Read Cold War on Maplewood Street for Free Online Page B

handed her a slice of warm bread. “Golly, indeed! He flies to Paris on Friday, but he’s coming to Chicago today to spend a few days with us first.”
    The front door slammed. Pamela hurried in. She must have run both ways. Her cheeks were pink and she was panting like Dixie did after a good workout. She grabbed Joanna’s arm. “C’mon.”
    Mrs. Waterman protested, “Don’t you want some fresh bread and milk first?”
    Pamela shook her head. “Maybe later.” She turned to start down the hall.
    â€œDid you get your math test back?”
    Pamela turned back with a loud sigh. “No. And I did my homework at school. Now can I please
go
?”
    Joanna squirmed. If she spoke to her mother that way, she’d be sent to her room—and she’d be expected to apologize when she came out. But Mrs. Waterman wasn’t as strict as Joanna’s mom. She raised both hands in defeat. “Go.”
    Pamela dragged Joanna down the hall to the room she shared with Marie and closed the door. She put a finger to her lips, but behind her finger she was grinning wickedly. She opened the closet door and reached into the pocket of Marie’s fluffy white robe. “Look at this!” she said, pulling out a paperback book. Not Marie’s diary. Something even better.
    Joanna sucked in a breath at the sight of the familiar cover. “Oh my gosh!”
    She and Pamela had heard eighth-grade girls whispering about this book at recess and knew it was about love and romance and even s-e-x. They’d been desperate to read it, but they’d been too scared to buy it at the drugstore, where old Mrs. Schuman might report back to their mothers. Now, though, thanks to Marie, they had itanyway. Joanna let out an excited squeal and dived onto the floor next to Pamela in the valley between her bed and Marie’s.
    They read the first few pages and stopped to frown at each another.
    â€œI don’t see why everybody’s so excited about it,” Pamela complained. “It’s boring so far.”
    Joanna nodded her agreement, licking the last crumbs of bread from her fingers. She flipped forward a few pages and read a few lines. Nothing exciting there, either. Then she noticed something.
    â€œHey, look,” she said. “Some of the pages have bent corners. Let’s see what’s on them!”
    Quickly they turned to the first page with a folded corner. A minute later they looked at each other wide-eyed and whispered, “Oh my gosh! Do you believe this?”
    They were still huddled there, several folded pages later, when they heard the front door close. “Marie!” Pamela gasped. She slapped the book shut and leaped over her bed to stuff it back into its hiding place. Joanna sprang up from the floor and plopped on top of the bed. Pamela closed the closet door and dropped down beside her just seconds before Marie entered the room.
    â€œOh, hi, Marie,” Pamela said. Her voice tried hard to sound casual and innocent. “I didn’t know you were home.” She smiled brightly.
Too
brightly.
    Joanna winced. Pamela sure didn’t have any of Marie’sacting ability. Marie had narrowed her eyes and was scanning the room. She probably thought they’d been messing with her makeup again. Joanna fought an urge to look at the closet. Had Pamela closed the door all the way?
    Then Joanna had a brainstorm. “How’s the new play going?” she asked.
    Marie underwent an immediate transformation. She tipped her head graciously at Joanna. She was no longer Marie the Big Sister, she was Marie the Actress. “Pretty well,” she said. “Romeo needs help memorizing his lines, so we’re going to have some extra practices together.” By the satisfied look on Marie’s face, Joanna guessed that spending time with Romeo wouldn’t be exactly painful.
    Pamela made a show of looking at the clock on the bedside table.