Chapter 21

I tried to get some rest after school Friday with the sleepover coming up that night, but I couldn’t. Sometimes reading helps, but I was so gripped by the book I was reading that it kept me up. That and Pippin and Frodo barking.

Mom drove Bryce and me to the elementary school later that afternoon. Parents and leaders had a pre-sleepover meeting, complete with pizza and sub sandwiches. The kids would arrive in an hour.

The principal, Mrs. Genloe, had several things planned. The kids would eat when they arrived at six. At seven, a clown would perform (which made Bryce roll his eyes). Mrs. Genloe said the clown had trained pigs that did tricks. Then Mom would tell her story. “And we have a special presentation on safety by a surprise duo,” the principal said. “With all the talk about the assault, we don’t want to brush this under the rug.”

“What about the bonfire?” somebody asked.

Mrs. Genloe frowned. “Because of the assault, we won’t be having our annual bonfire.”

Between 9 and 11 the climbing wall, an inflatable jumping castle, dodgeball, and other games would be set up in the gym. At 11, the kids would have a scavenger hunt throughout the school, with prizes awarded. Each class had selected a video to watch at midnight. Then it would be lights-out.

Just before six, we got our assignments. Bryce would be with the third-grade boys.

I was the last helper to get an assignment. Mrs. Genloe took me aside. “We have a fifth grader we’d like you to keep an eye on.”

“Just one?”

“Wally is a little slower than the rest and has been known to wander. It would help if you’d stay with him until midnight. Can you do that?”

I looked out the window at a little boy with thick glasses. He wore a Colorado Rockies jersey, a pair of Avalanche sweats, a Broncos hat, and a smile a mile wide. His full backpack bounced as he walked. I wondered if Mom had told Mrs. Genloe that I might want to be a special ed teacher when I grew up.