Read Online Zera and the Green Man by Sandra Knauf - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sandra Knauf
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it might be embarrassing, or, worse, I might sound like a whiner. She tried to look calm, as if it were no big deal, as she gathered her supplies. Her classmates stared, a few grinned. Biggie said, “Uh-oh” under his breath. Ms. Casey didn’t hear it, but a couple of kids chuckled.
The trip down the long, brightly-lit hallways seemed to take forever. Zera saw no one, but could feel the mechanical stares of the digital surveillance cameras at each corner, red indicator lights glowing. Her sneakers made an empty slap-slap echo on the polished surface of the linoleum and the lemony smell of floor wax filled her nostrils. Her stomach felt queasy, partly from nerves, partly from the smell, as she shuffled past posters advertising the contents of the vending machines that stood like sentinels near the cafeteria. She glanced at a poster reading CAFE-COLA KEEPS YOU ALERT. It showed a bug-eyed boy sitting in the library with a history book, a geology book, a math book, and a can of Cafe-Cola, all opened in front of him. The HI-PROTEIN SQUIGGLES ARE A GREAT AFTER-SCHOOL SNACK poster showed a group of teenagers on the school steps. They laughed, heads thrown back, as if sharing a terrific joke, their hands plunged into bags of the bright-colored, chemically-flavored and vitamin-fortified, gummy-worm treats.
Eyeing another camera, Zera was gripped by self-consciousness. She shifted the notebook around and wiped her damp palms on the hips of her jeans, thinking of Tiffany’s warning that her rock and roll T-shirts were “inappropriate for school.” A comment which was inevitably followed with a smug, “I’m surprised they let you wear them.” Without thinking, Zera brought her notebook to her chest, covering the flaming guitar logo on her Pyro T-shirt. When she realized what she had done her arms came down and her jaw clenched. No. I love my T-shirts. She had a whole trunk-full that belonged to her musician father; really old ones, featuring a variety of rock bands from The Beatles to the White Stripes. They can’t be calling me in to change my shirt, kids wear stuff like this all the time. The only other thing she could think of was that something had happened to The Toad, or to Nonny. That last possibility, too horrible to consider, made her catch her breath.
Zera found the receptionist’s desk empty and no one else in the office but Jake, the boy she’d embarrassed in the cafeteria during spring break. He was sitting in a chair next to the door, obviously waiting for his turn in the principal’s office. He looked up at her, ran his fingers through his blond bangs. “Hi.”
He doesn’t hate me? The guilt over what she’d said to him in March had stuck with her. She blurted, “I’m sorry about that comment. About drugs.”
To her surprise, he smiled. “It’s cool. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I say stupid stuff sometimes, that’s why I’m here now.” He locked eyes with her. “I just thought, well, those shirts you wear are pretty awesome.”
“They belonged to my dad,” Zera said, cringing inside as soon as the words left her mouth. That’s not awkward .
“Yeah, I heard about that. Sorry.” He hadn’t looked away.
Zera couldn’t help but notice how blue his eyes were. “Um, Tinsel told me to tell you to come on in when you showed up,” he said. “She’s going to ‘deal with me’ later.” The grin broke out again. “Good luck.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks.”
Zera went to the principal’s office door. Yep, I am smooth . She swallowed, and knocked.
“Come in,” a welcoming voice called.
Zera cautiously opened the door to the sight of Principal Tinsel, sitting behind her desk, bestowing upon her the best Miss America smile ever. She waved Zera in. The too-big smile and friendly wave caused Zera to purposely bring up her notebook again to hide her shirt’s logo.
She entered on rubbery legs, trying to have an expression more pleasant than worried.
“It’s so good to see you
The trip down the long, brightly-lit hallways seemed to take forever. Zera saw no one, but could feel the mechanical stares of the digital surveillance cameras at each corner, red indicator lights glowing. Her sneakers made an empty slap-slap echo on the polished surface of the linoleum and the lemony smell of floor wax filled her nostrils. Her stomach felt queasy, partly from nerves, partly from the smell, as she shuffled past posters advertising the contents of the vending machines that stood like sentinels near the cafeteria. She glanced at a poster reading CAFE-COLA KEEPS YOU ALERT. It showed a bug-eyed boy sitting in the library with a history book, a geology book, a math book, and a can of Cafe-Cola, all opened in front of him. The HI-PROTEIN SQUIGGLES ARE A GREAT AFTER-SCHOOL SNACK poster showed a group of teenagers on the school steps. They laughed, heads thrown back, as if sharing a terrific joke, their hands plunged into bags of the bright-colored, chemically-flavored and vitamin-fortified, gummy-worm treats.
Eyeing another camera, Zera was gripped by self-consciousness. She shifted the notebook around and wiped her damp palms on the hips of her jeans, thinking of Tiffany’s warning that her rock and roll T-shirts were “inappropriate for school.” A comment which was inevitably followed with a smug, “I’m surprised they let you wear them.” Without thinking, Zera brought her notebook to her chest, covering the flaming guitar logo on her Pyro T-shirt. When she realized what she had done her arms came down and her jaw clenched. No. I love my T-shirts. She had a whole trunk-full that belonged to her musician father; really old ones, featuring a variety of rock bands from The Beatles to the White Stripes. They can’t be calling me in to change my shirt, kids wear stuff like this all the time. The only other thing she could think of was that something had happened to The Toad, or to Nonny. That last possibility, too horrible to consider, made her catch her breath.
Zera found the receptionist’s desk empty and no one else in the office but Jake, the boy she’d embarrassed in the cafeteria during spring break. He was sitting in a chair next to the door, obviously waiting for his turn in the principal’s office. He looked up at her, ran his fingers through his blond bangs. “Hi.”
He doesn’t hate me? The guilt over what she’d said to him in March had stuck with her. She blurted, “I’m sorry about that comment. About drugs.”
To her surprise, he smiled. “It’s cool. I shouldn’t have said that to you. I say stupid stuff sometimes, that’s why I’m here now.” He locked eyes with her. “I just thought, well, those shirts you wear are pretty awesome.”
“They belonged to my dad,” Zera said, cringing inside as soon as the words left her mouth. That’s not awkward .
“Yeah, I heard about that. Sorry.” He hadn’t looked away.
Zera couldn’t help but notice how blue his eyes were. “Um, Tinsel told me to tell you to come on in when you showed up,” he said. “She’s going to ‘deal with me’ later.” The grin broke out again. “Good luck.”
“Uh, okay. Thanks.”
Zera went to the principal’s office door. Yep, I am smooth . She swallowed, and knocked.
“Come in,” a welcoming voice called.
Zera cautiously opened the door to the sight of Principal Tinsel, sitting behind her desk, bestowing upon her the best Miss America smile ever. She waved Zera in. The too-big smile and friendly wave caused Zera to purposely bring up her notebook again to hide her shirt’s logo.
She entered on rubbery legs, trying to have an expression more pleasant than worried.
“It’s so good to see you
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