Double Dutch by Sharon M. Draper Read Free Book Online

with encouragement.
    Delia glanced across the gym at Shana and Jackie. Shana waved and gave a thumbs-up sign that let Deliaknow that they, too, had done well. Looking into the stands again, Delia finally saw her mother, as well as the twins, who had not moved from their perch at the top.
    â€œDid you see who’s here?” Delia whispered to Yolanda. “The Tollivers.”
    Yolanda glanced at the two and waved. If they saw her, they did not indicate it. “Let ‘em look!” she said as she put on fresh lipstick. “I hope they like what they see!”
    â€œYou’re crazy,” Delia muttered. “I gotta keep my focus here.”
    They finished the eighth-grade doubles freestyle competition. Delia and her team did well, but they made a couple of careless mistakes—not enough to eliminate them, but enough to make them realize they were not invincible.
    After a short meeting of the judges, the teams for the state finals were announced. “I can’t believe we got picked,” Misty exclaimed.
    â€œI knew we would. We’re bad!” Delia said with confidence.
    â€œHey! Shana and Jackie’s team is going on to State too,” Yolanda said as their team was announced.
    â€œYou know, lots of kids get to go to the State finals,” Delia commented. “The city competition isn’t nearly as fierce as the larger meets. We’re gonna have to watch out.”
    â€œWell, I’m glad that everybody gets to go to Columbus—even the kids that didn’t quite make the cut this year,” Yolanda said as she packed her gym bag.
    â€œYeah, I feel ya,” Delia replied. “It’s fun being at tournaments and cheering for everybody. It’s the team that counts.”
    The gym emptied quickly after the results wereannounced. The Tollivers were nowhere to be seen. Delia felt charged and exultant, but she was tired. She was ready to get out of there and go home. She glanced at Randy, who was collecting all the ropes, putting them in the lockers, and straightening up the gym. She watched while Charlene and Yolanda told him jokes, and decided to ignore them all as she hurried out of the gym and into her mother’s car after only brief good-byes.

six
    D ELIA , Y OLANDA, AND C HARLENE SHIVERED IN THE EARLY March breeze on Monday morning, waiting for the first bell to ring.
    â€œI wish winter would hurry up and get out of here. I’m tired of bein’ cold,” Charlene complained in her thin white slacks and sleeveless blouse.
    â€œMaybe if you wore your winter coat, you wouldn’t be freezing your buns off,” Yolanda replied as she hugged herself in her heavy coat.
    â€œI’m tired of my winter coat, too!” Charlene laughed. “Cold weather is boring.”
    â€œWell, you can’t say it’s boring around here!” Delia declared. “You think today is the day the Tollivers are going to do something?”
    â€œWell, there’s lots of crazy stuff that’s been happening at other schools—shootings and killings and stuff. Scares me to death!”
    â€œDon’t say ‘death’—you’re freakin’ me out!” Yolanda exclaimed. “I’m scared enough already. You think they’ll kick them out of school?” Yolanda had made up no tales about the Tollivers today. The situation was much too tense.
    â€œProbably not. The twins haven’t
done
anything, excepttalk bad on a dumb TV show. They didn’t even threaten anybody,” Delia moaned. She saw Randy walk toward them, coming from the bus stop. “Hey, Randy, what’s up?”
    â€œNot much. Just the cold. And I’m hungry—I didn’t have time to eat breakfast. Any of you lovely ladies got any munchies?” He looked directly at Delia as he spoke.
    â€œSo now we’re ‘lovely ladies,’ huh?” Charlene teased.
    Delia pulled a Twinkie out of her lunch bag. Randy grabbed it, and