Norma Jean by Amanda Heath Read Free Book Online

smalls.”
    I go to hang up but her voice stops me. “Why do you call me smalls?”
    “Because it’s funny. And you’re small. Like really small.”
    “Okay big foot.”
    I roll my eyes and hang up the phone.
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Norma
     
    I laugh while setting my phone down on my bed. Rydstorm slithers over my thigh, sticking his tongue out. “You ready to get back in your house, buddy?” He lifts up his head up and I wrap him around my arm before crossing over to his vivarium and depositing him in.
    I lay back down on my bed and look out the window. Not much of a view but that’s a trailer park for you. Sometimes I feel like white trash, since I live in small town Arkansas in a single wide trailer with my single mom. Not that I have to live without anything, it’s just a trailer for crying out loud. I’m not ashamed but it’s like you tell someone your dad is a famous author, then they found out you live in a trailer. It’s whatever.
    I wonder what Chance would think if he knew where I lived. It’s hard to say. The boy I know now, isn’t anything like the boy who made my life a living hell. He actually made me feel beautiful, for a second anyway. Though this isn’t about him, it’s about me and my revenge. I can’t let his heated looks, softly spoken words, and adorable smile break me. I feel nothing for him.
    Yeah, keep telling yourself that honey.
    I hear my mom come out of her room and wa lk into the kitchen so I decide to go bug her. My favorite pastime. When you don’t have any friends it’s easy to be stuck to your awesome mothers butt. “Good morning.” I say to her when I get to the end of the hall.
    Her brown hair is pulled up on top of her head in a very messy bun and there are bags under her eyes. I hate that she has to work graveyard but she refuses to go to days. The woman is stubborn. “Good afternoon, baby. Have a good day at school?”
    I stop by the end of the couch and cross my feet. “Sure. I got Chance Duncan to wear one of his mom’s dresses, then he made out with me in the school parking lot. It was epic.”
    Nothing fazes my mom. “That’s cool honey. Are y’all dating now?” she asks as she pours hot water into her mug for her tea. So English.
    “I guess. He wants to take me out on Friday night. His mom is off, so I don’t have to watch Macy.” I flop down on the couch as she heads to her laptop on her computer desk.
    “What are y’all going to be doing?” I hear her place the mug down and lift open the device. Her nails clink against the keys as she types in her password.
    “Dinner. A movie. The same thing everyone my age does. Though I think we are going to be more of a show than the movie.” I place my hands over my stomach and interlock my fingers.
    “Why is that?” she questions, while typing away at the keys. She might be addicted to Facebook but she is the master of multitasking. It’s the only reason she hasn’t had an intervention.
    “Everyone stared at us all day long. I have never been more gawked at in my life. And I’m the girl who fell off the stage in the 2 nd grade play.” I laugh out loud remembering that. We did some dumb musical our music teacher thought was cool. I can’t dance to save my life so of course I wasn’t watching what I was doing and fell right off the stage. I think I might still be living that one down till I die.
    “Why would they gawk at you, baby?” like she doesn’t know. The woman is dumb sometimes.
    “I don’t know. Because the preppy jock type made out with the gothic rocker chick freak in the parking lot.” I roll my eyes. I shouldn’t have to explain myself. This is common knowledge.
    “Well everyone at your school are sheep. They were the same when I went there. I was the pretty preppy socialite cheerleader and your father was the grungy rocker stoner. We were a strange couple now that I think about it, but that was the 90s.” I can picture her shrugging her shoulders at tha t.