The Impossible Lisa Barnes: Book one of the Anika Scott series

Anika's parents want her to befriend Lisa Barnes. But Lisa is totally obnoxious. We were both twelve, but she looked like a teenager. Her clothes were great, really in style. I had on old shorts and a T-shirt. I was just going to say hi when Lisa started screaming blood murder. "What is it? Take it away!" she howled. What was her problem? Then I realized she was pointing at the chameleon I'd brought to show her, you know, just to be nice. Suddenly my dad came up, picked me up by my elbows and carried me off the porch. I just about died. Something told me, right then and there, that Lisa Barnes was, most definitely, without a doubt, not going to be my best friend!