Free The Monkeyface Chronicles by Richard Scarsbrook

their names. They told me that all I had to do was put on the special brown ball dress they had found for me, and then I would officially be one of the Little Colour Girls.”
    â€œThat’s it? That was the ceremony? You had me thinking you’d be drenched in pig’s blood or something. So then what? What did they do that makes them worse than Grum and Grunt?”
    â€œI was supposed to take off all of my clothes, except for my underwear, then fold everything up and hand it over to them. Then I was to go down into the cellar, where I would find my brown satin ball dress hanging. Once I had put it on, I was supposed to emerge again into the room, and they would all clap for me, we would share what they called a ‘hug of sisterhood,’ and then I would officially be one of the Little Colour Girls. I wasn’t too crazy about the whole plan, but Lara told me they all did the same thing when they made their ‘Bestest Friends Forever’ pact, and that it was supposed to represent me shedding my skin, turning from a caterpillar to a butterfly, or something like that. And everything was so beautiful, and they all seemed so sincere . . . ”
    Tears collect in the rims of Adeline’s glasses.
    â€œI’ll never forgive myself for believing them.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    â€œI don’t think I want to talk about it anymore. Ugly girls don’t have any friends.”
    She bends to pick up her fallen Bible Stories for Children , and her glasses slip from her face.
    With her glasses off, she can’t see me looking at her. She’s got straight white teeth, and perfectly formed pink lips; these features alone make her beautiful compared to me. With those clunky old glasses off her face, her cute dimple of a nose is no longer camouflaged, and her dark brown eyes are not magnified or distorted.
    â€œYou’re not ugly, Adeline,” I tell her.
    â€œIt’s nice of you to say that, but . . . ”
    â€œI mean it.”
    She slides her glasses back onto her face, and takes a deep breath. “So I went down into the cellar to put on the brown ball dress, thinking, ‘I am going to be a Little Colour Girl.’ ” Her lip quivers. She bites it.
    â€œThey locked me in. There was no ball dress. Lara said through the door, ‘ You can’t be one of the Little Colour Girls, Adeline! ’ Then Carrie said, ‘ Everyone knows that brown isn’t a real colour! ’ Then Caitlin said, ‘ Yeah! Mr. Springthorpe said so in science class. ’ I just let myself out the basement door and ran home in my underwear.”
    A split-second image flashes in my mind, of Adeline’s round, naked breasts bouncing as she runs. My erection suddenly thickens. Adeline is pouring her soul out to me, and I’ve got a boner. Why can’t I control this stupid thing?
    â€œJesus, Adeline.” I don’t know what else to say.
    â€œYou shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain like that, Philip,” she says.
    â€œSorry.”
    â€œIt’s okay,” she shrugs. “Thanks for listening.”
    â€œThanks for standing up for me yesterday,” I say.
    As we all stand in line waiting to be let back into the school after recess, Lara Lavender, Caitlin Black and Carrie Green cluster together with Sam Simpson, Turner Thrift and Brandon Doggart, whispering and giggling. The Little Colour Girls and the Little-Brain Boys. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what they’re discussing, and I think Adeline does, too. She stands as far as possible from me in line.
    My brother Michael is beside me. “How come you didn’t come play field hockey with us, Philip?”
    â€œI wanted to thank Adeline Brown for telling Mr. Brush what happened yesterday.”
    â€œListen, Philip, take some advice from someone who’s been at this school since Kindergarten, okay? You’re not going to make any friends here by hanging out with