Free Raven by V. C. Andrews Page A

realize that because I had been seen with Jimmy Freer, Jennifer was going to pay more attention to me. She was even waiting for me at the bus at the end of the day.
"Do you want to go to the basketball game tomorrow night?" she asked in as close to a pleasant voice as she could speak.
"What?"
"Are you deaf? I asked you if you wanted to go to the game with me, that's all."
"Sure," I said. Now I was the one who was really surprised.
"Just don't get my father angry about anything and spoil it," she warned, and marched onto the bus before I could ask her why she suddenly didn't mind being seen with me. I found out later. One of Jimmy's friends, Brad Dillon, had asked Jennifer to the game and party. The plan was to double-date with me and Jimmy, and since Brad was on Jennifer's wish list, she was eager to get me to go and make it happen for herself. I was more surprised that Brad wanted to be with her. He was even better-looking than Jimmy, in my opinion, but as we would soon discover, the boys had their own special plans.
Jennifer really wanted this date. All that evening and the next day, she did everything she could to ensure that Uncle Reuben wouldn't stop us from attending the game. I was suddenly very important to her. She even offered to help with some of the chores and put on a big act of reconciliation, pretending to help me make friends.
Uncle Reuben had made an appointment at the social service agency and announced at dinner that he was undertaking the necessary steps to make himself my formal legal guardian. In the meantime, social services was promising to cover my health and basic needs.
"It still irks me that society has to pay for my sister's mistakes," he declared as he chomped down on a lamb chop. I thought he would consume it, bone and all, like some bulldog.
I looked up sharply. It was as if he had reached across the table and poked me with his fork.
"I'm not a mistake," I said as proudly as I could. I was a tight wire inside, stretched so tautly I thought I might break and cry, but I held my breath and kept a firm lid on my well of tears.
Uncle Reuben paused and glared at me, the meat caught between his thick lips and the grease gleaming on his chin. Jennifer looked up nervously. Aunt Clara held her breath, and William gazed down at his food. I could almost feel the trembling in his little body.
"It's a mistake not to be prepared properly for children," he said firmly.
"My mother made mistakes, but I'm not a mistake. I'm a human being with feelings, too." I tossed my hair back. "Nobody's perfect, anyway?'
"You hear that? You hear the way she talks and thinks? You'd think she would be more respectful and grateful. Here I am trying to make a new home for her, and she talks like that, insolent."
"I'm not being insolent, Uncle Reuben."
"She didn't mean it," Jennifer piped up.
Uncle Reuben raised his eyebrows and gazed at her. Even I had to pause and look at her. She flashed me a quick look of warning.
"It's hard to start in a new school with new people. I'm going to help her make new friends," Jennifer offered.
Aunt Clara beamed. "That's wonderful, dear. You see, Reuben, the girls will get along just fine."
He still had a glint of suspicion in his eyes, but he grunted and continued to eat. Jennifer began talking about the basketball game as if it was the event of the century.
"Even our teachers are going to attend. It's important to show school spirit."
"That's very nice," Aunt Clara said.
Uncle Reuben started to talk about his own school days, and for a moment, I felt as if I was really sitting at a family dinner. Aunt Clara even laughed, recalling some stories he described, but then he suddenly stopped and looked at William.
"You hear how important it is to participate in sports, William. You shouldn't spend so much time in your room. You should stay after school sometimes and join a team," he told him.
William gazed at me with desperately sad eyes. "He's too young. They don't have teams yet," I said.
"Sure they