state each of our first initials. “W, C, C.” I stare at them. “Hey, that’s WC squared.”
“WC squared,” Wanda repeats. “Friends no matter what happens in junior high.”
We hold our hands together in silence; then Claire pulls hers out. Wanda and I take ours away too. Wanda says, “My butt is freezing.”
“Mine too.” I laugh.
“Do my braces have icicles on them?” Wanda grins, baring her top metal row.
I shake my head and grin back at her.
“Why does snow have to be so cold?” Claire stands and brushes off the back of her jacket.
I clutch both of their sleeves. “Let’s go down the hill one more time. Together.”
We pile into the biggest sled and the three of us skate down the hill. One last time on the first snow of fifth grade. WC Squared.
rs. Lamont posts a sheet with all the extra dates we will be meeting with our peers. The Friendship Fair will be held the week before winter break starts, Thursday night at seven o’clock in the gym.
“Perfect!” Tanya exclaims. Her desk is still next to mine, unfortunately. We won’t change desks until after break. “I’m leaving that Friday for Mexico,” she says. I’m not sure if she’s talking to me or just to the general air around her. “I’m filming a commercial, so my family gets a free trip. How cool is that?”
I wonder if she expects me to answer. I look at her teeth. Maybe she got the toothpaste commercial after all. Tanya glances over at me, as if daring me to say that I have something better planned over break, which, of course, I do not.
Tanya jiggles her hand in the air. “Mrs. Lamont! Don’t forget that Ashley and I need to plug something in for our display. Of course, I need to talk to her, but I’m pretty sure I know what we’ll be doing.”
“I didn’t forget, Tanya.” Mrs. Lamont still has her shoes on, since it’s the morning, but even so, I can see that today her socks have little green and red frogs on them.
Mrs. Lamont picks up a stack of papers and asks Wanda and me to hand them out to the class. “Be sure to give your families these flyers about the date and time of the Friendship Fair,” she says.
“The fair is going to be so much fun,” Wanda whispers as we start passing out the flyers.
“Yeah.” I wonder if Noah and I are going to have anything to show. We’re supposed to come up with ideas this week.
Tanya takes a flyer and actually says thank you. She scans it, then raises her hand again. “Mrs. Lamont,” she says, frowning, “I don’t see a diagram of the booths.”
“Mrs. Bezner and I will randomly assign booths that night when the gym is set up,” Mrs. Lamont says.
“Randomly assign?” Tanya repeats, as if she’s never heard of that concept.
“Well, yes.”
“If it’s all right, I’d like to request a certain space in the gym.”
Mrs. Lamont raises her eyebrows like she is trying notto look annoyed. “Write me a note, Tanya,” she says. “And I’ll see what I can do.”
Wanda rolls her eyes. “Do you think her hair is really that color, or she dyes it?” she whispers to me.
I shrug and continue down the row of desks with the flyers.
Wanda narrows her eyes. “I bet it’s dyed.”
When I get home, the first thing I do is take a yellow Post-it and write
Friendship Fair 7 p.m.
Then I pull a stool from the counter over to the Calendar. I climb up and find the right Thursday.
I see a pink Post-it and a blue one already on that day. Becca’s says
skating competition, time TBA,
and Alex’s says
home game, 5:30 p.m.
I’m standing there atop the stool, holding my measly yellow Post-it, when I hear Mom’s voice behind me. “Calli! Be careful! What are you doing?”
“I have something to put on the Calendar.” I turn, waving the Post-it. Then something awful happens. My foot slips. The stool shakes. Then it topples out from under me and I go flying through the air. As I’m falling, I desperately clutch at something. The Calendar. I hit the kitchen floor with
“WC squared,” Wanda repeats. “Friends no matter what happens in junior high.”
We hold our hands together in silence; then Claire pulls hers out. Wanda and I take ours away too. Wanda says, “My butt is freezing.”
“Mine too.” I laugh.
“Do my braces have icicles on them?” Wanda grins, baring her top metal row.
I shake my head and grin back at her.
“Why does snow have to be so cold?” Claire stands and brushes off the back of her jacket.
I clutch both of their sleeves. “Let’s go down the hill one more time. Together.”
We pile into the biggest sled and the three of us skate down the hill. One last time on the first snow of fifth grade. WC Squared.
rs. Lamont posts a sheet with all the extra dates we will be meeting with our peers. The Friendship Fair will be held the week before winter break starts, Thursday night at seven o’clock in the gym.
“Perfect!” Tanya exclaims. Her desk is still next to mine, unfortunately. We won’t change desks until after break. “I’m leaving that Friday for Mexico,” she says. I’m not sure if she’s talking to me or just to the general air around her. “I’m filming a commercial, so my family gets a free trip. How cool is that?”
I wonder if she expects me to answer. I look at her teeth. Maybe she got the toothpaste commercial after all. Tanya glances over at me, as if daring me to say that I have something better planned over break, which, of course, I do not.
Tanya jiggles her hand in the air. “Mrs. Lamont! Don’t forget that Ashley and I need to plug something in for our display. Of course, I need to talk to her, but I’m pretty sure I know what we’ll be doing.”
“I didn’t forget, Tanya.” Mrs. Lamont still has her shoes on, since it’s the morning, but even so, I can see that today her socks have little green and red frogs on them.
Mrs. Lamont picks up a stack of papers and asks Wanda and me to hand them out to the class. “Be sure to give your families these flyers about the date and time of the Friendship Fair,” she says.
“The fair is going to be so much fun,” Wanda whispers as we start passing out the flyers.
“Yeah.” I wonder if Noah and I are going to have anything to show. We’re supposed to come up with ideas this week.
Tanya takes a flyer and actually says thank you. She scans it, then raises her hand again. “Mrs. Lamont,” she says, frowning, “I don’t see a diagram of the booths.”
“Mrs. Bezner and I will randomly assign booths that night when the gym is set up,” Mrs. Lamont says.
“Randomly assign?” Tanya repeats, as if she’s never heard of that concept.
“Well, yes.”
“If it’s all right, I’d like to request a certain space in the gym.”
Mrs. Lamont raises her eyebrows like she is trying notto look annoyed. “Write me a note, Tanya,” she says. “And I’ll see what I can do.”
Wanda rolls her eyes. “Do you think her hair is really that color, or she dyes it?” she whispers to me.
I shrug and continue down the row of desks with the flyers.
Wanda narrows her eyes. “I bet it’s dyed.”
When I get home, the first thing I do is take a yellow Post-it and write
Friendship Fair 7 p.m.
Then I pull a stool from the counter over to the Calendar. I climb up and find the right Thursday.
I see a pink Post-it and a blue one already on that day. Becca’s says
skating competition, time TBA,
and Alex’s says
home game, 5:30 p.m.
I’m standing there atop the stool, holding my measly yellow Post-it, when I hear Mom’s voice behind me. “Calli! Be careful! What are you doing?”
“I have something to put on the Calendar.” I turn, waving the Post-it. Then something awful happens. My foot slips. The stool shakes. Then it topples out from under me and I go flying through the air. As I’m falling, I desperately clutch at something. The Calendar. I hit the kitchen floor with
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