Freestyle with Avery by Annie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page B

I told them.
    The girls started to giggle. “That’s not what she means,” Kazie said. She looked at the two girls and winked. “Last one to The Sweet Life is a rotten eggplant!”
    Before I knew what was happening, the three of them took off sprinting. But so did I. Running was one of my specialties. Even though Kazie and her friends had a head start, I passed them all in seconds and didn’t look back.
    I got to The Sweet Life and collapsed onto the front step. “Winner!” I cried and looked around for the girls. Siobhan and Tessa were a block behind and not going all that fast. Kazie was even farther. They jogged over to me at a mellow pace … not even out of breath.
    “Winner!” I cried again and put my hand out for them to slap.
    The girls were laughing hysterically. “Congratulations, Avery. You’re officially the ice cream cleaner-upper for the night,” Tessa proclaimed.
    My throat felt dry. Since when did winning a race make you the loser? I glared at Kazie, who shrugged. “Chill, Avery. It’s just a joke. Consider it … your initiation.”
    Tessa, Siobhan, and Kazie, still laughing, tumbled into the store.
    Was this what it was like to be the new kid in Telluride? Definitely not what we did to Charlotte and Isabel when they were new to Brookline. Who did this Kazie girl think she was?

CHAPTER
8
Melon
    When I walked down the stairs into The Sweet Life I could feel everybody staring at me. Good thing I wasn’t a blusher like Charlotte or my face would be big-time red. Kazie, Tessa, and Siobhan were already in line at the counter. Everyone was trying to talk to Crazie Kazie. Boy, was she popular in Telluride—it didn’t take me long to figure that one out.
    Kazie got her ice cream—a banana split—and turned to find a table. Then I couldn’t believe my eyes. The huge crowd of kids in the store parted just so Kazie could have a path to walk through. Tessa and Siobhan followed. A few younger girls sitting at the big corner booth scrambled to get up, and Kazie and her friends settled right into their places. I’d never seen anything like this, except in movies.
    “Yo, Avery!” Kazie shouted. “You coming?”
    I squeezed through the crowd (no one moved out of the way for
me
) and went over to their booth, which was now totally filled with people. “I need the money,” I said.
    Kazie cupped her ear. “I can’t hear you. Everybody be quiet!” she commanded.
    All the kids instantly stopped talking.
    “I need the money,” I repeated. Now everyone was listening. I was suddenly really mad at Dad for giving Kazie the money to hold.
    “Oh, yeah!” Kazie reached into her pocket and scrunched some bills into my hand. “I totally forgot. Soooorry. Here it is.”
    “Don’t sweat it,” I mumbled and turned to go back. I wished Kazie wouldn’t make such a big scene over everything. She seemed all laid-back, but it looked to me like underneath it all she was really a total drama queen.
    “Do you even eat ice cream?” Kazie called with a smug laugh. I didn’t answer, but I could hear her quietly telling her friends about what happened with the root beer floats.
    “Can I help you?” asked the boy behind the counter.
    “Do you still have fruit smoothies?” I asked him. (It just so happens I did eat ice cream. But fruit smoothies were definitely my fave.)
    “You bet.” The boy smiled and pointed to a sign that listed smoothie flavors. “What kind?”
    There were so many yummy fruits to choose from, how could I decide? “Hmm … eenie, meanie, miney, pineapple! No, mango … no, melon … no—”
    “How ‘bout all three?”
    “Excellent!”
    I got my smoothie and went back to the table. It was completely packed. Did every kid in Telluride want tohang out with the great Crazie Kazie? What was so great about her, anyway? Kazie was telling a story about the time her board unhooked on the middle of a chairlift and she had to shimmy up a double black diamond to get it back. “Wanna hear the