Sunny Sweet Is So Not Sorry (15 page)

“We have to do something before we go in. It's part of my experiment.” Sunny knelt down and started digging in her box. She found what she was searching for and pulled it out. “Here!” she said, jumping to her feet and handing it to me.

“Okay,” I said. “It's a bottle of Heinz ketchup.”

“Open it,” she commanded, her eyes glowing under the shade of the ridiculous rain hat.

I began to open it. “Why can't we do this in the …”

There was a loud
pop!

The top of the ketchup bottle exploded off. I stood
there wet and stunned. I looked down at Sunny. Her rain gear was covered in ketchup. I looked down at myself. Ketchup was splashed across my T-shirt and jeans in giant blobs, and it streamed down my face and neck in ketchupy gobs.

“Oh my gosh,” I breathed. “Sunny, are you okay?” I wiped at the ketchup on her coat, but it didn't smear. In fact, it just stayed there. “Holy mother of peanuts!” I wiped at the ketchup on my arm. It also stayed. “Why isn't this coming off?” I looked down at my little sister.

“It's not going to come off,” she said excitedly. “It's a special red dye I invented.”

“What?”

“Well, it will come off, but just not for a few days. It has to wear off.”

“WHAT? You mean you did this on purpose?”

She shook her head, smiling, happy that I had finally gotten it. “Yes, Masha. You see, you are the person not following the rules of society. You will walk around the science fair covered in weird red blotches and I will observe how people react to you.
You're my science experiment!”

Sunny unsnapped the rain jacket and stuffed it into her box. Her jeans and T-shirt were spotless. “Okay,” she said. “Let's go.”

“Let's go?” I said. I was standing in some random
school's parking lot a million miles from home covered from head to toe in “weird red blotches.” I could feel the anger gurgling up inside me. I guess Sunny could feel it too, because she took a slow step away from me.

I lunged … but that tiny little twig body of hers was too quick, and she took off toward the front doors of the building.

“SUNNY SWEET,” I screamed, “YOU ARE SO DEAD MEAT!”

I would like to thank …

My husband, Kevin Mann, for his never-ending support of my wish to write, even through some pretty grim times.

My children, Jackson Mann and Grace Mann, for putting up with a mother with a dream.

My agent, Kerry Sparks, for possessing the killer combination of patience and tenacity.

My editor, Caroline Abbey, who read everything I ever sent her, waiting for this one.

Text copyright © 2013 by Jennifer Ann Mann
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Jana Christy

All rights reserved.
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce, or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First published in the United States of America in October 2013
by Bloomsbury Children's Books
www.bloomsbury.com

This electronic edition published in October 2013

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Bloomsbury Children's Books, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mann, Jennifer Ann.
Sunny Sweet is so not sorry / by Jennifer Ann Mann.
pages     cm
Summary: Follows eleven-year-old Masha and her “evil genius” little sister, Sunny, through one very adventurous day, as Masha faces scary situations, meets new people, and gains new insight into life with her hardworking, single mother. [1. Sisters—Fiction. 2. Genius—Fiction. 3. Single-parent families—Fiction. 4. Russian Americans—Fiction. 5. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.M31433Su 2013     [Fic]—dc23     2013015362

eISBN: 978-1-6196-3046-8

Visit
www.bloomsbury.com
to find out more about our authors and their books
You will find extracts, author interviews, author events and you can
sign up for newsletters
to be the first to hear about our latest releases and special offers