V-Ending Machine

If by “soon enough” Seraphina meant tomorrow, she would have been correct. The next day when Dewey got to school, he felt as if someone had swiftly kicked him in the stomach. They were gone. Before he even had time to think about how to stop it, the vending machines, the things he enjoyed most about middle school, ceased to be.

There, in their place, sat an information table with parent volunteers. They had “healthy snack” information packets for kids to take home to their parents and face painting.

“Face painting!” cried Dewey to Seraphina. “What in the fruit loops does face painting have to do with any of this?”

“Hey! Dewey!” Dewey and Seraphina looked over and discovered Colin getting his face painted. He was explaining to the volunteer painter that a narwhal was a large-tusked whale. She told him she wasn’t so good at whales and suggested he might like a large tusk-like carrot painted on his cheek instead.

“You look ridiculous,” laughed Dewey when Colin was finished, and they walked away from the table. Colin had an almost life-sized carrot painted on the side of his face.

“Yeah,” he acknowledged. “I wanted a narwhal!”

“Who told you to go get your face painted, you noob?” Dewey could always count on Colin to cheer him up, even in a crisis.

“Hee hee!” Seraphina poked her finger in Colin’s orange dimple. “I think Colin’s cheek makes a very nice root vegetable. I hope that doesn’t wash off too easily. It’s a good look.”

“Okay, okay!” said Colin.

“We need a plan.” Dewey looked at the clock on the wall and groaned. The bell to go back to class would ring any minute.

“I have an orthodontist appointment after school today,” reported Seraphina.

“You’re getting braces?” asked Colin.

“Not sure yet. They have to decide, I guess.”

“Welcome to the orthodontic club,” and Colin flipped his retainer in his mouth like a somersault.

“That’s just gross,” cried Seraphina. “And why is it blue?”

“You can get any color you want,” Colin dangled it between his thumb and pointer finger.

“Well, park it on the roof of your mouth, will you?”

“I can’t meet either,” interrupted Dewey, oblivious to their banter. He really needed to meet with Bailey. “How about we just text later tonight?”

The bell rang.

They all agreed and went off to class. Dewey still laughing at Colin’s carrot face but also with an empty feeling in his stomach—not just because he hadn’t eaten a snack today.