Read Online Alice in the Middle by Judi Curtin - Free Book Online Page A

later, he was back with a huge foil bag under his arm. As he came close, abeautiful smell wafted towards me. My mouth started to water – that definitely wasn’t the smell of butter beans.
    ‘Look what I got,’ said Dad proudly, opening the bag so we could all see.
    Mum actually went pale when she saw that the bag was full of potato wedges, chicken nuggets, and sausages.
    ‘Sorry, love. It’s all they had,’ said Dad, but he winked at me when Mum wasn’t looking, so I had a funny feeling he wasn’t telling the complete truth.
    Dad sat down and divided out the food. Mum kept going on about how bad it was for us, and how ashamed she’d be if any of her friends came along and saw her poisoning her family in public. I thought that it would serve her right if her family embarrassed her in public – at least she’d see how I spend most of my life. I didn’t say that though – I was too busy picking non-organic meat off non-organic chicken bones.
    Rosie ate loads of the wedges. I don’t think she’d ever had anything like that before. She kepton patting her tummy, and saying ‘yum-yum’.
    Dad and I laughed, but Mum looked as if she’d love to grab what was left of the food and dump it in the nearest bin. She is so totally uptight when it comes to food.
    In the end Dad said,
    ‘Lighten up, Sheila. One bad meal won’t kill the child.’ And to our surprise, Mum did lighten up, and she even laughed at herself. And when she thought no-one was looking she ate three potato wedges and four chicken nuggets.

Chapter fourteen

    I t was nearly tea-time when I got back to camp. I hugged Rosie, then I got out of the car and closed the door behind me. Mum and Dad wound down their windows. Mum was building up for a big emotional farewell scene, but Dad was in a hurry home because there was a rugby match on the television later that he wanted to watch, so I was saved.
    I stood in the driveway and waved as they drove off. Dad can be a bit of a pain sometimes, and Mum is a total embarrassment most of the time, but in a way it was nice and simple being around them. I could be myself, and I knew they loved me no matter what, and even if I said somethingstupid, they wouldn’t go on and on about it forever. Sometimes it was easier than being with friends.
    As soon as the car was gone from view, I went up to my room. There was no sign of Alice or Hazel. I walked around all the places I thought they could have been, but I couldn’t find them anywhere. In the end, I found Gloria lying on a rug behind a hedge in the garden. She was rubbing sun protection cream into her arms. I was puzzled. Her skin was so dark already, it was hard to imagine the sun doing anything at all to it except making it nice and warm. She looked up and saw me. I didn’t know if it was rude, but I had to ask.
    ‘Are you hoping to get a tan?’
    Gloria gave one of her big laughs.
    ‘Do you think I look a bit pale?’
    I could feel my face going red.
    ‘No. I mean yes. I mean…’
    Gloria laughed again.
    ‘Black skin burns too you know,’ she said.
    I didn’t know that. I felt a bit stupid so I saidquickly,
    ‘Have you seen Alice anywhere?’
    Gloria nodded.
    ‘Yes, I saw her just after you left this morning. Hazel’s parents came to take her out, and they took Alice with them. They should be back soon.’
    She stopped and then she said suddenly.
    ‘Actually, I’ve just remembered they won’t be back soon. Hazel’s parents asked Mrs Duggan if they could keep the girls out for dinner.’
    Great. Alice got to spend the whole day with Hazel and now they were hanging out in some fancy restaurant, while I was stuck at camp on my own.
    Gloria sat up.
    ‘Is everything OK Megan?’ she asked.
    I nodded, even though I felt like screaming or stamping my foot or crying or something.
    Gloria patted the rug beside her and I felt I had to sit down.
    ‘You and Alice are good friends, aren’t you?’
    I nodded again.
    ‘It’s tough when your friend makes