When I ran out of school, teeny-tiny snowflakes were falling, and all the kids were running around yelling and looking happy. All the grown-ups were standing in the middle of the playground looking cold and grumpy, including my mom and Mrs. Thomas. The Thomases, by the way, live down the block from us. Louie is in kindergarten and Maggie is best friends with Tess, and we walk to school with them most every day.
“Would you mind getting Louie for me?” asked Mrs. Thomas. “I need to go corral Maggie.”
“Sure!” I ran over to the kindergarten yard. It’s a play area with awesome climbing stuff and a fence all around to keep little kids safe. It’s not like us bigger kids are mean or anything; it’s just that we play pretty hard at recess. Sometimes we run over or knock into a little kid on accident.
“It’s time to head home!” I called to Louie.
“Okay!” He jumped off a pretend little bridge where I used to play the Three Billy Goats Gruff.
“I miss playing in there.” I did a big, huge sigh.
“I can’t wait until I’m old enough to play out there with you,” said Louie. “Do you think we’ll have a snow day tomorrow?”
“No,” I said. “It’s melting when it hits the ground. It’s not sticking at all.”
“Rats,” said Louie. “I’ve never had a snow day.”
“I’ve only had two in all the years I’ve been going to school,” I said. “Alas.”
Our moms were busy talking about their book group, so I waited until we said good-bye to the Thomases to talk to my mom. She just hates being interrupted, and I wanted her to say yes to everything I was going to ask.
“Can I invite some people over after school tomorrow?”
“Sure,” said my mom
“What people?” asked Tess.
“The Group in Cahoots,” I said. “Otherwise known as Erin, Zachary, and Logan.”
“Is that a club?” asked Tess.
“No,” I said. “It’s all the kids that are doing not-secret animal reports. We have to find another way to be shocking and amazing.”
“Shocking and amazing?” asked my mom.
“The class decided to not tell anyone what animals they were doing their report on,” I said. “They wanted to shock and amaze each other. Everyone already knew what Logan’s animal was, though, and everyone found out what mine was. Then Erin and Zachary decided to tell so they could be part of our group too.”
“Speaking of groups,” said my mom, “I need to ask Chris a question about the book group.” Chris, by the way, is Charlie’s mom.
“And speaking of books,” I said, “I have another question. I’m having a little trouble getting the books I need for my report from the school library. Can you or Dad maybe take me to the regular library if I can’t get them?”
“Sure,” she said again.
We got to our house and I stopped, but my mom and Tess kept walking.
“Can I just be home by myself?” I asked. “Charlie called me Tinder at school today, and I do not feel like seeing him at all.”
My mom thought about that for a little bit. “I suppose.” She unlocked our front door. “We won’t be long.”
“Take as long as you need.” I walked into our house and did a great, big, happy sigh. “Home at last.”
I dumped my backpack by the door and kicked off my shoes. One of my tie-dyed TOMS rolled under the chest where we put mail and car keys, but I left it for later. I went out to the kitchen and made a very boring snack of raisins and saltines. Like I mentioned before, it’s always healthy, healthy, healthy food around our house. Alas.
When I finished my raisins, I blew into the box to make that whistle sound that I just love. Someday I plan to be able to whistle all on my own. I especially plan to be able to make that really loud one that gets everyone’s attention. My dad can do it, and he’s teaching me. I also plan to be able to make one of my eyebrows go up like my mom does and also to have pierced ears. And when I thought of that last thing, I had a great big AHA!
The main reason that my mom says I can’t get my ears pierced yet is because I’m not responsible enough. But here I was home all by myself, and nothing bad was happening. That was pretty responsible. I had made my own snack, and that was pretty responsible too. I could clean up my own snack and even wipe the crumbs off the table. I could also put my backpack in my room without being asked. And my shoes too. I mean shoe. There was only one. That wasn’t very responsible.
Then I remembered that the other one had rolled under the chest. I reached under to get it, but that’s not what I found.
“What in the world?” I pulled out two pennies, my Grandmother Smith’s glasses case, a cat toy that must belong to Miss Purvis, and finally my tie-dyed TOMS. I put the pennies and glasses case and cat toy on top of the chest, then carried my backpack and shoes to my room. While I was there I picked up all my clothes off the floor and put them in my hamper. Then I started picking up all my shoes. And that’s what I was doing when my mom and Tess came home. I was being a very responsible, grown-up, ready-to-get-my-ears-pierced-any-day-now girl.
