When Friendship Followed Me Home Read Online Free PDF Page A

said.
    â€œAnyway, I didn’t think it meant what it
means.”
    â€œI know,” she said. “I overreacted. I do that. It’s just one of the many facets that make up the intricate gem that is my persona.” She picked up the pace and huffed and puffed as she walked ahead.
    â€œSo homeschool, huh?” I said, trying to keep up. The dog nipped at our heels. “Sounds awesome.”
    â€œI can’t wait to get back to
school
school,” she said. “Ever hear of Beekman 26?”
    â€œThat’s the arts school, right?”
    â€œIt’s paradise. I’m there just as soon as I’m back to ahundred and eleven percent. That’ll be the start of next quarter, definitely. Till then it’s me and Dad at the kitchen table. A hundred and eleven’s my favorite number, by the way. It’s the atomic number of roentgenium. You can’t find it in nature. You have to conjure it up in the lab, but it has the same properties as silver and gold. You probably knew that, being a sci-fi geek.”
    â€œA hundred and eleven’s also the magic constant for the smallest magic square using the number one and prime numbers. Here, check it out.” I grabbed her gel pen from behind her ear and wrote on my palm like this:

    â€œAdd those numbers vertically, horizontally or diagonally, and they equal a hundred and eleven,” I said.
    She grabbed my hand and added and nodded. “How do you know this?” she said. “You’re like genius-level smart, aren’t you? Like smart enough where I’ll have to hate you for being smarter than me—than I am?”
    â€œNo,”
I said. “You’re totally smarter.”
    â€œAll right then. In general, anyway. But clearly not in math. So annoying. I hate being a stereotype. You know, girl equals math dummy. Except I’m not. I was better than all the boys at school, if only to make them mad.”
    â€œI’m not mad.”
    â€œWhy would you be? You don’t go to my school.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œNever mind, go on. I’m feeling better about you now, about our comparative intelligences. Please, continue.”
    â€œI got this book for Christmas once,” I said. “It was like a math puzzle book.” I held up my palm. “It’s not like I thought this up myself or anything.”
    â€œWho said you did? Anyway, I’ll need a copy of it.” She pressed her palm on mine and the ink transferred to hers.
    â€œIt’s backward,” I said.
    â€œIt’s perfect,” she said. “My mom. She was right. You’re cool. You’ve redeemed yourself, and from a
very
deep hole.”
    â€œYour dad. He’s taking off work to be your tutor?”
    â€œHe works nights mostly. You’re really twelve? You look older.”
    â€œSeriously? Thanks.”
    â€œYou’re hilarious.”
    â€œHow much older?”
    â€œTwelve and a half,” she said.
    â€œYou’re like thirteen, right?”
    â€œAm. You’re freaking hysterical.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œOh my gosh, stop making me laugh.”
    â€œBut you’re not laughing.”
    â€œDo you have any money on you?” she said. “Buy me a Reese’s and I’ll forget that whole thing back at the library entirely.”
    â€œWhat, that I wanted to send your mom the wink?”
    â€œWhy are you reminding me?”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    I bought a three-pack and we sat on a boardwalk bench. She nibbled the candy. “Sweet Cheez Whiz, that’s good,” she said. “This dog’s very existence is preposterous. He’s sho goofy I want to shmoosh him and munch him up into a biwwion widdiw peeshes of fwuff. Gonna eachou! How do you not have a name for this little freak? I love the way he looks at you.”
    â€œAnd how’s that?”
    â€œConstantly,” she said. “You should get him certified as a therapy dog. That way