worried about your birthday” was all Jesslyn said.
Here I was, sure that one little part of this town had changed. That maybe people like Frankie’s daddy finally got together to decide opening the pool up for everybody, just in time for a Fourth of July celebration, was the kind of thing you should do on our country’s birthday. But I was wrong. My thinking was all mixed up.
“A lot of things are different this summer, Glory,” Jesslyn said, the corners of her mouth turned down like maybe she wished it was last summer. “Including your friend.”
“How could Frankie think tricking us into believing the pool was opening is funny?” I asked. Jesslyn just shook her head and walked off with Robbie.
When I peered through those hard metal fence links at the bluest, cleanest water, I was so mad I wanted to spit. I vowed never to speak to that hateful Frankfurter Smith if I lived to be a hundred.
T wo days later, when Frankie showed up at our kitchen door busting his britches to tell me something, I ignored him. Emma and I were reading Nancy Drew together, searching for clues in the old clock. Emma looked up once, shook her head, then turned to the next chapter.
It was the first of July, and even though I was happy that my birthday month was here, I was still red-hot-mad at Frankie. I wasn’t speaking to him, no matter how hard he knocked at my door.
“Open up, Glory! I’ve got something to tell you!”
“I know what you did,” I yelled back. “Get out of here, Frankie.” I took to reading my chapter to Emma even louder.
“I didn’t do anything .” Frankie pushed open the doorand scooted his chair next to the kitchen table, but he wouldn’t look straight at me.
I slammed the book shut and moved as far away from him as I could. “It was you who put up that fake sign about the pool opening. I’m not talking to you.”
Emma stood and laid our book carefully on the shelf next to her cookbooks. She didn’t turn to face us. Even with her back turned, I could tell she was listening by the way her shoulders hunched up.
“ I didn’t do anything. But your friend, that Yankee, did something bad. She’s in trouble.” Frankie looked around the kitchen. “She’s not here, is she? That Laura girl. She and some of them other Freedom people committed a crime!”
“A crime? What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Laura broke into the pool and stole something.”
“That’s a bald-faced lie, Frankfurter Smith!”
Frankie leaned up close. His voice got quieter. “Somebody went over there last night and messed with the pool lockers. And they took candy from the snack bar. Laura and her friends did it.”
“You’re loony, Frankie. Laura wouldn’t do that.”
“Well, she did. They found one of her dumb black socks dropped on the dressing room floor.” Hepushed his glasses up on his nose and slicked back his hair, looked me straight in the eye like he was telling the gospel truth. “You know how you’re always trying to get her to take those ugly socks off and go barefooted? This time your stupid friend did take off her socks.”
Emma spoke up quietly, without turning around. “Frankie, mind your manners. Glory’s friend Laura wouldn’t hurt a flea.”
“Yeah, Frankie. Laura wouldn’t break into any old lockers. You’re making that up,” I said. “You’re telling a lie.”
“Your Yankee friend’s in big trouble. There’s a police car over there now. Come see for yourself if you don’t believe me.” Frankie took a step toward the back door just as Emma turned around fast.
Emma put her hand on my shoulder. “Brother Joe will skin you alive, getting mixed up in that mess. You’re staying put, Glory.”
“We won’t be gone long, Miss Emma,” Frankie said. “We’ll just ride our bikes slow, so Glory can see. My daddy’s there. We’ll be okay.”
Emma shook her head. “No, Glory’s not going — that’s that.” She turned her back again to takeout peaches, flour, and
Here I was, sure that one little part of this town had changed. That maybe people like Frankie’s daddy finally got together to decide opening the pool up for everybody, just in time for a Fourth of July celebration, was the kind of thing you should do on our country’s birthday. But I was wrong. My thinking was all mixed up.
“A lot of things are different this summer, Glory,” Jesslyn said, the corners of her mouth turned down like maybe she wished it was last summer. “Including your friend.”
“How could Frankie think tricking us into believing the pool was opening is funny?” I asked. Jesslyn just shook her head and walked off with Robbie.
When I peered through those hard metal fence links at the bluest, cleanest water, I was so mad I wanted to spit. I vowed never to speak to that hateful Frankfurter Smith if I lived to be a hundred.
T wo days later, when Frankie showed up at our kitchen door busting his britches to tell me something, I ignored him. Emma and I were reading Nancy Drew together, searching for clues in the old clock. Emma looked up once, shook her head, then turned to the next chapter.
It was the first of July, and even though I was happy that my birthday month was here, I was still red-hot-mad at Frankie. I wasn’t speaking to him, no matter how hard he knocked at my door.
“Open up, Glory! I’ve got something to tell you!”
“I know what you did,” I yelled back. “Get out of here, Frankie.” I took to reading my chapter to Emma even louder.
“I didn’t do anything .” Frankie pushed open the doorand scooted his chair next to the kitchen table, but he wouldn’t look straight at me.
I slammed the book shut and moved as far away from him as I could. “It was you who put up that fake sign about the pool opening. I’m not talking to you.”
Emma stood and laid our book carefully on the shelf next to her cookbooks. She didn’t turn to face us. Even with her back turned, I could tell she was listening by the way her shoulders hunched up.
“ I didn’t do anything. But your friend, that Yankee, did something bad. She’s in trouble.” Frankie looked around the kitchen. “She’s not here, is she? That Laura girl. She and some of them other Freedom people committed a crime!”
“A crime? What are you talking about?” I asked.
“Laura broke into the pool and stole something.”
“That’s a bald-faced lie, Frankfurter Smith!”
Frankie leaned up close. His voice got quieter. “Somebody went over there last night and messed with the pool lockers. And they took candy from the snack bar. Laura and her friends did it.”
“You’re loony, Frankie. Laura wouldn’t do that.”
“Well, she did. They found one of her dumb black socks dropped on the dressing room floor.” Hepushed his glasses up on his nose and slicked back his hair, looked me straight in the eye like he was telling the gospel truth. “You know how you’re always trying to get her to take those ugly socks off and go barefooted? This time your stupid friend did take off her socks.”
Emma spoke up quietly, without turning around. “Frankie, mind your manners. Glory’s friend Laura wouldn’t hurt a flea.”
“Yeah, Frankie. Laura wouldn’t break into any old lockers. You’re making that up,” I said. “You’re telling a lie.”
“Your Yankee friend’s in big trouble. There’s a police car over there now. Come see for yourself if you don’t believe me.” Frankie took a step toward the back door just as Emma turned around fast.
Emma put her hand on my shoulder. “Brother Joe will skin you alive, getting mixed up in that mess. You’re staying put, Glory.”
“We won’t be gone long, Miss Emma,” Frankie said. “We’ll just ride our bikes slow, so Glory can see. My daddy’s there. We’ll be okay.”
Emma shook her head. “No, Glory’s not going — that’s that.” She turned her back again to takeout peaches, flour, and
Similar Books
