My New Best Friend Read Online Free PDF

dancer. I've never gotten around to telling Stacey I overheard Miss Woo say she was born and raised in Chicago.
    I glance inside the big studio window and see Miss Woo standing on her tiptoes, only she's not dancing. She's reaching into a cabinet which is twice as tall as she is. She pulls out a small shoe box and carries it over to Jenna Drews, who is sitting on a bench taking off her regular shoes. Mr. Drews is there, too, holding a bright orange leotard with exploding fireworks on it. Rachel Drews and some other kindergarteners spin and skip across the big wooden floor.
    "Speaking of ol' green braids," I say to Stacey,
pointing through the window at Jenna. I laugh. Stacey just smiles and keeps walking.
    We cross the street to the Purdee Good Café. Stacey opens the jingly door and we walk inside. The Purdee Good used to be the kind of café my dad calls a
greasy spoon.
But last year Quinn Kloud's parents bought it and they don't believe in grease. Now there are bright blue curtains in the front windows and the walls are painted the color of cinnamon. The whole place smells like cinnamon, too. A big blackboard hangs over the counter and the daily menu is written on it with colored chalk. Even though most of the stuff they serve includes bean sprouts and organic mushrooms, I like coming here.
    Stacey's mom is standing behind the counter, putting cookies into a glass display case. There's a name tag on her shirt that says, hi! i'm your purdee good server: kelli.
    Kelli looks up at us and smiles. She has the exact same smile Stacey has. In fact, she pretty much has the same face as Stacey. Only her eyes are blue instead of brown. And her hair is blond and spiky like the top of a lemon meringue pie.
Stacey's hair is longer and darker and curlier. Maybe Stacey got her dark eyes and hair from her dad. I don't know because I've never met him.
    "Hi, guys!" Kelli calls to us.
    "Hi, Kelli!" we call back.
    "The usual?" she asks, holding up a giant chocolate-chip cookie.
    We nod and walk over to the counter while Kelli puts the cookie on a plate. She slides it toward us. "How was school?" she asks.
    "Oh, you know," I say. "The usual."
    Kelli smiles at me. Then she turns to Stacey. "What about the math quiz you missed yesterday? Did you have it today?"
    "Yep," Stacey says. "I think I got a perfect score."
    "That's my girl!" Kelli says, giving Stacey's arm a squeeze. "I'll get you two some milk to go with the cookie."
    As soon as Kelli's busy with the milk, I turn to Stacey. "Why did you do that?" I whisper.
    "Do what?" Stacey whispers back.
    "Lie about taking the math quiz today."
    "Oh, that," Stacey says. "Well, I couldn't tell her the real reason we didn't have it. I mean, she would never believe that an evil mermaid put a spell on it."
    "You could have said it's still canceled without explaining why," I say.
    "But then she would have made me study for it again tonight." Stacey slides the cookie toward me. "You break, I choose," she says.
    I pick up the cookie and break it in half. Stacey chooses the half she wants and I take the other. "Still," I say, "what if the spell wears off and we really do have to take the quiz and you get a lot wrong?"
    Stacey gives me a patient smile. "Relax, Ida," she says. "Kelli won't remember any of this by tomorrow. She's got more important stuff to think about."
    I'm just about to ask what kind of stuff when Kelli returns with our milk. "I have to work late tonight, Stace," she says, "but Grandma will be home."
    Stacey nods.
    "Oh, and Ida, your mom called a little while
ago," Kelli says to me. "She wanted to remind you that she'll pick you up in a few minutes. Something about a haircut?"
    I sigh. "Oh, yeah," I say. "I forgot. It's just a trim."
    Stacey picks up her glass of milk. "Let's sit at a booth until your mom comes, okay, Ida?" she says.
    I follow Stacey to a booth near the back of the café. We slip off our backpacks and sit down across from each other. Stacey taps her cookie on the