Read Online Taffy Sinclair 011 - Nobody Likes Taffy Sinclair by Betsy Haynes - Free Book Online
Authors: Betsy Haynes
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to wear this. It ' s important! I want to be like everybody else. "
" You are not like everybody else, dear. You are special. "
" Mo- the r! " Taffy cried.
Mrs. Sinclair rose from her chair like an erupting volcano. " Taffy! " she roared. " Did you hear me? "
Tears spilled from Taffy ' s eyes. She dropped her books on the table with a thud and stomped back upstairs. Why does she always have to be so paranoid? Taffy sobbed to herself as she flung open her closet door and stared at the row of perfectly matched outfits inside. But there was no use arguing. Her mother always got her way. Always!
When Taffy neared school a little later, she debated leaving her jacket on, thinking maybe kids wouldn ' t notice that the whi te denim skirt and the red-and- white knit top she wore under the jacket looked great together.
" Hey, Taffy. Let ' s see what you ' re wearing, " Shawnie called from behind her.
Taffy turned around to see her friend racing up the sidewalk in a wacky combination of brightly colored prints and stripes.
" Isn ' t this fun? " Shawnie asked breathlessly. Then she stopped and looked at Taffy in disbelief. " Hey, today ' s Clash Day. Don ' t you want to fit in? "
Taffy fought to keep Shawnie from seeing the tears of embarrassment forming behind her eyes as she told Shawnie about the scene with her mother.
" Gosh, I ' m sorry, " murmured Shawnie, and the girls walked the rest of the way to school in silence.
All day long Taffy felt out of place. All the other kids seemed to be having a ball in their crazy outfits , and she was sure some of them were whispering about her as she went from class to class. They probably think I ' m too conceited to wear anything that clashes, she thought. Shawnie ' s words played over and over in her mind. Don't you want to fit in? Of course I do, she thought miserably, but how can I ?
When Taffy got home from school that afternoon, she found another letter with a Hollywood postmark. But this one wasn ' t from Paige. Taffy sucked in her breath and stared at the return address. It was from Raven! She snatched it from the stack of letters in the mailbox and hurried to her room before her mother could spot it and demand to know what it said.
Dear Taffy,
I' m sorry I haven't written sooner. I got your address from Paige a long time ago and started about a dozen letters to you, but I tore them all up. The trouble was, none of them sounded quite right. I guess what I really want to say is that I miss you a lot and want you to come back to Hollyw ood. I was sincere when I said I' d like to take you out.
We should be hearing soon about the TV series. We're all crossing our fingers.
Well, that's all for now. Write soon, and don't forget your friends in Hollywood!
Love, Raven
Taffy read the letter at least a hundred times. Then she stretched out on her bed and closed her eyes. She could see the palm trees swaying on the boulevards in Hollywood and hear the waves lapping against the shore at Venice Beach. She could see Paige Kramer ' s bright red hair and flashing smile, and tiny Tess, who looked six or seven but was really fifteen. Paige and Tess were terrific friends, and so was KJ, who was always wise-cracking and making jokes on the set. But most of all she could see gorgeous Raven Blaine, smiling at her, saying that he wanted to take her out.
She sighed, thinking about how much she missed Raven and all her Hollywood friends, and how she missed studying her lines and being in front of the cameras. She missed being a professional ! She giggled to herself, remembering the Media Club ' s set and the tiny camcorder Jon Smith had used to film the program. There was nothing professional about that.
I could never stand being a member of Media Club, even for Shawnie, she admitted to herself. How could I ever have thought I belonged there? How could I ever have believed I belong at Wakeman Junior High, where everyone is jealous of me and whispers behind my back? No! The truth is,
" You are not like everybody else, dear. You are special. "
" Mo- the r! " Taffy cried.
Mrs. Sinclair rose from her chair like an erupting volcano. " Taffy! " she roared. " Did you hear me? "
Tears spilled from Taffy ' s eyes. She dropped her books on the table with a thud and stomped back upstairs. Why does she always have to be so paranoid? Taffy sobbed to herself as she flung open her closet door and stared at the row of perfectly matched outfits inside. But there was no use arguing. Her mother always got her way. Always!
When Taffy neared school a little later, she debated leaving her jacket on, thinking maybe kids wouldn ' t notice that the whi te denim skirt and the red-and- white knit top she wore under the jacket looked great together.
" Hey, Taffy. Let ' s see what you ' re wearing, " Shawnie called from behind her.
Taffy turned around to see her friend racing up the sidewalk in a wacky combination of brightly colored prints and stripes.
" Isn ' t this fun? " Shawnie asked breathlessly. Then she stopped and looked at Taffy in disbelief. " Hey, today ' s Clash Day. Don ' t you want to fit in? "
Taffy fought to keep Shawnie from seeing the tears of embarrassment forming behind her eyes as she told Shawnie about the scene with her mother.
" Gosh, I ' m sorry, " murmured Shawnie, and the girls walked the rest of the way to school in silence.
All day long Taffy felt out of place. All the other kids seemed to be having a ball in their crazy outfits , and she was sure some of them were whispering about her as she went from class to class. They probably think I ' m too conceited to wear anything that clashes, she thought. Shawnie ' s words played over and over in her mind. Don't you want to fit in? Of course I do, she thought miserably, but how can I ?
When Taffy got home from school that afternoon, she found another letter with a Hollywood postmark. But this one wasn ' t from Paige. Taffy sucked in her breath and stared at the return address. It was from Raven! She snatched it from the stack of letters in the mailbox and hurried to her room before her mother could spot it and demand to know what it said.
Dear Taffy,
I' m sorry I haven't written sooner. I got your address from Paige a long time ago and started about a dozen letters to you, but I tore them all up. The trouble was, none of them sounded quite right. I guess what I really want to say is that I miss you a lot and want you to come back to Hollyw ood. I was sincere when I said I' d like to take you out.
We should be hearing soon about the TV series. We're all crossing our fingers.
Well, that's all for now. Write soon, and don't forget your friends in Hollywood!
Love, Raven
Taffy read the letter at least a hundred times. Then she stretched out on her bed and closed her eyes. She could see the palm trees swaying on the boulevards in Hollywood and hear the waves lapping against the shore at Venice Beach. She could see Paige Kramer ' s bright red hair and flashing smile, and tiny Tess, who looked six or seven but was really fifteen. Paige and Tess were terrific friends, and so was KJ, who was always wise-cracking and making jokes on the set. But most of all she could see gorgeous Raven Blaine, smiling at her, saying that he wanted to take her out.
She sighed, thinking about how much she missed Raven and all her Hollywood friends, and how she missed studying her lines and being in front of the cameras. She missed being a professional ! She giggled to herself, remembering the Media Club ' s set and the tiny camcorder Jon Smith had used to film the program. There was nothing professional about that.
I could never stand being a member of Media Club, even for Shawnie, she admitted to herself. How could I ever have thought I belonged there? How could I ever have believed I belong at Wakeman Junior High, where everyone is jealous of me and whispers behind my back? No! The truth is,
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