Free Raisin Rodriguez & the Big-Time Smooch by Judy Goldschmidt Page A

new nickname, it’s great that CJ and Dylan aren’t together. Now I have a chance with him again! I’m so excited!
    I better go tell Galenka what’s going on.
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12:57 PM EST
    I found Galenka in front of her locker and explained why everyone was calling me Miss Priss.
    â€œSo you are Meesus Prees because you ran out of room. But why am I Meesus Prees?” she asked, tucking her sweater into her sweatpants.
    â€œWell, did you play the kissing games on Saturday?”
    â€œNo, I leave room and start to crying.”
    That explained why her eyes looked so red when I ran into her in front of the elevator.
    â€œBecause you didn’t want to play?”
    â€œYes—I no want to play because I have boyfriend back home.”
    â€œWell, it’s simple, then. Just tell everyone the reason why you didn’t want to play. Then they’ll stop thinking of you as a priss.”
    â€œThees ees very good idea. Now I just need figuring out how to get people to talking to me,” she said.
    And I thought I had problems. All I’ve got is a nickname. Poor Galenka has a false reputation and no one who’ll listen to the truth.
    Then again, she’s also got a boyfriend and kissing experience.
    Scratch that . . . I don’t know what I was thinking . . . Galenka will be fine.
    Poor Raisin.
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4:36 PM, EST
    Poor Raisin is no more! CJ and I are on for tomorrow night!
    Once I realized that CJ wasn’t kissing Dylan out of love, I decided to pick things back up where we’d left them.
    I sent him a note during math asking him if he wanted to work on the speech tomorrow night. And he sent back a note saying that he did. He was in the middle of working on a new superhero drawing. This one had the face of a girl and the body of a grasshopper. And he was gazing at the girl face like he LOVED it or something. I won’t say it didn’t cross my mind once again that the grasshopper girl could be Dylan. But I did my best not to let that thought get in the way of my plans. I mean, why should I let the fact that CJ might be in love with Dylan ruin our special night together?
    Anyway, Dylan and her grip on CJ aside, I’m so excited! I just wish I were a little more prepared in the kissing department. I mean, what if I don’t do it right?
    PS—What if CJ’s heard my new nickname? What if he’s afraid to kiss me because he thinks I’m a priss?
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Comments:
    Logged in at 7:05 PM, EST
    PiaBallerina: Rae-rae.
    1. Kissing is really easy. Just do what comes naturally.
    2. CJ doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who pays attention to nicknames. He seems like he’s just into doing his own thing, right?
    Logged in at 7:15 PM, EST
    kweenclaudia: still, if i were you, i would try and get rid of that nickname. a reputation as a priss could harm you for life.
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8:15 PM, EST
    Never mind the kissing. Forget about my reputation. CJ and I are already off again. When I came home from school, my mom and Horace were acting all weird. First of all, they were both home for the second night in a row.
    Second of all, my mom brought me into the kitchen and offered me some of Lola’s Dunkaroos. She never does that. She usually gets really mad when I eat them. Says she needs them for Lola. Makes me wonder if she’s taken a good look at Lola’s belly lately. Because unless there’s a tapeworm baked into those cookies, I think Lola’s much better off without them.
    Then Horace took a seat on the stool next to me, gave me a friendly slap on the back, and said, “RR, baby?” (His nicknames for me are getting so much worse.) “RR, baby, how’d you like to join your mother and me for a nice piece of steak tomorrow night?” They almost never take me out to fancy restaurants unless it’s someone’s birthday.
    â€œActually, HB, tomorrow night doesn’t work so well,” I said, getting off my stool. “Thursday or Friday would work