Heaven Is Paved with Oreos Read Online Free PDF Page B

had some of Z’s Oreos too, before she left. D.J. is also a dunker. She is even cooler now that I know that.
    Z likes D.J., and now D.J. Schwenk likes my grandmother too. The universe feels extremely happy right now.
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Friday, June 21—LATER
    D.J. did talk about her boyfriend today on the ride back to Red Bend, but it wasn’t in an Emily-bragging kind of way. She said that this weekend they’re going to Lake Superior with Brian’s parents and her mom is freaking about it. But, she says, her mom shouldn’t worry, because Brian’s mother is as strict as she needs to be. I did not ask her what that meant specifically.
    I do not know what D.J. would think of Curtis’s and my Brilliant Outflanking Strategy. But I suspect someone who has a real boyfriend would not approve of someone who has a fake one, particularly if that fake boyfriend is her brother.
    D.J. asked if we’d decided about Rome. I said no and that there was still a lot to figure out.
    â€œI bet.” D.J. nodded in a sympathetic kind of way.
    Mom was home when we got back to Red Bend, and she invited D.J. in so she could pay her. She offered D.J. a pop, but D.J. said she just wanted to get home and shower.
    â€œWhat do you think of this whole Rome business?” Mom asked D.J., rummaging around in her purse for money.
    D.J. leaned against the door frame. “The trip, you mean? Sounds like a pretty great learning experience.” She grinned at me. “I bet even Sarah could be smarter.”
    Then D.J. left and Mom started supper. She didn’t start right away, though. She stood there for a long time staring at the counter.
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Saturday, June 22
    Z came for supper tonight and brought Chinese food. At least this time the vegetables weren’t all purple. That happened once when she was on her one-color-a-day diet, and it was not good.
    Z also brought a sample poster for the Dog Days of Prophetstown, which is a huge festival that Prophetstown will be holding in August with a dog talent show and a dog parade and dog portraitists (of dogs, not by dogs), and Z is going to lead an outdoor yoga class called Downward Dog—which is a real yoga position—for dogs and people both.
    â€œDo dogs even do yoga?” Mom asked.
    â€œWe’ll find out, won’t we?” Z said with a bark (ha! joke!) of laughter.
    Z brought us fortune cookies, too. I find fortune cookies fascinating even though they do not actually predict the future. Here is what our cookies said:
Paul:
Be alert to good news.
Paul said he would try.
Mom:
Today exists between yesterday and tomorrow.
Mom said, “Thank goodness someone finally clarified that for me.” Mom does not appreciate fortune cookies.
Dad:
You will solve a problem.
Dad always solves problems; it’s his job. Not so insightful, that cookie.
Sarah (= me):
That which is priceless has no cost.
Mom rolled her eyes, but I was okay with it.
Z:
Hell is paved with good intentions.
    Z frowned when she read it, and I noticed Mom and Dad looked at each other. But then Z grabbed a pen and carefully added the words
Heaven is paved with Oreos.
She held it up. “Much better, don’t you think?”
    We all agreed it was.
    If you look at the beginning of this journal, you can see I have taped
Heaven is paved with Oreos
on the cover. And I’ll tell you one thing: Z’s heaven will definitely have Oreos in it.
    Z is still here, talking in the kitchen with Mom and Dad. I suppose I should be there too, considering they’re probably talking about Rome (which, by the way, no one mentioned at supper, which means something). But then they’ll ask me what I think, and
I DO NOT KNOW.
Z says I should go, Curtis says I shouldn’t, Miss Hesselgrave says . . . I don’t know what she would say, but it is definitely something disapproving. D.J. says it could make me smarter . . .
    I like the idea of Rome making me smarter. I will admit