Read Online Sink or Swim by Sarah Mlynowski - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah Mlynowski
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also deep. Anyway, I have other things to do.
I leave my brother to feel guilty in the pool while I go check on Lana.
She’s scribbling on a piece of paper. She’s writing! My plan totally worked!
“What are you writing?” I ask.
She takes a clean piece of paper and writes, “RITING PRESINT FOR PRINS.”
Okay, so she’s not the best speller yet, but come on. Two days ago she didn’t even know that her name started with the letter L. Give her a break.
“Cool,” I say.
She nods. Her cheeks are flushed with happiness.
“What is it?”
She points her pencil at her notebook.
It says:
“ONCE UPON A TIME THER WAS A MERMAD PRINCES. ON HER 15 BIRTHDA SHE SAW A PRINS FAL IN THE WATER —”
“Oh!” I squeal. “It’s the story of how you met!”
She nods.
“He’s going to be so impressed,” I say. “Wait, Lana, I want to ask you a question. How come you don’t want to invite your family to the wedding?”
She sighs. She pulls out a fresh piece of paper and writes, “THEY CANT COM ON LAND. AND THEY MUSTBE VERE MAD AT ME. AND NOT FEEL LIKE CELEBRATING.”
“Are you sure? We could send them the invite — you never know what they might say.”
“NO,” she writes. “THEY CANT REED.”
Oh, right.
That’s so sad! She seems to think so, too, because I catch her frowning and gazing toward the window that overlooks the water.
On the bright side: I’m still the maid of honor!
T hat night we all eat together in the dining room.
It’s a pretty delicious dinner. Chef Carolyn makes a barbeque. There are cheeseburgers and corn and grilled salami. Of course, there’s mustard. For dessert we have banana pie and lemon cake. These people really know how to eat, even if most of the food is yellow.
During dessert, Lana stands up and hands a box to Prince Mortimer. There’s a yellow ribbon tying it closed.
“What’s this?” he asks.
She smiles.
“It’s her wedding gift to you,” I explain, not wanting to give away the surprise but bursting with excitement. How amazing is she that she learned to write in two days? She’s amazing! And it was all my idea! I am the best maid of honor ever!
Prince Mortimer unwraps the ribbon, opens the box, and takes out pretty papers laced together with ribbon. The first page reads: Our Story, by Princess Lana .
“How nice,” the prince says before placing it beside his plate. He goes right back to his lemon cake.
Lana looks shocked.
I feel shocked. “Aren’t you going to read it?”
“I’m in the middle of dessert,” he explains, taking another forkful. “Yum.”
Lana’s face falls.
No. No, no, no. “But don’t you see what a big deal this is? Lana wrote that! Herself! She learned to read and write so you guys can communicate!”
Prince Mortimer takes a big gulp of pineapple juice before continuing. “What does Lana need to read and write for? She’s a princess. She just needs to smile, dance, and be beautiful.”
I drop my fork and it clatters against my plate.
Jonah’s jaw drops open.
Lana gasps. She looks at Prince Mortimer and then back at me. She shakes her head. Then she pushes her chair back and runs out of the room.
Everyone else at the table shrugs.
“Guess she doesn’t like lemon cake,” the prince says, and continues eating. “You know what we should have at the wedding? Lemon meringue pie.”
I can’t listen to one more minute of this. I excuse myself from the table and hurry after Lana. I do kind of hope they have lemon meringue pie at the wedding, though. I love lemon meringue pie.
When I walk into her room, just down the hall from mine, she is pacing.
“Sorry about that,” I say.
Lana throws her arms up in the air. She picks up a paper and pen and writes, “I THINK I MAD A BIG MISTAK!!!”
I think she made a big mistake, too. Which I told her from the beginning. Not that I’m going to say “I told you so” now. Even though I really want to.
But I won’t.
Her eyes tear up, and she continues writing:
“I
I leave my brother to feel guilty in the pool while I go check on Lana.
She’s scribbling on a piece of paper. She’s writing! My plan totally worked!
“What are you writing?” I ask.
She takes a clean piece of paper and writes, “RITING PRESINT FOR PRINS.”
Okay, so she’s not the best speller yet, but come on. Two days ago she didn’t even know that her name started with the letter L. Give her a break.
“Cool,” I say.
She nods. Her cheeks are flushed with happiness.
“What is it?”
She points her pencil at her notebook.
It says:
“ONCE UPON A TIME THER WAS A MERMAD PRINCES. ON HER 15 BIRTHDA SHE SAW A PRINS FAL IN THE WATER —”
“Oh!” I squeal. “It’s the story of how you met!”
She nods.
“He’s going to be so impressed,” I say. “Wait, Lana, I want to ask you a question. How come you don’t want to invite your family to the wedding?”
She sighs. She pulls out a fresh piece of paper and writes, “THEY CANT COM ON LAND. AND THEY MUSTBE VERE MAD AT ME. AND NOT FEEL LIKE CELEBRATING.”
“Are you sure? We could send them the invite — you never know what they might say.”
“NO,” she writes. “THEY CANT REED.”
Oh, right.
That’s so sad! She seems to think so, too, because I catch her frowning and gazing toward the window that overlooks the water.
On the bright side: I’m still the maid of honor!
T hat night we all eat together in the dining room.
It’s a pretty delicious dinner. Chef Carolyn makes a barbeque. There are cheeseburgers and corn and grilled salami. Of course, there’s mustard. For dessert we have banana pie and lemon cake. These people really know how to eat, even if most of the food is yellow.
During dessert, Lana stands up and hands a box to Prince Mortimer. There’s a yellow ribbon tying it closed.
“What’s this?” he asks.
She smiles.
“It’s her wedding gift to you,” I explain, not wanting to give away the surprise but bursting with excitement. How amazing is she that she learned to write in two days? She’s amazing! And it was all my idea! I am the best maid of honor ever!
Prince Mortimer unwraps the ribbon, opens the box, and takes out pretty papers laced together with ribbon. The first page reads: Our Story, by Princess Lana .
“How nice,” the prince says before placing it beside his plate. He goes right back to his lemon cake.
Lana looks shocked.
I feel shocked. “Aren’t you going to read it?”
“I’m in the middle of dessert,” he explains, taking another forkful. “Yum.”
Lana’s face falls.
No. No, no, no. “But don’t you see what a big deal this is? Lana wrote that! Herself! She learned to read and write so you guys can communicate!”
Prince Mortimer takes a big gulp of pineapple juice before continuing. “What does Lana need to read and write for? She’s a princess. She just needs to smile, dance, and be beautiful.”
I drop my fork and it clatters against my plate.
Jonah’s jaw drops open.
Lana gasps. She looks at Prince Mortimer and then back at me. She shakes her head. Then she pushes her chair back and runs out of the room.
Everyone else at the table shrugs.
“Guess she doesn’t like lemon cake,” the prince says, and continues eating. “You know what we should have at the wedding? Lemon meringue pie.”
I can’t listen to one more minute of this. I excuse myself from the table and hurry after Lana. I do kind of hope they have lemon meringue pie at the wedding, though. I love lemon meringue pie.
When I walk into her room, just down the hall from mine, she is pacing.
“Sorry about that,” I say.
Lana throws her arms up in the air. She picks up a paper and pen and writes, “I THINK I MAD A BIG MISTAK!!!”
I think she made a big mistake, too. Which I told her from the beginning. Not that I’m going to say “I told you so” now. Even though I really want to.
But I won’t.
Her eyes tear up, and she continues writing:
“I
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