My Last Best Friend Read Online Free PDF Page A

most of the furniture. Even the bowls and spoons had been packed, so we pretty much just had to sit around on the floor and eat cereal right out of the box.
    The longer I sat there and watched Elizabeth's mom and dad running around, rolling up rugs and carrying boxes out to the moving van, the more I wondered if maybe
my
parents were thinking about moving away, too. And then I started wondering if maybe they were packing up the beds and spoons at that very moment. In fact, when I got home in the morning maybe the whole inside of my house would be gone, including my parents.
    The more I thought about that and the more I watched Elizabeth digging through the cereal box, the more I felt like crying. So I did. And when Elizabeth asked me what was wrong, I said my stomach felt funny. And when she held out a handful of sweaty purple marshmallows and said, "Eat these," I said, "No thanks," and threw up in her hand.
    So Elizabeth and her mom drove me home real fast because they didn't want their van to smell like puke all the way to Albuquerque.
    But the funny thing was, as soon as we got to my house I started to feel a lot better. I jumped right out of the van and ran up to the door. My mom opened it and I could see that all the furniture was still there, and that made my stomach sort of smile.
    In fact, I felt so good I ran right inside.
    And forgot to say good-bye to Elizabeth.

Chapter 7
    As soon as Jenna opens the front door to her house we are attacked by a yippy ball of fur on four legs.
    "Get down, Biscuit!" Jenna hollers. But Biscuit keeps jumping all over us like a Slinky gone bad.
    Rachel finally gets hold of Biscuit and holds his trembling body tight so the other girls can pet him.
    "I wish I had a dog," Stacey says, nuzzling in close to Biscuit and even kissing him on the nose.
    "How come you don't got one?" Rachel asks.
    "Um ... my family is too busy traveling all over the world to take care of a pet," Stacey replies.
    "Doesn't your aunt have a pet?" Meeka asks.
    "Um ... yes, five actually. Three dogs and two cats. But they're all show animals, so I'm not allowed to play with them," Stacey says.
    "Wow, her house must be really big to have so many pets," Jolene says.
    "Oh, yes," Stacey replies. "You might even call it a mansion."
    "I bet it's not as big as my house," Jenna says. "But I guess we'll find out tomorrow."
    Stacey suddenly stops petting Biscuit. "Tomorrow?" she says.
    "Of course," Jenna replies. "When we take you home."
    "Oh, um ... I forgot about that. I mean, I forgot to tell you," Stacey says. "My aunt wants me to walk home ... early. It's not far and she thinks I need the exercise."
    Jenna frowns. "But—," she starts to say.
    "I can't wait to see your room, Jenna," Stacey interrupts. She gives Jenna her biggest crayon smile.
    Jenna lifts her chin. "Of course you can't," she says. "Follow me."

    Rachel takes Biscuit outside. The rest of us gather up our stuff and follow Jenna through the house. It's big and airy enough to grow trees. Strange paintings dot the mud-colored walls: scribbly flowers and crooked faces with four eyes and two noses.
I can draw better than that,
I say to myself.
    Jenna's room is so sunny you'd think a cheerful girl lives there. Glow-in-the-dark stars and planets hang from the ceiling. Grass green rugs are scattered on the wooden floor.
    I tap the hard floor with the toe of my sneaker. "How are we supposed to sleep on this?" I ask.
    "Don't be stupid," Jenna says, dumping her school stuff on the floor and jumping onto her big bed. "Everyone knows you don't sleep at a sleepover."
    Brooke giggles and joins Jenna on her bed. So do Meeka and Jolene. Randi shouts, "Monkey pile!" and dives on top of them. They all scream and bounce and giggle.
    "C'mon, Stacey!" Jenna shouts.
    "Ready or not, here I come!" Stacey cries. Then she turns to me and whispers, "I was wondering the same thing, Ida. About sleeping on the floor." She smiles at me. And dives onto Jenna's bed.
    Just then Jenna's mom