ah! Weeding!” That was worse than sitting by the dumpster!
The next day my mom drove me to school again so she and I could explain to the principal what happened. I then went to all of my assigned classes, having to explain to each and every single teacher what had happened. The only thing worse that my first day of ninth grade was having to retell it eight times the next day. I barely saw Clarissa or Nina the whole day. Clarissa wasn’t in any of my classes, but I saw her from a distance, standing at her locker. And even though I had World History with Nina, she sat on the other side of the room with a couple other girls she’d met over the summer at dance camp. I went from class to class sitting in the back rows-since the closer desks had all been claimed by students the day before-silently scribbling on the blank paper in my binder, and occasionally taking notes when the teacher specifi cally
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