Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods Read Free Book Online

them at your house,” he told me.
    â€œWe can’t because my dad will find them and it’s supposed to be a secret,” I reminded him.
    â€œBut I’m leaving,” Quincy said sadly.
    â€œLeaving where?”
    â€œHere . . . to go live with my dad . . . for now, anyway.”
    â€œWhat!” I screeched. “All the way in San Francisco? . . . No way . . . You can’t leave me!” I tugged on his shirt.
    â€œI have to. My mom is sick.”
    â€œBut I just saw her and she didn’t look sick to me.”
    â€œShe is. She has cancer. She had surgery early this morning.”
    I had to sit down. “How come you didn’t tell me?” I asked.
    â€œMy dad just told me a little while ago. She has to have some treatments to kill the rest of the cancer. She’ll be at a special hospital for at least six weeks. Sothey decided that I should go live with my dad until she’s all better.”
    â€œHow long will it take for her to get better?”
    â€œWho knows?”
    Quincy pulled the packet of baobab seeds from his pocket and dropped it in my hand. “I have to go to the hospital now,” he said. I’d never seen him cry. I can’t even remember ever seeing his eyes water, but right then his eyes filled up with tears.
    Some tears, like some diseases, are very contagious. A bunch of them got in my eyes too. “Sorry about your mom,” I told him.
    â€œYeah, me too. Now I know why she was doing all that fancy cooking and being extra-special nice.”
    For a while, there was a lot of not-talking and looking at each other, and then I glanced away and then we stared at each other again, both of us fighting more tears. I rubbed his arm gently and he took my hand and—for the first time ever—held it, but only for a few seconds.
    Quincy’s dad lugged the suitcases outside, locked the front door, and gave me another shoulder hug. “You two can lose the worried looks. Kendra’s got too much fight in her to lose any battle. Heck, Kendra could win a war against aliens from outer space.”
    Finally, Quincy smiled.
    Mr. Hill loaded the suitcases, slammed the trunk closed, got in, and started the car. “Time to go, buddy. Later now, Zoe.”
    Quincy climbed in the car and stared at the seed pack in my hand. “Swear you’ll plant them and e-mail me pictures.”
    â€œI swear,” I told him.
    â€œOkay. Bye, Zoe.”
    â€œBye.” I waved.
    Quincy twisted around in his seat, and I could see him through the car’s rear window waving back. I stood there as motionless as a mannequin, watching until their car vanished from sight and then watching some more—part of me thinking maybe I was dreaming, but the majority of me knowing I wasn’t.
    Slowly, I rolled the wheelbarrow toward home, trying my best to keep the tears from trickling, but they won by finding another way out through my nose. I wiped at it with my sleeve.

14
    The Worst Zoe Mood Ever
    M rs. Warner was outside in her yard, fiddling around with her statues. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and hoped she would ignore me. But, of course, she didn’t. “Having a nice day, little Miss Jade?”
    I pretended not to hear her. My sadness made it impossible to be polite, even to a forgetful old lady.
    â€œYou hear me, Miss Jade?”
    Zoe G. Reindeer was in a stinking mood, possibly her worst mood ever. This was a day of extremely sad news. No one should bother anyone on a day of extremely sad news.
    â€œLittle Miss Jade?” she repeated.
    Instantly, my sad stuff transformed itself into madstuff. “I’m not little Miss Jade! I’m Zoe! Stop calling me Jade!” I snapped.
    Mrs. Warner stared at me like she was seeing me for the first time ever and responded, “That’s right . . . You’re the one with those big feet you’re always tripping over.” She