“Good morning, Mindy!” Sophie sang out cheerfully. Mindy had just walked through the classroom door. It was Wednesday — or Be-Extra-Sweet-to-Mindy Day, as Sophie would call it from now on.
“Good morning,” grumbled Mindy. She lifted her pointy chin so she could look down her pointy nose.
Ugh! A little voice spoke up in Sophie’s head. “It’s not worth it! Pick another name!” it warned.
But then another voice said, “You can do this. Don’t give up.” And since it was just a little louder, Sophie listened to that one.
She looked right back at Mindy. “That’s a really nice headband,” she said.
Mindy pulled her headband forward, then pushed it back again. “I know. You should try one sometime.” She went on. “A brush might help, too.”
With that, she strutted off. Sophie forced a grin and watched her go.
“Okay, Mindy!” she called. “That’s great advice. Thank you!”
Eve, who was standing next to her, clearly could not believe her ears or eyes. “Sophie! How can you be so nice when she says stuff like that?” she asked.
Sophie clasped her hands and sighed. “Because I’m a sweetheart,” she replied.
“I don’t get it,” Mia said, joining them. “Remember how she dared you to take that gift from my birthday party? I’m still so mad at her for that. Why aren’t you?”
Sophie shrugged. Oh, she was still mad at Mindy. And she probably would be for the rest of her life. But right now, being Sophie the Sweetheart was a lot more important.
She could tell that Eve and Mia were impressed. Now she hoped they’d tell everyone else! In the meantime, Sophie had to find more ways to be nice to the meanest girl in the class.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t hang up Mindy’s jacket. Or turn in her homework for her. Lily already did those things (and many, many more) for Mindy.
But as soon as Ms. Moffly took attendance, Sophie realized something.
“Lily Lemley?” the teacher called.
No answer.
Aha!
Lily was absent! Maybe Sophie would have more chances to be sweet to Mindy that day after all.
She was determined to take every chance she could get.
“Here, Mindy. I’ll toss that trash for you,” she said after snack.
“Why?” Mindy frowned.
“Why not?” Sophie smiled back.
Later it was time for workstations. That was when the class broke into pairs and picked from things Ms. Moffly called Enriching Activities. Sophie wasn’t sure exactly why she called them that. Yes, they were activities, like writing about pictures and doing science experiments. But they sure hadn’t made Sophie rich at all.
They were supposed to try different subjects each time. And different partners, too. Mindy and Lily always seemed to forget that part. But now that Lily was absent …
“Would you like to be my partner?” Sophie asked Mindy.
“I guess so.” Mindy shrugged.
“Great!” Sophie grinned.
Wow. She’d kind of thought Mindy might make a face and say no.
Sophie looked around. “So … want to do Math Games?” That was her favorite activity.
But Mindy crossed her arms. “We’re doing Computers. I can’t stand Math Games.”
Fine, Sophie grumbled inside. But outside, she smiled and said, “Okay!”
Of course, Sophie knew if they picked Computers, they would have to share a laptop. And Sophie knew what that would mean. Mindy would hog the keyboard the whole time.
And Sophie was right.
Still. She stayed sweet—on the outside.
But on the inside, she was boiling up. By lunchtime, she needed a break. Sophie was happy to sit down with Kate, someone she didn’t have to work to be sweet to!
Then she noticed Mindy coming out of the lunch line — alone. She was holding her tray and looking around. Sophie guessed she wasn’t used to lunch without Lily. Who would find a chair for her and pull it out?
Hmm.
Sophie’s mind started cranking. Maybe this was another chance to be sweet! Should she take it? She didn’t really want to. But then what kind of sweetheart would she be?
“Hey, Kate,” she finally whispered. “Watch this.” Then she waved and raised her voice. She wanted to be sure the whole class heard her call, “Hey, Mindy! Want to sit with us?”
“What are you doing?” Kate’s eyes asked her.
“Don’t worry,” Sophie’s smile said back. She knew Mindy wouldn’t come over. Mindy never sat with them.
But to her surprise — and Kate’s — this time she did.
Mindy walked right up. She sat right down. And she started to eat her turkey dog.
“What are you staring at?” asked Mindy. That was when Sophie realized her jaw had dropped.
At you, she thought. Sitting here with us. And not even telling us how to eat.
“Uh … nothing,” she said out loud. “How’s your turkey dog, Mindy?”
After lunch came recess. And by then, Sophie the Sweetheart was on a roll.
“I can’t believe you cleared Mindy’s tray for her,” Kate said as they walked outside.
Sophie nodded, grinning. “I know. Neither can I! But if I can be that sweet to Mindy, I’m a sweetheart for sure!”
Mindy was already out on the blacktop with Sydney and Grace and the other Sophie in their class, Sophie A. Sophie and Kate usually played other games, but these girls jumped rope every day. And every day, they started with the same old debate about who got to jump first and who had to turn the rope.
“Hey, Kate,” Sophie said. “How about we jump rope today?”
“Okay, sure. But why?”
“Because I just thought of another job for Sophie the Sweetheart,” Sophie whispered back.
They hurried to the jump-rope corner, where Sophie promptly took the rope from Mindy’s hand.
“Hey! What are you doing?” snapped Mindy.
“I’m turning the rope for you!” Sophie said.
She turned the rope the whole time. She didn’t even jump. Not once! Every time her turn came up, she let another girl go for her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to jump?” asked Sydney after several rounds.
Mindy answered for her. “You heard her say she didn’t, which means it’s my turn now.”
She stepped up to the rope and Sophie started turning again. Sophie A. held the other end.
“Higher!” Mindy ordered.
“I’m trying,” Sophie told her. And really, she was. But her arm was so heavy and sore now, she could hardly lift it up. It was really starting to burn, like a thousand tiny dragons were inside, breathing fire.
Finally, Mindy jumped in.
“Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,” everyone started to sing.
But before they got any further, the rope tripped Mindy — “Ooph!” — and she fell to her knees.
“You did that on purpose!” shouted Mindy.
“But I didn’t!” Sophie said. She couldn’t let her name be ruined by an accident like this! “My arm just got so tired,” she explained. “I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to. I swear!”
Kate spoke up. “Sophie would never do that on purpose.”
Sophie A. joined her. “It was just an accident, Mindy. Relax.”
Sophie gave them both a grateful smile. But Mindy still looked very mad. In fact, her face was as red as a rubber kickball — the kind that came zooming in just then!
“Look out!” called Dean from across the blacktop.
But it was too late. The ball hit Mindy — smack! — in her pinchy, sour face. It must have hit her hard, too. Dean had kicked the ball, and he was the biggest kid in their grade.
Mindy went flying back instantly as the ball bounced off her nose and hopped happily away.
“Ah!” Mindy yelled, covering her face.
“Sorry!” Dean called.
The other kickball players, meanwhile, had started to laugh. Soon the basketball players and tag players were laughing, too. Only the jump-ropers weren’t. They were standing with their hands over their big, round mouths. Sophie bet if they took their hands away too fast, their own laughs would spill out.
But Sophie decided something: Sweethearts didn’t laugh; they helped. Besides, Mindy had been kneeling there because of her. And it looked like she was really hurt!
“Are you okay?” Sophie asked Mindy. She bent down and gently helped her sit up.
Mindy’s shoulders trembled. Her head shook from side to side. Slowly, she let her hands down. Her face was all different colors of red now. And her eyes were wet. Stuff was even starting to spill out! Wait. Was Mindy crying?
Sophie had seen Mindy cry before. Everybody had. But it was always pretty … well, fake. There were never any real tears.
“Where does it hurt?” Sophie asked her.
Mindy sniffled and held up her hand. There was a tiny scrape on her palm. That must hurt a lot more than it looks like it does, Sophie thought. Or maybe, she realized suddenly, something else hurts even more.
By then, Ms. Moffly was outside with them. Recess was over. It was time to go in.
“What happened?” she asked, hurrying over.
“Mindy tripped on the jump rope. Accidentally,” said Sophie. “And then Dean went and hit her in the head.”
“Dean what?” Ms. Moffly gasped.
“With the ball, I mean,” Sophie said. “And it was probably an accident, too. Don’t worry. Nobody can aim a kickball that well.”
“Do you need to go to the nurse, Mindy?” Ms. Moffly asked. She knelt so they were nose-to-nose.
Mindy sniffled—twice this time—and nodded.
“Oh, I can take her,” Sophie offered. “I know the way by heart.”
Ms. Moffly smiled. “Yes, I guess you do by now. That’s very sweet, Sophie. Thank you.”
Wow! Sophie didn’t know what was sweeter—her or the way she felt!
She took Mindy’s hand and led her inside, up the stairs. “Does it hurt a lot?” Sophie asked. “I just want to warn you, it’ll hurt even more when Mrs. Frost rubs that sting-y stuff on it.”
Mindy stopped and turned to Sophie. Her tears were finally drying up. She still looked sad, but not so splotchy. And not snooty at all. For once. “I hate that sting-y stuff!” She gulped.
“I know.” Sophie nodded. “Me too. But sometimes it helps to hold someone’s hand when she puts it on. If you want, you can hold mine.”
“That would help a lot,” Mindy said.
Then she sniffed again and made a face Sophie wasn’t used to (on Mindy, at least). A smile. “You really didn’t trip me?”
“I thought maybe you were still mad at me … about that dare. You know, taking Mia’s present at her party. I’m sorry about that.”
Mindy was sorry? Without an I’m-not-really-sorry face? That surprised Sophie, too!
“Uh … it’s okay. I got over it,” said Sophie.
“You know, nobody but Lily is ever this nice to me,” Mindy confessed. “It’s kind of nice to have another friend.”
Mindy’s friend? Sophie heard the word, but it took a minute to sink in. Was that really what she was now? That hadn’t been her plan. And yet here they were, sharing smiles and holding hands.
Before she could say or do anything else, the nurse’s door opened wide.
“Well, well, well, Sophie Miller,” said the nurse, Mrs. Frost. “What in the world have you done to yourself now?”
“Oh, it’s not me, Mrs. Frost,” Sophie said quickly. “It’s Mindy, here. My friend.”