SVH10-Wrong Kind of Girl by Francine Pascal Read Free Book Online Page A

me about it?"
    "I think I do. I know I do. But I don't know if I should." Elizabeth stared down at the typewriter keys in indecision. She could really use Mr. Collins's advice, but if she told him what was going on with Annie and Jessica, it would put her sister in an awful light. Not only would that be disloyal, but Jessica would probably never forgive her if she found out--and Jessica seemed to have a way of always finding out.
    "Maybe you should sign up for that new course being offered next year," Mr. Collins suggested lightly.
    "Excuse me?" Elizabeth looked at him in confusion.
    "The course is called Decisions, something you seem to have a little trouble with at the moment."
    "I think I'd better be first in line," Elizabeth said, breaking into a small smile. "You see, Mr. Collins, this problem I have is--is not really my problem, but I've gotten kind of involved, somehow...." Her voice trailed off.
    "That's what I like in a reporter, Wakefield. Clear, concise, to the point."
    Elizabeth responded to Mr. Collins's teasing
    with a giggle. He knew just how to make a person relax, Elizabeth thought. It was so easy to open up and talk to him.
    "I'm trying to help someone get something she really wants, something really good for her," Elizabeth began. "But there's someone else who doesn't want her to have this good thing. And this someone else has what she thinks are good reasons." Elizabeth looked up at him, appealing for a solution.
    "And you're stuck in the middle, right?" Mr. Collins said.
    "I sure am."
    "And both girls are good friends of yours," he continued.
    Was Annie a good friend? Elizabeth hadn't really thought about it that way before. But Mr. Collins was right. Annie had become a friend. And Jessica was her twin, the person closest to her in the whole world. That made her even more than a friend.
    "Yes, they're both people I care about. And I'm just afraid one of them is going to get hurt." Elizabeth looked toward Mr. Collins, who nodded encouragingly.
    "And what about you?" he asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "You could end up hurt, too, if you get involved in their problems."
    Elizabeth thought about how much Annie was depending on her for support and how little she could really do. Then she pictured Jessica's angry face of a few minutes ago. She was liable
    to wind up disappointing both of them if she wasn't careful.
    "I guess the most I can do is to be a good friend to both of them and let them work out their differences for themselves, right?" Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and studied Mr. Collins for confirmation.
    "It's not for nothing that you're my star reporter, Wakefield." He tousled her hair playfully.
    "Thanks for listening, Mr. Collins." For the first time all day, the cheering tryouts didn't seem to Elizabeth like the beginning and end of the world.
    But they did seem that way to Annie, Cara, Sandra, and all the rest of the squad hopefuls. They met that afternoon in the gym, each girl praying that the long hours of practice would pay off.
    Cara Walker went through her three cheers with perfection, having been exhaustively coached by the co-captain of the squad.
    Sandra Bacon did the same, Jessica was happy to note.
    One by one, the aspirants skipped out in front of the five cheerleaders and did their routines, starting with the "Go, Gladiators" cheer, then doing two cheers of their choice and finishing up with a split.
    "The split's what separates the 'want-tos' from the 'can-dos,' " Helen Bradley told Jessica, and she was right, of course. Of the twenty-five girls, more than half couldn't manage the split.
    But Annie Whitman wasn't one of those. Annie was a "can-do" all the way.
    Out she dashed, creating an immediate electric excitement in everybody watching--with one exception, of course.
    Annie carried pom-poms, which weren't required, but which gave her an edge right away. Then she did the first two cheers with such zest and perfection that Robin Wilson actually applauded.
    And when