The Journal of Angela Ashby

by Liana Gardner

  “Oooh. I like that idea.” She clapped her hands.

  On the street in front of the school, a car sped down past and my nose wrinkled in disgust from the exhaust. They must have been doing fifty in a school zone ... someone could get hurt.

  “T, take cover.” Mallory raised her hand to give Tatiana a landing pad.

  The bouquet in T’s hands reminded me. “What house?”

  She snapped her fingers. “I forgot I didn’t tell you. I’ve taken my old doll house, the one my dad and I built together, and cleared it out. T and I are designing a house for her. It needs a few alterations, but otherwise it’s perfect.”

  “We’re even going to put working lights in it.” Tatiana ran up to her hiding place.

  They had bonded and I felt a twinge of jealousy. Mallory had someone to share things with now, and I didn’t. Maybe when my parents got back together they’d give me a sibling. Having a younger brother or sister would be cool. A low growl from Malachite reminded me and guilt churned in my stomach. I had forgotten the hurt to Holly again.

  “What am I gonna do, Mallory?”

  “I don’t know whether there’s anything you can do, Angela. If you had the journal, you could try to reverse what you wrote.”

  “But that hasn’t worked before.” I couldn’t get my mind off the what am I gonna do track.

  “I know, but you’d have to try. Without the journal, it’s impossible. We need to find it.”

  I was glad of the we in her statement. I couldn’t do it without her.

  After we left the school grounds, Cynthia jumped out from behind a brick wall and stopped us. “Missing something, Be-Ash?”

  “Nothing I need from you.” I pushed past her.

  “Think again.” Cynthia hurled the words at my back.

  I turned and saw my journal clutched in her dirty paws. “That’s mine.” The words tore from my throat in a growl.

  She smirked. “Possession is nine-tenths of the law.”

  “Not when you steal it.” My arms went rigid.

  “Don’t worry, once I’m done laughing myself sick over what’s inside, I’ll black out your name, tear out the pages and burn them.”

  “Cynthia, please give me the journal.”

  “Or ...?” She arched one eyebrow. “If the pages are funny enough, I’ll take pics of them and post them on the internet. Maybe with a few comments thrown in.”

  I pulled my arm back.

  “Go ahead, Angela.” She made a come-on motion with her hand. “Hit me so I can pulverize you. I’ll be able to say you hit me first, and I won’t get in any trouble.”

  Mallory grabbed my arm. “Just leave it for now.”

  Cynthia threw her head back and laughed. Then stopped short and narrowed her eyes. “Listen to her Ash-Can and leave it. This book is mine now, and you won’t be able to do anything about it.”

  I buried my face in my hand. Anger burned white-hot inside. How could I walk away knowing Cynthia had the journal?

  “Oh, just so you know ... Mrs. Clark is facing the committee tonight, so they can kick her off the staff and take away her teaching credentials.”

  Cynthia’s jeering laugh cut me like knives.

  “She’ll learn she shouldn’t have touched me.”

  Anger rose from my stomach to my head in a rush. My fingers curled into fists.

  A growl rose from the base of my throat.

  Mallory dropped my arm and grabbed me around the middle.

  I launched myself at Cynthia.

  We fell to the ground.

  Cynthia’s laugh rang out. “You two are pathetic.”

  I craned my head up, but only saw her legs as she walked away. “Get off me, Mallory.”

  “Are you going after her?” Her voice muffled against my back.

  “No.”

  Mallory rolled off and sat on the ground.

  I pulled myself up. “Why’d you stop me?” Rubbing a hand over my face, I brushed my hair back.

  Before answering, Mallory climbed to her feet and held out her hand. I grabbed it and she helped pull me up. We started toward home again.

  “I’ve been thinking a lot about Cynthia lately and why she is so mean. And I think she’s lonely.”

  “Ha. Lonely?” If she was trying to make friends, she needed to get a clue ... badly.

  “Think about it, Angela. She never hangs out with anyone else. She always eats lunch alone. The only time she talks to other kids is when she’s picking on them.”

  Mallory was right. She didn’t ever hang out with anyone. The only exception was Billy, but even then, she didn’t hang out with him. She joined him in picking on kids and when they were done, they went their separate ways.

  “But don’t you think she’d try to be nice instead of bullying someone into being her friend?” I didn’t become friends with Mallory by walking up and slugging her. I asked her if she wanted to be my friend.

  She shrugged. “Maybe she doesn’t know how.”

  How hard could it be? Who didn’t know how to make a friend? A rock lay on the sidewalk. I kicked it and watched it careen down the street, rolling on to the greenway as it slowed to a stop.

  “Well, I don’t care. She’s mean and I don’t like her. I just need to get the journal back.”

  “But if we know what drives Cynthia, we’ll have a better chance of getting it back.”

  Tatiana poked her head through Mallory’s hair. “If you get me close enough to Cynthia, I could put a spell on her and make her give it back.”

  I forgot that Tatiana could do magic. “That’s fantastic, T.”

  “No magic. We already talked about this.”

  “But Mallory, we have to get it back. Think about Cynthia reading it. What if she figures out how the journal works?” My arms flailed through the air. “I mean, look at the damage I did with it, and I meant good things ... mostly.”

  She patted my back. “We’ll get it back, Ange. We’re not gonna let her win.”

  Her last words were said with a hostility I never expected, but I still wanted to do something about it now. “Mal, think about how you’d feel if she stole T. Wouldn’t you do anything you could to get her back?”

  “Of course I’d get her back, but I’d do it the same way.”

  Although, if I didn’t get the journal back right away, my parents would get back together, and I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about hurting Holly, because it was out of my hands now.

  Malachite nipped at my ankle. Did the cat have the ability to read my mind? I snorted at the thought.

  “Angela, I know we don’t have time to make friends with her. We have to get the journal back as soon as possible.” Mallory stopped and put her hand on my shoulder. “But let’s try getting it from her tomorrow by watching her, just the same way she watched us today. Then, if that doesn’t work, I’ll let T use magic.”

  “Yippee.” Mallory’s hair bounced as Tatiana jumped up and down on her shoulder.

  My face scrunched up in thought. “Can’t I just tell my mom Cynthia stole it and have her get it back?”

  “I don’t know. It might not be a good idea.” Mallory tilted her head to one side. “What if Cynthia denies she took it? You saw her parents. They think she’s telling them the truth. And what if Cynthia got spooked and destroyed the journal. Who knows what would happen then? We have to be careful.”

  She was right. I just wanted to go to Cynthia’s house, rip the journal out of her hands, and run.

  Why did things have to be so complicated?

  We reached Mallory’s house and T slipped under her hair. She looked at me with the sun winking off her glasses. “You think of ways to distract Cynthia so we can get the journal back, and I will too. We’ll come up with something. Chat tonight?”

  I nodded. “See ya.”

  Even though I still let myself into an empty house, Mom would be home soon. She’d be bubbling over about her new job and I wouldn’t be alone for hours at night. Things were feeling more normal at home.
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  Could Mallory be right about Cynthia? She bullied because she was lonely and didn’t know how to make friends? Not that it mattered, because I wasn’t going to be the one to teach her how to behave like a human being.

  Her parents were odd, too. I tried to image my mom sitting there staring straight ahead and not showing any emotion and utterly failed. Both my parents would want to know what I had done to provoke the teacher. And if they felt I had been wrongly accused, they’d argue with the administration. But no way would my mom say, ‘my poor baby’ without reaching out to touch me ... or at least look at me.

  When I described how Cynthia tripped Mallory, neither one of her parents looked at her. Mine would have given me a glare to end all glares. I’d have wanted to sink through the floor.

  Climbing the stairs, I tried to remember what homework I had left. I didn’t know how I’d be able to concentrate, but hopefully I’d be able to knock them out before Mom got home.

  Unwinding my headphones from my mp3 player, I stuck the buds in my ears and turned it on.

  Chapter Twenty-Four - The Big News

  With one more math problem to complete, I felt the vibrations from the front door closing. Turning off the music, I yanked the headphones out of my ears.

  “I’m home, Angela.”

  “Okay, Mom. I’ll be down in a minute.” The last thing I wanted was for her to come upstairs because I brought Malachite in with me. “I’m finishing my homework.”

  Fortunately, the math problem was easy. Done. I dropped the pencil and skipped downstairs.

  Mom smiled at me when I entered the kitchen. “Homework finished?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good job.” She pulled a pizza out of the freezer. “Your father will be here in a few moments. He wants to talk with you. Then we’re going to the school meeting about the suspended teacher tonight. So you’ll be eating solo.”

  “What meeting?”

  “There was an incident where a teacher inappropriately touched one of your classmates. Tonight’s meeting is to discuss the committee’s findings and determine what needs to be done.”

  Panic hit my heart. “Mom, you have to tell them to let Mrs. Clark come back to school.”

  “We’ll have to see what the committee says, Angela.” She opened the box and put the pizza on a tray.

  Pepperoni. My favorite.

  “No, Mom. I was there when it happened. It wasn’t Mrs. Clark’s fault.”

  “What happened, sweetie?” She turned the toaster oven on and slipped the tray in.

  “Cynthia tripped Mallory, and Mrs. Clark helped her up. Then when she tried to take Cynthia to the office, Cynthia shoved her, so Mrs. Clark took her by the shoulder and escorted her to the office. I swear that’s all it was.”

  “Honey, it has to be more than that. It would be ridiculous to suspend a teacher for escorting a child to the office, especially when the child in question was causing harm to others.”

  “But it isn’t.” I wanted to scream. Why wouldn’t anyone listen to me?

  Mom looked straight into my eyes. “You’re sure nothing else happened?”

  “Positive. Mallory and I watched them all the way to the door.”

  She gave me a hug. “Then if Mrs. Clark is not cleared, I’ll speak up on her behalf.”

  I squeezed her back. “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

  She laughed. “I love you too, sweetie.” She let me go. “It sounds like your dad is here. Why don’t you let him in?”

  I ran to the door and opened it just as Dad pressed the doorbell. “Surprise.”

  He reached out and ruffled my hair with the tips of his fingers because the rest of his hand was bandaged.

  I looked from the bandage to the hole in the wall and then straight into his blue eyes. “Nice hole, Dad.”

  The tips of his ears turned red and he cleared his throat. “I’ll fix it this weekend.” Then raised his hand in greeting to Mom. “You look good tonight, Eva.”

  Horrified, I watched as Mom blushed.

  While I wanted them to get back together, I didn’t want to be in the middle of their courtship. Why hadn’t I thought about that before I wrote the journal entry?

  “Thanks, Greg. I know you want to talk to Angela, so you go on ahead.” She motioned with her head toward the couch.

  Dad swallowed hard before moving into the family room. He sat on the couch and patted the cushion next to him. “Have a seat, Pumpkin. I mean, Angela.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “I’m trying to remember my little girl is growing up. Don’t be too hard on me.”

  I sat next to him and patted his leg. “That’s okay, Dad. I know when you get to be an old geezer the memory is the first thing to go.”

  “Gee, thanks for understanding.” He tried and failed to keep his face serious. A smile crept across.

  “So what did you need to talk to me about, or have you forgotten already?”

  At the reminder, his face grew somber. Uh-oh, this was not going to be a lighthearted discussion.

  “I wanted to explain why I wasn’t able to pick you up for our usual time together, but you were so upset the other night, I didn’t know how to tell you.”

  “Dad, it’s okay. I’m over it.” So much had happened, I had almost forgotten about his failure.

  “No, you deserve an explanation.” He smoothed his mustache. “I had to take Holly to the hospital, and she had to stay overnight. She needed me with her.”

  Holly was sick? What if she died?

  Not that I wanted her to die ... but then my parents getting back together wouldn’t hurt her. Maybe I was off the hook.

  I still needed to get the journal back though. Who knew what Cynthia would do with it.

  “What’s wrong with her?” My stomach flip-flopped all over the place. I didn’t know whether to be upset or happy.

  Dad sighed. “That’s part of what I need to talk to you about.”

  Why would Holly’s sickness have anything to do with me?

  “Holly had to go to the hospital because she was spotting, but it was more than expected.”

  “Spotting?”

  “I’m sorry, she was bleeding. And she needed to get checked out to see what caused the bleeding.” Dad took a deep breath. “It was important to find out because Holly is pregnant, and she doesn’t want to lose the baby.”

  Pregnant? “She’s going to have a baby?”

  “Yes. You have a little brother on the way.”

  Whoa. “I’m going to be a big sister?” My mind didn’t want to take it in. “How did that happen?” I blushed. “I don’t mean how specifically.”

  I leaned back on the couch. “I don’t know what to say.” My mind froze. More than not knowing what to say, I didn’t know what to do. What about my journal entry to get my parents back together? I didn’t know about a baby then. I still wanted my parents back together. But what about the baby?

  He patted my leg. “You don’t have to say anything. But I wanted to let you know the only reason I missed my time with you was for something important.”

  “I’m going to have a baby brother.” I said the words to try them out. They felt strange on my tongue. “Does Mom know?”

  Dad laughed. “Yes, your mother knows. And I want you to know, that our having a baby doesn’t replace my love for you. He’s going to look up to his big sister and think you’re fantastic.”

  I didn’t feel fantastic. In fact, I felt pretty lousy.

  He could count on my having his back if anyone tried to pick on him. I knew how to handle bullies pretty well. I got too much practice with them. And I could help him with his homework when he started school. And how not to throw a ball like a girl. My mind raced with all the other things I could share with my brother.

  Then a thought hit me. “But he’ll live with you and Holly and I live with Mom. He won’t know me.”

  He draped his arm across my shoulders. “Honey, I promise you, he will grow up knowing you. We’ll make sure the two of you are involved in each
other’s lives.”

  I gazed into his eyes and the trust I thought I’d lost in him came flooding back. “Do you know his name?”

  “We have a few names picked out, but haven’t decided, yet. I’ll let you know as soon as we do.” He glanced toward the kitchen. “Maybe this weekend, you and Holly can go over the names.”

  “Really?” Not that I would have the final say, but it’d still be cool to be part of picking out my brother’s name.

  My brother. It sounded strange. After twelve years of being an only child, having another sibling would take a little getting used to.

  Mom carried the steaming pizza out of the kitchen and set it on the table. “Angela, I have your dinner ready.” She grabbed her purse from where it hung on the corner of the chair. “Greg, we need to get going now.”

  After Mom and Dad left, I had my dinner, grabbed the remote, flopped on the couch, and turned on the TV. I flipped through channels, not finding anything I wanted to watch. My brain still felt frozen. I was forgetting something.

  Oh. I needed to figure out some way to get the journal back. The you’re-going-to-have-a-baby-brother thing blew it out of my mind. And now it was more important to get it back than ever. Asking Cynthia would be pointless. But she’d bring it to school if for no other reason than to taunt me. Or lording it over me about how she had read what I wrote. Maybe even make fun of me for the gnome and unicorn.

  But how would we get it back? Mallory was right. We needed something to distract Cynthia while one of us stole it. We’d need to follow her to see where she stashed it. And then we’d need a way to get her attention on something else.

  A diversion. But what?

  A fire always got people’s attention, but I didn’t think Mallory would let me start a fire. Part of the school might burn down. And we didn’t want firefighters to come out to our school two days in a row. Too bad the boiler already blew. That would have been a perfect diversion.

  Throwing Zach in the path of Billy Shipman would create a diversion too. But Mallory liked Zach, as much as she might deny, and it wouldn’t be fair for Zach to be picked on again this week by Billy. And I didn’t know whether Billy would pick on him after the way Mallory faced him down in public.