“Freddy! Freddy!” my mom yelled from downstairs. “You are late. Let’s go!”

I ran down to the kitchen.

“Finally,” said my mom as she flipped sizzling bacon on the stove. “I’ve been calling you for the last ten minutes.”

“Sorry, Mom,” I said. “I can’t find my mittens.”

“Looks like you can’t find your pants, either,” said my sister, Suzie, laughing.

My mom turned around. “Freddy! What are you doing? Are you planning on going to school in your underwear?”

“I will give you five dollars if you go to school in your underwear,” said Suzie. “I would definitely pay money to see that!”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” I said. “I’m not going to school in my underwear.”

“But you look so cute in your tighty-whities.” Suzie chuckled.

“Freddy,” said my dad, “you need to hurry up. I’m not driving you to school today if you miss your bus.”

“But I need my mittens.”

“Freddy, sit down and eat,” said my mom.

“I can’t eat right now.”

“Why not? I’m making eggs. Do you want sunny-side up or scrambled?”

“I can’t go to school without my blue shark mittens,” I explained.

“Just wear the red ones,” said my mom. “You had them yesterday.”

“I bet you lost them,” said Suzie. “Did you lose them? I think you lose a pair of mittens almost every week.”

“I do not!”

“Do, too!”

“Do not!”

“Do, too!”

“All right, that’s enough, you two,” my dad interrupted. “Arguing is not helping Freddy get ready.”

“Why don’t you go back upstairs and finish getting dressed,” said my mom.

“Yeah,” said Suzie. “I think I’ll lose my breakfast if I have to look at you eating in your underwear.”

“After you put on some pants, check your closet for the mittens,” said my mom. “Maybe they’re in there.”

“Good thinking, Mom!” I called over my shoulder as I dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to my room.

I quickly put on a pair of pants and started rummaging around in my closet. It was such a mess that it was hard to find anything in there. I picked up stuff and threw it out into my room: my baseball glove, a blow-up shark from the aquarium, foam swords, a bug catcher, and my baseball bat.

“Uggghhhh! Where are those mittens?” I yelled.

Just then Suzie walked into my room. “Hey, watch where you’re throwing that bat!”

“Watch where you’re walking,” I said.

“Oh, you are going to be in so much trouble,” she said, looking around.

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You know how much Mom hates messes. She is a total neat freak.”

“So?”

“So this is one giant mess!” said Suzie. “You are going to be late for school, and your room looks like a tornado hit it. You are in big T-R-O-U-B-L-E.”

“Why are you even in here?” I hollered. “Get out!”

“Mom sent me up here to help you.”

“Well, I don’t need your help.”

“It looks like you do if you want to find those mittens and not miss the bus.”

She did have a point.

“Anyway, why do you need those mittens?” asked Suzie.

“Because it’s supposed to snow today, so I need those mittens for recess.”

“Why?”

“They don’t get soaking wet when I play in the snow.”

“What do you plan on doing?” asked Suzie.

“Making snowmen, building snow forts. You know. All that cool stuff.”

“So do you want my help or not?” asked Suzie.

“Freddy!” my mom called. “The bus will be here in ten minutes.”

“Looks like I don’t have much choice,” I mumbled.

“What’s it worth to you?” said Suzie.

“I don’t know.”

“How about you make my bed for a week.”

“A week! That is so unfair!”

“Take it or leave it,” Suzie said, holding up her pinkie for a pinkie swear.

“Fine,” I said as we locked pinkies. “But only if you find my mittens. Otherwise the deal is off.”

“Excuse me,” said Suzie, pushing me out of the way.

“Hey, watch it! You almost stepped on my toe.”

“I said ‘excuse me,’ ” said Suzie as she moved toward the closet.

“It’s a waste of time looking in there,” I said. “The mittens aren’t there.”

Suzie pushed some stuff around in my closet.

“Like I said. It’s a waste of time.”

Just then Suzie grabbed a coat out of the closet and stuffed her hands in the pockets. “Well, lookee here,” she said, grinning as she pulled the shark mittens out of the coat pockets.

“Where did you find those?”

“In this coat.”

“Oh yeah,” I said, slapping my forehead. “I forgot I took them to school earlier this year for show-and-tell.”

“You’re welcome,” said Suzie.

“Yeah, thanks,” I said. “You’re the best sister in the whole world.”

“I know,” Suzie said.

“You want to help me get this stuff back in my closet?”

“Nope,” said Suzie. “My job is done here. I’m going back down to finish my breakfast. But you’d better hurry, Freddy. You have to clean up this mess and make two beds. And you don’t want to miss the bus.”