S ophie stared at the thing in her hand. She turned it over carefully. It was paper, and it was green, and it had the number fifty all over it.
That was because it was fifty whole dollars!
Sophie could not believe it.
“I can’t believe it!” she said to Kate Barry, who was standing beside her. Kate was Sophie’s very best friend. “It’s fifty whole dollars!”
Sophie looked down at the grass next to the sidewalk. That was where she had picked up the fifty-dollar bill. She hoped that there was even more money there! But there was not.
Still. She had fifty whole dollars. She was probably the richest girl in the whole world, she guessed.
(Well … maybe she wasn’t richer than a princess. But she was richer than any ordinary girl in Ordinary, Virginia, she bet!)
Sophie wanted so badly to be special. Now she really was! And to think all she had to do was look down as she walked home from the bus stop.
“Where do you think it came from?” Kate asked her as they started to walk.
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Then she got a feeling. It was not good. For Sophie to find money, someone else must have lost it first. But there was no one else around.
Sophie started to feel better. There wasn’t anybody to ask. Plus didn’t her big sister, Hayley, always say, “Finders keepers, losers sweepers”?
Sophie wasn’t sure why losers had to sweep. But that was their problem. The fifty dollars was hers!
“So what are you going to do with it?” Kate asked. She grinned and licked her lips. “I think you should buy lots of gum!”
Sophie knew that Kate liked gum. A lot. This was mostly because her mom did not buy it — not since Kate chewed some, then tried to keep it behind her ear. It worked for a girl in a movie they saw. But it did not work for Kate. It got stuck in her hair, and her mom had to cut it out. Kate looked funny for a while. But she still liked gum just as much after all that.
Sophie thought about gum for a minute, then shook her head. “I’m going to keep the money. And tomorrow at school I’m going to tell everyone about it!” she said.
Sophie could picture the kids in her class. They would be amazed that she was so rich. They would never again call her just plain Sophie … or Sophie M…. or even Sophie Miller.
Sophie waved the bill. “Thanks to this, I will be Sophie the Rich. No, wait!” She thought of something even better. “I will be Sophie the
Zillionaire
!” Sophie gave the fifty dollars a big kiss. “What do you think?” she asked Kate.
Kate shrugged. “I’d still buy gum. But it
is
a better name than Sophie the Honest,” she said, grinning.
Sophie smiled back. Kate was the best. Sophie was very, very, very glad that they were friends again. Luckily, Kate had forgiven her for spilling a secret. Sophie had just been trying to be Sophie the Honest. That was the special name she had tried out before. Who knew it would cause so much trouble?
Sophie would not make that mistake again. One thing was for sure: Secrets would be safe with Sophie the Zillionaire!
Then suddenly, a thought popped into Sophie’s head. This fifty dollars wasn’t all the money she had. She had a bank full of money in her room.
Sophie grabbed Kate’s arm. “Come on!” she said. “Let’s go to my house and see how much there is in my bank to add to this!”
Kate shifted her backpack to the othershoulder. “Sounds good!” she said. Then she stopped. “Ohhh, I can’t.”
“Why?” Sophie asked. Kate wasn’t still mad at her, was she?
Kate made a blah face. “I have to get home for my piano lesson.”
“Aw.” Sophie nodded. She was disappointed. (But very relieved that Kate wasn’t mad, too!)
She wondered if you could pay a piano teacher
not
to teach. Did she have enough money for that? Hmm …
“ M om, I’m home! And I’m rich!” Sophie yelled as she burst through the kitchen door.
Her mom stopped pouring iced tea. She held a finger to her lips. “Sophie, please —
That was because it was fifty whole dollars!
Sophie could not believe it.
“I can’t believe it!” she said to Kate Barry, who was standing beside her. Kate was Sophie’s very best friend. “It’s fifty whole dollars!”
Sophie looked down at the grass next to the sidewalk. That was where she had picked up the fifty-dollar bill. She hoped that there was even more money there! But there was not.
Still. She had fifty whole dollars. She was probably the richest girl in the whole world, she guessed.
(Well … maybe she wasn’t richer than a princess. But she was richer than any ordinary girl in Ordinary, Virginia, she bet!)
Sophie wanted so badly to be special. Now she really was! And to think all she had to do was look down as she walked home from the bus stop.
“Where do you think it came from?” Kate asked her as they started to walk.
Sophie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Then she got a feeling. It was not good. For Sophie to find money, someone else must have lost it first. But there was no one else around.
Sophie started to feel better. There wasn’t anybody to ask. Plus didn’t her big sister, Hayley, always say, “Finders keepers, losers sweepers”?
Sophie wasn’t sure why losers had to sweep. But that was their problem. The fifty dollars was hers!
“So what are you going to do with it?” Kate asked. She grinned and licked her lips. “I think you should buy lots of gum!”
Sophie knew that Kate liked gum. A lot. This was mostly because her mom did not buy it — not since Kate chewed some, then tried to keep it behind her ear. It worked for a girl in a movie they saw. But it did not work for Kate. It got stuck in her hair, and her mom had to cut it out. Kate looked funny for a while. But she still liked gum just as much after all that.
Sophie thought about gum for a minute, then shook her head. “I’m going to keep the money. And tomorrow at school I’m going to tell everyone about it!” she said.
Sophie could picture the kids in her class. They would be amazed that she was so rich. They would never again call her just plain Sophie … or Sophie M…. or even Sophie Miller.
Sophie waved the bill. “Thanks to this, I will be Sophie the Rich. No, wait!” She thought of something even better. “I will be Sophie the
Zillionaire
!” Sophie gave the fifty dollars a big kiss. “What do you think?” she asked Kate.
Kate shrugged. “I’d still buy gum. But it
is
a better name than Sophie the Honest,” she said, grinning.
Sophie smiled back. Kate was the best. Sophie was very, very, very glad that they were friends again. Luckily, Kate had forgiven her for spilling a secret. Sophie had just been trying to be Sophie the Honest. That was the special name she had tried out before. Who knew it would cause so much trouble?
Sophie would not make that mistake again. One thing was for sure: Secrets would be safe with Sophie the Zillionaire!
Then suddenly, a thought popped into Sophie’s head. This fifty dollars wasn’t all the money she had. She had a bank full of money in her room.
Sophie grabbed Kate’s arm. “Come on!” she said. “Let’s go to my house and see how much there is in my bank to add to this!”
Kate shifted her backpack to the othershoulder. “Sounds good!” she said. Then she stopped. “Ohhh, I can’t.”
“Why?” Sophie asked. Kate wasn’t still mad at her, was she?
Kate made a blah face. “I have to get home for my piano lesson.”
“Aw.” Sophie nodded. She was disappointed. (But very relieved that Kate wasn’t mad, too!)
She wondered if you could pay a piano teacher
not
to teach. Did she have enough money for that? Hmm …
“ M om, I’m home! And I’m rich!” Sophie yelled as she burst through the kitchen door.
Her mom stopped pouring iced tea. She held a finger to her lips. “Sophie, please —
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