Sophie Under Pressure by Nancy N. Rue

, Sophie thought. Fiona’s eyes would be rolling right up into her brain by now.
    â€œIs that enough?” Maggie said.
    â€œSure,” Sophie said. Just as she was about to push the Off button, Maggie looked down at her feet.
    â€œI can do this one thing,” she said. “It’s sort of like outer space.”
    â€œDo it,” Sophie said.
    Maggie put one foot behind her and rolled the toes back, and then did the same thing with the other foot, so that suddenly she looked like she didn’t have any bones.
    â€œWhat’s that?” Sophie said. She zoomed the lens so she could get the full effect. Maggie was oozing backward, but it seemed as if neither foot ever left the ground.
    â€œMoonwalk,” Maggie said. “My mom taught me. We do it in the kitchen all the time.”
    â€œShow me how!” Sophie said. She set the camera on top of her locker box and hurried over to stand beside Maggie.
    Maggie broke the steps down into slow ones so Sophie could imitate her. It took a couple of toe stubbings to get the hang of it, but within a few seconds they were both gliding around the space station like two astronauts strolling across the moon.
    â€œLook at us!” Sophie said. “We’re amazing.”
    â€œWe could do it faster,” Maggie said.
    She sped up the steps, legs sliding like she was walking on glass. Sophie tried it and landed square on her buns, feet sprawled out in both directions.
    â€œYou fell,” Maggie said.
    â€œI did!”
    â€œYou can’t fall in space. There’s no gravity.”
    Sophie’s eyes widened. Was this Maggie pretending ?
    If she wasn’t, she was close enough. Being as fluid as she could with a splinter stuck in the seat of her sweatpants, Sophie got up and tried it again. Maggie watched her for a minute, and then her face slowly broke into a grin.
    â€œWhat?” Sophie said. “What’s funny?”
    â€œYou. You look like you’re a windup toy. Y’know, like you get in a Happy Meal.”
    â€œNo, I do not!” Sophie said. A giggle bubbled out with the words.
    But Maggie nodded. “Yeah. You do.” And then she actually laughed. It was a deep sound, and it made Sophie think of chocolate. She had to laugh with her.
    â€œUh-oh,” Maggie said. She pointed a finger at Sophie’s camera. “You left it on.”
    â€œMy battery!” Sophie said. “My father is gonna have a fit.”
    She picked up the camera and looked in the viewfinder.
    â€œDid you get us?” Maggie said.
    Sophie nodded and moved the camera over so Maggie could watch with her. There they were, moonwalking all over the space station, complete with Maggie giving instructions and Sophie dropping on her behind.
    Maggie let loose with her rich laugh again, and her shoulders shook so hard, she jerked Sophie’s arm and almost sent the camera orbiting into outer space. Then suddenly she stopped.
    â€œHey,” she said. “Am I always that bossy? Like I am on this film?”
    Sophie gave her hair a chew. “You know how to do a lot of stuff,” she said slowly.
    â€œBut I’m bossy,” Maggie said. “Don’t let my mom see that movie. She’ll say I was being President of the World again.” Maggie ducked her head, sending the splashy hair down to meet over her nose. “She hates when I do that.”
    â€œYou and your mom have fun, huh?” Sophie said. “Moonwalking in the kitchen and stuff.”
    Maggie looked up, and she smiled a very soft smile. “She’s like my best friend.”
    Later, when she was chewing a pencil over her math homework at home, Sophie went back to the picture in her mind of Maggie and her mother dancing in their kitchen, having fun. Every time she thought about it, she felt a sadness flicker through her. It wasn’t sad that they had fun together. It was that Maggie’s mother was her best friend. That Maggie