Diamond Willow by Helen Frost Page B

I say, I’m not mad, Mom,
    just leave me alone! and she looks at me like
    I proved her point. Then, on my very next cut,
    the knife slips and I rip my jeans (not too bad;
    luckily, Mom doesn’t seem to notice). Maybe I
    should go live with Grandma . I bet she’d let me
    stay out there with her and Grandpa . She could
    homeschool me. I think I’d do better in math if
    I didn’t worry about how I’m going to get a bad
    grade while Kaylie gets her perfect grades on
    every test, then shows me her stupid paper,
    and asks how I did, and, if I show her,
    offers to help me figure out where
    I went wrong, “so you can
    do better next time,
    Willow.”
    Â 
    I
    want
    to mush
    the dogs out
    to Grandma and
    Grandpa’s. By myself.
    I know the way. I’ve been
    there about a hundred times
    with Dad and Mom, and once
    with Marty when he lived at home.
    Their cabin is close to the main trail.
    I know I’m not going to get lost, and I
    won’t see a baby moose or any bears this
    time of year. Even if I did, I’d know enough
    to get out of the way, fast. But Mom and
    Dad don’t seem to see it this way. What
    do they think will happen? Dad at least
    thinks about it: She’s twelve years old;
    it’s twelve miles. Maybe we could
    let her try. Mom doesn’t
    even pause for half a
    second before
    she says,
    No
    !
    Â 
    Maybe
    they’ll let me go
    if I just take three dogs,
    and leave three dogs here for Dad.
    I’d take Roxy, of course—she’s smart
    and fast and she thinks the same way I do.
    Magoo is fun. He doesn’t have much experience,
    but if I take Cora, she’d help Magoo settle down.
    Dad would want one fast dog. I’ll leave Samson
    here with him. Lucky might try to get loose
    and follow me down the trail again , like
    the last time we left her, but this time
    Dad will be here to help Mom
    get her back. Prince can be
    hard to handle; it will be
    easier without him.
    If Dad sees how
    carefully I’m
    thinking this
    through, he
    might help
    convince
    Mom.
    Â 
    I
    beg
    Mom:
    Please!
    I’d only take
    three dogs. You know
    I can handle them. You’ve
    seen me. She won’t listen. You
    are not old enough, she says. Or
    strong enough. I make a face (should
    not have done that). Mom starts in: A moose
    will charge at three dogs as fast as it will charge
    at six. A three-dog team can lose the trail, or pull you
    out onto thin ice. What if your sled turns over, or you lose
    control of the team? ( Mom really goes on and on once she gets
    started.) Willow, you could be alone out there with a dog fight
    on your hands. (Oh, right , Mom, like I’ve never stopped a
    dog fight by myself.) When Mom finally stops talking
    and starts thinking, I know enough to quit arguing.
    She looks me up and down like we’ve just met,
    then takes a deep breath. You really want to
    do this, don’t you, Willow? It takes me by
    surprise, and I almost say, Never mind,
    Mom, it doesn’t matter. But it does
    matter. I swallow hard and nod.
    Mom says, I’ll think about it
    and decide tomorrow.
    What if she says
    yes?
    Â 
    You
    would
    trust her
    to take Roxy
    by herself? Mom
    questions Dad. They
    don’t know I’m listening.
    I know my dogs, Dad answers,
    how they are with Willow. It’s more
    that I’d trust Roxy to take her. Honey, if
    it’s up to me , I say let’s let her do this.
    I slip away before they see me.
    I’m pretty sure they’re
    going to say yes.
    (Yes!)
    I go out
    and talk to Roxy
    and Cora and Magoo.
    I think they’re going to let us go
    to Grandma and Grandpa’s by ourselves!
    I get out at noon on Friday—it’s the end of the
    quarter. We’ll leave by one, and be there before dark.
    We’ll have almost two days out there, and come home
    Sunday afternoon! Even as I let myself say it,
    I’m trying not to hope too hard.
    I know all I can do now is
    wait. It will jinx
    it for sure if
    I