Holly Banks Full of Angst (Village of Primm, #1)(52)
“It smells like Band-Aids in here.” Ella pinched her nose. “Can we get some chicken nuggets? I don’t like school food.”
“Why? What were they serving?”
“Fish solopia.”
“Tilapia?” Holly got herself situated in the driver’s seat.
“That’s it. Good, Mommy. You got it.”
“What else did you eat? Anything for dessert?”
“Cherry pie.” Ella brightened.
“Really? What did you think of the cherry pie?”
“I loved it!” Ella clapped. “My mouth was so happy my lips grew a smile.”
Well, I’ll be danged. Holly started the car. Ella likes pie. Holly smacked a small yellow bug from her dashboard. Must have flown in the open window.
“There’s another one!” Ella pointed to the dash, and Holly slapped it dead. Man, what a disgusting car. Holly looked toward a triple-sphere topiary flanking the entry to the Primm Academy Atrium. Something wicked this way comes. Hope whatever’s eating Plume isn’t taking over the village.
WESTERN UNION ONLINE
Money transfer control number: 0421464892
Recipient: Greta B. Vogel
1610 Clairmont Court—Apartment 2B
Sender: Holly Banks
12 Petunia Lane
Amount $994.00 (nine hundred ninety-four dollars and no cents)
Message: Again?!? MOM! Stop. I can’t keep doing this—YOUR ACTIONS are putting a strain on MY MARRIAGE. The fact that YOUR stray cat got “knocked up” is NOT my problem. I AM NOT PAYING FOR A CAT DOULA! I’m not. You hear me? And I think it’s APPALLING that you’re asking for money to restring your ukulele. NOT MY PROBLEM! This $994 is a LOAN, and it’s to be used for one reason and one reason only—FOUR NEW TIRES. You got that? That’s it! And next time—don’t order first and then wonder how you’re going to pay. DON’T USE THIS MONEY FOR ANYTHING ELSE. No slots, no blackjack tables, AND NO MORE CACTUS GARDENS! I don’t care how old, or how rare the stupid cactuses are. Cacti. Whatever.
18
Later that night
Ella sat watching her ponies, meatloaf was baking in the oven, and Jack still was not home yet. That meant Holly would be late for tonight’s Scrap & Swap Fund-Raiser at the school. Thanks, Jack. How was that Wendy’s number one single combo—no cheese, no onions—medium size with a Dr Pepper?
Holly pulled Ella’s school folder out of her backpack, and out dropped her school supply list. Mother fletcher!
“What the hell-o kitty kind of sh—what a buncha horse hockey.” Holly clenched the list with both fists. “What’s a ‘plastic no-prong’ folder? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” she muttered. “Zippered, solid-color, canvas pencil case with a front pocket and three holes? Isn’t that a bit specific?” Holly read further. Ella already owned a pencil case, but it didn’t have a pocket. Couldn’t she use that?
Primm Academy Kindergarten Back-to-School School Supply List
24 Ticonderoga pencils SHARPENED. ***NO LEAD OR MECHANICAL PENCILS!***
2 large Pink Pearl erasers, 1 white Magic Rub art eraser, 24 pink pencil-top erasers
2 highlighters. One yellow, one green, one blue.
1 black Papermate Flair pen—felt tip only
Crayola (please, no store brand or Roseart) 24-pack classic, 8-pack basic. Labeled. One each for the class and student. Class box not labeled.
6 plastic no-prong folders
2 clear pencil pouches with three holes (clearly labeled with student’s name in BLACK permanent ink)
4 low-odor black dry erase markers (LOW ODOR)
one white athletic sock
2 two subject notebooks, wide ruled three hole punch, spiral WITH TABS (no color)
1 red three subject spiral bound wide ruled notebook (THREE HOLE)
4 tennis balls—cut the letter “X” into them (Do not send excess balls to school. No storage.)
large bag large cotton balls (air spun white not needle punched)
4 large bottles Elmer’s Washable School Glue (***ELMERS ONLY!)
7 Elmer’s disappearing purple—LARGE. (***ELMERS ONLY!)
6 pocket folders vinyl solid color (red, blue, yellow, green)
4 folders no pockets, not labeled, not vinyl, no holes
easy close Ziploc—boys quart; girls gallon
Scissors specifics: Fiskars, 5-inch blunt—rounded tips
2 each: tissues, paper towels, 50-count white napkins
2 bottles alcohol-free, scent-free hand sanitizer (MUST HAVE PUMPS!)
Optional: Friday headphones for computer lab
The list was riddled with incomplete information, typos, and quantities that didn’t add up, and Holly didn’t understand half of what she was reading. It didn’t seem very Primm to her. Was this a mistake? All the other papers in Ella’s backpack were close to perfection: no typos, printed on crisp white paper with the Primm Academy gold, black, and white school crest at the top. Holly flipped the paper over, thinking this must be a piece of scratch paper Ella had used at an art table. “Ella, how old is Miss Bently? Is she my age or Cousin Sophia’s age?”
“Sophia’s.”
Then Miss Bently was right out of college. “Did she give you this list?”
Ella crumpled her eyebrows, shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”