The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo

Author:Jack D. Ferraiolo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Amulet Books
Published: 2011-03-08T16:00:00+00:00

I was still rubbing my stomach a couple of hours later when I stopped at my locker. Katie’s punch was the gift that kept on giving. I grabbed my books, anxious to scram and put this school day behind me, when I saw a note on the top shelf, next to the surfer girl, whose smile was now openly mocking me.

It was from Liz. “We need to talk. I’ll call you later.” The thought of Liz calling me for any reason was enough to make the pain in my stomach subside a little. It came back when I remembered our previous conversation. Liz had something to tell me, and it hadn’t sounded like a good thing. Our talk tonight would most likely be the cherry on top of my crap sundae of a day.

When I got home, my mom’s car was in the driveway. It was the kind of car that made you wonder how quickly they fired the team that designed it. She was supposed to be at the restaurant, which meant that the car had broken down again, stranding my mom and putting even more stress on our already thin finances. I walked into the kitchen expecting the worst, but I was in for a pleasant surprise: My mom was sitting at the table with a big smile on her face.

“What’s wrong with the car?” I asked, even though I knew by my mom’s expression that the car was fine.

“Nothing. Things were slow at the restaurant so Mr. Carling gave me the night off,” she said excitedly.

“What’s in it for him?” I asked.

“You know what? Tonight, I couldn’t care less. What say you and me go grab a sandwich downtown?”

I furrowed my brow at her, silently asking her whether we should spend the money. It was a knee-jerk reaction. My mom looked sad that her son was being raised to worry like that, but her enthusiasm was not going to be squashed.

“I found a little extra money …,” she said.

I smiled broadly, knowing where that money actually came from. Whatever animosity I felt toward Vinny evaporated. I was sure I’d find some more soon, but at that moment, I wished him good tidings and an endless supply of snack cakes.

“Let me just change my shoes,” Mom said, and ran into her room. I heard my phone ringing downstairs. Liz. I started for the cellar door, my heart beating like a jackrabbit’s. As my hand hit the doorknob, my mom came out of her room.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Nowhere. The phone downstairs was ringing. I was just going to go pick it up. Let the person know they had the wrong number.”

My mom gave me a kiss on the forehead. “You’re so considerate, but let it ring. Just for tonight, let’s be a little selfish.”

I buried my disappointment in the biggest smile I could muster. “Sounds good, Mom.” We walked out the door. The phone kept ringing, the answers to some of my questions waiting for me on the other end.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.