Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja (a hilarious adventure for children ages 9-12) by Marcus Emerson, Sal Hunter, Noah Child Page A

Zoe continued speaking. “Why
didn’t you tell me you were starting at this school?”
    I shrugged my shoulders. “We don’t really talk that much,
and it never came up in conversation. We hardly ever see each other.”
    Zoe crinkled her nose. “We see each other every weekend .
Our families have Sunday brunch together at the park!”
    I couldn’t argue with her. “It’s just a little
embarrassing.”
    “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Starting a new
school might be weird, but it’s not like you have the ability to control a
situation like that,” she said.
    I didn’t want to tell her I was embarrassed and scared of
being the new kid. That making friends isn’t a strength of mine, and I’m
destined to be that kid who walks swiftly through the hallways, clutching my
backpack straps and staring at the floor, hoping I don’t make eye contact with
someone with anger management issues. So I didn’t say any of that. “You’re
right. I think it’s just the first day jitters, y’know ?”
    Zoe’s eyes sparkled. She didn’t have a clue. “Welcome to the
club. We’ve all got the first day jitters. My dad always says the pool
is coldest when you first touch the water so the best thing to do is dive right
in.”
    I wasn’t sure what my cousin was trying to say. So I replied
with, “Wise words.”
    Zoe looked off to her left and noticed a boy standing alone.
“That’s Wyatt. He’s never really talked to anyone here. He keeps to himself – always has. Which is why he probably doesn’t
have any friends.”

    Wyatt was short. He had wavy black hair and a pale
complexion that would make a vampire jealous. He kind of looked like a
porcelain doll. “Has anyone tried to be his friend?”
    “Actually, yes. I tried talking to him last year, but
he wouldn’t hear any of it,” she sighed. “He was a jerk to me.”
    “Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
    Zoe glanced at me. “Because I don’t want you to be like
him.”
    I tightened a smile. When I looked back at Wyatt, he was
gone.
    “So have you raised any money yet for the food drive?” Zoe
asked out of nowhere.
    “Food drive?” I asked. “I haven’t heard of anything about
that.”
    “They sent a pamphlet to all of the student’s houses last
week,” she said. “Oh, that’s right… you just moved into your new place, didn’t
you?”
    I nodded.
    “Well, it’s probably somewhere at your house. We’re supposed
to raise money by selling fruit or something. I’m already up to ten boxes
sold.”
    “Is there a prize or anything?” I asked. Normally these
kinds of things had cool prizes – ray guns and little helicopters and
stuff.
    “Not a prize for one person, but if the school collectively
raises over ten grand, we get to take a trip the week before school is out.”
    “Where to?”
    Zoe shrugged her shoulders. “Does it matter? Anything to get
out of school for a day.”
    I smiled at my cousin. She was actually a little cooler than
I thought.
    Mr. Cooper opened the side door to the gymnasium. Thank
goodness too because Zoe’s conversation was making me feel a little edgy. He
stepped outside and held the door open with his foot, ushering the rest of us
to exit the gym for some “productive activity” outside. Great, just what I
needed. Exercise.

 
    Outside, the students were given a few different options.
Being the first day of school, Mr. Cooper apparently thought the best thing to
do was take it lightly and allow kids to choose what sport they wanted to play.
Some played football. Only a couple played basketball. The rest of them, like
me, chose to walk laps around the track. It was the easiest option that didn’t
require choosing teams or working up a sweat.
    I could tell Zoe wanted to play football with a few of her
friends, but decided to walk the track by my side. It wasn’t a huge sacrifice
for her, but I appreciated it. A little goes a long way with me.
    “So what do you want to know?” she asked.
    I didn’t