"Oh My Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tera Lynn Childs)

I am looking around for a trash can to lose my airplane pretzels in when he speaks to me.

тАЬPhoebe,тАЭ he says in the disgustingly charming accent, тАЬI am so happy to welcome you to my country. To my home.тАЭ

And then, with no warning whatsoeverтАФand itтАЩs not like IтАЩm sending out approach-me vibesтАФhe steps forward and puts his arms around me. In a hug.

Ewww!

I stand there like IтАЩm waiting at the starting line, frozen and not sure what to do as heтАЩs squeezing me and patting me on the back.

Mom catches my eye over his shoulder and gives me a pleading look, which I ignore. Then she scowls her IтАЩm-your-mother- and-a-therapist scowl.

The one I have long since learned never to ignore.

So, with all the courage I can find deep down in my toes, I lift one hand and pat Damian on the shoulder in a show of returning the hug. Mom looks not quite happy, but he doesnтАЩt seem to notice my hug is half-assed.

He releases me, thenтАФto my continued horrorтАФgrabs my head and presses two kisses alternately to my cheeks. Cesca told me all Europeans do this, though different cultures do different numbers of kisses. I guess Greeks do two. I canтАЩt stop the impulse to wipe his kisses off my flesh. Thankfully he has already turned away, taking Mom by the hand and leading her over to baggage claim. Leaving me with the ninety-kilo briefcase.

19



Our bagsтАФtwo really big ones for each of us because most of our clothes had to come in the suitcases since the movers arenтАЩt scheduled to deliver our boxes for nearly a weekтАФare already circling the carousel by the time we get there with a rented cart. At least I donтАЩt have to lug the briefcase all the way to the car.

Damian, leading the way with the cart, asks, тАЬWould you prefer the bus or the metro?тАЭ

Whoa! Bus? Metro? As in public transport?

тАЬI donтАЩt know,тАЭ Mom says. тАЬWhich do you think, Phoebola?тАЭ

I stop moving, but nobody else seems to notice. They keep on walking, even though IтАЩm getting farther and farther behind with every step. Then I have to run to catch up because as much as I donтАЩt want to be in Greece, I want to be lost in Greece even less.

As I run up, he explains, тАЬThe bus system is quite a confusing adventure, so perhaps we should take the metro and save that for another trip.тАЭ

Nice. Another decision made without me. Not like itтАЩs my life or anything.

тАЬHmmph,тАЭ I say as I shrug my backpack higher up on my shoulder.

Damian pulls the suitcases off the cart, handing one each to me and Mom and taking two himself, and heads off in the direction of signs that look like the Adidas stripes next to a golf ball. Mom follows blissfully behind, oblivious to my irritation.

This is a picture of my life for the next yearтАФno, make that nine months because no matter what Mom says IтАЩm moving in with Yia Yia Minta for the summer before college. Nine months of Mom in 20



blissville and not even caring what her only child wants is going to be a nightmare.

тАЬWhereтАЩs Stella?тАЭ Mom asks.

Crap. I forgot about the evil stepsister.