Taffy Sinclair 002 - Taffy Sinclair Strikes Again Read Online Free Page B

could see two items on it, one above the other. Klutz and bossy, I thought, trying to reassure myself. But when I read the words, I nearly lost my breath.
    "Boy crazy!"
    "Immature!"
    I couldn't believe my eyes. Who could have written such horrible things? Nobody who really knew me. Not someone who was my friend. I felt as if a gigantic hand were squeezing my heart.
    Suddenly everybody started yelling.
    "Bossy!"
    "Overdramatic!"
    "How could you?"
    "Overweight!"
    "Show-off!"
    "Some friend you are!"
    I couldn't look up. I knew that if I did I'd cry. I opened the other lists. I couldn't believe them, either. They were all the same. "Nutty over boys." "Babyish." "Boy crazy." Not one of my friends saw me for what I really was.
    Just then, Katie jumped up and raced to the door. She jerked it open and ran out. "Meeting adjourned ! " she shouted over her shoulder. Then all my other FORMER friends started getting up, too. They were all frowning and sticking their tongues out at one another. Beth was even sticking her tongue out at me. I couldn't do it back. I felt too miserable and misunderstood.
    In a minute everybody was gone, and I was alone in my room with torn-up lists scattered all over the floor. Thank goodness Mom wasn't home. She might come tearing in, asking what was the matter. I couldn't tell her. I'd be so embarrassed that I'd die.
    It was a terrible thing to find out that the people I had trusted and thought were my best friends were really only faking it all along. I was glad it was Saturday and Mom would be going out with Pink. I couldn't sit at the dinner table and try to make conversation. I just wanted to be alone. My whole life was going down the drain. I couldn't share that kind of misery with anyone, not even Mom.
    Of course, she came home from shopping all excited and wanting to talk. She said she had a great idea for my Halloween costume. She didn't even notice I wasn't in the mood for conversation.
    "I was pushing my cart through the frozen food section when I saw it," she said as she loaded groceries into the refrigerator.
    "My costume?" I wondered if she thought I should go as a TV dinner or a bag of frozen french fries. Not that I really cared.
    "No, silly. Not the costume, the idea. How would you like to be the Jolly Green Giant?"
    I must have had a really strange look on my face because she started rattling on about how extra funny it would be for me to be a giant, since I'm practically the shortest kid in the sixth grade, and how she had already figured out how to make the costume out of green felt. I let her talk until she ran down, and then I said it sounded great and went to my room. I couldn't tell her that Halloween was the furthest thing from my mind just then.
    Pink was right on time coming to pick her up. I was planning to hide in my room until after they left, but in addition to my pizza, he had brought along a new bowling trophy for Mom and me to see. I tried to smile and congratulate him, but who could think about bowling trophies at a time like that? They finally left. And then I was more lonely than ever. I had never felt so alone in my life. Mom had Pink. But who did I have? Nobody anymore. We didn't even have a dog.
    I tried to eat my pizza, but it had cooled off and it stuck in my throat. I put most of it in the fridge even though Mom would find it and probably think I was sick. Finally I went to my room and closed the door. Miss Piggy was grinning at me from her spot on the wall. I was more glad than ever that my FORMER friends did not know Randy Kirwan's poster was right behind Miss Piggy's.
    Then I got this great idea. I pulled Miss Piggy down and looked at Randy. Just because I liked him a lot didn't mean I was boy crazy. I was just romantic, and nothing was wrong with that. I'd show those girls a thing or two. I'd show them that I wasn't crazy over boys, but boys were crazy over me ! It would be easy. I would watch Taffy Sinclair to see what she did. Boys were always following her