Starting From Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow

Author:Lisa Jenn Bigelow [Bigelow, Lisa Jenn]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: General, Social Issues, Dating & Sex, Animals, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Homosexuality, Parents, School & Education, Dogs
ISBN: 9780761462330
Google: ODADtwAACAAJ
Amazon: 0761462333
Publisher: Amazon Childrens Publishing
Published: 2012-08-07T18:31:11+00:00

WE HAD FINALS the rest of the week, two per day, and they were every bit as bad as I expected. Well, I did all right in English. History and Spanish weren’t great, but I’d pass. The same with algebra, thanks to a last-minute cram session with Van. And I’d get at least a B in phys ed; anyone who put in a drop of effort did. But I knew that even the world’s most generous curve wouldn’t bring me up to a D in chemistry.

By Friday night I was desperate to get to Robyn’s just so I could stop imagining what method Dad would use to kill me when he saw my grades. Once again Mo and I climbed the stairs to Robyn’s place, and the door swung open before I could knock. She was wearing her Lions sweat suit again, too.

“I hate to tell you this,” I said, “but the Lions sucked this season.”

She laughed. “When don’t they? But you’ve got to root for the home team.”

“I don’t. Go, Bears!”

“Oh, come in, you traitor.”

Robyn already had the kettle on. I sat at the island while Mo and the other dogs went through their sniffing ritual. Oscar, the fuzz ball, ran into the living room and returned with a rubber cat. He and Mo tussled, the cat squeaking feebly every time it changed jaws.

“How’s school going?” Robyn asked as we sipped our tea.

I shrugged. No way was I mentioning finals. “Not exactly my favorite pastime, but I’m dealing.”

Robyn nodded. “I always liked school—the academic parts, I mean—but it was my friends who really made it all worthwhile.”

I grimaced. My supply of friends had dwindled lately without soccer or the Alliance. When it came down to it, the only friend I could really count on was Van. And Mo. I stretched out a leg and stroked his back with my foot. He flicked his eyes up to mine, then closed them, sighing noisily.

“I grew up around here, too,” Robyn said, “over by WMU. But I went to State for veterinary school. They have a great program. I was one of those kids who knew what they wanted to be in kindergarten. When I was six, I had a worm hospital.”

“Excuse me?” I sputtered.

Robyn laughed. “After a rainstorm I’d walk around the neighborhood and scoop up all the worms that were half dried out on the sidewalk. I’d put them in a shoe box full of wet grass and dirt until they were healthy enough to put in the yard … or until they died.”

“What did your parents think?”

“Oh, they thought it was cute, in a weird way. My mother said she couldn’t wait until I had children of my own, to see what kind of bizarre things they did.” Robyn smiled wryly. “What about you, Colby? What are your plans for the future?”

“I’ll probably be bagging groceries till I’m ninety. Or, if I’m lucky, I’ll make cashier by fifty.” I laughed. Robyn didn’t. I held my teacup close to my

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.