Shaken Up Read Free Page A

on the forehead. “Okay, sweetie. I’m glad you’re okay.”
    Mom, Dad, and Maisie left. I picked up the trophy, cleaned up the spilled bottle of water, and sat down at my desk. My laptop lid had shut during the earthquake.
    When I opened it, I found Kara anxiously waiting for me.
    â€œDevin, was that really an earthquake?” she asked.
    â€œYeah,” I said. “That was totally weird. I think I’m still shaking.”
    â€œOh my gosh! So everyone’s okay? The house didn’t break or anything?” she asked.
    I started to giggle nervously. “How does a house break?”
    â€œYou know what I mean!” Kara said, laughing with me. “Well, I’m so glad you’re okay. I can’t imagine what that must be like. It sounded pretty crazy over there!”
    It had felt pretty crazy too. In fact, I was feeling a little too jarred to keep casually chatting with Kara. Assuring her I was all right, I signed off and then sat down to study for my World Civ test the next day.
    We were learning about the Roman empire. Apparently the ancient Romans had had these big arenas where they used to watch gladiators fight each other and even battle it out with wild animals, like lions. And that had been their idea of fun! If you asked me, arenas without soccer were nothing much to brag about. I tried to focus, looking over my notes, where I had jokingly listed “no soccer” as one of the reasons for the decline of the Roman empire.
    I flipped the pages of my textbook, trying to find the real answers, but my eyes couldn’t settle on what I was trying to read. I noticed that my hand was shaking like crazy as it rested on the page. I tried to ignore it and keep looking, but after a few minutes of staring at the page and not registering anything, I closed the book, sighing. I would just have to wing it. There was no point in studying,I knew. I couldn’t seem to quiet my mind. After all, I’d just experienced my first earthquake . How could you act like things were normal when your whole world had literally just shaken beneath you?
    If this was what it really meant to be a “California girl,” I would be content moving back to Connecticut tomorrow!

Jessi was the first friend I saw in the hallway the next morning.
    â€œSo, some earthquake last night,” I said. “Were you guys okay?”
    Jessi shrugged. “Yeah, it was a small one. No big deal.”
    â€œReally?” I was surprised. “I don’t know. It kind of felt like a big deal to me.”
    â€œOh, wait, was that your first earthquake?” she asked, and I nodded. “Yeah, so I guess it was a big deal for you. Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”
    â€œI hope so,” I said, but honestly I wasn’t sure. Having the house shake under my feet was not something I thought I could ever get used to.
    I noticed that some other kids in the hallway were talking about the earthquake too, and I realized I wasinterested in hearing what they had to say. Almost everyone sounded like Jessi.
    â€œIt was a small one.”
    â€œNo big deal.”
    And then lunchtime came around, and I was still feeling like the earthquake was a big deal.
    I jabbed my fork into the grilled chicken salad my mom had packed for me. Jessi, Zoe, Emma, and Frida were all talking about soccer. Normally I would have joined in, but all I could think about was how scared I’d felt when my house had been shaking.
    â€œSo, you guys are playing the Gophers on Saturday, Devin?” Zoe asked.
    When I heard my name, it brought me back to attention. I dropped my fork and forced a smile at Zoe.
    â€œYeah,” I said.
    â€œI heard they haven’t won a game yet,” said Jessi.
    â€œAw, those poor little Gophers,” Emma said. “I remember how it felt when the Kicks never won a game. I hope they win one soon.”
    â€œWell, I hope they don’t!” Jessi said. “At