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    Unity Club
    Unity Club
    Unity Club
    Ebook88 pages1 hour

    Unity Club

    By Karen Spafford-Fitz

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Brett is president of her school's Unity Club. When a new group home for at-risk youth opens in the neighborhood, Brett becomes friends with Jude, one of the boys who lives at the home.

    After a series of acts of vandalism, the community starts demanding that the group home be shut down. Brett doesn't believe that Jude, or any of the other teens, is responsible, but when an elderly woman is seriously injured, Brett begins to have doubts.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateAug 28, 2018
    ISBN9781459817265
    Unity Club
    Author

    Karen Spafford-Fitz

    Karen Spafford-Fitz is the author of several novels for young people, including Unity Club, Vanish and Dog Walker in the Orca Currents series. She lives in Edmonton.

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      Book preview

      Unity Club - Karen Spafford-Fitz

      One

      Chapter One

      My phone vibrates on the kitchen counter. I glance at it as I bite into my bagel. As usual, my mom’s texts are a combination of French and English.

      Brettenie, you haven’t texted me in a long time. Tu me manques.

      She’s the only person who actually calls me Brettenie. Everyone else calls me Brett.

      "Tu me manques," I mutter. Yeah right, she misses me. Then how come she moved so far away?

      Even though Papa left early this morning for a meeting, I look around to make sure nobody caught me talking to myself. But of course, I’m the only person here. Papa has thrown himself into his work ever since Maman left town. We’ve both kept extra busy. That way, we don’t have much time to think about how she abandoned us.

      I spot my math assignment on the counter. I’m sure I drew the stupid graphs wrong. My mom used to help me with my math. When she moved to Winnipeg, she told me to phone her whenever I needed help. As if.

      I’m jamming the papers into my backpack when my phone buzzes again.

      How’s your new school? Dis-moi!

      The chunk of bagel in my mouth suddenly feels even drier. Seriously? My school is hardly new anymore.

      I’ve been going to Addison Junior High for four months now. But my mom’s mind has been on other things—namely, her new boyfriend. She’s right about one thing though. I haven’t texted her for a long time. And I’m not about to start.

      I toss my phone into my backpack. I throw the rest of my bagel into the garbage. Then I duck out the back door.

      I used to take the city bus to Willow Heights Junior High. It was my mom’s idea for me to go there. She was wowed by all the special programs. So for the sake of the school’s travel-studies option (I throw up on airplanes), academic enrichment (dream on) and a dance program (not a chance) that I never took, I spent hours traveling to school on crowded city buses that made me want to barf.

      After my mom left town, the first thing I did was switch schools. Now it only takes me ten minutes to walk to school—or six minutes if I run. I check the time on my phone—8:55. I’d better run.

      As I turn the corner at the end of our street, I avoid looking at the big blue house with the For Sale sign out front. That’s the house my mom bought three years ago, after she and my dad got a divorce. Their two houses were close enough together that I often visited both of them every day. It was totally working—until my mom met a guy on an online dating site.

      The worst part is that this guy, Zoltan, lives in Winnipeg. That’s a thirteen-hour drive from Edmonton. The next thing I knew, Maman took off to go live there with the new love of her life and his three kids. I shake my head. And she wonders why I don’t return her texts?

      Brett! Hey, slow down!

      Hey, Amira. I glance over my shoulder. Come on. We’re going to be late! Ms. Vickers said we had to hand in our math homework right at the beginning of class.

      We don’t have to hurry, she says. I heard Ms. Vickers left yesterday with a bad migraine. She called in a sub for today. Amira pauses to catch her breath. The sub will be too busy sorting out attendance to notice if we’re a bit late.

      Okay, I say. If you’re sure.

      I let my angry thoughts about my mom fade from my mind. I slow down to a walk.

      So what about after school? Amira asks. Are you ready for the meeting?

      Yeah, I made some notes last night.

      What will we be talking about today?

      You’ll have to wait and see, I tease.

      Amira gives a pretend pout. The corners of my mouth tug upward into a smile as we walk the last few blocks to school.

      When I transferred to Addison Junior High, the first thing I did was join the Unity Club. The Unity Club’s goal is to make a positive difference in the world. We mostly volunteer in our community, but sometimes we do fundraising for different causes around the world.

      As it turned out, joining the Unity Club was the best decision I’ve ever made. It has helped take my mind off my mom. It’s also where I got to know the people who have become my new best friends. People like Amira. It isn’t as dazzling as a dance academy. And it’s maybe not as exciting as taking school trips to Spain. But I felt welcome right from the beginning. When Isabelle, the club president, moved away a couple of months ago, I was surprised to be nominated for the position. And then I got voted in as president. It’s a lot of work, but we have some great projects on the go. I’m totally up for the challenge.

      My phone vibrates in my backpack. I ignore it. Probably my mom again. Why can’t she just leave me alone?

      Chapter Two

      After school, the Unity Club is meeting in the drama room. Some students are sprawled across the risers that the drama classes use for a stage. Other students are half lying and half propped against each other on the carpet beside the risers. A few of them are knitting.

      Hey, everyone. Let’s get started, I

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