Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Chill Brandon

'Why I live with my granny'

"Hey, it's me again--Brandon.

No, I'm not upset! 

Why do you just assume that whenever I crack open this notebook I'm upset?

Maybe I'm not upset. Maybe I just feel like writing about my day. 

Nikki does that, right? 

I don't know. She'd NEVER let me read her journal, which, according to her, is a diary, which, according to her is much more personal than a journal.

But now I really, really, want to read that diary.

I know. 

I'm messed up. Nikki should drop me and just hang out with Chloe and Zoey.

'Nah,' said Max, my other friend who has mad art skills almost as mad as Nikki's mad art skills. 'If Erin had a diary, I'd wanna read it too.'

We were at Fuzzy Friends. Max had brought Creampuff over so I could babysit his grandma's dog for him.

Sometimes I wonder if that's the only reason we're friends. Because I'm good with dogs.

Why else, right?

And it's not just Max.

Mackenzie only pesters me because she thinks I'm cute. But if I looked like Quasimodo, she'd stop chasing me around.

(Hmm...)

I'm in the same band with Marcus and Theo, but before that, they were just these two guys who followed Chloe and Zoey around.

In a way, the only real friend I have is Nikki. And the dogs at Fuzzy Friends.

Pathetic, right?

Betty obviously thinks so.

'It's so nice to see you playing with a real boy instead of the dogs,' she laughed when she came in the room and saw Max. 'I'm so proud of you.'

I, on the other hand, was mortified.

'Betty, we're not playing. We're hanging out,' I groaned. 

I'm fifteen for crying out loud!

'Okay, honey! It's just so nice to see you have other friends besides that Nicolletta girl...'

'Nikki.'

'Yes, Nikki. She's a lovely girl, but you need some friends who aren't girls or dogs!'

'Yes, Betty,' I sighed.

Max was just watching us with this 'poor Brandon' look on his face.

When Betty left he said, 'Dude. You're grandma is...'

'I know,' I told him. 'I know. She's awesome.'

Whatever Max was about to say, I probably would've agreed with it wholeheartedly. But it wouldn't be cool to badmouth Betty after everything she puts up with. Namely me.

'Yeah. Awesome...' Max agreed. But there was this aggravating look on his face.

'What?'

'Nothin'' he said. 'Um, why do you live with your granny anyway?'

I looked down at Creampuff.

'I just do.'

'Oh,' said Max.

I could tell he was waiting for me to tell him all about my parents and how they died on the same night. But I wasn't about to do that. I don't even talk to Nicolletta about them.

So I just stroked Creampuff's furr while Max waited.

After a while, he got tired of waiting and left with Creampuff.

Hey, I don't have to tell my friends everything. They don't tell ME everything. 

And fine. Maybe I'm a little upset.

Just a little.

I miss them, okay?"