RULE #1
It’s Important to Try Not to Hurt Someone’s Feelings If You Can Help It
“Is that the one you’re going to wear?” I stared at the redspangled bodysuit Erica’s older sister, Missy, had on.
I could hardly believe how beautiful she looked in it. Usually when I saw Missy, she had on sweatpants.
Sweatpants and a really mean expression as she was slamming her bedroom door in my face.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Missy hated my guts.
But then Missy hated the guts of all of Erica’s friends, so I didn’t take it personally. Missy hated Erica, too, even though Erica refused to believe it and was always trying to do nice things for her big sister.
Like right now, for instance, Erica had enlisted our help in getting Missy to decide which of her six fanciest baton-twirling costumes she should wear for the seventh annual Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular, middle school division.
“I think you should wear the blue one,” Rosemary said.
“The blue one doesn’t have as much glitter,” Sophie said, from Missy’s bed, where we were sitting all in a row while Missy was putting on her fashion show for us. “Only sparkly fringe.”
This was the first time we’d ever been invited into Missy’s bedroom after school, so it was truly a huge occasion, and we were trying very hard not to break the rules Missy had explained to us before she’d allowed us to come in.
The rules were: 1. Do not touch anything, 2. No talking unless Missy says you can talk, and 3. Leave the minute Missy says so.
Break the rules, and Missy will break you.
“I know,” Rosemary said. “That’s why I like the blue one.”
“The red one is definitely sparklier,” Caroline said. “Although ‘sparklier’ isn’t a word.”
Caroline would know. She was our class spelling champion, even though she lost the district spelling bee.
“I just can’t decide,” Missy said with a sigh as she fluffed out her blond hair and stared at herself in her full-length mirror. “I do look amazing in all of them, don’t I?”
“Yes,” we all said in unison.
Always agree with everything Missy says if you want her to stay in a good mood. This was another rule.
Being friends with Erica was very good training in how to deal with teenagers. Also how not to act when I become one. Because Missy was really moody. Also rude. At least most of the time. She was being nice to us today, though, because she wanted our help deciding what to wear to the Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular.
I won’t lie: I wanted to go to the Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular more than I had ever wanted to go anywhere in my whole entire life. At least, ever since I’d heard about it (a half hour earlier).
Because Missy and Erica and Mrs. Harrington (who had hand-sewn all of Missy’s costumes for her) had told us about it while we were eating after-school snacks of fruit and graham crackers in the kitchen of their house.
And it sounded like the most exciting thing in the world.
First of all, twirlers (that’s what the people who spin and toss batons are called. Twirlers. Also majorettes, but “twirler” is more correct because a twirler can be a boy or a girl, whereas majorettes are only girls) come from all over the state — possibly even from outside the state — to participate in the Twirltacular, which lasts a whole weekend.
At the Twirltacular, there are events in dance, strut, teams, showtwirls, solos, multiple batons, flags, hoops, and duets/pairs.
I didn’t exactly know what any of that means, but I totally wanted to see it. In fact, the more I heard about it from Erica and Mrs. Harrington and Missy, the more I thought I would die if I didn’t get to see it.
And I was really lucky because the Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular was happening right here in my very own town.
Missy said if we didn’t act like ingrates, which means ungrateful people, we could come watch her
It’s Important to Try Not to Hurt Someone’s Feelings If You Can Help It
“Is that the one you’re going to wear?” I stared at the redspangled bodysuit Erica’s older sister, Missy, had on.
I could hardly believe how beautiful she looked in it. Usually when I saw Missy, she had on sweatpants.
Sweatpants and a really mean expression as she was slamming her bedroom door in my face.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Missy hated my guts.
But then Missy hated the guts of all of Erica’s friends, so I didn’t take it personally. Missy hated Erica, too, even though Erica refused to believe it and was always trying to do nice things for her big sister.
Like right now, for instance, Erica had enlisted our help in getting Missy to decide which of her six fanciest baton-twirling costumes she should wear for the seventh annual Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular, middle school division.
“I think you should wear the blue one,” Rosemary said.
“The blue one doesn’t have as much glitter,” Sophie said, from Missy’s bed, where we were sitting all in a row while Missy was putting on her fashion show for us. “Only sparkly fringe.”
This was the first time we’d ever been invited into Missy’s bedroom after school, so it was truly a huge occasion, and we were trying very hard not to break the rules Missy had explained to us before she’d allowed us to come in.
The rules were: 1. Do not touch anything, 2. No talking unless Missy says you can talk, and 3. Leave the minute Missy says so.
Break the rules, and Missy will break you.
“I know,” Rosemary said. “That’s why I like the blue one.”
“The red one is definitely sparklier,” Caroline said. “Although ‘sparklier’ isn’t a word.”
Caroline would know. She was our class spelling champion, even though she lost the district spelling bee.
“I just can’t decide,” Missy said with a sigh as she fluffed out her blond hair and stared at herself in her full-length mirror. “I do look amazing in all of them, don’t I?”
“Yes,” we all said in unison.
Always agree with everything Missy says if you want her to stay in a good mood. This was another rule.
Being friends with Erica was very good training in how to deal with teenagers. Also how not to act when I become one. Because Missy was really moody. Also rude. At least most of the time. She was being nice to us today, though, because she wanted our help deciding what to wear to the Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular.
I won’t lie: I wanted to go to the Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular more than I had ever wanted to go anywhere in my whole entire life. At least, ever since I’d heard about it (a half hour earlier).
Because Missy and Erica and Mrs. Harrington (who had hand-sewn all of Missy’s costumes for her) had told us about it while we were eating after-school snacks of fruit and graham crackers in the kitchen of their house.
And it sounded like the most exciting thing in the world.
First of all, twirlers (that’s what the people who spin and toss batons are called. Twirlers. Also majorettes, but “twirler” is more correct because a twirler can be a boy or a girl, whereas majorettes are only girls) come from all over the state — possibly even from outside the state — to participate in the Twirltacular, which lasts a whole weekend.
At the Twirltacular, there are events in dance, strut, teams, showtwirls, solos, multiple batons, flags, hoops, and duets/pairs.
I didn’t exactly know what any of that means, but I totally wanted to see it. In fact, the more I heard about it from Erica and Mrs. Harrington and Missy, the more I thought I would die if I didn’t get to see it.
And I was really lucky because the Little Miss Majorette Baton Twirling Twirltacular was happening right here in my very own town.
Missy said if we didn’t act like ingrates, which means ungrateful people, we could come watch her
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