Excerpt from ZOEY 101: BACK TO NORMAL
by Jane Mason and Sara Hines Stephens
|
Zoey stared at the girl sitting on the floor. Last year she and Nicole had had to deal with grumpy Dana, who actually turned out to be pretty nice once you got to know her. This year they got . . . freaking girl. Suddenly Dada seemed like the greatest roommate in the world.
Lola got to her feet. One by one, she picked up a candle and blew it out with a heavy puff of air. Her steps were heavy and plodding, almost like she was one of the dead.
Trying to stay calm, Zoey watched Lola move around the room. “So . . .” Zoey said, not sure what to say. “You’re our new roommate.”
“Yep,” Lola said casually, as if she were like any other roommate at PCA. She carefully set a white candle down on a side table.
Nicole stared at the artwork on the walls. It was . . . scary. She felt like she was in a haunted house! “I see you’ve put some of your . . . artwork . . . up already.” She shivered as she examined the paintings.
Lola looked around the room with satisfaction. “Oh, yeha. You like ’em?” she asked, smiling darkly.
Zoey stared at the paintings on the wall. One was bloodred with black branchy-looking brush marks. Another was putrid green with a giant pink blob in the middle. Just looking at them sent shivers down her spine. But she didn’t want to be rude, no matter how bizarre her new roommate was. “Ummmm . . . they’re pretty . . . .” Zoey mumbled.
Nicole leaned in close to Zoey. “Disturbing,” she finished, looking like she’d swallowed something rotten. It was exactly what Zoey was thinking.
“Thanks,” Lola said proudly. “I painted this one myself.” She pointed to a particularly weird-looking painting. “That’s my cat.”
“That’s your cat?” Zoey asked in disbelief. It looked more like her breakfast cereal after it had sat for several hours.
“Yes,” Lola confirmed, walking over to the mini fridge. “After the accident,” she added in a sinister voice.
From Zoey 101: Back to Normal. Copyright © 2006 Duo Entertainment Vertriebs GmbH. All rights reserved.
|
|
