Читать книгу A Year of Mini Mysteries - Kathy Passero - Страница 11

Meeting Brooklyn had been a lucky break. Two weeks ago, during

Charlotte’s first-ever walk with Dumpling in Centennial Park, Brooklyn had

kicked a soccer ball in their direction and the dog had gone berserk chasing

it. Brooklyn couldn’t stop laughing, and Charlotte started giggling, too. The

ball was as big as the dog!

After that, they ran into each other almost every day as Brooklyn

headed home from soccer practice and Charlotte walked Dumpling. The

girls soon realized they were both about to start sixth grade at Weston

Middle School. Charlotte had liked Brooklyn instantly. She was friendly and

funny, and she seldom sat still for more than a few seconds.

“I blame my big brother for my soccer obsession,” Brooklyn explained,

bouncing the ball from knee to knee. “His name is Dale, by the way. He

kicked a ball at me so many times I finally started kicking it back. It was that

or get hit. Now I love soccer. Do you play?”

“Badly,” Charlotte confessed.

“Don’t worry. My friend Alex isn’t into soccer either. She’d rather paint,

and we’re still BFFs. You’ll love her.”

The day before school started, Centennial Park bustled with neigh-

borhood Labor Day picnics. In the crowd, Brooklyn and her BFF found

Charlotte, who had just pulled Dumpling out of another family’s kickball

game. Alex DeRose was as welcoming as Brooklyn had been. She wanted

to know all about the places Charlotte had lived, and she thought it was cool

that the new girl lived on the top floor of an apartment building.

“Plus, you’re so lucky you don’t have siblings,” Alex said. “There’s a pic-

ture of my sister in the dictionary under ‘know-it-all.’”

“At least you’re not a middle child,” Brooklyn said. “I have to deal with

older and younger siblings!”

Having a big family like Brooklyn’s sounded overwhelming to Charlotte,