don’t know … maybe dreams?” she said.
“Good guess, Rochelle,” Ms. Banville said. “But no, that is incorrect.”
She wandered over to a kindergartner who had both his hands in the air and was waving them so wildly they’d snagged the curls of the girl sitting next to him.
“Yes, Jeremy?”
She held the microphone to his mouth.
“Elmo?” he said.
The whole school laughed, but not the way they laughed in the lunchroom at Oliver. Or the way some girls used to laugh at Claire. They laughed because little Jeremy was adorable with his crazy hands and out-of-the-blue answer.
When do kids go from adorable to just plain weird in the eyes of everyone around them?
There were a few more guesses— an owl, a bat, an invisible friend . One third grader said “Big Bird” and then sulked when he didn’t get a laugh.
Ms. Banville read the riddle aloud again. She scanned the bleachers.
“Theo?”
Odessa turned around and saw Theo, her Theo, with his hand in the air.
Both Theo and Odessa were good at perplexors. “If Bob eats apples but not bananas and Bertha likes pears but not oranges” and those sorts of problems. But this one was different.
Theo dropped his hand into his lap and tugged at his T-shirt. “Um, the letter D ?” he said.
Sofia grabbed Odessa’s knee and gave her a The boy you love is about to win! squeeze. It was the perfect moment between two best friends. Nobody knew. Nobody saw. Nobody embarrassed anybody.
Ms. Banville gave a sly smile and motioned for Theo to come down from the bleachers. He stood next to her.
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, there’s a d in darkness but not in light , and there’s one in daytime but not in night, and then, like, there’s one in the middle of the word shadows . So …” He shrugged.
Odessa had known Theo was smart, but she hadn’t known he was brilliant.
“Congratulations,” said Ms. Banville, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Tomorrow you will be President for a Day.”
Applause filled the gym, and nobody clapped harder than Odessa. She was so swept up in his victory, in his breathtaking intellect, in her sudden vision of Theo as the President, arm in arm with Odessa, his First Lady, that she almost forgot what she had to do.
Get home. Back to the attic. She looked up at the clock. Oh no! She couldn’t wait until after school.
Sofia looked at her. She sent a silent message: Are you okay?
Odessa nodded.
She thought of running home. Of all the streets she was forbidden to cross. Even if she had the courage, the house would be locked. Though she was happy she wasn’t a Latchkey Kid, right now it was very inconvenient that she didn’t have a key around her neck.
She needed a Plan B.
Vomit.
Her most feared thing in the world.
The fourth grade was lining up to go back to their classrooms. Sofia linked her arm through Odessa’s. A cluster formed around Theo with lots of back-slapping and high-fives and all those things boys did when what they really wanted to do was hug somebody.
Theo looked happy, in his bashful way. He wasn’t a bragger. He had humility.
Odessa felt a pang of regret. Of compunction.
Theo had won the contest fair and square. No luck, only his brilliance, which was the very core of why she loved him, long hair or short. And now she was going to snatch this victory right out of his hands.
He would never know, of course, but she hoped anyway that he’d find it in his heart to forgive her for what she was about to do.
She broke away from Sofia, ran to the front of the line, and grabbed Mr. Rausche’s sleeve.
“Uuuuggghhh.” She clutched her middle. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Even saying the words made her healthy stomach turn.
Mr. Rausche looked her over, making a face. “Odessa Light-Green …”
Come on, Mr. Rausche, is this the time for a cheapo name joke?
She made an overly dramatic groaning noise.
“Hurry,” he said. “To the nurse’s office. Go.”
The nurse kept
“Good guess, Rochelle,” Ms. Banville said. “But no, that is incorrect.”
She wandered over to a kindergartner who had both his hands in the air and was waving them so wildly they’d snagged the curls of the girl sitting next to him.
“Yes, Jeremy?”
She held the microphone to his mouth.
“Elmo?” he said.
The whole school laughed, but not the way they laughed in the lunchroom at Oliver. Or the way some girls used to laugh at Claire. They laughed because little Jeremy was adorable with his crazy hands and out-of-the-blue answer.
When do kids go from adorable to just plain weird in the eyes of everyone around them?
There were a few more guesses— an owl, a bat, an invisible friend . One third grader said “Big Bird” and then sulked when he didn’t get a laugh.
Ms. Banville read the riddle aloud again. She scanned the bleachers.
“Theo?”
Odessa turned around and saw Theo, her Theo, with his hand in the air.
Both Theo and Odessa were good at perplexors. “If Bob eats apples but not bananas and Bertha likes pears but not oranges” and those sorts of problems. But this one was different.
Theo dropped his hand into his lap and tugged at his T-shirt. “Um, the letter D ?” he said.
Sofia grabbed Odessa’s knee and gave her a The boy you love is about to win! squeeze. It was the perfect moment between two best friends. Nobody knew. Nobody saw. Nobody embarrassed anybody.
Ms. Banville gave a sly smile and motioned for Theo to come down from the bleachers. He stood next to her.
“How do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, there’s a d in darkness but not in light , and there’s one in daytime but not in night, and then, like, there’s one in the middle of the word shadows . So …” He shrugged.
Odessa had known Theo was smart, but she hadn’t known he was brilliant.
“Congratulations,” said Ms. Banville, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Tomorrow you will be President for a Day.”
Applause filled the gym, and nobody clapped harder than Odessa. She was so swept up in his victory, in his breathtaking intellect, in her sudden vision of Theo as the President, arm in arm with Odessa, his First Lady, that she almost forgot what she had to do.
Get home. Back to the attic. She looked up at the clock. Oh no! She couldn’t wait until after school.
Sofia looked at her. She sent a silent message: Are you okay?
Odessa nodded.
She thought of running home. Of all the streets she was forbidden to cross. Even if she had the courage, the house would be locked. Though she was happy she wasn’t a Latchkey Kid, right now it was very inconvenient that she didn’t have a key around her neck.
She needed a Plan B.
Vomit.
Her most feared thing in the world.
The fourth grade was lining up to go back to their classrooms. Sofia linked her arm through Odessa’s. A cluster formed around Theo with lots of back-slapping and high-fives and all those things boys did when what they really wanted to do was hug somebody.
Theo looked happy, in his bashful way. He wasn’t a bragger. He had humility.
Odessa felt a pang of regret. Of compunction.
Theo had won the contest fair and square. No luck, only his brilliance, which was the very core of why she loved him, long hair or short. And now she was going to snatch this victory right out of his hands.
He would never know, of course, but she hoped anyway that he’d find it in his heart to forgive her for what she was about to do.
She broke away from Sofia, ran to the front of the line, and grabbed Mr. Rausche’s sleeve.
“Uuuuggghhh.” She clutched her middle. “I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Even saying the words made her healthy stomach turn.
Mr. Rausche looked her over, making a face. “Odessa Light-Green …”
Come on, Mr. Rausche, is this the time for a cheapo name joke?
She made an overly dramatic groaning noise.
“Hurry,” he said. “To the nurse’s office. Go.”
The nurse kept
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