The Turtle Boy Read Online Free Page B

even like me!"
    "Now how do you know that?
Have you ever asked her?"
    "I know she doesn't. She's
always making faces at me in school."
    Kim smiled. "I don't mean
anything by it."
    "You see," his mother said.
"You have to give a girl a chance."
    Timmy felt sick.
    "I don't have to play with
you if you don't want me to," Kim said in a pitiful tone. Timmy
felt an ounce of hope but knew his parents, who melted at the sound
of her feigned sorrow, would vanquish it.
    "Don't be silly. Timmy would
love to play with you, wouldn't you, Timmy?"
    He sighed and studied the
scuffed toe of his sneakers. "I guess so."
    "Speak up, son."
    "I guess so," he repeated,
wondering how this summer could possibly get any worse.
    His mother went to Kim. With maternal
grace, she eased the girl into the kitchen. Timmy felt the color
rise in his cheeks and looked away.
    "Now see," his mother said.
"Why don't you both go on outside in the sunshine and see what you
can find to do. I bet you'll get along just fine."
    I bet we
won't , Timmy thought, miserable. With a
heavy sigh, he turned and opened the door.
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
    They were standing in the
yard, Kim with her arms still folded and Timmy watching the bloated
white clouds sailing overhead when she said: "I didn't want to come
over here, you know."
    Without looking at her he
scoffed. "Then why did you?"
    "Your mom called my mom and
told her you were bored and lonely and—"
    "I wasn't lonely . I was doing just
fine."
    "Well, your mom thought you
weren't and asked if I could come over. I told my mom I didn't want to play with you
because you are dirty and smelly."
    Timmy gaped at her.
"Really?"
    She shook her head and he had to
restrain the sigh that swelled in his throat.
    "So I guess we'll have to do
something for a while at least," she said. "What do you want to
play?"
    "Not dolls, anyway. I hate
dolls." He watched a blue jay until it flew behind her. Tracking it
any further would have meant looking in her direction and he wasn't
yet ready to do that.
    "Me too," Kim said,
startling him, and he looked at her. Briefly.
    "I thought all girls liked
dolls."
    He saw her shrug. "I think
they're dumb."
    "Real dumb."
    "Yeah."
    The silence wasn't as
dreadful as Timmy had thought it would be. For one, she didn't like
dolls and that was a plus. Dolls really were dumb. He hadn't said
it just to annoy her. And at least she talked . By now he'd have grown tired
of listening to himself talking to Pete and getting no answer. So,
he guessed, she wasn't that bad.
    But still, he didn't like
the idea of being seen hanging around with her. No matter how cool
she might turn out to be, if anyone at school heard about it they'd
say he was in love with her or something and that they were going
to have a baby. And that would be bad news. Real bad news.
    "Why don't we go back to the
pond?" she asked then, as if reading his thoughts.
    Going back to Myers Pond was no more
comforting an idea than hanging around with a girl, but at least
there no one would see them together.
    "I'm not allowed to go back
to the pond," he said, with an ounce of shame. Admitting you were
restricted by the same rules as everyone else seemed akin to
admitting weakness when you said it to a girl.
    "Why not?"
    "I'm just not."
    When she said nothing, he
gave a dramatic sigh and conceded. "Pete Marshall's dad thinks
there might be some creeps back there or something. He thinks it
might be dangerous for kids. My dad doesn't want me going back
there either."
    "Creeps? Like what kind of
creeps?"
    He almost told her, but
caught himself at the last minute and shrugged it off. "Just some
strange kids."
    She stared at him for a moment and he
struggled not to cringe.
    "Like The Turtle
Boy?"
    Now he looked at her and
through the shock of hearing the name he had given Darryl, he
realized she wasn't so ugly and stinky and everything else he
associated with the chittering group she swept around the
playground with at recess. Her eyes, for one thing, were