Girls Only! Read Online Free Page A

into the show,” Heather said, twirling her long golden hair. “Maybe even write in a ballet finale—we could do an encore for a change.”
    “Yes, an encore!” Jenna said.
    “Great idea,” said Heather.
    Livvy agreed, especially since they were all in ballet class together. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the pageant idea. But they’d have to work hard to pull it off, beginning with Jenna and her script. “How fast can you write the play?” she asked.
    “Probably in a couple days,” Jen said.
    “Wow, that fast?” Heather said. “Are you sure?”
    “Oh, she’s fast,” Manda piped up. “I’ve seen her do her double salto forward. She’s lightning.”
    “But can she write that fast?” Heather asked, teasing.
    Jenna pointed to her new computer. “Check it out.”
    Livvy chuckled. “Does your computer take dictation?”
    “Not yet, but someday.” Jenna was smiling.
    Livvy was excited about the program plan. But she felt terribly unsettled. When should she bring up the subject of her grandmother?
    Or should she keep quiet?
    ----
    After refreshments of only healthy snacks—canned V8 juice and celery sticks with peanut butter—Jenna shared Livvy’s problem. Jen sat cross-legged on the floor, explaining the predicament. “Liv needs our support,” she told the others, eyes serious. “Her grandmother’s calling all the shots. On and off the ice.”
    Livvy fidgeted, then spoke up. “I didn’t want Jen to say anything. Not at first. But things are getting worse. And . . . I don’t want to be rude to her, but I really don’t know what to do.”
    “We’ll help,” Heather promised.
    “You know who your friends are,” Manda said.
    “How long has it been going on?” asked Heather.
    Livvy explained. “Well, when Grandma first came to live with us, things were pretty much okay. But more and more, her constant attention is suffocating.”
    “My grandparents are just the opposite,” Manda said. “Thank goodness! But if one of them came to live with us, well . . . I don’t know how that would work.”
    “Older people can get stuck in their ways,” Jenna said. “Who knows how my grandma would behave if she lived with us.”
    “Is she trying to be a mother replacement, maybe?” Heather said hesitantly.
    Livvy shook her head. “It’s hard to say what’s going on in Grandma’s head.”
    “Can you gently ask her to mind her own business?” Manda suggested, which brought a big laugh.
    “Seriously, though,” Livvy said, “I don’t want to hurt my grandmother’s feelings. She’s a big help around the house, cooking and doing other stuff. Besides, I think my dad would be lost without her.”
    Before the meeting was adjourned, Jenna prayed. She also encouraged each girl to pray for wisdom. “Liv really needs it.”
    “Yeah,” Livvy whispered, “so I won’t do the wrong thing.”
    Jen, Heather, and Manda gathered around and hugged her good-bye. All the way home, Livvy thought of Jenna’s prayer. “Help our Livvy know what to do, Lord. . . .”
    She smiled, remembering it as she walked the short distance home.
    “Our Livvy . . .”
    It was the sweetest prayer ever.
    Things have to get better now , she thought.

Follow the Dream
    Chapter Six
    Sunday at church, Livvy spotted Kevin Bock in the foyer. He was tall, blond, and very cute. She didn’t want to interrupt because he was talking with his sister Heather and two other friends. Secretly, Livvy wished Kevin would notice her. Someday . . .
    But Kevin was a teenager, way cuter than most of the boys at church. There was no chance he’d think twice about a girl who was close to turning just twelve .
    Taking a deep breath, she walked past their group. She waved when Heather caught her eye, but kept going. She wanted to check her hair before Sunday school.
    She had been in the ladies’ room for less than a minute when Grandma came flying in. “Oh, Olivia, there you are!”
    Whirling around, she was startled by her