Chapter Seventeen

It’s finally summer.

Karl has a

job and is always

away from

home.

 

Mom works part

time still, though

she dropped her

other job so

she could

keep an eye

on me.

 

I spend my days

riding my bike

and swimming

in our

pool.

 

Since it’s hard

for a twelve year old

to make friends

with people,

I make friends

with

pills.

 

Every week

I go to the store

and get two

big boxes

of diet

pills.

 

They’re not

so bad as

aspirin, and I

like the way

they make

me skinny.

 

Pills

are

the best

friends

in

the

world.