Jasper John Dooley, NOT in Love Read Online Free Page A

soared, his arms out like wings. Then he remembered something. He remembered when he was just a little kid and didn’t understand about getting married.
    â€œI can’t get married to you,” Jasper said. “I already promised to marry my mom.”
    â€œBut Jasper,” Isabel said, sticking out her bottom lip so the toothless space didn’t show. “I already told everybody that we were getting married.”
    Jasper got down off the trampoline then. Because now he thought he really would throw up.
    â€œWho did you tell?” he asked.
    Isabel was still jumping. “Zoë. And Bernadette and Patty. And Margo. And Leon.”
    â€œNot Ori?”
    â€œI told Ori. I told Paul C.” She went on naming names until she had named the whole class. “And I told Ms. Tosh. And I told Mrs. Kinoshita.”
    â€œYou told the principal?” Jasper said. “When?”
    â€œAt lunch. We couldn’t find you to play babies, so I went to see her in her office.”
    â€œWhat did she say?” Jasper asked.
    â€œShe said, ‘Congratulations!’” Isabel somersaulted in midair.
    â€œHey!” Jasper said. “How did you do that? I want to try!”

    â€œI’m never going over there again!” Jasper told Mom in the car on the way home from the playdate.
    â€œOkay,” Mom said. “But it looked to me like you were having a really good time. I had to ask you six times to get off that trampoline.”
    â€œI was doing flying somersaults! I just learned how. But those are the last flying somersaults I’ll ever do until I have enough money to buy my own trampoline. Because I don’t like Isabel. I don’t like how she tells on me at school. I don’t like how she ruins every game. I don’t like how she lets her dog lick her spoon then licks it herself.”
    â€œYuck!” Mom said. “Did she do that?”
    â€œYes!”
    â€œAnd did you have to brush hair again?”
    â€œThat’s the only good thing about her. She doesn’t care about hair brushing.”
    â€œAnd she has a trampoline,” Mom said.
    Jasper nodded.
    When they got home, Mom told Jasper she had something to show him. It was a little blue notebook. “For me?” Jasper asked.
    â€œSort of.” Mom opened it, and Jasper saw that she had already written in it. She said, “Here are some of the things I did today when I wasn’t brushing my hair.”
    Woke up Jasper
    M ade Jasper’s breakfast
    Called Jasper
    Went to wake up Jasper aga in
    Reminded Jasper to brush his hair
    Picked up Jasper’s towel from the floor
    Flushed the toilet for Jasper
    Made Jasper’s lunch
    Bought a notebook
    Worked until 3:00
    Picked up Jasper from his playdate
    â€œWow,” Jasper said. “That’s a lot of stuff.”
    â€œThat’s just today,” Mom said. “The day isn’t even finished yet.”
    â€œWhat’s for supper?” Jasper asked.
    Mom passed him the notebook and the pencil.
    Jasper sat down and wrote:
    Made supper for Jasper.
    That night in bed, Jasper asked Dad, “Did Mom
make
you get married?”
    â€œI guess she sort of did,” Dad said. “We were together for a long time. Finally, she said I should marry her or find somebody else.”
    â€œSo you had to?”
    â€œI could have found somebody else, I guess. But like I said, it was too late. I already loved her.”
    After Dad turned out the light, Jasper lay awake worrying. How long? How long until it was too late for him? And could he NOT get married to Isabel and still jump on her trampoline?

Chapter 7

    At lunchtime on Wednesday the boys were playing knights in their new way, behind the gym, with Jasper as the lookout. Jasper looked one way — no girls. He looked the other way — no girls. Then he turned to watch the terrible battle that was going on between Ori, the knight, and Leon, the dragon. But only for a