Girl's Best Friend Read Online Free PDF Page B

Everything’s a mess and I’m super embarrassed and the Pizza Den was just the beginning.”
    I told Lucy the whole story: Milo and his iPod, the Ivy intrusion, the car wreck, getting chewed out by some stranger who thought I was bad for her business. And how my birthday party had been sabotaged. “Ivy’s like this giant stink bomb that’s gonna poison the whole scene.”
    “She is awful,” said Lucy. “What was Finn thinking?”
    “He wasn’t,” I said.
    “You don’t think he likes her, do you?”
    “My brother can be pretty clueless sometimes, but he’s not stupid. Otto likes Eve, apparently. He asked Finn to invite her, and you know how the three of them can’t do anything unless they’re all together. Like they share a brain.”
    “Oh.”
    “I’m serious. Eve and Katie can’t even buy a pack of gum without clearing it with Ivy first. I mean, if you’re—”
    “I get it,” Lucy interrupted. She twisted her wavy black hair into a messy bun. “So what are you going to do about Milo?”
    “Nothing.”
    “But you’ve been crushing on him since forever.”
    “Not forever,” I said.
    “Fine. Since you saw him leaning against his locker that first day he transferred, but that was months ago. When we were sixth graders. And what did you say the other day? About how you were sick of watching stuff happen to other people? How you wanted something to happen to you?”
    “Public humiliation isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
    “Well, what about our promise?”
    This past summer, we’d vowed to do everything possible to get boyfriends this year. (Way embarrassing but true.) So far, Lucy couldn’t figure out who to like, but she promised that once she did, she’d make her move. And as for me? Well, obviously I needed a new tactic.
    “What time is it?” I glanced up at her wall clock, a pink owl with eyes that moved from side to side with each passing second. Lucy calls her Ms. Owlet Supreme. I’m not sure why, but her wings told me I was ten minutes late. “I’ve gotta go.”
    “Or do you just not want to answer me?” asked Lucy.
    “I can’t deny that.” I stood up. “But I do need to get home. You know what they say—time flies when you’re avoiding your brother.”
    Lucy tilted her head to one side and flashed me a skeptical glance. “Who says that?”
    “I do.”
    As I headed for the door, Lucy called, “Wait, before you leave, tell me what you think of this.” She pulled something green and white and lumpy out of her knitting bag. “Do you think Finn will like it?”
    “Depends. What is it?”
    Lucy folded it carefully in her lap. “Half a scarf. The rest will be done by the weekend, probably. Depending on whether or not I go back and fix the crooked stitches in the middle. He probably wouldn’t even notice, right? Or if he did, maybe he’d think it’s part of the design?”
    “Finn’s not so into shopping for clothes,” I said. “Accessories, especially. And I don’t think he even knows about Etsy. I know you’ve been trying to expand your customer base, but I don’t think this is the way to—”
    Lucy cut me off. “I’m not trying to sell it. I just thought I’d give it to him.”
    “Oh. Why?”
    “For his birthday,” said Lucy.
    “No one’s supposed to bring us gifts, remember? My parents’ idea, obviously. It’s like my whole family is conspiring to make my birthday stink.”
    “It won’t be that bad. And I wasn’t going to bring it to the party. I’ll give it to him some other time. Since I made one for you. It seemed like … I don’t know.” Lucy didn’t finish her thought. I couldn’t believe she was pulling this.
    There’s nothing more annoying than people who think Finn and I should wear matching, or even coordinating, outfits. And Lucy should know better. “We are not going to wear twin scarves.”
    “This is completely different.” Lucy seemed insulted. “Yours is turquoise and purple striped.”
    “Yeah—the key word is