TV Time

When I get home from school, I go straight to my bathroom. I turn on the hot water, pour in strawberry-scented bubble bath, and wait for the tub to fill with bubbles.

Once it does, I sink into the soapy water and think about the food drive. It was a lot of work, but I’m so glad I did it. Even though Joey and I just started it a few weeks ago, so much has happened since then. Getting people to bring in cans, keeping them organized, and then the mix-up.

I’m just glad Mrs. Finney agreed to give everyone a homework-free week. And I still can’t believe that the grocery store gave away the turkeys or that the news crew came to film it all.

When I finish my bath, I hop out of the tub. As much as I love soaking in bubbles, it’s almost time for the Fern Falls nightly newscast.

I dry off and put on my coziest pajamas. I slip my feet into my fuzzy duck slippers and then I text Joey.

I skip to the den, where I plop down on the couch. I pick up the remote and turn on the TV. Mom, Dad, and Max join me. “I still can’t believe I’m going to be interviewed on the news!” I say once they’re all settled in.

I wait for Max to roll his eyes like I’m making too big of a deal about this. But he doesn’t. “It’s pretty cool that you’re going to be on TV,” he says.

I smile at him. I’m excited about it. Being on the news isn’t like eating breakfast or brushing your teeth. It’s just not something that happens every day.

The first local news story is about an animal shelter that is having a special adoption day on Thanksgiving.

The next story is about a meeting at city hall. Then a story airs about how the Fern Falls Mall will open early and close late the day after Thanksgiving.

Even though the stories are interesting, what I want to see is the story about the food drive.

Luckily for me, it’s the next story. “Here it is!” I yell. I’m so excited I can hardly sit still.

“That’s Nadia!” I say as I point to the screen. “She was the reporter who interviewed Joey and me today.”

We all listen as Nadia says she’s reporting from Fern Falls Elementary, where students organized a food drive. While she talks about the amount of food that was collected, the report shows students loading the truck from the Fern Falls Food Bank.

“That’s me!” I say.

By the time I get off the couch to point to where I am on the screen, the report cuts to Nadia interviewing Mr. Lee, Mrs. Finney, and Mrs. Montgomery.

“I think the interview with Joey and me is next,” I tell my family.

But when their interview ends, so does the report. The next thing that’s on TV is a commercial for laundry detergent.

“Hey, what happened to my interview?” I ask.

Mom and Dad look at each other and then at me. “Mallory, when a news crew covers a story, they film lots of things. But not everything they film ends up on air.”

Mom stands up and puts her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sweet Potato, but that sort of thing happens all the time.”

She looks at me like she’s waiting to see if I’m upset.

But I think my reaction surprises her.

“It’s OK,” I say. “I didn’t do the food drive because I wanted to be interviewed on TV. It would have been cool. But I’m just glad I did something that helped other people.”

I can tell my parents like hearing that.

“Mallory, we’re so proud of everything you did,” says Dad.

Mom wraps her arm around me and gives my shoulders a squeeze. “Because of you, a lot of people in Fern Falls are going to have a very nice holiday.”

When she says that, I think about what happened to Devon and his family. Knowing that our food drive will help real people like him makes what I did feel even more important.

“And you got everyone at school a homework-free week,” adds Max. “Nothing good like that happened when I went to school there.”

I smile. I’m proud of myself for everything that I did. But it feels great to know that so many other people are proud of me—my teachers, my friends, my parents, and even my brother. “I’m really happy that the food drive went so well,” I tell Mom, Dad, and Max. “I’m also happy that I got to do it with Joey. He’s an amazing friend.”

Right when I say that, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I check the screen and see that Joey’s calling.

“Hey,” I say when I answer.

“Hey,” says Joey. “I guess we’re not going to be famous.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Not yet anyway.”

“Are you upset?” Joey asks.

Even though Joey can’t see me, I shake my head. “Nope,” I say. “No big deal. And there’s always next year.”

Now it’s Joey’s turn to laugh. “We just finished the food drive, and you’re already thinking about doing it again next year?”

“Absolutely,” I say. “Are you in?”

“For sure,” says Joey.

“Good,” I say. “Because I couldn’t have done it without you. Thanks for being an awesome partner.”

“Yeah. You were too,” he says.

We say good-bye and hang up. I feel all warm and fuzzy—and not because I’m wearing flannel pajamas or a warm robe or my fuzzy duck slippers. So many good things happened today.

I think back to how I felt on Halloween and how I feel now. It’s hard to believe it all started because Dad read me that article about the high school kids who put on a Halloween party for underprivileged kids.

I remember how that girl, Jenny Perez, said it was the best Halloween ever.

Thanksgiving isn’t until tomorrow, but I already know that it’s going to be the best one I’ve ever had.