Spectacle (A Young Adult Novel) Read Online Free Page B

people often went with laptops or schoolbooks. She stared at the metalwork along the railing.
    “Just own it, girl.”
    Talking to Thomas always made her feel better. Even if there was no way to prevent her growth spurt, at least she had him, who would accept her no matter how tall she got.
    She went back to grinding beans, which she’d been doing before the last wave of customers came in.
    He stepped up to her, shoved a hand in her back pocket and pinched. Over the grinder, he said, “You know the freakier you get, the more I’ll love you.”
    When Emily came home, Melissa was waiting.
    She ushered Emily into the family room, handed her a can of Hansen’s raspberry soda and a piece of string cheese.
    “What am I? Five?” Emily asked.
    “Of course not,” Melissa said, and ruffled her dark bob nervously. “I just thought you’d want a snack. You know, like you always do.”
    “I’m a growing girl.”
    “Yeah.” Melissa paced the room now, back and forth between the microfiber ivory sofa and flat panel TV. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
    Emily looked at her. She tucked her feet under her butt and sat up straighter. “What?”
    “Dr. Haskins called. You know, the pediatric—”
    “Endocrinologist,” they both said together.
    Melissa said, “Right. He read your X-rays and he thinks … he thinks you’re still, well, shooting up.”
    “Awesome,” Emily said flatly.
    “In fact, his prediction is—,”
    “Wait!” Emily yelped. She vaulted to the window. Behind their house was a deep ravine, green with trees and moss and shrubs. When she and Kristen were younger, they loved to explore down there, loved to pretend they were slashing their way through a jungle, watching for snakes and wildcats in the branches.
    “Don’t tell me.”
    She heard Melissa inhale. “It’s up to you.”
    Emily wondered why Melissa wasn’t beaming, wasn’t filled with glee to know that she was still sprouting like an overfertilized sunflower. Dread filled her stomach like wadded up newspaper. The news must be bad. Really bad.
    In that moment, she decided. She had to hear the truth. “Okay. What? Tell me fast.”
    “Six two to six three,” Melissa said.
    Emily squeezed her eyes shut. Two to three more inches. She was going to grow two to three more inches. She would tower over everyone except the tallest of the tall. She’d never have a boyfriend. Girls would be too squeamish to hang out with her. “I’m sure you’re happy about that,” she said.
    “No,” Melissa shook her head. “I mean, I think it’s kind of neat, yeah. But I know it’s really hard on you.”
    The furnace clicked on, but goose bumps rose up and down Emily’s arms anyway.
    “Hey,” Kristen said.
    Emily looked up and noticed her sister standing in the doorway between the kitchen and family room. She rubbed an apple on the hem of her softball jersey.
    “You okay?” Kristen asked.
    Emily shrugged.
    Melissa patted Emily’s shoulder and left.
    Emily heard her pick up the phone and make a call, speaking in low tones, probably to Emily’s dad.
    Kristen flopped onto the couch. “You should totally join the track team this year. You’d kick ass on the high jump.”
    Emily bit her lips, forcing herself not to cry.
    “Seriously. You have tons of poise.”
    “Poise doesn’t equal athletic ability,” Emily snapped more forcefully than she meant to. Kristen was only trying to be nice. But Emily didn’t have it in her to be nice back. Not right then.
    She collapsed next to Kristen.
    Kristen lowered her voice and said, “How’s Melissa acting? Is she bugging the crap out of you?”
    Numbly, Emily said, “She’s being okay. She actually seems sympathetic. Which just shows you how horrific it is.”
    Kristen clicked on the remote and said, “Watch TV with me. It’ll help you forget.”
    So they sat through dating reality shows, an hour of dysfunctional crazies living together, and contests where pretty but strange-looking