cheer sheet and started trying to memorize all the cheers. Some of them seemed a little mean, but I learned them anyway. Because if Vicki Docker told me it was important to talk smack, then I was going to do just that.
“I can’t believe you want to feed a lizard,” my mom said as Noll was carrying the aquarium from our front door into my bedroom.
When I’d learned that Noll would be relocating his lizard to my bedroom and that I wouldn’t be venturing over to his bedroom to feed Bianca, the arrangement had become a little less exciting. But I didn’t admit that to anybody.
“It will be great,” I said.
“Do the crickets ever escape?” my mom asked. Her face was very wrinkled with concern.
Noll had been extra conscientious and brought us a bag of crickets that he’d already gut loaded with vitamins. He was going to give us a quick lesson on how to feed Bianca.
“The top is a little loose, so on occasion they do escape,” Noll said as he set the aquarium down right next to my jewelry box. “But if you coat them in the calcium powder I brought they turn a bright white color and are very easy to spot on carpet.”
My mom and I looked down at my green bedroom carpet. It suddenly seemed obvious that we were going to have to capture escaped crickets.
“Add roughly a tablespoon of the calcium powder,” Noll said.
I watched Noll open the plastic bag, drop in the powder, and shake it ferociously. The little crickets inside were smaller than dimes and they bounced around inside the plastic until they were ghost white.
“Now you dump them in the cage.” Noll lifted the corner of the lid off, tipped the bag, and poured the white crickets into the aquarium. Bianca must have been starving. Because she raced over to a group of them and snapped up three very quickly.
“Whoa,” I said.
“When will you be back?” my mom asked.
“Two weeks,” Noll said.
“But your parents will be collecting Bianca and her setup before then, right?” my mom asked.
“Or we can keep Bianca here until you get back,” I said. “I don’t mind.”
I glanced at my mom and smiled. But she didn’t smile back.
“You’re so awesome, Bessica,” Noll said.
“I know,” I said.
“You’ve got my cell number, right?” he asked.
“I do,” I said. My life felt pretty wonderful.
“Call if you need anything,” he said.
“I will,” I said. This was one of the best conversations I’d ever had in my whole life.
I walked him to the door and then watched gorgeous Noll Beck leave my house. I stared through the window as he walked back across our yard.
“Aah!” my mom screamed. It was coming from my bedroom, so I ran there.
Wow. The top must have been a little loose, like Noll said. Because on the carpet I spotted three white crickets racing under my bed.
“Gross,” I said.
“Do you think your grandma is going to enjoy living in a house with crickets and a lizard?”
I smiled huge when my mom said this. Because Grandma was coming home today!
“Mom,” I said. “Grandma is going to be so excited to see us that she probably won’t notice the crickets or Bianca for a week.”
My mother rolled her eyes. “Are you going to pick them up?”
“They’re already under my bed,” I said.
“You’re just going to let them live under there?” my mom asked.
My dad walked into my room. “Why the scream?” Then he looked at the lizard cage. “I always wanted a lizard. Noll Beck is a lucky young man.”
“I don’t feel lucky,” my mom said.
Then I heard something that sounded like a car in the driveway. “Maybe that’s Grandma!” So I grabbed the sign I’d made using markers, glitter, and ribbons that said DON’T EVER LEAVE AGAIN, GRANDMA and ran as fast as I could.
But it wasn’t her.
Waiting in the front yard for Grandma to show up while holding my sign was one of the most exciting things I’d ever done in my whole life. I hadn’t seen Grandma in over six weeks. And any minute she was going to be
“I can’t believe you want to feed a lizard,” my mom said as Noll was carrying the aquarium from our front door into my bedroom.
When I’d learned that Noll would be relocating his lizard to my bedroom and that I wouldn’t be venturing over to his bedroom to feed Bianca, the arrangement had become a little less exciting. But I didn’t admit that to anybody.
“It will be great,” I said.
“Do the crickets ever escape?” my mom asked. Her face was very wrinkled with concern.
Noll had been extra conscientious and brought us a bag of crickets that he’d already gut loaded with vitamins. He was going to give us a quick lesson on how to feed Bianca.
“The top is a little loose, so on occasion they do escape,” Noll said as he set the aquarium down right next to my jewelry box. “But if you coat them in the calcium powder I brought they turn a bright white color and are very easy to spot on carpet.”
My mom and I looked down at my green bedroom carpet. It suddenly seemed obvious that we were going to have to capture escaped crickets.
“Add roughly a tablespoon of the calcium powder,” Noll said.
I watched Noll open the plastic bag, drop in the powder, and shake it ferociously. The little crickets inside were smaller than dimes and they bounced around inside the plastic until they were ghost white.
“Now you dump them in the cage.” Noll lifted the corner of the lid off, tipped the bag, and poured the white crickets into the aquarium. Bianca must have been starving. Because she raced over to a group of them and snapped up three very quickly.
“Whoa,” I said.
“When will you be back?” my mom asked.
“Two weeks,” Noll said.
“But your parents will be collecting Bianca and her setup before then, right?” my mom asked.
“Or we can keep Bianca here until you get back,” I said. “I don’t mind.”
I glanced at my mom and smiled. But she didn’t smile back.
“You’re so awesome, Bessica,” Noll said.
“I know,” I said.
“You’ve got my cell number, right?” he asked.
“I do,” I said. My life felt pretty wonderful.
“Call if you need anything,” he said.
“I will,” I said. This was one of the best conversations I’d ever had in my whole life.
I walked him to the door and then watched gorgeous Noll Beck leave my house. I stared through the window as he walked back across our yard.
“Aah!” my mom screamed. It was coming from my bedroom, so I ran there.
Wow. The top must have been a little loose, like Noll said. Because on the carpet I spotted three white crickets racing under my bed.
“Gross,” I said.
“Do you think your grandma is going to enjoy living in a house with crickets and a lizard?”
I smiled huge when my mom said this. Because Grandma was coming home today!
“Mom,” I said. “Grandma is going to be so excited to see us that she probably won’t notice the crickets or Bianca for a week.”
My mother rolled her eyes. “Are you going to pick them up?”
“They’re already under my bed,” I said.
“You’re just going to let them live under there?” my mom asked.
My dad walked into my room. “Why the scream?” Then he looked at the lizard cage. “I always wanted a lizard. Noll Beck is a lucky young man.”
“I don’t feel lucky,” my mom said.
Then I heard something that sounded like a car in the driveway. “Maybe that’s Grandma!” So I grabbed the sign I’d made using markers, glitter, and ribbons that said DON’T EVER LEAVE AGAIN, GRANDMA and ran as fast as I could.
But it wasn’t her.
Waiting in the front yard for Grandma to show up while holding my sign was one of the most exciting things I’d ever done in my whole life. I hadn’t seen Grandma in over six weeks. And any minute she was going to be
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