Read Online Sleepover Stakeout (9780545443111) by Kim Harrington - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kim Harrington
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he wasnât this mean, evil boy who taunted kids in school and had caused me so many problems. He was one of us. Just a kid himself, being tortured by bigger, meaner kids. Even if they were only his brothers.
I pushed myself off the wall and stepped toward them. I had no plan, no clue what I was going to say. I just wanted them to leave Slade alone.
As I got closer, Slade noticed me, and our eyes connected. At first, his cheeks turned red, his shame even deeper now that someone from school had seen him getting bullied. He looked from me to his brothers and back again. Then the panic slid from his face.
Confidence rose up inside of me. I was making him feel better already! I was going to be a hero!
âHey, Norah!â Slade called out. His brothers loosened their grip to look at me. âYou were already ugly enough. You didnât need to go and get glasses!â
I flinched and stopped mid-stride. It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. How did bullies always know how to pick the words that would hurt the most?
Sladeâs brothers threw their heads back in laughter. They released Slade, who then straightened and laughed along with them. As they walked by, he said, âSeriously, Norah. If you were a dinosaur, youâd be a Nerdosaurus rex.â
His brothers laughed even harder, snorting and punching each other in the arms. One of them said to Slade proudly, âYouâre a Danville boy, all right.â
What did that mean? They all lived in this town, so werenât they automatically Danville boys? But I didnât even care. Tears stung my eyes, and I willed them not to fall down my cheeks.
I didnât know what I was more upset about, that Slade had said I looked ugly ⦠or that Iâd temporarily mistaken him for a human being.
The next morning, I felt so depressed I even thought about faking an illness. Though Darcy had done this plenty of times (and attempted to school me in all acts of parental trickery), I had never lied about being sick to my parents. And, despite how much I wanted to hide in my bedroom all day, I wasnât going to start now.
We had a Spanish test, and Mr. Grahamâs makeup tests are always harder than the real thing. (Probably to discourage the whole faking-sick-on-test-days thing.) I didnât need that stress. On top of that, I was so busy lately with Partners in Crime along with my regular school stuff. Seventh grade seemed like it had double the amount of homework that sixth had. So I sucked it up and went to school.
Strangely, though getting glasses was a big deal to me, most people didnât seem to notice. I got no crazy looks in the hallway, and no one made any mean, Slade-like remarks. Even though I felt as if my whole face had changed, to everyone else I was still regular Norah Burridge.
Between the Spanish test and a pop quiz in English, it was a busy morning, and I barely had time to talk to anyone , not even Darcy. She only had a chance to tell me âCool specsâ as we rushed between classes.
I finally got a moment to rest at lunch. When I walked over to our usual spot, I saw Fiona was sitting at the popular table. Weâd get her back tomorrow as part of our Share Plan.
I dropped my lunch bag on the table and eyeballed Darcy. She was eating a pudding cup and had two more lined up.
âThree puddings?â I said. âThatâs your lunch?â
âI canât chew,â she answered through a mouthful of liquid chocolate. âItâs too sore.â
Oh. Bad friend alert. In all my worrying about my own problems, Iâd forgotten that Darcy got braces yesterday. And I hadnât even noticed them in any classes or in the halls this morning! I tried for a cheery tone. âWell, Zane says the soreness only lasts a day or two.â
Then I remembered how all the things my mom had said to try to make me feel better about glasses hadnât worked at all and realized the only thing I could do
I pushed myself off the wall and stepped toward them. I had no plan, no clue what I was going to say. I just wanted them to leave Slade alone.
As I got closer, Slade noticed me, and our eyes connected. At first, his cheeks turned red, his shame even deeper now that someone from school had seen him getting bullied. He looked from me to his brothers and back again. Then the panic slid from his face.
Confidence rose up inside of me. I was making him feel better already! I was going to be a hero!
âHey, Norah!â Slade called out. His brothers loosened their grip to look at me. âYou were already ugly enough. You didnât need to go and get glasses!â
I flinched and stopped mid-stride. It felt like someone had punched me in the gut. How did bullies always know how to pick the words that would hurt the most?
Sladeâs brothers threw their heads back in laughter. They released Slade, who then straightened and laughed along with them. As they walked by, he said, âSeriously, Norah. If you were a dinosaur, youâd be a Nerdosaurus rex.â
His brothers laughed even harder, snorting and punching each other in the arms. One of them said to Slade proudly, âYouâre a Danville boy, all right.â
What did that mean? They all lived in this town, so werenât they automatically Danville boys? But I didnât even care. Tears stung my eyes, and I willed them not to fall down my cheeks.
I didnât know what I was more upset about, that Slade had said I looked ugly ⦠or that Iâd temporarily mistaken him for a human being.
The next morning, I felt so depressed I even thought about faking an illness. Though Darcy had done this plenty of times (and attempted to school me in all acts of parental trickery), I had never lied about being sick to my parents. And, despite how much I wanted to hide in my bedroom all day, I wasnât going to start now.
We had a Spanish test, and Mr. Grahamâs makeup tests are always harder than the real thing. (Probably to discourage the whole faking-sick-on-test-days thing.) I didnât need that stress. On top of that, I was so busy lately with Partners in Crime along with my regular school stuff. Seventh grade seemed like it had double the amount of homework that sixth had. So I sucked it up and went to school.
Strangely, though getting glasses was a big deal to me, most people didnât seem to notice. I got no crazy looks in the hallway, and no one made any mean, Slade-like remarks. Even though I felt as if my whole face had changed, to everyone else I was still regular Norah Burridge.
Between the Spanish test and a pop quiz in English, it was a busy morning, and I barely had time to talk to anyone , not even Darcy. She only had a chance to tell me âCool specsâ as we rushed between classes.
I finally got a moment to rest at lunch. When I walked over to our usual spot, I saw Fiona was sitting at the popular table. Weâd get her back tomorrow as part of our Share Plan.
I dropped my lunch bag on the table and eyeballed Darcy. She was eating a pudding cup and had two more lined up.
âThree puddings?â I said. âThatâs your lunch?â
âI canât chew,â she answered through a mouthful of liquid chocolate. âItâs too sore.â
Oh. Bad friend alert. In all my worrying about my own problems, Iâd forgotten that Darcy got braces yesterday. And I hadnât even noticed them in any classes or in the halls this morning! I tried for a cheery tone. âWell, Zane says the soreness only lasts a day or two.â
Then I remembered how all the things my mom had said to try to make me feel better about glasses hadnât worked at all and realized the only thing I could do
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