Rebecca's Rashness Read Online Free Page B
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
be belching dark smoke when Mommy retooled the Hummer so that it would be an environmentally friendly vehicle ... Well, let's just say it doesn't look environmentally friendly at the moment."
"I'll call for help," Annie said, opening the door of the Hummer and reaching inside for the car phone.
"Don't!" Petal screamed. "You could die!"
"It's just her arm, you little idiot," Georgia pointed out. "The rest of Annie should be fine."
"'You little idiot.'" Petal echoed the words. "Did Georgia say that out loud, or am I still reading minds, or did I imagine that?"
We all ignored Petal as Annie speed-dialed a number.
"Hello, Pete's Repairs and Auto Wrecking?" she said. "Could you put Mr. Pete on, please?" Annie covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand. "That's odd," she said, "another man answered. I always thought Pete worked alone."
Who could blame her? We'd all always thought that.
"Mr. Pete," Annie said a moment later, "could you please come to the parking lot of the Super-Duper Food Ex—well, you know the place. We're having some trouble with the Hummer." Annie paused and we assumed it was because Pete was talking. "No," Annie said, "I don't think it's sabotage this time, or at least I have no proof, but the Hummer is belching dark smoke..." Another pause. "Fine. We'll wait for you right here."
Seven of us thought that last little bit was unnecessary. What else were we going to do, leave our only vehicle and a dozen or more bags of groceries behind and walk several miles home? It was hot and it was July, as Rebecca kept reminding us.
"I can't believe," Rebecca said, peeking in to look at the display of the digital clock inside the Hummer, "that we're ten hours and seventeen minutes into July and I still haven't—"
We could only thank the universe that Pete arrived quickly enough to save us from Rebecca going on and on about having to wait so long for her power. Really, Pete arrived so quickly, it practically felt like magic.
"What seems to be the problem, ducks?" Pete said, hopping out of his flatbed pickup truck in all of his blue-jeaned glory.
"We've got a Really Big Shop's worth of groceries to get home before it spoils in this heat," Durinda said.
"And while it may be safe to drive the car in this condition—" Annie started.
"Which I'm sure it's not!" Petal screamed from her position on the ground, arms still over her head.
"—it can't be good for the environment for us to drive a vehicle in this condition," Jackie finished.
"No," Pete said, shaking his head as he studied the smoke-belching Hummer, "I can see that."
"Would you like to know, Mr. Pete," Marcia offered, "how many square inches of shelf space are taken up by a box of Razzle Crunchies?"
"Not at the moment, pet," Pete said, still studying the Hummer. Then he glanced up and caught Marcia's crestfallen look. "Perhaps later on," he suggested. "I'm sure that later on I'd love to hear all about ... whatever it was you just said."
Pete proceeded to pop the hood on the Hummer and look inside.
"Hmm," he said after a long moment. "I don't think the problem's in here. I think I'll need to look under the beast."
"How do you propose to do that?" Georgia asked. "Do you need me to go back to the house and get the spear for you?"
Georgia was obsessed with the spear that was normally clutched by Daddy Sparky, the suit of armor we dressed up to make it look like Daddy was at home, moving it around from room to room.
"No," Pete said. "I don't think such extreme measures are called for. I'll simply put the old Hummer on cement blocks so I can get a clear view of what is going on."
Pete then disappeared into the back of his pickup, eventually emerging with four very heavy-looking cement blocks, which he laid on the ground in front of the Hummer. The blocks were slanted, so it took us a long time to figure out what Pete was doing. It helped that he told us.
"See," he said, "I'm driving the Hummer up on the blocks, like so, in order to get a
"I'll call for help," Annie said, opening the door of the Hummer and reaching inside for the car phone.
"Don't!" Petal screamed. "You could die!"
"It's just her arm, you little idiot," Georgia pointed out. "The rest of Annie should be fine."
"'You little idiot.'" Petal echoed the words. "Did Georgia say that out loud, or am I still reading minds, or did I imagine that?"
We all ignored Petal as Annie speed-dialed a number.
"Hello, Pete's Repairs and Auto Wrecking?" she said. "Could you put Mr. Pete on, please?" Annie covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand. "That's odd," she said, "another man answered. I always thought Pete worked alone."
Who could blame her? We'd all always thought that.
"Mr. Pete," Annie said a moment later, "could you please come to the parking lot of the Super-Duper Food Ex—well, you know the place. We're having some trouble with the Hummer." Annie paused and we assumed it was because Pete was talking. "No," Annie said, "I don't think it's sabotage this time, or at least I have no proof, but the Hummer is belching dark smoke..." Another pause. "Fine. We'll wait for you right here."
Seven of us thought that last little bit was unnecessary. What else were we going to do, leave our only vehicle and a dozen or more bags of groceries behind and walk several miles home? It was hot and it was July, as Rebecca kept reminding us.
"I can't believe," Rebecca said, peeking in to look at the display of the digital clock inside the Hummer, "that we're ten hours and seventeen minutes into July and I still haven't—"
We could only thank the universe that Pete arrived quickly enough to save us from Rebecca going on and on about having to wait so long for her power. Really, Pete arrived so quickly, it practically felt like magic.
"What seems to be the problem, ducks?" Pete said, hopping out of his flatbed pickup truck in all of his blue-jeaned glory.
"We've got a Really Big Shop's worth of groceries to get home before it spoils in this heat," Durinda said.
"And while it may be safe to drive the car in this condition—" Annie started.
"Which I'm sure it's not!" Petal screamed from her position on the ground, arms still over her head.
"—it can't be good for the environment for us to drive a vehicle in this condition," Jackie finished.
"No," Pete said, shaking his head as he studied the smoke-belching Hummer, "I can see that."
"Would you like to know, Mr. Pete," Marcia offered, "how many square inches of shelf space are taken up by a box of Razzle Crunchies?"
"Not at the moment, pet," Pete said, still studying the Hummer. Then he glanced up and caught Marcia's crestfallen look. "Perhaps later on," he suggested. "I'm sure that later on I'd love to hear all about ... whatever it was you just said."
Pete proceeded to pop the hood on the Hummer and look inside.
"Hmm," he said after a long moment. "I don't think the problem's in here. I think I'll need to look under the beast."
"How do you propose to do that?" Georgia asked. "Do you need me to go back to the house and get the spear for you?"
Georgia was obsessed with the spear that was normally clutched by Daddy Sparky, the suit of armor we dressed up to make it look like Daddy was at home, moving it around from room to room.
"No," Pete said. "I don't think such extreme measures are called for. I'll simply put the old Hummer on cement blocks so I can get a clear view of what is going on."
Pete then disappeared into the back of his pickup, eventually emerging with four very heavy-looking cement blocks, which he laid on the ground in front of the Hummer. The blocks were slanted, so it took us a long time to figure out what Pete was doing. It helped that he told us.
"See," he said, "I'm driving the Hummer up on the blocks, like so, in order to get a
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