If a Martian Went to the Mall... - Julie Steimle (best electronic book reader .txt) 📗

of her new wardrobe, Zormna and Mrs. McLenna walked to the food court to pick up a late lunch, since it was nearly three o’clock. They had spent all day at the mall in what probably would have only taken then two hours had Zormna been more cooperative. Mrs. McLenna made Zormna sit at a table while she ordered two hamburgers and fries, and a couple of chocolate shakes. When she took it to the table, she feigned a smile and unwrapped her hamburger.
“What is that? Another sandwich?” Zormna asked, poking the other wrapped burger.
Sighing wearily, Mrs. McLenna nodded. “It’s called a hamburger.”
She took a bite and chewed silently.
Zormna watched her for a few seconds before deciding to pick up her own meal. She unwrapped the paper and placed the burger on the tray. Lifting the top bun, she made a face. When she tried to pick it up, several pickles toppled out onto the tray.
“Use two hands,” Mrs. McLenna said.
Zormna persisted with one hand, and her tomato fell out.
“Zormna you need to pay attention to what I say,” Mrs. McLenna advised wisely, lifting a finger. “Do you want to embarrass yourself when you eat lunch at school tomorrow?”
Zormna sighed and dropped her burger back onto the tray, annoyed. “Do they have to make eating so awkward? Why are there so many parts to this thing, and why do they make it so difficult to balance?”
The servers at the fast food place peered over at her and raised their eyebrows.
Mrs. McLenna chuckled.
“It’s not meant to be awkward.” She corrected Zormna’s hold and put the pickles and tomato back into the burger. “Hold it tight, and remember that you don’t want things slipping out.”
Nodding with just as much exhaustion as Mrs. McLenna, Zormna followed her demonstration more dutifully and bit into her burger. Her expression changed to that of intense curiosity, and she took another bite.
Nodding again, Zormna said, “Not bad.”

They walked out of the food court, sucking on the straws of their chocolate shakes, holding several bags in each arm and looking somewhat more contented. Zormna loved the chocolate shake, giving that rare smile. When they walked out the doors to the parking lot, a group of teenaged boys all wearing Pennington High paraphernalia marched in the same door to their usual after school hangout spot. The boys brushed past them, whistling and making catcalls. Zormna immediately flushed holding one of her bags over her face as she pressed quickly to get out of the building. Mrs. McLenna shook her head and followed her into the parking lot.
The boys watched them go enjoying the spectacle with loud laughs, all of them still checking out the small new blonde. One boy seemed especially interested though he wasn’t smiling. He watched Zormna, squinting his eyes. He moved in closer, trying to make out the girl’s face from the back of her head, but all he saw were blond curls and a shopping bag. However, both Zormna and Mrs. McLenna had long exited the mall, dragging their load into the parking lot to the car, and there was no way for him to follow without looking stupid.
“That was a hot one!” his friend, Jonathan Baker, a tall dark-haired boy with a prominent nose said, gawking at the vanishing female figure, waving his hands like it had been scorched on a hot plate.
“The girl or her mother?” another of his friends teased Jonathan, a boy called Brian Henderson. This boy stood more relaxed, leaning back on the railing with a laugh as he watched Mrs. McLenna go. Sandy brown haired, and somewhat tan, he had a playful grin that said life was a load of fun for him because he could see the joke in it.
“Oooh! Jon’s after older women! Ha, Ha, Ha! Hoomph!” Their third pal, Mark Wheley laughed while nearly choking on his gum. He was not as tall as the rest, but he had a broad chest and an inborn smirk that said enjoyed a good joke the same as Brian.
But Jeff Streigle came to Mark’s rescue, no longer squinting after Zormna. He pounded on Mark’s back until the gum game out.
“Careful there, Mark. It wasn’t that funny,” he said, peering over into Mark’s face to make sure he was still breathing. Then he added, “Besides, I don’t think that was her mother. That woman looked like Mrs. McLenna.”
Jeff kept looking at the exit where Zormna and Mrs. McLenna had left, still wondering what he had seen. Unlike the other three, he always wore an old, black imitation leather jacket over his Pennington wrestling clothes. Midnight black hair and paper pale skin, he also had a scar across his nose and one across his right cheek as if he had once gotten a fight with someone wearing a ring. There was even a little bent in his nose, showing that it had been broken once.
The other boys burst out laughing at Jonathan.
“Mrs. McLenna! Man, you must be desperate!” Brian said with a smirk that cracked across his face showing his slightly crooked teeth. “Too bad Todd’s not here to hear you say it. Woo, woo, woo!”
“Where is Todd anyway? He said he’d join us at three,” Mark asked.
Jeff nodded, wondering that himself. He looked once more back at the door wondering, thinking, hoping that his eyes had been fooling him.


To read the entire novel "The Secret of Zormna Clendar" go to lulu.com Imprint

Publication Date: 02-28-2010

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