Sophie and the New Girl by Nancy N. Rue

Author:Nancy N. Rue
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Zonderkidz

Eight

In case you haven’t noticed,” Fiona said before she even reached Phoebe’s father, “our friend Maggie is Cuban. I’m sure she doesn’t appreciate you saying things like that.”

“Who’s a Cuban?” Mr. Karnes’ eyes darted across the yard like he was looking for a rattlesnake.

Darbie stepped in front of Maggie. Jimmy was right beside her. Sophie was stuck between wanting to cover Maggie’s ears and wishing she could escape into Liberty Lawhead on the spot.

“Fiona,” Boppa said, “let me handle this.”

“You better do it quick,” Fiona said. “Before I — ”

“Fiona,” Boppa said.

Their beloved Boppa didn’t raise his voice that often. When he did, everybody shifted into obedience mode. Fiona backed down from the porch.

“You kids get to work,” Boppa said. He looked at Mr. Karnes. “Could we talk privately? Inside?”

Mr. Karnes shrugged, and they disappeared inside the house. Nobody said anything for a minute. Even Phoebe was quiet as she stared at the door.

“I wondered where you got that big speech yesterday,” Vincent finally said to Phoebe. “Now I know.”

“You sounded just like your father,” Darbie said.

Fiona snorted. “Go figure.”

Phoebe took a bow. “Thank you,” she said. “I get my material wherever I can.”

“Do you believe him?”

Sophie jumped. It was the first thing Maggie had said since they’d arrived. And Maggie’s face wasn’t blank anymore. Her eyes were hard and shiny, like wet stones.

Phoebe looked as startled as Sophie felt, but only for a few seconds. Then something hard came into her eyes too. That final piece made her look identical to her father.

“My dad’s a jerk,” she said. “I never even listen to him except when I need an example for a character. When I told him what we were doing our movie on, he just came out with this whole monologue — ”

“Then you don’t believe him,” Sophie said quickly. She could practically feel Maggie growing stiffer by the second.

“Who cares?” Phoebe said. “It’s all about the part for me.”

“We care if Maggie gets her feelings hurt.” Fiona’s nostrils were flared so wide, Sophie was sure she herself could have crawled in. “Your father needs to apologize to her.”

“Right,” Phoebe said. “Like I can make him.”

“You probably can’t,” Vincent said. He sounded like he was talking about a math problem. “On the meanness scale, he’s about a — ”

“So, do you guys want to do this scene or what?” Jimmy said.

Sophie decided she liked him for that too. But as they set up the “scum word” scene, Sophie couldn’t help wondering —

Was Phoebe really that good an actor? Had she really just played her father yesterday when she yelled at Maggie?

Or did she believe what she was saying?

She can’t even remember Maggie’s name half the time, Sophie thought. And she just automatically assumed Senora LaQuita was the cleaning lady.

Not only that, but Phoebe pushed Maggie around like she was her servant or something. Even now, she was saying, “You — get behind Fiona since she’s your mom and act like you’re scared. Do something besides just stare.”

“You know what, Phoebe?” Fiona said.

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