The Secret Tree Read Online Free Page B

raced ahead and tagged Lennie on the back.
    “Minty Fresh scores!” I raised my arms and turned around to get Paz’s approval. But she wasn’t there.
    She had drifted over to the sidelines to talk to three girls: Isabelle Barton, Katie Park, and Lydia Kendall. They were going into seventh grade. They all wore the same silver barrettes, three of them lined up on one side of their hair, one barrette for each girl. Three girls, three barrettes each. Like a code for a secret club.
    I rolled over to them. “Minty Fresh scored!”
    For one second, Paz didn’t look at me. She didn’t say anything. It was like a strange, slow-motion delay. One second.
    I shuddered.
    Something was different. I felt it.
    When the longest second in the history of time was finally over, Paz turned her head, blinked, and smiled at me. Same old Paz. Only not. Pax A. Punch was gone.
    “We only came because it’s raining, and there’s nothing else to do,” Isabelle was saying.
    “This place is so cheesy,” Lydia added. “I can’t believe that old guy is still playing that stupid organ. Can’t they get a DJ?”
    “It smells like dirty socks in here.” Katie sniffed.
    These girls were too cool for goldfish. They had probably gotten rid of them a long time ago.
    “Well, we’re here. We might as well skate.” Isabelle glided out onto the floor and demonstrated a beautiful figure-skating spin. It was not the kind of spin a roller derby girl would do. It was the kind of spin a roller derby girl would make fun of.
    “Ooh,” Katie and Lydia said.
    “Ah,” Paz sighed.
    I held my tongue.
    The Pax A. Punch I knew wouldn’t ooh and ah over a girly spiral spin.
    “It’s not hard,” Isabelle said. “I can show you.”
    Paz, Katie, and Lydia gathered around for a demonstration. I tried to squeeze in, but somehow there wasn’t enough room in the circle for me.
    “I’m getting a snowball,” I said, frustrated. “Want one, Paz?”
    Paz didn’t answer. Isabelle was helping her bend backward for a spiral.
    I skated over to the snack bar by myself and got a spearmint snowball. Spearmint is my favorite snowball flavor, not just because it matches my name. Then I sat in the bleachers to slurp it. Thea’s bag was open, so I reached down to zip it up.
    “Hey!” Thea dashed to the side of the rink. She’s very aware of where her stuff is and who’s touching it at all times. “Quit touching my stuff, Minty!”
    “I’m not touching it,” I said. “I was zipping it closed.”
    “Just don’t touch it.” She turned to Melina and said, “I hate when she does that. Does Paz have this obsession with touching your things?”
    Melina nodded and laughed as they skated away together, commiserating over how horrible it is to have little sisters. That was a big part of their friendship — complaining about me and Paz.
    Isabelle organized a game of Crack the Whip. She and her friends were tall girls, and Paz was almost as tall. I felt shrimpy next to them.
    I finished my snowball fast — too fast, because I got brain freeze — and hurried back to the rink. Mr. Gorelick was playing “Get Down Tonight,” and the disco ball was flashing colored lights.
    I raced to catch up with the whip and grabbed Paz at the very end. We snaked around the oval, led by Isabelle. Suddenly the whip cracked, and I went flying into thebumper. Polishing the floor with my butt as usual. Everybody laughed, including me. I got up, brushed myself off, and scrambled to catch up to the whip as it whirled past me again.
    David and Troy whizzed by, buzzing too close to Isabelle. “Hey!” Isabelle snapped. “You almost bumped me!”
    The Mean Boys laughed and made rude noises. They stuck out their butts and made fun of the way we skated.
    The whip waved across the rink, girls clinging to one another’s slippery hands. I skated fast, trying to catch the tail, but before I could reach it, the Mean Boys zoomed by. Troy ducked under Isabelle’s arm. She stumbled, wobbled, and