Gamer Girl Read Online Free PDF

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while our teacher drilled us on the finer points of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
    "Anyone?"
Ms. Reilly asked, looking over the rows of bored students. She ran a
hand through her curly red hair. She was really young for a teacher
and I guessed still under the naive impression that she could
actually make a difference in her students' lives. Of course soon
enough she'd realize her role here was little more than glorified
babysitter and she'd start practicing the method the old-school
teachers favored, like wheeling in a television and letting us watch
the movie version of whatever was on the curriculum that week.
    "Come on,
did anyone do this weekend's reading assignment?"
    I did, nerd
that I am. Not that I'd needed to. I'd read the play four times over
the last three years and had seen both
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    the 1968 movie
and the way-cool Leonardo DiCaprio/Claire Danes modern update. There
was just something about the tragic love story that really spoke to
me.
    But that didn't
mean I was going to raise my hand and call attention to myself. I had
enough notoriety at Hannah Dustin High already, thank you very much.
    A crumpled
piece of paper bounced onto my desk. I didn't have to turn around to
know Billy and his cronies were responsible. Ever since that first
day in school, when Grandma had told all his friends about his
bed-wetting problem, he'd made it his life's mission to annoy and
embarrass me. And he and his Hater friends were damn good at the job.
I'd had my lunch tray tipped over four times, countless spitballs in
my hair, my locker Super Glued shut, and my clothes stolen from my
gym locker and stuffed down the toilet. All in the span of three
weeks.
    While I had
never been the most popular girl back in my old school, at least I
had my circle of friends. Girls to giggle with in the hallways and
boys to pass notes to in class. Now I had no one. Not even my old
friends, who were too wrapped up in their own daily lives to ever
remember to call me back. And when they eventually did, they had new
stories and new inside jokes--ones I didn't know or understand. I'd
hang up the phone after talking to them, feeling even more alone than
before.
    Against my
better judgment, I unfolded the paper. Someone had drawn a picture of
a vampire girl that was obviously supposed to be me. The words FREAK
GIRL were printed
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    in big block
letters across the page. Jerks. I crumpled up the paper in my
fist, my face burning. Laughter erupted from the back of the
classroom. I forced myself not to turn around, even though I wanted
nothing more than to give Billy the finger.
    "And what,
pray tell, is so funny, William?" demanded Ms. Redly, suddenly
stopping her lesson. She made her way through the rows of desks until
she reached my nemesis and his gang. I stole a glance. All the boys
had immediately donned poker faces. Innocent angels, the lot of them.
    "Nothing,
Ms. Reilly," they chimed.
    She turned back
to me. "Were these boys bothering you, Maddy?" she queried.
I squirmed in my seat. Oh, great. This was the last thing I needed.
Teacher intervention.
    "No, Ms.
Reilly," I said, silently begging her to go back to her lesson. Don't make it worse, I prayed. Please don't make it worse.
    She narrowed
her eyes. Of course she didn't believe me. She held out her hand and
I reluctantly handed over the vampire drawing. After a brief
inspection, she turned back and looked straight at Billy. "Wow,
someone's quite the artist," she remarked pointedly. "Would
you like to tell me who drew this?"
    Billy's friends
started laughing. Billy hissed at them to shut up. Ms. Reilly turned
back to me. "Madeline," she said, "did William throw
this at you?"
    I grimaced,
realizing my predicament. I didn't want to lie--especially not to Ms.
Reilly, who was cool and interesting
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    and tried hard
to he a good teacher. But on the other hand, I wasn't a snitch. And
the last thing I wanted was to piss off Billy even more. It would
only end badly for me.
    I made my
decision. "No,