Principal called Mrs. to come to his office.
Only I didn’t even know he was going to do that sneaky thing.
That’s how come I had to pull my skirt way over my head. Or else Mrs. would see me there. And she would know I tattletaled on her.
“Don’t do that,” said Principal.
“Yeah, only I’m allowed,” I said from underneath my skirt. “ ’Cause I have on my new red tights. And also boxer shorts.”
After that, Principal went out of his office. And I heard my teacher’s voice outside the door.
Then I quick got down from my big wood chair. And I hided under Principal’s giant desk. ’Cause I was scared of what was going to happen, that’s why.
I stayed quiet for lots of minutes.
Then I heard feet come back in the office. And so I made my breath very quiet.
“Junie? Junie B. Jones?” said Principal.
“She might be hiding,” said Mrs. “She’s good at that, you know.”
And so just then I had to think of something very quick. Or else they might come looking for me, I think.
“Yeah, only Junie B. Jones isn’t hiding,” I said in a scary voice. “Junie B. Jones had to go home. Only don’t call her mother. Or else she will get mad at you and crack your head open.”
After that, feet walked real fast around the desk. It was Principal.
“Come out of there right now, young lady,” he said.
I peeked my eyes at him.
“Shoot,” I said very quiet.
Then I had to sit in the big wood chair again. And Mrs. sat down next to me. Except for I didn’t look at her. Or else she might be making a fist at me.
“Good afternoon, Junie B.,” she said in a nice voice.
“I think you and I need to have a little talk,” she said.
Then my eyes got a teeny bit of wet in them. ’Cause a little talk means I’m gonna get yelled at.
“Yeah, only I tried not to tattletale on you,” I said very quick. “ ’Cause I didn’t want you to go to jail for stealing grapes. And so I kept it a secret inside my head. And I didn’t talk. And Grandma Miller thought a dead cat got my tongue.
“Only today Lucille said my head was gonna blow. And so that’s how come I runned to the nurse for a Band-Aid. And she tooked me to Principal. And then my secret accidentally slipped out of my lips.”
Mrs. dried my eyes with a tissue.
“It’s okay, Junie B.,” she said. “I’m not angry at you. I just need to know what you saw me do at the grocery store. Can you tell me what you saw?”
Then she said the word egg-zactly.
I made my voice very whispering. “I eggzactly saw you eat grapes,” I told her. “Except for you didn’t pay the store man for them. You just put them in your mouth and ate them. And that is called the word of stealing, I think.”
After that I hided my head under my skirt again.
“You don’t have to hide, Junie B.,” said Mrs. “I’m the one who should be hiding. I’m the one who took the grapes.”
I peeked my eyes over my skirt at her.
Then Mrs. did a little smile. And she explained all about what happened.
“Two weeks ago I bought some grapes at the grocery store,” she said. “But when I got them home I discovered they were so sour no one in my family would eat them.
“So this week—when my husband and I went back to the store—I thought I’d be smart and taste a couple of grapes before I bought them.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Is that the rules?” I asked very quiet.
Mrs. shook her head.
“No,” she said. “That’s not the rules. I should have told the grocery man about my sour grapes. And then I should have asked him if I could sample one or two. But I didn’t do that. And it was right of you to worry when you saw me eating them without paying for them.”
Mrs. smiled again. “Of course it was,” she said. “It shows you know right from wrong. And it also shows that teachers make mistakes just like everybody else. Teachers aren’t perfect, Junie B. No one is perfect.”
After that I felt relief in me. ’Cause of no more secret, that’s why.
“Yeah, and guess what else I saw?” I said very happy. “I saw you and your strange man do a big smoochie kiss. And it was right in front of the whole entire everybody! Only you didn’t even know I was spying on you! ’Cause I’m not actually allowed to do that sneaky thing. Only my mother never even finded out!”
I smiled very proud of myself.
Except for Mrs. didn’t smile back.
And Principal didn’t smile back, too.
’Cause guess why?
Another secret just slipped out.
That’s why.