Two Cool for School Read Online Free Page B

twisty feeling that developed in her stomach when he smiled prevented her from feeling totally comfortable around him too.
    â€œHave you ever ridden a horse?” asked Kylie, interrupting Ava’s thoughts.
    â€œNot since I was little. I don’t think it counts that I was led around a corral when I was four,” admitted Ava.
    â€œNo, that doesn’t really count. But it’s a start! Anyway, I live on a ranch—you should come over and I’ll teach you how to ride.”
    Ava grinned. “I’d love that.”

    When the twins got home from school that afternoon, they found a note from their mother waiting for them. Mrs. Sackett would be firing at the kiln late, so the twins were supposed to prepare dinner and walk Moxy. Alex got to work chopping veggies for lasagna, and Ava put her shoes back on to take an eager Moxy outside.
    Coach and Tommy arrived in silence a few hours later. Coach went to take a shower, but Tommy gave Ava a discreet thumbs-up before going upstairs. “The info session was great!” he said. “I was, like, thirty seconds late to practice, so Coach is mad, but it was worth it!”
    Their mom came home just as Ava was pulling the lasagna out of the oven. Alex tossed the salad. Moxy leaped up to greet Mrs. Sackett, her tail wagging her whole back end as though they hadn’t seen each other in months.
    â€œDown, girl,” said Mrs. Sackett.
    Moxy sat, her tail thumping loudly on the linoleum floor.
    â€œCoach and Tommy just got home,” Ava reported. “They’re taking showers and then coming down to set the table.”
    â€œThank you, girls, for taking care of dinner. I can’t wait to hear all about your first days!” Mrs. Sackett set her bag down and leaned against the counter. She had a smudge of dried clay on her nose and some green paint in her hair.
    They heard Coach heading down the front stairs. He walked in, freshly showered and smelling of shaving cream, and kissed Mrs. Sackett gently on the forehead.
    â€œLong day, hon?”
    â€œYes, I’m exhausted,” said Mrs. Sackett. “I’ve forgotten what it’s like to do this full-time!” She sank into a chair and smiled gratefully as Ava handed her a large glass of iced tea. Moxy sidled over and put her head on Mrs. Sackett’s lap, hoping to be petted.
    â€œI was firing all afternoon,” said Mrs. Sackett, her hand now stroking Moxy’s glossy head. “And I just found out there’s a PTA meeting this Wednesday and I am very much expected to be there. Plus, a reporter from the paper called and asked me for quotes about our family life.” She took a long gulp of tea. “Did you remember to stop by the vet for Moxy’s medicine, sweetie?”
    Coach grimaced. “I’m sorry, hon,” he said. “Practice ran late and . . .” He shook his head.“I just forgot all about it,” he admitted.
    Mrs. Sackett sighed wearily. “It’s okay. I’ll go in the morning, before I go to the studio.”
    Coach hung his head. Ava and Alex exchanged a look.

    Later that evening, after Ava had finally finished her social studies reading, she climbed into bed with White Fang, her dictionary, and her writer’s notebook. She opened to the first page of the book.
    Dark spruce forest frowned on either side the frozen waterway. The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless . . .
    Ava’s mind wandered. She thought about her mom and dad, and how stressed they both seemed. She thought about Tommy, and his feelings about football. Would he ever considerquitting the team? How would Coach respond?
    . . . desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of