Taffy Sinclair 011 - Nobody Likes Taffy Sinclair Read Online Free

' t let on, but Taffy could see Shawnie squirming nervously.
    No one said much more during lunch, and Taffy was beginning to wonder if she had been wrong to snap at Kimm. She hadn ' t meant to make Shawnie mad, just let her know that she wasn ' t exactly thrilled to have Kimm around all the time. Didn ' t Shawnie realize that it hurt to come home and find your best friend hanging around with someone else?

CHAPTER FOUR
    "Want to go to Bumpers? " Shawnie asked, stopping by Taffy ' s locker after school.
    Shawnie ' s big smile perked up Taffy ' s spirits a little. All afternoon she had been worrying about whether her anger in the cafeteria would make Shawnie change her mind about their friendship.
    " Unfortunately, Cory and Craig won ' t be there, " added Shawnie. " I just saw Craig, and he said the band was going to practice. "
    This time Taffy ' s spirits soared. That meant Kimm wouldn ' t be at Bumpers, either.
    " In fact, " Shawnie went on as Taffy got her books out of her locker, " the band has started using every spare minute to practice. The plan is to sound big-time so that they can get more jobs. "
    " I guess I can identify with that, " Taffy admitted as she pulled her jacket off its hook. " On the set we practiced our lines for hours and hours before they rolled the cameras, and sometimes . . ."
    Taffy stopped in midsentence. Shawnie was listening with a sort of glazed look in her eyes. Of course she doesn ' t understand what I ' m talking about, Taffy thought. Nobody would who hasn ' t been on a movie set and seen what happens, and Shawnie ' s just trying to be polite. She ' s really more interested in what ' s going on around good old Wacko. Sighing, Taffy said, " Let ' s go on to Bumpers. Okay? "
    " Sure, " said Shawnie. " We ' ll have to hurry, anyway, if we ' re going to get a seat. " Shouldering her backpack, she fell into step with Taffy, and her eyes began to gleam. " On the way you can tell me more about Raven Blaine. He ' s so totally, TOTALLY awesome on the screen, but what ' s he really like in person? "
    " Oh, Shawnie, I wish you could meet him. "
    " Ditto, I ' m sure, " Shawnie interjected, and giggled. " Come on. Tell me something secret about him. Did he kiss you? "
    Taffy pictured Raven in her mind and answered, " Not yet, but I know he would have if I ' d stayed there. Oh, Shawnie, he ' s so sensitive. Really. I know that ' s hard to believe, but it ' s true. " She bit her lower lip for a moment, wondering if she should say more, but after all, Shawnie was her best friend. " Promise you won ' t tell, and I ' ll tell you his real name. "
    " You mean Raven Blaine isn ' t his real name? " exclaimed Shawnie. When Taffy didn ' t answer, she added, " Okay. Okay. I promise I won ' t breathe a word to another living soul. Now, tell me everything. "
    " Well, " Taffy began, " his real name is Len Butter worth, and he ' s totally shy around girls. "
    " Oh, come on, " said Shawnie. " I ' ve seen him on TV. There ' s nothing shy about him. "
    " That ' s because he ' s playing a part, " Taffy insisted. " He can say or do anything when he ' s acting, but when he ' s just being himself, he ' s shy. When he sent me a bouquet of roses, and even this gold star necklace, he was too shy to sign ' Raven ' on the card. Instead, he signed ' Len. ' I didn ' t know his real name then, and I thought they were from someone else. "
    " Wow, " said Shawnie, getting a dreamy look on her face. " That ' s so romantic. I mean, a famous star who likes you so much, he sends you presents but is too shy to sign his name. That sounds like a movie plot. "
    Taffy opened the door to Bumpers. " I ' ll tell you more later, okay? And don ' t forget, " she added as she remembered Kimm, " you promised you wouldn ' t tell anybody. "
    Shawnie nodded, and the two of them began searching for a table.
    " Quick! " Shawnie shouted. " Somebody ' s leaving that bumper car. Grab it. "
    She was pointing to a green bumper car near the center of the resta urant