Odd Girl In Read Online Free

and walked off, ponytail bobbing behind her.
    When I went for my first serve, I completely forgot her advice, and watched the racket as I hit the birdie straight into the net.
    â€œFault!” shouted Chloe. She was the wonderful kind of person who made a big deal out of every point she won and every fault made by her opponent.
    â€œKeep your eyes on the birdie!” Emily yelled from her place in line. “ Be the racket.”
    If I had been, I would have swatted her into the net, too.Instead, I took a deep breath and picked up the birdie, tossing it to Chloe. Her serve cleared the net, and this time I kept my eye on the birdie. The minute it headed for my side of the net, I jumped up and slammed it back.
    A few girls in line cheered.
    â€œFault!” shouted Chloe.
    â€œWhat?!” I paused in the middle of a thank-you wave to the crowd. “That was not a fault. I hit it!”
    â€œYou’re not allowed to reach over the other team’s net!” called an annoying and all-too-familiar voice from the sidelines. “Next time you should—”
    I threw down my racket (adding another dent to the collection) and stormed toward Emily. She at least had the common sense to stop talking and hide behind the teacher.
    â€œEmily … shut … up-puh !” I said, turning the last word into a two-syllable one.
    Now that she could see I wasn’t going to stuff her racket down her throat, her know-it-all expression returned. “Your game needs work. I was trying—”
    â€œThis is PE !” I told her with an incredulous stare. “I’m not joining the Olympic team, and I don’t need your help, Miss Know-It-All!”
    Emily’s lower lip quivered for a second, but she crossed her arms and stayed quiet.
    â€œAlex,” said the gym teacher, “let’s unleash that anger on the birdie, okay?”
    â€œServe,” I told Chloe, walking back across the court.
    She then proceeded to beat me fifteen to ten. Her celebration move, playing her leg like an air guitar, was a fun reminder of my failure. But since it was the best I’d done so far, I dropped my racket in the bin without a word … until I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.
    â€œEmily, I swear—” I spun to face her and took a step back when I realized it was someone else.
    â€œYou have to come to my party,” said Chloe.
    I squinted at her, confused. “Uh …”
    She pushed her white blonde hair over her shoulder and glanced around before stepping closer. “Look, my mom made me invite Emily. Nobody likes her, but nobody will stand up to her if she gets annoying … except you.”
    â€œWhy not?” I asked, looking past Chloe. “I’ll bet if you yank Emily’s ponytail, she’ll go right down.”
    Chloe shook her head. “She’s not a physical threat, but she’s in good with all the teachers and her stepmom runs the PTA.” She widened her eyes in fright. “All she has to do is say the word, and your schedule gets switched like that .” She snapped her fingers. “Any classes you have with your friends, gone.”
    I snorted. “First of all, I don’t have any friends to worry about. Second of all, Emily is not that powerful.”
    â€œYou know who else thought that?” Chloe’s voice switched to a harsh whisper. “Dana Charles.”
    Dana was a year older than us and had mysteriously dropped out after the first week of school.
    I narrowed my eyes. “Uh-huh. So you’d rather I get kicked out than you?”
    Chloe shook her head. “You’re not in any danger. Emily likes you for some strange reason.”
    â€œThanks,” I said flatly.
    She clasped her hands in front of her. “Please, Alex. I’m begging you! I’ll do whatever you want!”
    I could overhear Emily complaining about the non-regulation birdies we used, and I was all set with a “no,”