be standing here arguing. Do as I say.”
I stood frozen to the floor. He was embarrassing me in front of Pamela.
He put on his raincoat, picked up his briefcase, and stared at me hard. “I mean it,” he said, and went on out to the car.
“Gee, I thought he had a sense of humor!” Pamela said. “What are you going to do?”
“There isn’t anything to do,” I insisted. “There isn’t time! I’d miss my bus, and we haven’t had breakfast.” I went out in the kitchen and got some English muffins, split them in half, and dropped them in the toaster. “I’ll tell him it was either missing school or going like I was.”
We ate quickly, then threw on our jackets and went down to the school bus stop. We turned heads, all right.
“Oh, my gosh!” Elizabeth squealed when she saw us.
At first I was afraid she’d be mad we hadn’t includedher, but when I explained about Pamela’s mom moving out and Pamela needing a distraction, she just shrugged.
“Mother wouldn’t have let me, anyway,” she said.
Everyone on the bus was laughing and feeling our spikes, and we each wore a big dangly gold earring on the spike side of our heads.
Patrick, however, didn’t like it. He got on the bus, stared at me for five seconds or so, and then, without a word, moved to the back of the bus and started talking to the guys about football. What was it with boys, anyway? Were they afraid to be a little different? Try something new?
But everywhere we went, kids turned and laughed and pointed at us. The seventh graders positively gawked. One of them even came up and asked where she could buy the green mousse. Sometimes when I walked into a classroom, the kids clapped, like I was famous or something. I guess that must be what it feels like at the Academy Awards, going to the ceremony in your wildest clothes with everyone looking at you and taking your picture. Someone even took our picture for the yearbook. The only thing wrong was that the people I cared most about weren’t all that excited about it. The people I hardly knew thought we were great.
Most of the teachers just gave me a “Well, it’s weird, but it’s your hair” kind of look, and let it go, but most disappointing of all was Miss Summers’s reaction. I passed her coming out of the library and she said, “Oh, Alice!” and gave me a sort of desperate look.
Well, I was getting one thing straight, I decided as I walked to the cafeteria. I was getting across the fact that I wasn’t sweet little Alice McKinley anymore—a generic type of girl with no imagination or style. The kind of girl you gave teddy bear earrings to and expected her to wear them.
Justin Collier hung out at our table at noon and tried to stick pieces of gum wrappers and stuff on our spikes. I noticed that although he was kidding around with Pamela and me, it was Elizabeth he was flirting with.
We did look weird, I’ll admit it. I ducked in the restroom before fourth period and saw that one of my tall green spikes had fallen over, and my mascara was smeared.
Pamela and I were still laughing when we gathered up our books at two thirty and went out to the bus. The wind was blowing hard, and all Pamela’s spikes were leaning to the left. Elizabeth tried to straighten them up, and we laughed some more. Then I heard Pamela say, “Uh-oh.”
I looked around and saw Lester’s car parked there inthe No Parking zone, just ahead of the buses. He got out and walked toward us.
“Over here, babe,” he said, taking me by one arm. The other kids stared.
“ Les -ter!” I said, trying to pull my arm away, but he had it in a viselike grip.
“Oh, boy! Big brother’s mad!” I heard one of the guys whisper.
“Yeah, he’s cute when he’s mad,” Pamela said, trying to make a joke of it, but Lester wasn’t smiling.
I knew if I really fought Lester, I’d make a scene, so I pretended it was all a joke and rolled my eyes, laughing, as I managed a final wave. He ushered me into the passenger side
I stood frozen to the floor. He was embarrassing me in front of Pamela.
He put on his raincoat, picked up his briefcase, and stared at me hard. “I mean it,” he said, and went on out to the car.
“Gee, I thought he had a sense of humor!” Pamela said. “What are you going to do?”
“There isn’t anything to do,” I insisted. “There isn’t time! I’d miss my bus, and we haven’t had breakfast.” I went out in the kitchen and got some English muffins, split them in half, and dropped them in the toaster. “I’ll tell him it was either missing school or going like I was.”
We ate quickly, then threw on our jackets and went down to the school bus stop. We turned heads, all right.
“Oh, my gosh!” Elizabeth squealed when she saw us.
At first I was afraid she’d be mad we hadn’t includedher, but when I explained about Pamela’s mom moving out and Pamela needing a distraction, she just shrugged.
“Mother wouldn’t have let me, anyway,” she said.
Everyone on the bus was laughing and feeling our spikes, and we each wore a big dangly gold earring on the spike side of our heads.
Patrick, however, didn’t like it. He got on the bus, stared at me for five seconds or so, and then, without a word, moved to the back of the bus and started talking to the guys about football. What was it with boys, anyway? Were they afraid to be a little different? Try something new?
But everywhere we went, kids turned and laughed and pointed at us. The seventh graders positively gawked. One of them even came up and asked where she could buy the green mousse. Sometimes when I walked into a classroom, the kids clapped, like I was famous or something. I guess that must be what it feels like at the Academy Awards, going to the ceremony in your wildest clothes with everyone looking at you and taking your picture. Someone even took our picture for the yearbook. The only thing wrong was that the people I cared most about weren’t all that excited about it. The people I hardly knew thought we were great.
Most of the teachers just gave me a “Well, it’s weird, but it’s your hair” kind of look, and let it go, but most disappointing of all was Miss Summers’s reaction. I passed her coming out of the library and she said, “Oh, Alice!” and gave me a sort of desperate look.
Well, I was getting one thing straight, I decided as I walked to the cafeteria. I was getting across the fact that I wasn’t sweet little Alice McKinley anymore—a generic type of girl with no imagination or style. The kind of girl you gave teddy bear earrings to and expected her to wear them.
Justin Collier hung out at our table at noon and tried to stick pieces of gum wrappers and stuff on our spikes. I noticed that although he was kidding around with Pamela and me, it was Elizabeth he was flirting with.
We did look weird, I’ll admit it. I ducked in the restroom before fourth period and saw that one of my tall green spikes had fallen over, and my mascara was smeared.
Pamela and I were still laughing when we gathered up our books at two thirty and went out to the bus. The wind was blowing hard, and all Pamela’s spikes were leaning to the left. Elizabeth tried to straighten them up, and we laughed some more. Then I heard Pamela say, “Uh-oh.”
I looked around and saw Lester’s car parked there inthe No Parking zone, just ahead of the buses. He got out and walked toward us.
“Over here, babe,” he said, taking me by one arm. The other kids stared.
“ Les -ter!” I said, trying to pull my arm away, but he had it in a viselike grip.
“Oh, boy! Big brother’s mad!” I heard one of the guys whisper.
“Yeah, he’s cute when he’s mad,” Pamela said, trying to make a joke of it, but Lester wasn’t smiling.
I knew if I really fought Lester, I’d make a scene, so I pretended it was all a joke and rolled my eyes, laughing, as I managed a final wave. He ushered me into the passenger side
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