My Life in Smiley: I Got This! (mostly...)

After everything I told you about last time, I’ve been really busy between the end of school, tests, and especially preparation for the charity sale. Nico, Tom, and I have been more overwhelmed than ever! Especially since Tom still hasn’t gotten over his “separation” from Célia, so he’s been doing everything extremely slowly, like the big slug he is. Thankfully, with my parents’ permission, we turned the garage into IAG headquarters. You should’ve seen the mess we had in there . . . between the boxes of T-shirts and hats, the banners, and the stand we made. It had taken over all our weekends, but it was even better than in Middle School Madness. Naïs and Lena even came by at one point to see us.

The big day is tomorrow, and I have some serious butterflies!

It’s crazy how in only forty-eight hours, so much can happen to one person. I have TONS of stuff to tell you. Yesterday was the most incredible day of my entire existence. Tom, Nico, and I showed up to school super early and set up our IAG stand. The place was deserted. It didn’t start out so great, because the only spot the principal had reserved for us wasn’t exactly in the middle of the playground.

Let’s just say the odor that was wafting out from the bathroom was absolutely terrifying. At least once we hung everything up, our stand looked great.

Then we lucked out, because Raoul turned up, clearly having just applied some cheap cologne. And believe me, he’d really outdone himself. I don’t know how, but Nico managed to sucker him into being one of our models and wearing some of our clothes. This vain bozo didn’t need to be asked twice—he was convinced all the girls from school would fall for him. But what he didn’t know was that we’d ONLY asked him to be our model to mask the smell coming from the bathroom with his “fragrance.”

Little by little, the school filled up. Thanks to the help from the teachers and all the other students, we were able to recruit lots of people for our fundraiser. Practically the whole school wanted to help Welcoming Wheelchairs and help disabled people adopt service dogs. But we wanted most of all to show Lena that we’re all supporting her!

Naïs, Lena, and Célia were also running a cake stand. At one point, they brought a piece of cake for each of us . . . even Raoul, which wasn’t really necessary if you ask me.

And, coincidence or not, Naïs made licorice gingerbread. . . . Think back—does that remind you of anything that might have happened around this time last year? I’m sure she winked at me right when she gave me a piece.

“MIA” Martin was supposed to have a toy sale, but he didn’t show up till noon. Mrs. Raymond and Mrs. Toinou hosted a reading workshop promoting Cannibal Burger. Not to brag, but our stand was by far the most popular. To give you an idea, I guess you could say . . . it was the RAID OF THE CENTURY! We sold everything!

In the schoolyard, almost everyone was wearing a smiley hat or T-shirt that read, “It’s All Good!” Not that I’m easily moved by this kind of thing, but honestly, “The impression was striking,” as Gad Slimaud might say.

Speaking of which, around three o’clock an enormous truck pulled up in front of the school. The principal opened the door, and Gad got out with two hefty guys. Inside the truck were five wheelchairs.

Oh yes! I forgot to tell you, all that was Nico’s brilliant idea. After the last meeting of Reading Passion, he asked Gad if it would be possible for Welcoming Wheelchairs to lend us a few wheelchairs for a “roll race.” The best way to raise awareness among “normal” people is to put them in the shoes of “disabled” people, you think?

Gad Slimaud gave the green light right away! And that’s how we found ourselves taking part in a wheelchair race with Lena as the star instructor. She, Nico, and even Ramoupoulos had organized an obstacle course with gym equipment. But of course, Raoul wanted to be the first to try it. He sat down, and I thought for sure he was about to play bumper cars with his three goons, but the idiot couldn’t even move forward.

Raoul: he talks all tough, but when it comes to muscles, he’s all show! He was getting so worked up that he fell forward . . . and started crying like a big baby. That was the best! It was Lena who helped him get up. Then something happened that I never thought possible:

Then, Inès and Fatiha tried to connect their chairs together, but they never got past the starting line. For the last race, Nico, Tom, Célia, Naïs, and I all readied our chairs.

Nico asked Lena to join in the race too, and obviously she crossed the finish line first while the rest of us were stuck in front of the fences that framed the trees in the courtyard. Afterward, I found my parents and Lisa. I introduced my little sister to Lena, because I knew she dreamed of trying out a wheelchair someday. It was now or never. Fifteen minutes later I saw them doing the obstacle course together, then Lisa pushed Lena like she was her doll. Needless to say, they looked like they were having a lot of fun.

Then the principal made a seemingly endless speech about disability, the “necessity” of events like today, and . . . the pride he felt to have “significantly contributed.” Finally, he brought out a big box and told everyone that we’d managed to collect a small fortune for Welcoming Wheelchairs.

Gad Slimaud thanked us on behalf of the organization and said that, because of us, many more people would soon be able to adopt a service dog to help them with their daily lives. Everyone applauded loudly for us. An hour later, it was time to clean up. On our stand there were over a dozen empty boxes, and I saw Tom disappear with one of them. I thought he had a lot of nerve to ditch us again right when we needed his help the most. But fifteen minutes later, he returned with the box still under his arms.

And instead of putting it in the trash, he gave it to Célia.

At the end of the day, Célia left with Tom. Nico walked Lena home. And I found myself alone with Naïs. I don’t know how, but I mustered the courage to ask her to leave with me. I was afraid she’d turn me down, but she actually gave me a big smile.

On the way home, I was trying to find all sorts of intelligent things to say to her, but the more I thought about it, the less came to me. When we were close to her house, she told me she was really impressed with our generosity toward Lena and Welcoming Wheelchairs. I wanted to say, “You know, Naïs, I have something to tell you . . . I’ve been in love with you since last year,” but for some reason my throat was completely frozen. Then, suddenly, she confessed that after her party, she found a piece of paper on the ground in the elevator . . . MY POEM!

And before I could think of anything to say, one last thing happened that I wasn’t expecting AT ALL. Naïs kissed me! Yes, yes! I swear! It was too amazing to be real!

My fear of being an astronaut lost in space became a sweet dream. I saw myself floating on a cloud, surrounded by shooting stars. And believe me, it was one thousand times better than being bundled up in my furry blanket. I tried to covertly pinch myself to make sure it was actually real, but I missed and accidentally pinched Naïs’s arm! What was also scary was that I kept my eyes open at first, before I remembered that in movies lovers always close their eyes when they kiss. I hope I wasn’t making a stupid face.

Anyway, two seconds later, Mrs. Raymond showed up, and we had to tell her how the day turned out. And that’s how I found out Naïs was going back to Brittany this summer. Before we parted ways, she said something that really made me happy:

So I don’t think I’m wrong to say I’m officially GOING OUT with Naïs!

There you have it, seventh grade is already in the past! And even if the year started out bad, I think it was all good in the end . . . ONCE AGAIN!!! Raoul Kador stayed true to himself (unfortunately), and Conrad? Well . . . he’s still Conrad. My friendship with Tom almost went to pieces, but meeting Nico was a game changer. This guy is really great! I supported a cause that was totally worth it . . . and I’m more than a little proud of that! And above all, my wish came true—I kissed a girl for the first time in my entire life, and it wasn’t just anyone! Conclusion: I’m dedicating this year to you, Mom. I never thanked you enough for signing me up for Reading Passion. All this is actually thanks to you.

Oh! One more piece of good news: this morning in front of the mirror, I spotted something very interesting.

I can now tell you that, without a doubt, putting deodorant on your cheeks does NOT make you grow a beard! It’s true . . . nature knows best! Tom, Nico, and I went to the vacant lot. We had a hard time finding the place where Tom and I had hidden our box of memories from last year.

But we were eventually able to get our hands on it, and it really made us laugh to see the police sketch of Conrad, the advertisement for Zombieland 2, and all of the other memories from sixth grade. Then we started over. Our seventh-grade “time capsule” was ready to be buried.

We had a moment of silence in front of our box, and then we piled the dirt on top of it.

Now the real question: what does next year have in store for me, dear future human? But . . . who cares in the end, since I got this . . . mostly!

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. Published in French under the title Ma vie en Smiley: J’assure! (ou presque . . .).

Based on the original Smiley logo by Franklin Loufrani and SmileyWorld by Nicolas Loufrani.

Andrews McMeel Publishing

a division of Andrews McMeel Universal

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ISBN: 978-1-5248-5013-5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018940511

Editor: Jean Z. Lucas

Art Director/Designer: Diane Marsh

Production Manager: Chuck Harper

Production Editor: Kevin Kotur

Translators: Leigh-Ann Haggerty and Kevin Kotur

Digital Production: Kristen Minter

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