Winter Shadows by Margaret Buffie Read Free Book Online Page B

forehead. “Hey, kiddo, you’re hot as a griddle. Better get your ma to check you out when you get home. You’re Cass Cullen, aren’t you?”
    “I feel sick. I’m
really
sorry.”
    “Never mind, never mind. Sure everyone’s okay?”he called. Then he pointed at three of the older boys. “You, you, and you. Climb into that snowbank and push.”
    Throwing disgusted looks at me, they did as they were told. The rest of us waited on the side of the road. A few of the kids were snickering and doing finger whirls around their ears. I didn’t care.
    A few minutes later, the bus was on the road again. Gus stood at the front and said, “Okay, there’s no need to take this any further. Cass fell asleep and woke up disoriented. No one’s hurt. It’s over.”
    When the bus stopped outside our place, I thanked Gus. He waved me away. “You just get to bed and take care of yourself there, Cass.”
    As I got up to leave, someone shouted, “Watch out! You might get run over by Santa and his reindeer!” Hoots of laughter followed me out.
    Daisy bolted past me, no doubt to blab to Jean about what happened. When I walked through the gate, I saw she’d slipped and landed sideways in a pile of fresh snow. Only her bright pink boots, jeaned legs, and thrashing pink mitts were visible. Then she was upright, shaking snow everywhere and wailing loudly. I tried to help her up, but she pushed me away.
    Jean’s horsey face peered out the front door. “I have a student in here! What on
earth
is going on?”
    “Cass pushed me hard into the snow and left me here!” Daisy howled.
    “You little liar!” I shouted.
    “You did! And, Mommy, she made Mr. Thompson stop the bus – just to play a trick on him – and we drove off the road. We coulda been killed!”
    “That’s enough!” cried Jean. “Get in the house, both of you. I’ll be talking to you when Mrs. Carter’s lesson is over.” She slammed the door.
    My throat felt like the skin had been stripped right off it. Daisy ran ahead and was trying to lock the side door from the inside when I thrust it open. The kitchen counter was covered with racks of cooling shortbread. Even through a clogged nose, I could smell the browned sugar that always meant Christmas in Aunt Blair’s house. Mom hadn’t been much of a baker.
    I was taking off my boots, ignoring Daisy’s whining about snow up her sleeves, when Jean walked in. She wore her teaching outfit – twin sweater set, baggy skirt, round-toed shoes, and grim face.
    Daisy perked right up – someone to listen! She whimpered about how wet she was from being pushed in the snow, but her performance was cut off in mid-gripe when Jean put her hand up. “Not now, Daisy. I’ll listen to what Cassandra has to say first.”
    “But, Mommy, she made Gus Thompson –”
    “Quiet, Daisy!” Jean ordered. “What happened, Cassandra? I saw you leaning right over Daisy.”
    “I have nothing to say, Jeannette May.”
    “She pushed me!” Daisy cried. “And before that –”
    “According to you, someone is
always
pushing you,Daisy,” I said. “I did
not
push you. You slipped. I was nowhere near you.”
    “Did too!” she bellowed. Then she told Jean her version of the accident. “She was playing a trick on Gus! We coulda been killed!”
    Jean stared at me, hands on hips.
    “I didn’t do it on purpose,” I said. “I fell asleep and dreamed I saw a horse-drawn sleigh. I didn’t sleep much last night and –”
    She shook her finger at me. “You are pushing your luck, my girl, and that luck is running out fast. I know Gus. I’ll call him and check this out. Meanwhile, you had better watch your p’s and q’s.”
    “Wow! Two clichés for the price of one today, Jeannette May. If I knew what my p’s and q’s
were
, I might decide to mind them. And as for pushing my luck, I don’t have any! If I did, you’d still be living in your own house and not in mine!” I grabbed my backpack, ran upstairs, stumbled into the bedroom, and