"Betty Miles - The Trouble With Thirteen" - читать интересную книгу автора (Miles Betty)

"Since when do you know how to dance?" Rachel asked quickly.
"Well, I don't, but Sue and I started to because everyone else was, and it was pretty easy, really, once we got the hang of it. Anyway, we're going to practice together this week so we'll be experts pretty soon-" I stopped. I probably shouldn't have said that. I wished I hadn't.
"Oh," Rachel said. "Well, I guess I better get off the phone. Dad's going back to the city soon."
"Rach-" I said. "Listen, Rach, I really missed you at the party." That was true. Why hadn't I said it right off? "Anyway," I stumbled on. "I'll stop by for you tomorrow, O.K.?"
"Sure," Rachel said.
After we had hung up I stood by the phone feeling miserable. I didn't know how I would face Rachel in the morning.
But when she came to her door all I could think of was how glad I was to see her.
"Hi," she said, almost shyly. She was wearing a new red T-shirt with NEW YORK across the front in white letters. Her figure looked quite nice under it. She looked older.
"Oh, hi, Rach!" I said. "Where'd you get that shirt? It's neat!"
"At this place near Aunt Sylvia's," she said. She didn't mention going with Erica. I could tell she wanted to get back to normal as much as I did. "Want to see what else I got, for the doll house?" She turned back to the hall table and held up a little tiny pot with a baby cactus in it.
"Oh, Rach, it's so cute! I never thought of having live plants in the doll house. Where will you put it-on the dining-room table?"
"There, or it could go on the mantel," Rachel said, putting the pot down. She came outside and slammed her front door shut. "I was thinking, we could make little hanging planters for the kitchen, too," she went on as we started down her walk.
"That's a neat idea!" I was so glad she'd brought up the doll house. It felt nice to make plans for it again. It
seemed like a long time since we had. "Maybe we could dig up some little plants from your yard," I said enthusiastically. "We could use doll dishes for planters. Want to start this afternoon?"
"I can't. I'm going to the eye doctor. Mom wants me to see him before we move."
"Oh." Just her mentioning moving made me uncomfortable again. "Well, some day soon, anyway," I said.
We walked on for a while without talking. All the yards were green. The trees had soft little leaves on them. Spring's always my favorite season. But this spring was so different.
"Hey, Annie! Rachel! Wait up!"
Sue ran across the street. Any other time I would have been glad to see her, but now I tensed up. I just knew she'd bring up the party.
"We missed you at the party, Rachel!" she said right away. "Did Annie tell you about it?"
"A little," Rachel said. I could feel her tensing up, too.
"You should have seen us all dancing," Sue went on, "right, Annie?"
"Yeah," I said uncomfortably. I didn't know how to stop her. Sue's so enthusiastic about everything.
"I guess you wouldn't really call it dancing," she went on. "It was more bumping around to music! But it was fun."
The next thing, she'd bring up my coming over. I knew it.
"Annie's coming over to practice with me some day," she said cheerfully, before I could think how to stop her. But then she went right on. "You come, too, Rachel. Want to?"
I was so relieved! I shouldn't have worried. Sue's too nice to hurt someone's feelings on purpose.
Rachel only hesitated a minute. "Sure, that would be good," she said. "Anyway, I have to start learning. Because I'm going to move to the city and go to this school where they have parties and everything. Probably all of them know how to dance."
"You're moving? Sue was startled. "Oh, Rachel-I'll miss you! How come?"
"My parents are getting a divorce," Rachel said straightforwardly. She must have decided to tell people. In a way, I was glad. It's worse when you try to hide something like that.
"Oh, wow-that's too bad," Sue said quickly. "That's tough, Rachel." She knows. Her parents broke up when she was little. "I'm sorry," she said, touching Rachel's arm. "How are you doing?"
"I'll be O.K.," Rachel said. "Once I get used to it."
"Yeah. You will, Rachel. It's hard, though. And moving, too-"
"She'll make friends in the city, though," I said. "She's already met some kids."
Rachel looked at me gratefully. I was really glad I had said it.
We crossed into the block school was on. The sidewalks were filling up with kids and buses turned into the driveways. Someone ran up behind us and said, "Hi!" We turned. It was Debbie. I was surprised how glad I was to see her. Going to a party with someone can make a big difference.
"That's a neat shirt, Rachel," Debbie said right away. "Hey, you missed a great party!"
Then Janie and Kate ran up. Kate was wearing Rachel's necklace. She started thanking her. Everybody began to tell Rachel about the party and say they'd missed her. Rachel looked more relaxed.
"Boy," she said, sounding like her regular self. "I don't know about you guys-the minute my back is turned-"
Debbie started to tell her about my nightgown.
I saw Alan Shay and Tony Albrecht walking over. "Shut up!" I yelled, poking her. "They'll hear you!"
Everyone laughed. Rachel was laughing too.
I suddenly began to feel good. It was fun to stand there kidding around with everyone. It's neat to have a whole gang of friends.
Then the bell rang. Rachel and I put our arms around each other and walked up the steps in step, the way we always did. I was glad the day had started out so well.
But it ended up being one of the most terrible days of my life. It was the day Nora died.
It started to rain in sixth period and when school let out it was still raining, so I stayed after to work in the library. When the rain slowed down to a drizzle, I went home.
Nora didn't run out to meet me when I got there. I don't know why I didn't realize something was wrong, right then. Maybe I thought she was just sleeping. I don't know.
There was a note from Mom saying she'd gone to the print shop and Kenny would be home late. She asked me to start dinner. I took the lamb chops out of the fridge and peeled some carrots and cut them up and started washing lettuce for a salad. I was patting the lettuce dry in a dish towel when I suddenly missed Nora.
I don't know how to explain it, but at that exact minute, with the damp lettuce in the towel in my
hands, I knew. I knew something was terribly wrong. Before I even called her.