It's a Green Thing Read Online Free PDF Page B

promise to call her doctor for a follow-up consultation. Thirty minutes later her mom showed to pick up both Brooke and Amanda.
    “What about pizza?” Brooke called as she paused by her mom's car.
    “What?” I'd totally forgotten about my promise.
    “Remember, to celebrate getting the wall done?”
    “Oh yeah.” I glanced back at Dominic and Marissa. “You guys still want to do that?”
    “Maybe we should plan it for tomorrow,” suggested Dominic, “in case we have to work late to finish this.”
    “Yeah, that sounds good.” I relayed this idea back to Brooke.
    She and Amanda agreed to this. And then our labor forces, now down to four, continued to work. Before the day ended, we were visited by the local newspaper, which I suspected was my uncle's doing since he's the editor and knew what I'd been up to this week. Anyway, the four of us posed for some photos, and not long afterward Mrs. Albert and some of her colleagues came down to check on our progress.
    “Well, I'm very impressed,” she said as they looked on with approval. “This is much nicer than I expected.”
    It was close to eight by the time we finished. But as we stepped back to look at the completed mural, I was stunned at how amazing it looked. Oh, maybe it was due to the light, since the sun was low in the sky, but it really looked incredible. The color shapes seemed to glow, and the rainbow sprang to life.
    “Wow,” Marissa said. “It's a lot better than I expected too.”
    “It's like…magical,” Eddie said.
    “And kind of spiritual too,” Dominic added.
    “And it makes me feel hopeful.” I sighed. Maybe this really was a sign of things to come.
    “So…” Marissa rubbed her hands together like she was about to tell us some grand idea. “Who wants to party?”
    “Party?” I glanced at her. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean there's supposed to be a great party down at the lake tonight.”
    “Do you mean that keg party?” asked Dominic.
    “Yeah, you guys want to come? The more the merrier.”
    “Sure,” Eddie said eagerly.
    I glanced at Dominic, worried that he was going to say yes too. But he just shook his head. “No thanks.”
    “Count me out,” I told Marissa, hoping she might take a hint and think twice about this stupid idea herself. I mean, had she forgotten her dad was a cop? Or was she just determined to push the envelope so far that she'd be kicked out of her house for good?
    She frowned at me. “Come on, party pooper. All work and no play makes Maya a really dull girl.”
    “Thanks, but no thanks. Do you mind dropping me at home before you go partying?”
    Now Eddie looked disappointed. “So you guys really aren't going to this thing?”
    “If you're smart, you won't go either,” Dominic told him.
    I frowned at Marissa. “And you shouldn't either.”
    She just shrugged. “I don't see why not.”
    “Because…” I glanced at the guys, unsure how much to say. “What about your dad?”
    “Hey, it's no secret,” she told them. “My dad's a cop, and I got busted with booze in my car.”
    “And you're still driving?” Eddie looked partly surprised and partly impressed.
    “I didn't get a DUI. I don't do
that
.”
    “How can you say that?” I asked. “If you're driving to a keg party, how do you expect to get home?”
    “I don't drink that much, Maya. I'll have a beer or two and just hang and have fun. I'm not stupid. I know my limit.”
    “Well, those lake parties get busted about half the time,” Dominic pointed out. “Even if you're not overdoing, you'll get caught for an MIP.”
    “Won't be the first time.” Marissa just shrugged.
    “Oh, Marissa.” I shook my head. “I thought you were smarter than that.”
    “And I thought you were cooler than this. I thought the preaching ended when Brooke and Amanda left.” Then, as if to drive this home, she let out a colorful swearword. I was unimpressed. My own mother can do way better than that.
    “Here's a solution,” Eddie said eagerly.