Crystal Read Online Free PDF Page B

wearing," she said.
"I have astigmatism."
"Bummer," she said. "You oughtta go with me to the mall one day and get nicer frames. Maybe prescription sunglasses, too. You'll look better."
"I don't wear them for looks. I wear them to help me see and read," I said.
She laughed. "Sure. Until someone like Tom MacNamara looks your way. He's so cool, but he's a senior this year and probably won't even look at us. He also happens to be captain of the football team."
"I probably wouldn't be interested in him anyway," I said, and she stopped walking.
"Sure you wouldn't." She bounced her weight from one leg to the other. "Did you have a boyfriend at the orphanage?"
"No. I have never really had a boyfriend," I admitted.
She stared a moment and then started walking again.
"Me, neither," she confessed. "Oh, I pretended to like Jack Martin one year just so it looked like I had a boyfriend, but I never even kissed him, and when he went to kiss me, I turned my head so he kissed my cheek like an uncle or someone. You see this big house?" she said, pausing. "Clara Seymour lives here. She's a senior this year and will probably be senior prom queen. Her father's a heart doctor, a cardiosomething."
"Cardiologist," I said.
"Yes, I think that's it." She tilted her head and squinted at me. "You are smart."
"I'm thinking of becoming a doctor myself someday."
"A doctor!" she said. "It costs a lot, I heard." "I hope to win scholarships, too," I added.
"I'll be glad just to get my diploma. I haven't the slightest idea what do. I was thinking I might become an actress, but I didn't even make the junior play."
"What do you like to do?"
"Party," she said, laughing, "and watch television.
Oh!" She stopped and took my arm. "Watch out for the dog at this house," she said, nodding at a small A-frame. "Old Lady Potter lives there, and she has a mean rottweiler for protection. Last year, he bit a UPS delivery driver and there was a big commotion with the police and everything."
"I'll definitely stay out of that yard." I laughed. "Thanks for the advice."
"If you turn right at the corner and go two blocks, you reach the Quick Shop where you can get magazines, gum, and stuff. We're not far from the school, only about two miles. You going to take the bus?"
"I guess so," I said. "I don't think Karl wants to drive me every day, especially since there is a bus."
"You call him Karl?" she asked quickly.
"Right now I do," I said, looking away.
"But Thelma you call Mom?"
"She wanted it that way from the start," I said. "You know what? You're right:'
"What?"
"You are nosy."
She laughed. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Bernie Felder. I have a feeling you two will, get along real well. Bernie's a genius, too."
"I'm not a genius," I corrected.
"Whatever." She sped up, and we walked to another ranch-style house with a brick facade. It looked like an expensive house. The landscaping was more elaborate than most, and the house was almost twice the size of Karl and Thelma's.
"What do Bernie's parents do?" I asked.
"His father owns a big tire store that services trucks," she said. "Bernie's an only child, like you."
"What about you?"
"I have a younger brother I ignore," she said "My parents named him William, but they call him Buster."
"Buster?"
"When you see him, you'll see why. He looks like a Buster, and he's always busting things," she added. "Come on." She headed for the front door.
"Maybe we should call first," I said, but she pushed the door buzzer.
"I'd rather be unexpected," she said "It's more fun."
A maid answered the door, and Helga asked for Bernie. A few moments later, a boy about my height with straggly red hair and light green eyes appeared. He wore a T-shirt that looked two sizes too big and a pair of jeans with sneakers and no socks. His face was pale with full red lips and a cleft chin.
"Hi, Bernie," Helga said.
He grimaced. "What do you want?" he demanded. "That's not a very nice way to say hello," she remarked.
"I was in the middle of something," he said