The Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle Read Free Book Online Page A

always thudded in my chest until I found it again, but it was the best option I had.
    I’d spent quite a bit on it, paid for with the tips I’d zoomed around town to collect, and as a result it didn’t feel like Bunion’s board anymore. It was mine, tailor-made to my own specs. I liked to think no one could skate on it but me.
    As my fingers rested on its wheels, my heart rate fell in relief, only to jump skyward again when a hand gripped me from behind.
    I turned, head spinning, fearing a rocket from Mom, only to find Sinus towering over me, his nose, as always, right in the middle of my business.
    “What are you doing, dweeb?”
    I grabbed his sweater in relief, not sure whether to kiss him or whack him for sneaking up on me.
    “Nothing!” I yelled, stashing the board in my backpack as best I could.
    “That a skateboard?”
    I stared at him, mystified by the sheer idiocy of his statement, wondering if it was actually some kind of trick question.
    “Um, yes?”
    “You still doing that, huh?” There was a hint of hurt on his face.
    You see, the thing was, the skating had kind of taken Sinus’s place. I really didn’t think it would bother him, had always imagined I would be replaced in his life by a new, impressive-looking wall. But from the annoyed expression on his face, I’d clearly gotten that wrong.
    “And how’s it going? Lost any teeth yet?”
    I showed him my pearly whites. “Not a single problem,” I lied, neglecting to mention my body’s worth of bruises.
    “Can’t say the same for Bunion,” he huffed. “He’s put on ten pounds since you started dealing to him. Mom wants to put him on a diet. Keeps threatening him with one of those fat camps if he doesn’t stop eating prawn crackers.”
    The whole slavery deal with Bunion hadn’t done much for my stress levels either. I’d had to invent orders to Dad, then come back without money for them, claiming the customer had refused to pay. Made me realize how lucky I was that Dad was so quiet. Anyone with a temper would’ve been banging on doors waving a cleaver until they coughed up!
    As a result, I felt nothing for the fat boy Bunion. Served the greedy jerk right. He could’ve given me the board for free if he’d really wanted.
    We started walking toward school, Sinus flicking through his notebook as we walked. I had no idea what he’d written in there, but he looked pleased with himself.
    “So, how good are you?” he asked.
    “What, at skating?”
    “No, ballet. Of course skating.”
    “I can get by.”
    “You doing any tricks?”
    “Not really. Haven’t tried yet. But I can turn now.”
    “You can TURN? Sweet lord!” His words dripped with sarcasm. “Must make the eight weeks seem SO worthwhile.”
    He was getting on my last nerve. Did he have to pick holes in every single thing I did? It wasn’t as if he was filling his life with anything better. What was
he
doing to stop others from thinking he was a freak? At least I was trying.
    “You know, you could try supporting me instead of laughing. I heard through the grapevine that that’s what friends do these days.”
    He looked at me, completely baffled.
    “What?”
    “Why
do
you hang around with me, Sinus? Seriously. Do you even like me?”
    “That’s got absolutely nothing to do with anything, Charlie,” he said, deadly serious. “Don’t you get it? We fit, don’t we? No one else wants to be friends with us, so we might as well just get on with it.”
    He meant it, but I tried not to believe it or let my newfound confidence crumble as a result. I shook my head and marched on.
    “What?” he asked. “What did I say?”
    “Nothing. You haven’t said anything. Nothing I shouldn’t have expected, anyway.”
    “Don’t be like that,” he moaned through his nose. “Tell you what. I’ll come watch you. On your board. Today after school.”
    “Wow, that’s really big of you,” I said sarcastically.
    His chest filled with pride as he slapped me on my back.
    His irony