Write Before Your Eyes by Lisa Williams Kline

Author:Lisa Williams Kline
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780375891281
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2008-10-14T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Gracie and Dylan tiptoed through her family room, holding hands. They had started upstairs with her backpack when the door to the garage slammed.

“Kids? I’m home.” Mom dropped her briefcase on the floor, then headed for the stairs. Gracie squeezed Dylan’s hand as Mom walked right past them on the landing. She didn’t see them at all! They followed her down the hall as she knocked on Alex’s door before pushing it open.

“So? How bad was detention?”

Alex, lying on his bed playing his Game Boy, shrugged. “She yelled at us to shut up the whole time. We didn’t and now everyone has another day of detention.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope.”

“That’s horrible!” Mom said. “Why didn’t the school call me?”

“They said they tried.”

Mom took out her BlackBerry, stared at the screen, then went down the hall, knocked, and opened Jen’s door. “Jen! What happened to your face?”

Jen was lying on her bed in her pj’s, and she’d put Band-Aids over the inflamed scratches on her cheek and neck. Her stained clothes lay in a pile on the floor. Jen told Mom everything that had happened in the cafeteria.

“And get this,” Jen finished. “Gracie comes into the lunchroom, and I’m getting beat up by this girl, I mean totally smacked around, and Gracie doesn’t even try to get her off of me or anything.”

“Th—” Gracie started, but Dylan squeezed her hand and she bit her invisible lip.

“She just stands there like a complete idiot and stares at me like I’ve got three heads, and then turns around and runs the other way. I mean, it’s bad enough to have this space-cadet sister who’s like a total social liability, but the fact that she’s not even loyal really ticks me off. Plus, she stole my earrings.”

“Jen, I find this entire episode appalling. You were suspended, and that other girl was expelled? Why wasn’t I called?” Mom punched a few more buttons on her BlackBerry.

“They said they tried. And I didn’t even do anything, Mom; I was just carrying my tray across the lunchroom, minding my own business.”

“Oh, gosh. I have three messages. They must have called during that staff meeting when I turned my phone to vibrate,” Mom said. “Jen, how do I get my messages?”

“Mom, you’re such a dork,” Jen said. She took the BlackBerry, pressed two buttons, and handed it back to Mom. “You’re never going to learn to use that thing.”

Gracie was stung beyond words. After all Gracie had done for Jen, Jen had called her a “social liability.” And Mom hadn’t even yelled at her!

“I’m still going out with Sean tonight,” Jen said. “Candy Bobinski will have to kill me first.”

“Over my dead body!” Mom said.

“Mom! This is Sean we’re talking about. He’s my dream.”

“Oh, God,” Dylan whispered. “Girls think I’m a leper, and the Fridge is your sister’s dream. I hate middle school.”

“I’m not even wasting my time discussing this,” Mom said, looking into Gracie’s empty room. “Alex, Jen, where’s Gracie?”

“No clue,” Alex said. A few rapid beeps came from his Game Boy.

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