Freaked Out by Annie Bryant Page B

Maeve. He leaped into a tae kwon do pose and challenged her to fight.
    Maeve fell back onto her bed. “Sam, oh, Sam. You gave me a heart attack. What are you doing?”
    â€œI’m Cato. You know, from the Pink Panther movies. You know how—”
    Maeve took a deep breath. “Yes, I know, Sam. Inspector Clouseau’s Asian manservant jumps out at him. But you’re the one taking tae kwon do, not me. I don’t need to practice with you. Don’t ever do that again, you hear? I almost jumped out of my skin!”
    â€œReally? That’s neat.” Sam took off running down the stairs. “Aiiiiii!”
    Annoying little brothers! Maeve crawled up into bed with her laptop and stared at the ceiling of her room until she decided what she wanted to say.

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    Notes to Self:
    1. Consider asking Dad to take Sam and let me live alone with Mom.
    2. Practice some of the BSG story problems again…or not. I won’t say that they’re fun, but the BSG are fun, and they thought up the problems, so these problems are fun by association.
    3. Make thank you cards for the BSG…maybe scented? A different scent for each?
    4. Tomorrow is Family Day—Mom’s new kick on family time, with all four of us. Sam and I take turns deciding what to do each Sunday.
    5. Get outfit ready for Sam’s tae kwon do.
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    Sunday
    â€œIt’s my day to choose,” Sam said at breakfast.
    â€œYes it is.” Mom was looking through the cupboards and making a list. “It would have been your day no matter what. You’re getting your yellow belt.”
    â€œHe hopes he’s getting his yellow belt,” Maeve pointed out. “And if going around the house jumping in the air, kicking an invisible assailant, and yelling ‘Aiiiii!’ will help, he’s ready.”
    â€œI scared you, didn’t I?”
    â€œYeah, well, next time I’m getting my black belt so you better watch out.” Maeve poured herself some orange juice. She’d eat something in a minute.
    â€œMaeve, let Sam have some fun.” Ms. Kaplan sipped a cup of coffee. She had a funny look on her face. Was she dreading Family Day, spending time with Maeve’s father?
    â€œWhatever.” Maeve took her orange juice to her room. She took a shower and dressed quickly in her best jeans and a hot pink tee. She threaded a colorful scarf into the loops of her jeans as a belt. She applied a glob of styling gel to her hair until it was a shining fountain of fire. Hey, that was good, she preened, kind of a rock star look—big and poofy. She liked having wild red hair. Inspired, Maeve grabbed the tube of toothpaste and pretended she was the newest American Idol winner. She shook her head, tossed her hair back, and began dancing and singing around the room. Suddenly, Sam burst in, his hands over his ears screaming, “Make it stop!”
    Maeve picked up her pillow and threw it at him. Sam started to laugh hysterically.
    â€œWhat’s so funny?”
    He was laughing so hard he couldn’t even speak, so he pointed at her hair. Maeve dropped the tube of toothpaste and ran to look in the mirror. Her hair had gone wild. It was as if she had been electrocuted. Maeve did what any self respecting twelve year old would do in her situation…she screamed.
    Hearing the ear piercing scream, her mother came running into the room.
    â€œWhat is going on here?”
    Maeve stormed out of the bathroom, grasping at her hair. “Do you see this hair? It looks like a fright wig!”
    Ms. Kaplan was speechless. Her daughter’s hair was three times the size it usually was. She had to bite the insides of her cheeks to keep from laughing. Maeve’s hair looked so…so…atrocious.
    Collecting herself, Ms. Kaplan gave her daughter a hug and told her to tie her hair back because they were leaving shortly. She ordered Sam out of his sister’s room and told him to stop “tormenting your