Amber Brown Horses Around by Paula Danziger

Author:Paula Danziger
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-08-13T16:00:00+00:00

I go backstage to tell Justin how great he was, but there is already a crowd around him and Treasure. When I finally I get to him, I say, “Justin, that was hilarious!”

His smile is so big you can see every bit of his braces.

I smile back. “Why didn’t you tell me you could sing? I mean, I knew you could sing . . . . . we do it in the car all the time. But I didn’t know you could sing like that! And in public!”

Justin shrugs. “When we moved to Alabama, Mom made me join the junior choir at our new church. She said it would be a good way to get to know people. It turned out that I love it. I even joined the chorus in school and had a part in our musical this spring.”

I am surprised and a little annoyed. Why didn’t I know about something that was so important to Justin? “You need to write to me more often,” I tell him.

Justin makes a face. “I’m not so good at that. Sorry.”

“So how did you and Treasure end up singing together?” I ask.

He shrugs again. “We just started goofing around on the climbing raft and came up with that song. The other kids out there thought it was so funny they talked us into doing it for the talent show.”

I’m happy for Justin, but a little upset too. Not just about Treasure, but that I still can’t swim well enough to be a raft kid. I wonder what else I am missing because I can’t go out there.

Then Hannah makes it worse. “We laughed our heads off when Justin and Treasure made up that song,” she says. “Too bad you weren’t there, Amber.”

Talk about skunks.

After the crowd breaks up, we head back to our bunk. When I climb onto my bed, I find an envelope on my pillow. Written on it is To Amber, From Her Secret Admirer.

I have never imagined having a secret admirer. Could it be from Justin? Part of me wants it to be . . . . . . . . part of me thinks that would be too weird.

When I open the envelope, there is a sudden whirring that makes me jump. “Whaaaa!” I scream.

I think it’s a giant bug.

It falls off my bed onto the floor.

Cleo shouts too.

Grace gets to it first. She’s got a shoe ready to squash it. Then she starts laughing. “This is made from a bent paper clip and rubber bands,” she says. “Where did it come from?”

“It was in this envelope,” I tell her. “It was booby-trapped!”

I don’t want to show them the envelope because I don’t want anyone to see what was written on it. I know they would tease me about thinking I have a secret admirer when all I really have is someone who wanted to play a joke on me. It would be a big laugh.

Then I notice that someone is laughing already.

It is Hannah Burton, of course.

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