Read Online The Call of the Wild by Julie Fison - Free Book Online Page B

beach.’
    ‘I told you it would be no fun,’ I grumbled.
    I took out my phone and sent a text to Liam wishing him a speedy recovery.
    Then I texted Kimmi.
    Disaster at Baitman’s Cove! Just poisoned Liam with dog biscuits.
    Kimmi got straight back to me. Silly question. But HOW?
    I left my sister in charge of the brownies! I replied, sighing.
    Too funny! Kimmi replied . I might try that one on my brother! Meet you at the playground in ten minutes?

    ‘Sup!’ Kimmi called as she walked across the playground towards us, with a great big smile on her face. Kimmi’s smile was usually infectious, but today it wasn’t working on me at all. I pushed Lulu higher on the swing, the events at the beach still swishing around in my mind.
    ‘I’m such a loser,’ I groaned.
    Kimmi laughed. ‘You fed Liam dog biscuits. He’ll forgive you. You’re friends, right?’
    I took a deep breath, giving Lulu another push. I shrugged.
    ‘What?’ Kimmi asked. ‘You’re not friends anymore?’
    I sighed. ‘I’m not sure. I think maybe you were right yesterday.’
    Kimmi raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh?’
    ‘I might have a thing for Liam. Just a small thing. Or maybe a medium-sized one.’
    Kimmi clapped her hands together. ‘I knew it!’
    I shook my head. ‘And now I’ve tried to poison him. You should have seen the look on his face as he ran off. I’m not even sure I’ll be able to go to the Wild Club on Monday. I feel so stupid.’
    Kimmi squeezed my arm. ‘Don’t be silly. It wasn’t even your fault. There’s nothing to feel stupid about.’
    ‘It’s not just the poison brownies. What about Annabel? You saw the way she was touching his arm every five seconds at the mall.’
    ‘I guess.’ Kimmi thought for a moment and then shook her head. ‘But she’ll understand if you explain.’
    I sighed. ‘I suppose.’ But I didn’t feel any better.
    ‘A big push!’ Lulu shouted as her swing slowed, almost stopping.
    Kimmi nudged me aside and took over, sending Lulu high into the air.
    ‘Liam invited you to the cove, didn’t he?’ Kimmi said.
    ‘To pick up rubbish,’ I grumbled. ‘He didn’t invite me to the movies or anything.’
    ‘ Still , he obviously likes you. You’ve probably been too wrapped up in orangutans to notice.’
    I sniffed. ‘I think I might have noticed if a guy had a crush on me.’
    As the swing slowed, Lulu jumped off and ran over to the slippery slide.
    ‘Yeah, so you keep saying,’ said Kimmi, sitting down on the empty swing. ‘I think you’re using that as an excuse not to go after Liam when anyone can see how much you like each other. Sometimes you just have to show a guy how you feel.’
    ‘Is that what you’re going to do at the party? Show Marco how you feel?’
    Kimmi laughed. ‘I think I’ve blown enough kisses at Marco to show him how I feel. Just waiting for him to blow one back, now.’
    ‘It’ll happen at the party,’ I smiled.
    ‘Hope so.’ Kimmi wrinkled her nose, looking uncertain, then stretched out her legs to get her swing going. ‘Come on, enough about boys. I bet I can swing higher than you.’
    I sat on the other swing, and together we flew back and forth. We soared so high, I felt like my feet were almost touching the clouds. With each upwards swing, my worries about Liam slipped off my shoulders. I swung high, then jumped off and landed in the grass. I rolled over on my back and looked up at the clouds floating across the sky.
    Kimmi landed beside me. Then Lulu was running towards us, her mud-stained tutu bouncing around her middle, looking as elegant as a baby hippo. She did a flying leap and landed on top of me.
    ‘Pee Pee!’ she laughed. She held out a scrunched-up little fist. ‘I’ve got something for you.’ Slowly, she uncurled her hand.
    I stared at a crumpled green thing on her palm.
    ‘A four-leaf clover,’ she said . ‘I found it for you.’
    I didn’t hold out much hope for a change in my luck. But as we were walking home, a message from