Read Online siobhan vivian - not that kind of girl by Siobhan Vivian - Free Book Online Page B

asked, spinning around to match the field up with the mesh window. Connor Hughes lobbed a pass that fell out of Mike Domski's waiting hands. A ref blew his whistle and a Saint Ann's player tore off his helmet and screamed at his teammates until his cheeks turned purple. Connor sank to the ground and pounded his fists on his thighs. He was mad, too. Madder even. Though I didn't get why. We were winning twenty-one to nothing. He'd thrown all three touchdowns. Our band kicked into the school fight song and I groaned. "How many times are they going to play this?" Autumn patted me on the back. "It's showtime." I shuffled the length of the sideline as mascot duty called for. I would have jogged to get it over with quicker, but the big yellow plastic eagle claws strapped over my sneakers made it hard to do anything fast. I didn't go the extra mile, like Nick Devito would, and ham it up for the crowd with cartwheels and pogo bounces and fist pumps. I basically just paced and flapped and prayed that the rain would stay away. On the upside, with every lap, I got to check out the pile of wood. I had to admit...Connor had really come through. There was a ton of logs and branches from his family's Christmas tree farm all propped together in a big pyramid that was practically as tall as the snack shed. A group of firefighters in yellow reflective gear, heavy black boots, and helmets stood nearby. They split their time between watching the game and the sky. As I reached the end of my lap, the floodlights turned on, and the last of the summer bugs swarmed in a fuzzy cloud under the glow. When I looked back down, I saw Spencer and her now-infamous pack of Rosstitutes returning to the bleachers, carrying trays of nachos. The punishment for their shirts hadn't come down yet; decisions and precedent needed to be considered. As upset as I was at Spencer, it was hard to say what should happen. What they did wasn't as bad as fighting or stealing or defacing school property. But the punishment still needed to make a statement. "I don't know why you're so mad," Autumn had said to me after the Rosstitutes had left the hallway. "This doesn't have anything to do with you." Autumn was probably right, but it didn't make me feel better. More than anything, I was disappointed. After all, I'd tried. I'd tried to help Spencer in the bathroom that day, I'd tried to get her involved with student council, and she went and ruined all that goodwill. Not to mention completely stole the attention away from my hard work with the senior hallway. It was kind of infuriating, the sorts of things that got you noticed at our school. I started to make my way back to Autumn when Spencer pointed at me and shrieked. The whole group of Rosstitutes veered away from the bleacher steps and surrounded me in a fit of giggles. "Is that you in there, Nick Devito?" Spencer cooed. I couldn't wait to tell her that it was actually me inside the eagle suit. I wanted Spencer to feel like a total idiot. I wanted to embarrass her, show her how ridiculous she was acting. But before I could get the words out, she grabbed one of my wings and started dancing, forcing me to be her partner. I stepped back, but Spencer stepped closer, grinding up on my leg. "Don't be scared of me, Mr. Eagle!" she cried. "I won't hurt you." As I wrestled to get away, I slipped on a bit of damp grass and nearly fell flat on my face. A few other Rosstitutes huddled around me, catching my fall. As I stumbled, I spotted Autumn a few feet away. She watched with stunned horror. "Someone take a picture of us with the eagle!" Spencer cried. I flapped my wings so they couldn't get too close, but the Rosstitutes closed in and pinned them to my side. I finally went limp just to get it over with. "Make sure you zoom in nice and tight," Spencer instructed Susan Choi, who was holding the camera. Before they could get a shot, I heard our principal's voice booming from behind. "All right! Settle down, girls! Go and have a seat."