The Black Sheep Read Online Free PDF Page B

better not get any ideas about staying there.”
    I smile at her. “I thought you said she’s a bitch.”
    â€œBut that doesn’t mean I want her to go for good.”
    â€œDon’t worry, she’ll be back before you know it.” I switch the light off.
    â€œKendra?”
    â€œNow what?”
    â€œHave you had your period yet?”
    â€œI’m fifteen, what do you think?”
    â€œI heard that if you’re too skinny, you won’t get it.”
    â€œYou’ll get it. And it’s no big thrill, believe me.”
    â€œDo you have a boyfriend?”
    â€œNot right now,” I say. No need to tell her the truth, which is that with the Secretaries of Defense on duty, I hardly ever meet guys, let alone go out with them. So far, the closest I’ve come is with Jason, a guy I met in music history last year. Rosa let me go to Starbucks with him after class, but for reasons of job security, she sat at another table—close enough to hear me scream for help, but far enough away that I had the illusion of independence.
    We did this for a few weeks and Jason never knew we had a chaperone. Finally, at the exact moment he officially asked me out, I realized that I didn’t even like him because all he ever talked about was himself. Rosa sensed the change instantly. She walked over to the door, pulled her cell phone out of her bag, and called mine. I picked up and she said, “Tell him you really like him as a friend, but you’re not interested in him that way. Then excuse yourself.”
    Having my nanny coach me on how to dump a guy doesn’t rank among my proudest moments, but it worked.
    Meadow flicks the light on and props herself on one elbow. “Have you ever kissed a boy?”
    I flick the light off. “You’re not supposed to ask people questions like that.”
    â€œMaya has,” she says into the darkness. “Lots of times.”
    â€œWell, that’s nice for Maya.”
    â€œYou haven’t, I can tell. Mom says I can read minds.”
    â€œYeah? What’s my mind telling you right now?”
    â€œFine,” she says, sounding miffed. “I’ll go to sleep. But just remember, I can make or break your stay here.”
    I snort and roll over onto my side—gently, though, so that Manhattan slides off me and onto the bed without even waking.
    That’s when I notice the red eye of the camera gleaming from the corner above the door. It keeps me awake long after Meadow’s chatter finally ceases.

I ’m barely out of the shower when Mona knocks on the door. “Kendra? I hate to rush you, but Max needs to get into the bathroom. He’s going to be late.”
    â€œCould he use another one?” I ask, toweling off. “I just got started here.” Judging from the fur growing on her legs, Mona has no clue how long it takes to pull a polished look together.
    â€œThere’s only one, and it’s a popular place in the morning,” she says. “Remember I pointed out the roster? Everyone gets fifteen minutes. I’m afraid you’re running over.”
    â€œSorry,” I call to Mona. “I’ll be right out.” I hope I didn’t sound all uptown-snob there, but it never occurred to me they’d only have one bathroom. Max is a plumber: he should spend less time Saving Our Sea Otters and more on the bathroom crisis in his own home. Had I realized, I wouldn’t have wasted half my allotted time on a security sweep to see if Judy had installed tiny cameras in the showerhead or toilet tissue roll.
    Throwing my pajamas back on, I hurry down the hall to the bedroom. Though Meadow was sound asleep when I left, she managed to get up and out while I was gone. At ten, I probably wasn’t concerned about personal grooming either. Now, as Maya’s mirror verifies, I need to be concerned. My limp, lifeless locks can only be salvaged with volumizer and a blow dryer, both of