Puffy, white marshmallow clouds hung in the sky outside of Olive Regle’s classroom window, while a lawn mower buzzed across the football field with the insistence of a bee. Inside the classroom, Olive could almost smell the mown grass—the smell of summer vacation. The clock ticked and tocked, steady as a drum.

Josie Letay was giving her Summer Plans presentation. For vacation, she was going to a tropical island, then to a snow-capped mountain, then to an active volcano. Olive’s legs jiggled anxiously in her seat—because in about sixty seconds, she would have to stand in front of the class, too.

Forest rocked back and forth with excitement at the desk next to her, his hair swaying with the movement of his body. Hearing Josie talk about traveling was practically making him drool; after living his whole life in the trees, Forest wanted to see everything.

Olive’s dad hadn’t planned a trip (it was hard, since he had to work all the time), so Olive had written a speech about what she and Forest were going to do this summer. She had even typed up the speech on her dad’s computer to help her memorize it and put the title in all capital letters because capital letters are Special and Important.

“Olive be okay,” Forest whispered to her. He always knew when she was nervous. “You been saying speech while you sleep.”

“I have?” Olive whispered back.

“Forest heard from bedroom nest.” Forest had his own bed, but he preferred to sleep on a pile of shirts, pants, and dirty socks on top of Olive’s bookshelf, next to her bed. It reminded him of the cozy tree nook he had slept in at Redwood National Park, where Olive first met him. Thankfully, though, there were no chipmunks or squirrels or bugs in his new nest. At least, not that Olive knew of.…

Olive leaned way over. “Do you think I’ll mess up?”

“Not by a long snot,” Forest replied.

Her face lit up like a lightbulb. She didn’t even bother to correct him.

“And when we go to the Tornado Twister amusement park, the whole class is invited!” Josie said, finishing her speech with a flourish.

Whoops and cheers filled the room. Eric Keizer got so excited that he threw his pencil up, and with a thwack, it stuck in the ceiling. Some kids raised their hands in the air, like they were already riding the Tornado Twister. Forest, though, looked alarmed, most likely because he had no idea what an amusement park was, or that “tornado twister” was the name of an awesome roller coaster and not a natural disaster.

“Olive, I think you’re next,” said Mrs. Finn.

Olive nodded and walked to the front of the room, her hands trembling as she turned to face the class. Battling her shyness had gotten easier since she’d met Forest—she had even starred in the school play earlier this year—but speaking in front of people was still capital H Hard. When she cleared her throat, the noise came out more like a squeak.

Just when she finally felt ready to talk, her heart flapping like a crazed bird inside her chest, the door opened with a shriek and a bang. A tall, freckled shape appeared in the doorway.

Colton.

Late again. He was always disrupting Something Important.

It didn’t help that Colton was a bully.