experiment before the water gets too cooled off.”
“You won’t try one, Stevie? I’d love your opinion.”
“Mom. Can we do this later?”
“Okay, okay. But something’s missing. I have to figure out what.” Mom was shaking her head.
“Vanilla,” I said. “Now, we have to get back to our Science thing.” Mom carried the cookie plates back into the house. “You didn’t have to eat them, you know,” I told Wire Rims. “How bad was it?”
“No, um, they were, um, fine.”
“Seriously?”
“Okay, okay,” he said, glancing back at the house. “They taste like papier-mâché!” I threw back my head, cracking up.
“That was really nice of you not to spit them out. Trust me. She’s going to come back with more. Just tell her you’re full. You had a big lunch.”
“Full. Got it. Thanks.”
I sat down on the edge of the inflated pool. “So. Are you sure you didn’t get any pictures?” I asked Wire Rims.
He sat down next to me and started clicking through the pictures. “Black towel. Black towel. Black towel. Black towel. Your elbow,” he said.
“Aw, frog,” I said. “What if it doesn’t work and we can’t get a picture?”
“Frog, huh?”
“I guess my little sister, Joey, is starting to rub off on me. She’s way into frogs. She found one after that big storm we had, and she adopted it and named it Sir Croaks-a-Lot.”
“Sir Croaks-a-Lot, huh? That would make a cool name for a band.”
“Like Don’t Poke the Yeti?”
“D’you know them? They played at a coffeehouse and my older brother took me. It was slammin’.”
“Slammin’? We better start slammin’ on our Science project.”
Mom poked her head out the door. Again. “Kids? I’m walking down to the market to get some vanilla. Need anything?”
“No, thanks, Mom,” I said impatiently.
“Okay, I’ll be back in twenty minutes. If you need anything, ask Dad. He’s right next door at the Raven.”
“Bye, Mom,” I said. Wire Rims gave an awkward wave.
“Wait a second.” I grabbed his arm to get his attention. “Sorry. I was just thinking . . . If we can’t get this to work, my dad has a fog machine, right at the theater next door. Maybe we could use it to make a cloud.”
“Whoa, hold on there, Freaky Friday. What happened to Stevie? Because if your idea is to fake a cloud with the fogger? I think they call that cheating,” he teased.
“Well, I mean, that’s only if we’re, you know, super desperate. Like, we used all the hot water in the whole entire house and all the ice from the ice machine at the gas station down the street.”
“Or . . . I could just Photoshop a cloud into the picture on the computer.”
“Aha! So what you’re saying is, you’re a bigger cheater pants than me. At least with the fogger, we’re doing something to simulate a cloud.”
We both cracked up. I caught myself laughing and couldn’t help thinking how much fun I was having. But we still had to figure out the cloud thing. I looked up at a passing cloud in the sky. Big mistake.
That’s when it happened.
Before you could say cumulonimbus, everything started to spin. Wire Rims’s bug eyes were in my face, and his glasses poked me in the forehead. His marshmallow nose smushed up against mine.
And just like that, smack, he KISSED ME !
Instantly, I jerked my head back to get away from the kiss. My arms windmilled as I tried to get my balance.
But it was too late.
Ker-plunk! I toppled backward into the kiddie pool, making a whale of a splash. We’re talking a tidal wave. No, a tsunami!
Wire Rims jumped back. “Ahh!” I yelled as the icy water slid down my back. I felt strangely hot and cold at the same time.
When I sat up, I was dripping wet. My hoodie filled with water, a mop of hair hung down over my eyes, and bubbles burbled from the hole in my jeans.
“Omigod, Stevie, I’m so — I mean, I’m sorry — here — let me —” Wire Rims reached out a hand to help me up, but I didn’t take it.
“Leave
“You won’t try one, Stevie? I’d love your opinion.”
“Mom. Can we do this later?”
“Okay, okay. But something’s missing. I have to figure out what.” Mom was shaking her head.
“Vanilla,” I said. “Now, we have to get back to our Science thing.” Mom carried the cookie plates back into the house. “You didn’t have to eat them, you know,” I told Wire Rims. “How bad was it?”
“No, um, they were, um, fine.”
“Seriously?”
“Okay, okay,” he said, glancing back at the house. “They taste like papier-mâché!” I threw back my head, cracking up.
“That was really nice of you not to spit them out. Trust me. She’s going to come back with more. Just tell her you’re full. You had a big lunch.”
“Full. Got it. Thanks.”
I sat down on the edge of the inflated pool. “So. Are you sure you didn’t get any pictures?” I asked Wire Rims.
He sat down next to me and started clicking through the pictures. “Black towel. Black towel. Black towel. Black towel. Your elbow,” he said.
“Aw, frog,” I said. “What if it doesn’t work and we can’t get a picture?”
“Frog, huh?”
“I guess my little sister, Joey, is starting to rub off on me. She’s way into frogs. She found one after that big storm we had, and she adopted it and named it Sir Croaks-a-Lot.”
“Sir Croaks-a-Lot, huh? That would make a cool name for a band.”
“Like Don’t Poke the Yeti?”
“D’you know them? They played at a coffeehouse and my older brother took me. It was slammin’.”
“Slammin’? We better start slammin’ on our Science project.”
Mom poked her head out the door. Again. “Kids? I’m walking down to the market to get some vanilla. Need anything?”
“No, thanks, Mom,” I said impatiently.
“Okay, I’ll be back in twenty minutes. If you need anything, ask Dad. He’s right next door at the Raven.”
“Bye, Mom,” I said. Wire Rims gave an awkward wave.
“Wait a second.” I grabbed his arm to get his attention. “Sorry. I was just thinking . . . If we can’t get this to work, my dad has a fog machine, right at the theater next door. Maybe we could use it to make a cloud.”
“Whoa, hold on there, Freaky Friday. What happened to Stevie? Because if your idea is to fake a cloud with the fogger? I think they call that cheating,” he teased.
“Well, I mean, that’s only if we’re, you know, super desperate. Like, we used all the hot water in the whole entire house and all the ice from the ice machine at the gas station down the street.”
“Or . . . I could just Photoshop a cloud into the picture on the computer.”
“Aha! So what you’re saying is, you’re a bigger cheater pants than me. At least with the fogger, we’re doing something to simulate a cloud.”
We both cracked up. I caught myself laughing and couldn’t help thinking how much fun I was having. But we still had to figure out the cloud thing. I looked up at a passing cloud in the sky. Big mistake.
That’s when it happened.
Before you could say cumulonimbus, everything started to spin. Wire Rims’s bug eyes were in my face, and his glasses poked me in the forehead. His marshmallow nose smushed up against mine.
And just like that, smack, he KISSED ME !
Instantly, I jerked my head back to get away from the kiss. My arms windmilled as I tried to get my balance.
But it was too late.
Ker-plunk! I toppled backward into the kiddie pool, making a whale of a splash. We’re talking a tidal wave. No, a tsunami!
Wire Rims jumped back. “Ahh!” I yelled as the icy water slid down my back. I felt strangely hot and cold at the same time.
When I sat up, I was dripping wet. My hoodie filled with water, a mop of hair hung down over my eyes, and bubbles burbled from the hole in my jeans.
“Omigod, Stevie, I’m so — I mean, I’m sorry — here — let me —” Wire Rims reached out a hand to help me up, but I didn’t take it.
“Leave
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