Friends for Never Read Online Free

that hung from the ceiling. The room really did look like a rain forest—except for the blackboard, of course. Suddenly, she wasn’t all that jealous of Suzanne and Jessica anymore. All they had was a dumb modeling club. Katie and her class were traveling to Brazil! (Well, sort of.) She smiled for the first time that day.

    “It’s really hot in here,” Mandy said, fanning herself. “I’m sorry I wore a sweatshirt today.”
    “I can fix that,” Mr. Guthrie said. He reached into a big plastic bag and pulled out a pile of T-shirts. They were all different colors. Each one said Welcome to Brazil .
    “Girls, go change in the girls’ locker room. You guys can put your shirts on in here. Then we can start talking about ways you can decorate your beanbags, so you fit into the rain forest landscape.”
    “Boy, Slinky sure looks happy,” Kevin said as he looked into the snake’s tank.
    “This kind of warmth is perfect for a reptile,” Mr. Guthrie explained.
    Emma W. laughed. “It isn’t great for hair, though,” she said. “Mine’s getting all limp.” She wiped her bangs away from her forehead.
    “And mine’s curling up,” Emma S. added.
    All that talk about hair made Katie remember Suzanne again. Katie knew exactly what she could do to get back at her for being such a snob. “We should get Suzanne to come in here,” she told the others. “She hates it when her hair frizzes.”
    “The rain forest just isn’t fashionable,” Emma W. joked.
    “No, but it sure is fun,” Katie agreed. She took a bright pink shirt from the pile. “I love these T-shirts.”
    “But, Katie, those shirts aren’t in style.” George imitated the snooty way Suzanne had been talking lately.
    “They are in class 4A,” Katie answered. “Everyone’s wearing them!”

Chapter 8
    Class 4A’s week in the Brazilian rain forest zoomed by. Before Katie knew it, it was Saturday—the day of Suzanne’s modeling show.
    “I have to work today,” Mrs. Carew told Katie as they gulped down a quick breakfast. “And Dad’s playing tennis. So I’ll drop you off at the fashion show. You can meet me at the store after the show is over.”
    Katie nodded. Her mother was the manager of the Book Nook, a bookstore in the mall. The store was right next to Katie’s favorite restaurant, Louie’s Pizza Shop.
    “Can I get a veggie slice at Louie’s after the show?” Katie asked her mother. “I’ll have earned it by then.”
    “Sure.” Mrs. Carew smiled kindly at Katie. “You never know, today could be more fun than you think.”
    “I doubt it,” Katie said as she put on her jacket and headed out the door to the car.

    When Katie got to the mall, she saw that a big stage had been set up in an open area. In front of the stage, Katie spotted Suzanne’s parents sitting in the second row with Suzanne’s little sister, Heather. Katie figured she should walk over and say hello.
    “Hello,” Katie said to Suzanne’s parents.
    “Hi, Katie,” Mrs. Lock said.
    “Hey there, kiddo,” Mr. Lock said.
    “Katieeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Heather squealed. She took her thumb out of her mouth and gave Katie a big wet kiss.
    Katie grinned as she wiped the baby spit from her cheek. She’d kind of missed Heather.
    “We haven’t seen you in a while,” Mrs. Lock said. “How do you like fourth grade?”
    “It’s fun,” Katie said.
    “Suzanne’s having a good time, too,” Mrs. Lock said.

    “Not today, she’s not,” Mr. Lock reminded his wife.
    Katie looked at him. “What’s wrong with Suzanne?” she asked.
    “She’s just a little nervous, that’s all,” Mrs. Lock assured Katie.
    “A little ?” Mr. Lock disagreed. “She’s more than a little nervous. This morning, she told me she’d forgotten how to walk!”
    Katie giggled. “I think she meant she forgot how to walk like a model.”
    Mr. Lock shrugged. “She walks fine as far as I’m concerned.”
    Mrs. Lock sighed. “Katie, do you think you could go backstage and talk to her? You