Lena Read Online Free

earth’s gonna just catch on fire. Boom! The end.”
    I looked at her and smiled. “You read too much.”
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    â€œWait and see. When you know December to be warm like this?”
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    We got to the road and I stuck out my thumb. “We’re just lucky, Dion. Got weather on our side.”
    â€œGot chemicals on our side. Cop car coming.”
    I put my thumb down fast and me and Dion started walking again, my heart beating hard against my chest.
    The cop car pulled up alongside of us and slowed down.
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    â€œWhere you two headed so early in the morning?” The cop tried to smile but it was a small smile.
    I looked him straight in the eye and tried to keep my voice steady. “School, sir.”
    â€œWell, school’s in the other direction, isn’t it? You two taking the long way.”
    â€œFigure we’d get some breakfast first. Our mama went into labor last night and our daddy still with her at the hospital. We don’t know how to cook yet.” I held out my hand and showed him a ten-dollar bill. “Mama left this money in case of emergency. Breakfast is kind of an emergency.”
    The cop frowned down into my hand like he was trying to figure out what a ten-dollar bill was. Then he gave me and Dion another hard look.
    â€œYou two headed over to Berta’s?”
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    â€œBerta’s . . . diner?”
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    â€œWhat other Berta’s is there?”
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    â€œYes sir,” Dion said real quick, then ducked her head again.
    â€œWell then, get in the back. And use your change to take a car service back to school. No use you boys being late on account of a baby coming.”
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    Berta’s was at the end of a dusty-looking strip of stores. There was a Piggly Wiggly, a Coleen’s Beauty Parlor and a dance school that looked abandoned. I stared at the dingy pink ballet slippers painted across the front window. I used to want to be a dancer when I was real little. Mama’d always said the minute her ship came in she’d pay for me to take some lessons. I’m a good dancer when I set my mind to it. Once, me and Marie put bottle caps on our sneakers and danced out in front of the drugstore. Some people stopped and watched us and that made me feel real good. This old man handed us each a dollar. Me and Marie sure laughed hard about that one.
    â€œCome on, Lena,” Dion said, pulling my hand. “Before that cop gets to sniffing around us again.”
    I followed her inside the diner. It was quiet and warm. A couple of old men were sitting along the counter drinking coffee. We took a seat at one of the booths.
    â€œCan I get pancakes?”
    I nodded. “You better get some bacon or sausage or something. Fill yourself up so we can hold on to those sandwiches awhile. Don’t know where we’ll be come nighttime.”
    Dion looked at me real quick but didn’t say anything.
    The waitress came up to our table. She was pretty, with curly hair and a nose ring. Didn’t look much older than me.
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    â€œWhat can I get you early birds?” she said.
    â€œA menu, please,” Dion said, sounding like she ate at restaurants all the time.
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    The waitress smiled, then disappeared and came back with two menus. We ordered the Breakfast Special—pancakes, sausage, two eggs, home fries and toast.
    â€œYou two kind of hungry this morning, huh?”
    I nodded. “And orange juice too, please—for both of us.”
    After she left, I pulled our toothbrushes out of my knapsack. Our tube of toothpaste was almost flat. “Here, Dion, you go wash up first.” I handed her her toothbrush underneath the table, all the while looking around to make sure nobody was watching. “Run your fingers through your hair and make sure you throw some water on your face.”
    There was one of those tiny jukeboxes on the wall beside our table. After Dion left, I flipped through it, looking at all the songs.