The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower Read Online Free Page B

peas.
    â€œHow was graduation this afternoon?” Bernetta asked.
    Elsa shrugged. “Long robes, ugly hats. You didn’t miss a whole lot.”
    â€œWell, I wish I could have heard your valedictorian speech.”
    Elsa studied Bernetta’s face for a long moment, then leaned back and opened the top drawer of her dresser. “What color do you want?” she asked.
    Bernetta thought about it. “Blue.”
    Elsa rummaged around for a moment, then produced a bottle of bright blue nail polish.
    Elsa was always good for a talk and toenail painting when things got tough. Back in April, when Bernetta had gotten in trouble for cheating on her history test, they’d painted their nails a new color almost every night. This time, though, Bernetta knew she was in for the talk of a lifetime. She almost wished she had more toes.
    Bernetta watched as her sister shook the bottle, then unscrewed the lid and began on Bernetta’s big toe. The paint spread out across the nail in a thin blue V.
    â€œElsa, you know I didn’t do it, right? You believe me, don’t you?”
    â€œOf course I believe you, Netta. You’re my sister.”
    Bernetta smiled at that. “Thanks, Elsa. But—I mean—Mom and Dad. They don’t believe me, do they? If they believed me, I wouldn’t be grounded.”
    Elsa was quiet for a long time, painting, dipping the brush back in the bottle every once in a while. When all the toenails on Bernetta’s right foot were blue, Elsa finally looked up.
    â€œLook, Netta, it’s hard for them.”
    â€œIt’s hard for me too! I was
framed
, for Pete’s sake.”
    â€œThat’s not what I mean.” Elsa gently moved the bag of peas and started painting the toes on Bernetta’s bum foot. “They want to believe you, Netta, they do. But you have to admit there’s an awful lot of evidence against you.”
    â€œI told you, it was Ashley. I told them that too. Why can’t they—”
    â€œIt was your PE locker, wasn’t it?”
    Bernetta rolled her eyes. “But I didn’t use that locker all year! I shared with you, you know that.”
    â€œ
I
know that, Netta, but no one else does. And all those tests and essays that everyone was copying, they were
my
old assignments.”
    â€œAshley stole them! She was over here all the time. She could’ve easily stolen them from your room when you weren’t here.”
    Elsa paused in her painting, and with her free hand she tucked a silky black curl behind her ear. Unlike Bernetta’s mess of orange-yellow cat fur, Elsa’s curls were always smooth, each one perfectly coiled like a ribbon on a birthday present. “You could’ve easily done that too, Netta,” she said.
    â€œBut I didn’t,” Bernetta replied.
    â€œBut you
could
have. And Ashley’s record is completely clean. Sparkling even. You said so yourself. And
you
cheated on that history test back in April.”
    â€œIt was Ashley’s idea. She was the one who stole the answer key.”
    â€œAnd you were the one who used it. It was a stupid thing to do, Netta.”
    Bernetta knew it was stupid. She’d known it was stupid even back in April. But at the time, when Ashley had suggested it, it had seemed like the only way out. No matter how hard she studied, it seemed Bernetta could never manage to pull her history grade up to an A. And if she didn’t wind up with an A in history, how was she ever going to be school valedictorian? How would she ever get her photo up on the wall in the hall of honors, right next to Elsa’s, the two Wallflower sisters smiling down on everyone for the rest of time?
    â€œAll I’m saying,” Elsa continued, working on Bernetta’s second toe, “is just give Mom and Dad some time to cool off, and they’ll come around. Lie low for a while, okay?”
    â€œWhat do you mean, lie low?”
    Elsa rolled her eyes.