CHAPTER 28

Even though summer still seemed like a faraway dream, one morning Miss Beany started talking about the end of the school year.

“This spring, all of us teachers have decided we would like to have a school-wide pageant to celebrate how hard you have all worked. With the war and rationing, everyone has been through a lot, so we want to do something extra special for our community.”

Some kids started to clap, like that excited them too. I just sat there thinking how Charlotte wouldn’t be here to celebrate with us.

My mind must’ve drifted, ’cause the next thing I knew, kids were standing up and moving to sit in different chairs. “What’s going on?” I asked as Ricky and Berta appeared next to me.

“Aren’t you a little daydreamer!” Berta laughed. “Miss Beany assigned us groups to work in for the pageant. And we’re together.”

Ricky pulled up a chair and sat next to me. “Guess I’m with you guys for this too.”

“So, what are we supposed to do?” I asked.

Berta rolled her eyes. “If you had listened, like Ricky and me, you’d know that each group is writing a speech about America. Then we will present the speeches to the class, and the best speech from our class will be given at the pageant. So we have to win.”

I turned to see what Ricky thought of that while Berta kept talking. “And, Prudence, why don’t you go get us some paper so we can write down some of our ideas?”

I really didn’t like taking orders from Berta—or having her roll her eyes at me—but anytime I could get up in class without asking for permission, I would.

Right as I walked past her chair, I swear she stuck her foot out in front of me, making me fall flat on the floor.

“Why in tarnation did you do that?” I yelled, giving her the meanest look I could muster.

She looked shocked, and if I didn’t know better, I’d almost believe her. “Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was just stretching my legs. I swear.” She reached out her hand to me. “Let me help you up.”

I ignored her as I stood up.

“You okay, Pixie?” Ricky asked.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled as I went to get the paper.

I wasn’t gone more than a minute, but when I got back, Berta had the whole thing worked out. “So the speech should be about our store and how it has helped everybody during the war.”

The way she said it, it didn’t sound like a suggestion she was offering, but a full-fledged decision. I didn’t really care what we wrote the speech about, but I wasn’t gonna let her boss me.

“I don’t know,” I said, watching where I walked before I sat down. “Maybe it should be more about the war itself. Maybe about someone like Ricky’s brother, who is a war hero.”

Ricky’s eyes lit up. There’d been no more news about Bill since that telegram. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “I mean—yeah, he’s a hero to me—but there are lots of people who are heroes during this war.”

“Then we should write about all the heroes,” I said.

Berta nodded like the idea was growing on her, little by little.

And—butter my biscuit—she actually said, “I like it.”