Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightning by Danette Haworth Page A

I’ve already thought of a few notes to leave, like “TTFN,” which is a way of saying “Ta-ta for now,” and “TGIF,” which means “Thank God it’s Friday.” Another good thing is they have biology class with microscopes and everything. I heard they go out to the pond and put drops of water under the microscope and you see all these wormy things swimming around in there, except, of course, you’d never see them with your own eyes—it takes a special lens to see things that small.
    Bad things: you don’t stay in the same room all day; you have to go to different classrooms every hour when a bell rings. I worry about getting lost. Or being late. Taking showers after gym class, definitely bad—I do not want to be naked at school. But the worst thing is not having Lottie in my homeroom. We ain’t got our schedules yet, so I don’t know if she’ll be in any of my other classes. I decide the second worst thing would be if we don’t have the same lunch hour.
    Footsteps crunching over leaves stop my thinking. My heart pounds fast as the sound gets closer. I move deeper into the cave. The footsteps are coming right to me! If only I had a stick. I press against the inside wall of the tree and my heart beats in my throat. My eyes widen.
    The cave is suddenly dark as someone squeezes into it. The intruder don’t see me at first, and I can’t see who it is, it’s so dark. I scream as loud as I can. Eddie bolts against the doorway, ramming his shoulder, and he’s trying to escape, but I’m grabbing his shirt and trying not to laugh too hard.
    â€œViolet!” he says. He almost sounds mad. “You trying to give me a heart attack and make me deaf at the same time?”
    â€œI didn’t know it was you!” I say. I let go of his shirt.
    We squeeze out of the tree and lean against it. “So what were you thinking about in there?” he asks. He knows me, knows the cave is good for that sort of thing.
    â€œSchool. Who’s your teacher?”
    When he tells me, I don’t recognize the name. So Eddie won’t be in my class either. I sigh.
    Eddie clears his throat. “You sure looked different the other day.” He steals a glance at me and looks away real quick.
    My face reddens. I am humiliated thinking about that clown makeup. But I say, “Don’t you know anything about makeovers?” He don’t have no sisters, so I’m guessing the answer is no.
    He shrugs.
    I lift my chin in a superior way. “Well, that shows what you know, because Melissa gave me a makeover in case it was a look I’d like to use in junior high.” I look at him. “Everyone else liked it.” I don’t mention what I thought of it.
    He nods, doesn’t say anything.
    I’ve just lied to him. Everything I said was true, but there’s something dishonest about it. I feel it making a gap between us. We stand in silence. After a few minutes, the woods darken and we look up to see purple-black clouds taking over the sky.
    I look at Eddie. “We better get out of here.” I ain’t taking chances anymore. We run all the way to the edge of the woods, and the first sprinkles hit as we jog onto the dirt road. We’re on dangerous ground still—the road is lined with trees. We keep running and when he gets to his turnoff, he runs down the street, making the gap between us wider and wider.

24
    Me and Lottie are sitting on her steps with a real-life reporter from the newspaper.
    He called this morning after Momma left for work. “Mrs. Raines, please?” he’d said.
    â€œShe ain’t here.” I didn’t offer to take a message, ’cause some people just talk and talk and do they think I’m a secretary? I can’t write that fast.
    â€œIs this Violet Raines?”
    Never identify yourself over the phone. Then I jerk my head—I wasn’t supposed to say Momma