The Poison Apples by Lily Archer Read Free Book Online Page B

into the trunk of the car, took a step back, and checked my watch. We were leaving in ten minutes. Ten minutes until I embarked on the road to paradise.
    I felt a small hand tugging at my skirt. It was Sandie. I looked down at her and was reminded once again of how she resembled a tiny vampire.
    â€œHi, Sandie,” I said.
    â€œAre you happy to leave us?” she asked. Her mouth and cheeks were streaked with red Popsicle stains.
    I smiled down at her. No, I thought, of course not! Why would I be happy to leave a stupid town, a stupid high school, a stupid absent mother, a stupid emotionless father, a stupid stepmother who openly states that she wishes I were “prettier,” two tiny stupid stepsisters who just spent the summer short-sheeting my bed, and a stupid traitorous younger sister who actually seems to like our new life on the edge of town with Candy and Randie and Sandie? Who actually seems to get along with them and enjoy their company?
    â€œNo, Sandie,” I said. “Of course I’m not happy to leave. But they gave me a full scholarship and stipend. It’ll save us money if I go.”
    She squinted at me suspiciously.
    â€œI’ll come back to visit all the time,” I reassured her, and crossed my fingers behind my back.
    Candy Lamb came out of the house, banging the front door behind her. Randie followed close behind, clutching a bedraggled Barbie doll.
    â€œYou sure you don’t want to change that skirt?” Candy asked.
    I grinned at her. Nothing could make me feel bad now. Nothing.
    â€œI’m sure,” I said.
    â€œHERB!” Candy shrieked.
    My father emerged from the backyard, brushing the dirt off his pants. “Yep?” he asked.
    â€œDon’t you think Molly looks like a librarian in that skirt?”
    He gazed at me. “Huh,” he said. “I don’t know. What does a librarian look like?”
    Candy sighed. “Just go,” she told me. “I don’t care if you make a bad first impression.”
    â€œWhere’s Spencer?” I asked.
    â€œSPENCER!” Candy bellowed. I winced. Candy’s favorite activity seemed to be screaming the names of her new family members at the top of her lungs.
    The screen door creaked open, and Spencer’s blond head peeped out.
    â€œAren’t you gonna give me a hug good-bye?” I said.
    She reluctantly stepped outside and made her way toward me, teetering in a pair of enormous high heels.
    â€œWhat are you doing in those ridiculous shoes?” I demanded.
    Spencer’s bright blue eyes flickered in Candy’s direction. “Candy let me try them on.”
    I turned to Candy. “You’re letting her traipse around in a pair of trashy high heels?”
    â€œExcuse me, young lady,” Candy snapped, “they are not trashy. And what business is it of yours if—”
    â€œLet’s just go, Dad,” I said, shaking my head.
    My father obediently took out his keys, and the two of us squeezed into the front seat, wedging ourselves between the piles of books I’d stacked on the floor. My father turned on the car. Just the sound of the engine purring filled my heart with excitement. Candy and Spencer and Sandie and Randie stood in the yard and watched us pull out of the driveway. Randie waved her Barbie back and forth. Sandie did a little dance. Candy still looked angry about my skirt. Spencer stared at the ground, her arms folded.
    I rolled down the window. “If Mom calls, you’ll give her my new number?” I called out.
    â€œOkay,” said Candy. “Yeah.”
    â€œI LOVE YOU!” Sandie yelled.
    I looked at her in surprise. Neither she nor Randie had ever said anything like that before.
    â€œI love you, too,” I said slowly.
    Sandie nodded and wiped her nose, smearing more red Popsicle juice across her face.
    â€œReady?” my father asked me.
    â€œReady,” I said, and he put his foot on the gas.
    It was