Lovely, Spottednose [chrysanthemum read aloud .TXT] 📗

“You look so strange now,” my mother said.
“How did you get here?” I demanded.
Susan smiled. “I got a tan and I grabbed a cab.”
Lovely was still uneasy about the new arrival. She went up and sniffed Susan around the legs.
“Oh my God!” Susan shrieked. “A puppy! Is this for me?”
“No.” It was my turn to smile. “It’s mine!”
“Lucky!” Susan whined.
“She needed company,” my mother explained. “And she wanted a dog for such a long time…”
It seemed as if Susan remembered I was injured. “Oh, my poor little sister!” she raced to me and gripped me in a bear hug. Susan let go and said, “You tried to save Johanna. You’re so brave!”
I smiled. My eyes started watering, remembering my best friend and all. “Don’t make me cry in front of Lovely, she’ll start whimpering.
To the sound of her name, Lovely ran to me and circled my legs happily. “Don’t knock down my crutches,” I told Love sternly.
Lovely immediately skidded to a halt and rushed back to Susan, knowing she was a part of the family. Susan couldn’t get over the fact that I got a dog and she didn’t after all these years of being alive. “I’m 16 years old and never had a puppy! After I whined, and whined, and whined!”
“Well, Rosie was lonely in the room by herself. So give her a break.” My mother got a magazine.
“I feel so sorry for you. You must feel deserted.”
“I’m not sure if deserted is the right word, at all,” I replied. “Shook up, you can say.”
“Well, whatever you are, I got you a gift from the shore,” Susan said happily. “It’s in here somewhere…” she muttered, scrounging in her purse.
Lovely yelped and started chasing her tail.
“Really?” my mother said.
I turned to her. “What?”
“Miley Cyrus is going to Disneyworld today!” my mother exclaimed.
“Oh wow,” I said and turned back to Susan. “Where is it?”
“Right here!” Susan said. She pulled out a savings bond.
“A savings bond? From the shore

?”
“Yeah! They were having this contest and I won--.”
“Big surprise.”
Susan ignored me and went on, “So a savings bond was the prize, but what would I do with a savings bond? So it’s yours.”
“How long do I have to wait? 60 years?”
Susan laughed. “No. Actually, I don’t know. I should’ve asked the guy.”
“No kidding.”
∞∞∞
Susan announced that she wasn’t going back to the shore for a while.
“Why not?” my mother took a spoonful of soup.
“I’ve been there way too much, and my skin’s starting to look like poop.”
“Don’t say that!” my mother said, while I laughed. “You look really pretty.”
Susan took a spoonful of her soup also. When she swallowed she exclaimed, “Aye Caramba!” she raced out of the kitchen.
I giggled. I felt glad being able to go home again. “When’s Dad’s business trip over?”
My mother’s face fell. “In about a month.”
“Oh.”
It was really silent, except for Susan’s loud swallowing of water.
“You miss him?” my mother asked.
“Of course!” I exclaimed.
My mother smiled. “Good.”
Susan walked coolly back into the kitchen. Sitting down she asked, “Who put the hot sauce in my soup?”
No one answered at first. But when my loud laughter broke out Susan yelled,
“I knew it! You little weasel!” Susan jumped up and ran to my side of the table. Before I could flee to my room, Susan grabbed my shirt and thrust her face closer to mine. “How dare you!”
Silence. Then my mother started chuckling. Susan let go of my shirt and her lip started quivering. Pretty soon the kitchen was filled with laughter.
“Don’t do it again!” Susan managed to say.
“Yeah, whatever,” I said, calming myself. Then I erupted into another fit of giggling.

I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. I missed Johanna. She was such a good friend to me. But what had set her off when we were crossing the street? I turned to lie on my side. I had a feeling Johanna hadn’t just committed suicide for having dinner with Aunt Betsy. In fact, I think that wasn’t the reason at all. Johanna had been hiding something…
I sat up, thinking. What would Johanna hide from everyone? Especially her best friend? I jumped up. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Mrs. Quimby’s (Johanna’s mom) phone number.
“Hello?” Mrs. Quimby answered.
“Mrs. Quimby,” I said quickly. “Do you know if Johanna had a diary?”
“A diary…” Mrs. Quimby thought. “Not that I know of.”
I bit my lip. Johanna must’ve had a diary. “She must’ve. Is it okay if I come over?”
“Sure, honey bon. Should I fix up a snack for you?”
“No thanks, I just ate.”
“Okay, I’ll be waiting,” Mrs. Quimby said, and then hung up the phone.
I took my crutches and walked downstairs. “Mom,” I shouted. “I’m going to Mrs. Quimby’s house!”
“Take Susan with you!” my mother answered from the basement.
I sighed impatiently. “Susan! Let’s go!”
Susan stomped downstairs, singing off-key to a song she was listening to on her iPod. “… And I said, ‘baby do ya want me or not.’”
I walked to the door, hearing Susan walk behind me. I opened the door and slid out. I waited for Susan to catch up and we crossed the street together. I rang the bell, and waited for Mrs. Quimby to answer.
“Hello, dears!” Mrs. Quimby exclaimed as she opened the door. “Come in!”
I walked in and Susan followed. I said, “Can I go up to Johanna’s room?”
“It’s not her room anymore, we didn’t move any of her stuff but you know…” Mrs. Quimby’s voice trailed off.
“Good enough for me,” I answered. I walked quickly upstairs. I went to Johanna’s bed. “Where would she hide a diary?”
I instantly remembered when Johanna had told me something on the bench at the park one day,
“You know how everyone hides things in their pillow and under their mattress?” she had asked.
“Yeah!” I had said.
“It’s dumb. If I were to ever hide something I would hide it where no one would look.”
“Where?”
“In my huge DVD case. Between my two favorite movies…”
I tapped my head to figure out what Johanna’s two favorite movies had been. “That’s it!” I whispered. I raced to the bookshelf, where at the top was Johanna’s DVD case. I grabbed it off the shelf and coughed as dust sprayed me. I opened it and scanned for The Polar Express and Alice in Wonderland. Squealing with triumph, I found Johanna’s diary. And guess what it needed.
A key.

Wow! Do you guys like the book so far? Where do you suppose the key for Johanna’s diary will be? Find out in Chapter 4! Also, was Chapter 3 short? I try not to make my chapters short... I have a sneak peek for you guys! Check it out!

School stinks, I thought, as I clutched my extra bag of clothes. First, you’re doing a reading assignment and then, all of a sudden, you have an accident.
“Why is life so complicated?” I muttered, changing into fresh jeans.
My name is Gabriella Ford. I’m in 6th grade, and I practically think school is awful. People call me Gabby, Gabba, or just plain Gabriella. But for the whole 5th grade, whenever someone saw me, they’d go like: Yo, Gabba, Gabba!
This is a new year, though. Gabby Ford is going to take on 6th grade. I thrust my wet pair of jeans in the plastic bag and marched triumphantly back to Mr. Mendes’s class.
“Welcome back, Gabby,” Mr. Mendes said understandingly.
My feeling of confidence vanished as kids giggled while I walked to my seat. The pee was still there.
“No one wanted to wipe your pee,” Mr. Mendes apologized.
Muttering under my breath, I went to the roll of paper towels and ripped off a piece. I wiped my seat and I felt everyone’s eyes on me. My face reddened. Not with embarrassment, but with anger.
“So all of a sudden I’m the center of attention?” I yelled angrily. “Get on with class, you lazy oaf!” I glared at Mr. Mendes, who flinched.
“Oh, yes!” he exclaimed nervously. “Alice, will you please pass out our story for the week? ‘Hanging by a thread?’”
I finished wiping my seat, but refused to sit in it. I didn’t want to go around smelling like urine. I sat next to Brian Doyle. He was utterly cute and trustworthy, but he never notices me. I always thought he should try out for football.
Curly brown hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a perfect smile. 5’02” with broad shoulders and a body practically meant for football. That’s Bruce Doyle right there.
“Are you going to answer the question?” a voice said.
I barely heard the voice; Brian’s shoulders were too distracting.
“Gabriella!!”
That brought me to reality. I stared at Mr. Mendes. “Huh?”
Mr. Mendes yelled, “Huh? Huh? Stop daydreaming and answer the question!”
“I don’t know the question,” I whispered, this time my face reddened with obvious embarrassment.
Mr. Mendes said, “Go outside.” He grinded his teeth.
I skidded out the door, not wanting to see Brian’s expression.
In a second, Mr. Mendes was standing in front of me. “What’s the matter with you today?”
“I’m sorry!” I said.
“Get inside and if I get any attitude or bad behavior from you, I’m writing you up!”
I nodded and walked back into class. Everyone was absorbed in “Hanging by a thread.”
Brian was already done with his. I wasn’t surprised. I smiled and walked to my seat. Brian glanced at me and threw me a note. A shiver raced through me. What will it say?
Hi, are you okay? I’m sorry about your accident.
My heart pounded. He cares! I glanced at him but he was already looking at something else.
Yeah, thanks for caring. J
Brian chuckled when he read the reply. I felt weird. Had I said something funny?
“Everyone should be done by now,” Mr. Mendes announced. “Gabriella, collect the papers.”
I got up and collected the papers.