The Queen Bee of Bridgeton Read Online Free PDF Page A

planner for the first time since we sat down under our favorite tree on the West Lawn.
     
    "Well, I didn't really talk to him. He talked and I smiled and nodded like an idiot.  The whole time he thought I was you."
     
    "Look," Sasha said as she closed her book, "I know you have this thing for him, but he's really not for you.  He's a rather unsavory character and you should stay away from him."
     
    "What do you mean?"
     
    "Just trust me, Sweetie.  I'm looking out for you. I know what's best."  Sasha looked at her watch and said, "I gotta go, I have an honor council meeting."
     
    It didn't surprise me that Sasha was trying to tell me who I should or shouldn't date.  She always took care of me.
     
    But Sasha forbidding me to pursue David made me want him even more. It did make me wonder, however, if David was such an unsavory character, as she put it, why was she meeting him at 4:15 in the Physics lab?
     
     

Chapter 5:

The Return of Closet Boy

 
     
    "Late again, Ms. Garrison?"   Headmaster Collins said as I tried to sneak in the side door of the McIntyre Building. Okay, really he didn't say it as much as he barked it making me nearly jump right out of my skin.
    "Um…I…," I really didn't know how to respond to this.  I mean, if I said 'no', well, that would just be a lie. The bell rang like ten minutes ago.  And if I said 'yes', well I was pretty sure Headmaster Collins had learned many ways to kill a person and I didn't want him to try one of them on me.
     
    "That's the fourth time this week," he added as he crossed his arms over his huge chest.  I think he grew three inches just in the last five seconds. 
     
    "Um…I…,"
     
    "Would you like to explain yourself?"
     
    "Um…yeah…I," I looked down at my untied laces.  I hoped he didn't notice the sneakers.  They were against the dress code.  Ladies had to wear dress shoes with their uniform.  But it wasn't very comfortable to wear dress shoes when your mornings were as hectic as mine.  Every morning, I woke at five, threw on some sweats and caught a bus to Ms. Alexander's studio.  It was a half hour ride, but at least it was on the way to school.  I spent about an hour cleaning the place from top to bottom. I swept the floors, organized Ms. Alexander's office, took out the trash and cleaned all the mirrors.  And there were a ton of mirrors.
     
    Anyway, when I finished cleaning each morning, I took advantage of having the place to myself and I did what I loved.  I danced.  I turned up the Chopin or the Tchaikovsky so loud I couldn't even hear myself think.  Then I closed my eyes and imagined I was Natalia Karleskaya of the Russian Ballet.   When I was eight, I saw a video of the Russian Ballet performing Romeo and Juliet.  The video was like twenty years old and the quality was crappy, but one thing was quite clear: Natalia Karleskaya was the best ballerina I had ever seen or would ever see. I fell in love with her dancing. To see her dance was like having an exquisite ocean wave of loveliness pound against the walls of my heart. Simply breathtaking.   It made me want to weep. I knew I'd never be able to dance like her.  Ms. Alexander believed I had the potential and that I should never give up trying.  She thought that one day I'd be able to dance right alongside of Natalia Karleskaya or maybe even replace her.  I didn't agree.  But it was fun to dream. 
     
    Headmaster Collins quickly tired of my incoherent stuttering and told me he was revoking all of my upperclassmen privileges.  That just basically meant I couldn't leave campus during my free periods. Since I never left campus anyway it wasn't really much of a punishment. I had no friends and nowhere to go. Besides, I preferred to explore the grounds of Bridgeton Academy than go out to a sandwich shop or coffee house for a few minutes. There was always something interesting to see on the 1500 acre campus. Sometimes I walked to the stables and watched students take riding