Chapter 1-005

I tried to shake her off, but she just clamped on tight and yanked me along, saying, “C'mon!”My mom came out of the house and immediately got the world's sappiest look on her face. “Well, hello,” she says to Juli. “Hi!” I'm still trying to pull free, but the girl's got me in a death grip. My mom's grinning, looking at our hands and my fiery red face. “And what's your name, honey?” “Julianna Baker. I live right over there,”she says, pointing with her unoccupied hand. “Well, I see you've met my son,”she says, still grinning away. “Uh-huh!” Finally, I break free and do the only manly thing available when you're seven years old — I dive behind my mother. Mom puts her arm around me and says, “Bryce, honey,why don't you show Julianna around the house?” I flash her help and warning signals with every part of my body, but she's not receiving.Then she shakes me off and says, “Go on.” Juli would've tramped right in if my mother hadn't noticed her shoes and told her to take them off. And after those were off, my mom told her that her dirty socks had to go, too. Juli wasn't embarrassed. Not a bit. She just peeled them off and left them in a crusty heap on our porch.