Letters from the Heart by Annie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page A

did?—and proceeded to fill them both in on all the details about the award. They were really eager to hear about it. In fact, Maeve thought they seemed almost TOO eager. They kept asking more and more questions. Who would be at the ceremony? How many kids had been nominated? Finally, Maeve ran out of answers. She hadn’t won yet! Why was everyone jumping to conclusions?
    She tried three separate times to escape to her room—she was dying to check I.M. and see who might be online. But they didn’t seem to want her to leave the kitchen.
    Maeve decided that they were overreacting to her newsbecause this wasn’t exactly an everyday event. Probably, she guessed, her life was a lot more exciting than theirs. Parents , she thought fondly. They really didn’t have much perspective, did they? But she finally had to tear herself away and leave them to their own devices. They were going to have to wait to hear more details about the nomination later—she had to feed her guinea pigs, and she had to be over at Charlotte’s house to help pack Marty up in less than an hour.
    Maeve’s guinea pigs were both female, but Maeve liked giving them romantic names from movies and TV shows, which she changed every time she felt like it. This week they were “Romeo” and “Juliet.” Maeve scooped them up to give them each a kiss. “Hi guinea babies,” she said sweetly, tickling Juliet’s tummy and letting both of them run around her room. They needed some exercise after a whole day trapped in their cage!
    Home sweet home, Maeve thought, looking fondly around her. Maeve’s room was what Katani had labeled a “pink-fest.” Posters covered one half of the wall near her bed, including her latest “shrine to hotness,” with the cutest guys in Hollywood cut out of magazines and taped to the wall. Maeve was a collector, and her shelves were crowded with memorabilia—trophies and ribbons from dance classes all the way back to kindergarten, pictures of her friends, worn and fuzzy stuffed animals, glass figurines…“girly-girl” stuff, as Avery called it. Maeve loved every single bit of her room, even the ruffly pink canopy on her bed.
    Ooops. There was her offending day planner, lying on her dresser where she’d left it. Maeve vowed to keep all her things in one place so she wouldn’t forget an appointment again.
    She flung herself across her bed with her laptop.
    ----
    Notes to Self:
BE MORE ORGANIZED, keep day planner with book bag!
More guinea pig food—we’re almost out. New names for Romeo and Juliet??
Dress for Friday night. Blue for a change? Or stick with pink, like in my daydream?
New screenname? Luv2shop05? Thinkpink05?
Acceptance speech??? Or am I jinxing myself if I write one ahead of time?
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    The house was quiet when Maeve let herself out an hour later, ready for the Marty transport. Strangely quiet. Her mom and dad were still sitting together at the kitchen table, but neither of them seemed to be saying much to the other.
    They looked glad to see her when Maeve crashed through the kitchen, grabbing a snack from the fridge on the way out.
    Her mom wanted to know when she’d be back and if she had her cell phone. The usual.
    Her father wanted to remind her that she was supposed to help him with the film festival tomorrow. AND help watch Sam.
    â€œYes, yes, yes,” Maeve said.
    â€œOh, and Maeve. Don’t forget about tomorrow evening,” her mother said.
    â€œI won’t forget,” Maeve assured her. She really didn’t like this. What could possibly need this much buildup?
    â€œOh, and you guys, I need to talk to YOU, too,” she added, as she backed out of the kitchen door into the hallway. “I need to find out about your histories—both of you. So startthinking about some good stories about how you grew up and where you both come from, okay? Ms. O’Reilly wants them to be REAL.