Middle School: My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar Read Online Free PDF Page A

chopping, and I noticed that she seemed tired.
    “Rafe stole my book,” I reported.
    “Rafe?” Mom’s face brightened with a smile. “He wanted to read your book?”
    Ugh—this isn’t going well
, I thought. I decided to change tactics. “Rafe has about six months’ worth of old, used chewing gum stuck all over his room.”
    “What?” Mom put down the knife.
    “Rafe is hoarding old gum,” I told her. “He even keeps some in the toilet!”
    That did it.
    “Rafe!” Mom shouted, and stomped out of the kitchen. I could practically see the steam coming from her ears.
    Ha! Revenge is sweet. Or in Rafe’s case, old and sticky.

My Mom Is My Worst Nightmare
    T he bad news: Jules doesn’t like it when I squeal on Rafe, but sometimes I just can’t help myself. So after she collared Rafe, she sent me to my room. That wasn’t a big surprise.
    The good news: Sound travels really well from Rafe’s room to mine, so I could hear every word of Mom’s shriek-fest at Rafe. Also—I had popcorn!

    Wow—Mom’s investigation into Rafe’s chewing gum “collection” was really thorough. She even found the gum I’d hidden in his sock drawer!
    Rafe was furious, of course. He denied that the gum was his, which only made Mom angrier.
    It was fun while it lasted. Unfortunately, it lasted only seven minutes. Then Mom came to my room.
    I stashed the popcorn under my bed as she opened my door and then closed it softly behind her. Next, she took a deep breath, almost a sigh, and looked at me. “The school called earlier,” she said.
    “Oh.” It was as if frost had settled on my clothes—the chill ran down to my bones. “Um—what about?”
    “About your detention.”
    “I was going to tell you—” She held up her hand, and I clamped my lips together. “Sorry,” I murmured.
    Mom sat at the foot of my bed and ran her fingers through her blond hair. “Georgia, you know that Rafe made a lot of mistakes at Hills Village,” she began.

    “I’m not like him,” I said quickly.
    “I just don’t want you to go through what he went through.” Mom’s eyes teared up a little, and I felt
awful
.
This is worse than getting yelled at
, I realized. I’ve always tried to be the kid Mom doesn’t have to worry about. I would have given anything to trade places with Rafe at that moment. I’d rather have Mom mad at me than have her disappointed in me.
    What kind of world is it when Rafe is reading for fun and I’m making Mom cry by being in detention?

    “I’ll never get detention again,” I promised. “I
won’t
.”
    “I’m glad to hear it, honey,” Mom said, squeezing my hand.
    I swear, I never meant to break my promise so fast.

It Ain’t Easy Being Green
    I adjusted the towel on my head and frowned at the outfit I’d just laid out on my bed.
Which is safer?
I wondered.
Jeans or leggings?
    I decided to go with the jeans and a plain red shirt, no logo.
Don’t give the Princesses anything to pick on
, I thought.

    I pulled on my “safe” outfit and found a pair of plain brown socks. I slipped my feet into a pair of low black boots. Then it was time to dry my hair.
    No braids
, I thought.
No gel. Just plain.
I took the towel off my head.

    “Rafe!” I screamed, practically flying down the stairs and into the kitchen. “That’s it! That’s IT!”
    Rafe cracked up. Mom stepped between us, which was lucky—for Rafe.
    “Oh, green hair!” Grandma Dotty said cheerfully. “Very daring, Georgia! I
love
punk rock!”
    “Rafe, are you responsible for this?” Mom asked.
    “Absolutely,” Rafe said between snickers.
    “I’m going to shove that cereal spoon up your nose and into your brain!” I screeched at my brother. My wet, scraggly green hair dripped into my eyes.
    “Worth it!” Rafe crowed. “You look like you’ve got seaweed on your head!”
    “Why would you do something like this?” Mom demanded.
    “Georgia knows why,” Rafe snapped. He flashed me an evil, triumphant grin.
    “This is very serious,