Amber Brown Wants Extra Credit Read Online Free Page A

noodles with sesame sauce on them and chopsticks them into her mouth.
    “Are you enjoying your lunch? Worms with worm doodoo, isn’t it? Mmmmmmm, good.”
    Hannah puts the chopsticks down for a minute, and then she picks them up again. “You are just so immature, Amber. Late growing up . . . . . . late turning in your homework.”
    I wonder what Hannah Burton would look like with chopsticks up her nose.
    Seeing Hannah with the chopsticks remindsme of last year when our class studied China, and Justin and I dueled with our chopsticks.
    Why couldn’t Hannah have moved to Alabama instead of Justin? Maybe she could have even moved to China.
    Tiffani Shroeder joins us.
    She opens up her lunch bag, looks inside, and says, “I’m going to kill that little goof-ball.”
    “What is it? What has Howie done this time?” I know who she is talking about. “Goofball” is one of the cleaner things that Tiffani calls her younger brother.
    Tiffani pulls something out of her lunch bag.
    It’s a Barbie doll wrapped in a piece of bologna. One of its arms sticks out through the bologna. The other arm sticks out of the top.
    “It’s Lunch Meat Barbie.” I giggle.
    “I’m going to get that kid.” Tiffani shakes her head. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m going to get him.”
    “Is that your whole lunch? Want some of mine?” I offer her half of my sandwich.
    She looks back into the bag. “No, thanks. The little creep put this on top of the lunch that my mom made for me.”
    The rest of her lunch looks absolutely normal.
    I was hoping that Howie had done more. . . . .like included Barbie-Q chips or something . . . but for a five-year-old he does pretty well.
    We continue to eat and talk.
    Hannah Burton drops
moo goo gai pan
on her sweatshirt.
    I like lunchtime.
    It’s a good time for me to forget my problems.
    The first bell rings, and we take our garbage and throw it in the bins.
    As I walk back to class, I hear Mrs. Holt call out, “Amber.”
    I walk over to her.
    She’s very nice, but I just know that she’s mad at me.
    She says, “Amber, I would like you to see me after school before you go to Elementary Extension.”
    I nod.
    I, Amber Brown, am in deep trouble.

Chapter
Ten

    The end-of-the-day bell rings.
    Everyone else gets up to leave.
    I just sit there.
    “I’ll see you in Elementary Extension,” Brandi whispers. “Good luck.”
    Hannah Burton smirks at me.
    Smirk. Smirk. Smirk. Hannah Burton is such a jerk
is what I think.
    Everyone else leaves.
    It’s me and Mrs. Holt, alone in the room.
    My stomach hurts.
    I, Amber Brown, never used to get in trouble in school . . . . . not for grades andnot for not doing my work . . . sometimes for talking and giggling, but not for big stuff . . . . I don’t know what’s going to happen.
    I walk up to Mrs. Holt’s desk and wait until she’s finished writing something in her marking book.
    I stand there and look at the clock, waiting.
    Something must be wrong with the clock. I feel like it’s hours and I’ve only been standing here for minutes.
    Mrs. Holt looks up.
    “I’ll turn the book report in tomorrow,” I promise.
    “Amber, bring a chair over and sit down here.”
    I get the chair and sit down by the side of her desk.
    Her desk is so big. Her chair is so much higher than mine.
    I look up, try to smile, and wait for her to say something.
    She waits, too.
    There really must be something wrong with the clock. It’s ticking loudly, very loudly.
    I can’t stand the quiet. “Mrs. Holt. I promise I’ll bring the book report in tomorrow.”
    “Amber, what are we going to do?” She puts down her pen and looks at me. “I’ve sent a note home. Do you want me to start sending home worksheets with your assignments on them so that your mother can see them and sign them? Is that what you want?”

    “No.” I bite my lip and try not to cry.
    She looks at her marking book. “You’re missing assignments . . . . not