Read Online Winner Takes All by Jenny Santana - Free Book Online Page B

seemed like the best idea in the whole world.

Chapter Seven
    “I really think it’s meningitis, Mami,” Celia said from under the covers Monday morning when her mom came to drag her out of bed. “I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.” She let out a little cough, but her mother pulled the sheets off of her, anyway.
    “This is the third time you’ve had meningitis this year,” her mom said. “I wanna know what’s going on. Just tell me what happened with you and Mari already. You know you’re going to school no matter what.”
    Celia coughed harder and said, “I would tell you, but this meningitis is really—”
    “You don’t have meningitis. I don’t know why I let you watch those PBS specials. The things youpick up!” Celia’s mom sat down on the bed. “Now, tell me what happened between you and Mari before I attack you with kisses. I know you want to spill it.”
    This was true. Celia had spent most of Saturday and all of Sunday almost telling her mom about the fight out on the sidewalk. What had kept her from coming clean was the fact that every time she went through the story in her head, there was no way to make Mari look like the only bad one—and there was no way to get around confessing the truth about who was really running for seventh grade rep. She knew she’d eventually come clean about that to her mom, but she wanted to wait, especially now that Mari’s whole involvement in the plan might be over.
    “Why did you write that speech for Mari?” her mom asked, gesturing with her head over to Celia’s desk, which had a cup full of pens and several clean pads of paper on it. On the very top pad, Celia had neatly written out the final version of Mari’s speech, which she’d worked on all day Sunday between meals and the half conversations with her mom. The garbage can on the floor under the desk was packed with balled-up yellow sheets—her early attempts at hammering out the right words for Mari to read over the PA systemcome Monday morning. And now it was that day, and Celia was trying to do everything she could to keep from going to school and facing the prospect of explaining why Mari wasn’t there to read the speech herself.
    Celia was almost positive Mari was in her own house, trying to get out of going to school, too, but she was the better actress and therefore usually more successful at getting out of things. But Celia secretly worried that Mari would go to school, head straight for Ms. Perdomo’s office, and confess everything. The risk of that happening was enough to make Celia sit up in bed and swing her legs over the edge, ready to stand. Celia had to get there first to keep Mari from selling her out.
    “You’re cured!” Mami clapped.
    “Yeah, sort of,” Celia moaned. She scratched her curly head and said, “I wrote the speech to help her. That’s all. I didn’t really do it for her. I was just trying to…help.”
    “To help, huh? Well, that’s good. Helping is good. As long as that’s all that’s going on—just helping.”
    “Just helping,” Celia said. There was no doubt in Celia’s mind that her mom was an actual and honest-to-God mind reader. She always knew whatwas really going on without Celia ever having to say anything. It was part of why they were so close, and just one of many reasons why she loved her mom so much. Still, Celia couldn’t come clean just yet, so she told her, “I promise to talk to you about all this soon. Right now, though, we better hurry if I’m going to make it to school early enough to—um—help Mari practice.”
    “I’m gonna hold you to that,” Celia’s mom said as she stood up from the bed. “Just remember you can tell me anything, Celia, and I’ll always hear you out. You don’t need to resort to meningitis.”
    “I know, Mami. I’m sorry. I’ll be ready soon,” Celia said. She got up and went to her closet.
    “And not that I claim to know what happened between you two girls, but maybe you should