B0075M2D1U EBOK Read Free Page A

shoes) and Mom would always answer, “We like to feel the earth under our feet.” I would just shrug. Eh. It’s more comfortable, I always thought. Plus, I was too lazy to put my shoes on when I was around the house.
    “ Oh good! It’s about time you’re up,” my mother exclaimed as she twisted around to greet me. “You’ve got chores young lady.”
    I rolled my eyes and held my hand to my mouth as I let out a yawn. “Geesh, Ma, gimme a break! I woke up like two minutes ago. I need my chocolate cereal first.” I walked through the living room into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of my favorite cereal. My dad was at the kitchen table, with greasy car parts spread all over newspapers, tinkering away. I don’t know what the heck he was doing. I don’t think he did either. But, he loved working on broken down cars. Hey, at least when I saved enough to buy a junker for myself, I knew my dad could keep it running for me. Well, probably he could. Maybe.
    I shoved some of the newspaper to the side and sat down to eat. “So Rubes, what’s on your agenda for today?” my dad asked while not taking his eyes off whatever part he was cleaning with his greasy, white rag.
    “ Uhhh. Not much of an agenda Dad. I’m a teenager, remember? It’s Saturday,” I answered while I shoveled in another mouthful of chocolate puff cereal.
    “ Don’t talk with your mouth full,” he replied, as he glanced over the top of his reading glasses at me. Ugh. I shook my head. Just then, the phone rang. I jumped up from the table and grabbed the yellow phone from the wall. When in the world were my parents going to move into this century and get a cordless phone?
    “ ‘ Lo?” I managed to get out as I swallowed a mouthful of cereal.
    “ Oh good! You’re up! What’s up, Buttercup?” the all-too chipper voice replied.
    “ Hey Jeremy. Whaddya mean what’s up? I just woke up. Nothin’s up. Not since last night when I talked to you,” I crabbily answered. Duh. I have no patience in the morning.
    “ You wanna hang today?” he said, ignoring my snarky attitude.
    “ Yeah, but I gotta do my chores first,” I announced loudly as I glanced over at my dad who was still polishing whatever part he had in his hand.
    “ ‘ Kay. Meet me at the lake ‘round noon. If you talk to Anya or Brennan, tell them too.”
    “ Sure thing,” I replied.
    Click. He hung up. I hung up the phone and shuffled back over to my bowl of cereal as I tried to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
    “ Jeremy?” my dad asked.
    “ Yep. We’re gonna meet at the lake later, ‘kay?”
    “ As long as your chores are done,” he said, still tinkering away.
    “ Yeah, yeah…” I grumbled. Did he not hear what I just said to Jeremy on the phone? I was standing three feet away from him. Sometimes, I don’t think parents pay very much attention to their kids. I finished up my cereal and put my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher. Then I reached under the sink and grabbed the stuff to dust the furniture and clean the upstairs bathroom (my lovely weekend chores).
    As I walked past my mother again (this time she was vacuuming the sofa), she called out, “Wake up your brother too, the trash cans aren’t going to empty themselves!” She was dancing around humming the theme song to the “ The Wiz ,” while she was sucking up crumbs from under the couch cushions.
    I passed my brother’s room in the hallway on the way to the stair case; I set down my cleaning supplies and pounded on his door with both fists as hard as I could. “Rise and shine CLEOpatra!” (Heh heh…I loved calling my brother all kinds of girly names. He absolutely hated it.)
    I heard my brother grunt and then…THUD! I heard him roll off his bed and onto his hardwood floor. He shouted,“DAMMIT RUBY! You made me fall outta bed!” I snickered and started to skip away from his door, “Ooohhhh! You’re gonna get it! Mom heard you swear!” I laughed. He came thundering out of his room, hair all disheveled, and