quiet for a while, reliving her triumph. In a quiet voice with a secretive hush, she begins, "See I knew that the key chainâ"
"You already told me," Deja says quickly.
"So? I was just saying..."
"But I already know how you picked it, because you've already said it a zillion times."
"Not a zillion times."
"Well, it seems like it."
"I think you're jealous because I got the I Spy key chain."
"I'm not jealous at all."
Nikki is silent. She knows she can go onâbecause she is rightâbut she chooses not to.
"You want to come in?" Nikki asks when they reach their two houses.
"Guess so." Deja follows Nikki up the front porch steps. They stop to peek into the kitchen.
Nikki's mom is peeling a potato over the sink. "Hi, girls. Nikki, you've got laundry to take up, and don't forget the towels."
"Okay, but Mom, guess what? Guess what I got!"
Deja rolls her eyes.
Nikki holds the key chain up and spins it around her finger. "This is a grab bag prize. Everybody who got to get a grab bag prizeâthe good kidsâwanted to get this prize. But only
I
knew how to get it. I was the one who knew to feel around the bottom of the bag and only feel for the chain part..."
As she describes her success, Nikki catches Deja biting on her thumbnail, then looking down at her shoes. She hears Deja take a deep, slow breath and sees her press her lips together before letting it out loudly.
"Good for you," Nikki's mom says, dropping the peeled potato into a pot.
Deja follows Nikki to her room upstairs. Nikki places the key chain on her bookshelf, then starts to put away her folded laundry. She puts things away just so: socks in the sock drawer, pajamas in the pajama drawer, play clothes in the play clothes drawer. Nikki is super neat. Her closet is color-coded. Her books are alphabetized by title on her bookshelf. Nikki notices Deja looking at the bookshelf, eyeing the I Spy key chain in the center of the top shelf. She watches Deja look out the window and then back at the key chain again. Deja has a funny expression on her face. She looks as if she'd like to throw Nikki's I Spy key chain out the window.
Nikki grabs the stack of towels and heads for the linen closet in the hall. She feels Deja watching her. When Nikki comes back, she looks at her bookshelfâand her I Spy key chain. She glances at Deja. "You wanna play mancala?"
Deja shrugs. She gets up off the bed and follows Nikki downstairs and out to the porch. Nikki suspects that Deja is happy to get away from the I Spy key chain with its tiny picture of various objects and special magnifying dome.
2. Flat-Ground Ollie
The good thing about going out to the front porch is that they can just sit and watch their neighborhood. There is always something to see on Fulton Street. Now there is something interesting going on in front of Darnell Woolsy's house. Nikki and Deja sit down on the steps and open the wooden mancala board, then pause to see what is happening.
Darnell is one of the bigger boys, in the fifth grade at Carver Elementary. He and Evan Richardson, who lives around the corner, are carrying plastic crates from Darnell's garage to the walkway in front of his house. They set them down and begin to arrange them, one in front of the otherâclose together, but with spaces in between.
"What are they up to?" Deja asks.
Nikki squints her eyes. "I don't know."
"Looks like they're making some kind of train."
"No. They're too old to be making a pretend train."
"Then what are they doing?" Deja asks again.
Just then, Robert Turner glides up the street on his skateboard. He stops suddenly and stomps his board straight up. He watches the progress with the crates.
Nikki and Deja hear him say, "Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm gonna show Evan how to do a flat-ground Ollie," Darnell tells him.
That catches Nikki's and Deja's attention even more. What on earth is a flat-ground Ollie? They look at each other. Nikki reaches for her pad. Since she wants to be a news reporter
"You already told me," Deja says quickly.
"So? I was just saying..."
"But I already know how you picked it, because you've already said it a zillion times."
"Not a zillion times."
"Well, it seems like it."
"I think you're jealous because I got the I Spy key chain."
"I'm not jealous at all."
Nikki is silent. She knows she can go onâbecause she is rightâbut she chooses not to.
"You want to come in?" Nikki asks when they reach their two houses.
"Guess so." Deja follows Nikki up the front porch steps. They stop to peek into the kitchen.
Nikki's mom is peeling a potato over the sink. "Hi, girls. Nikki, you've got laundry to take up, and don't forget the towels."
"Okay, but Mom, guess what? Guess what I got!"
Deja rolls her eyes.
Nikki holds the key chain up and spins it around her finger. "This is a grab bag prize. Everybody who got to get a grab bag prizeâthe good kidsâwanted to get this prize. But only
I
knew how to get it. I was the one who knew to feel around the bottom of the bag and only feel for the chain part..."
As she describes her success, Nikki catches Deja biting on her thumbnail, then looking down at her shoes. She hears Deja take a deep, slow breath and sees her press her lips together before letting it out loudly.
"Good for you," Nikki's mom says, dropping the peeled potato into a pot.
Deja follows Nikki to her room upstairs. Nikki places the key chain on her bookshelf, then starts to put away her folded laundry. She puts things away just so: socks in the sock drawer, pajamas in the pajama drawer, play clothes in the play clothes drawer. Nikki is super neat. Her closet is color-coded. Her books are alphabetized by title on her bookshelf. Nikki notices Deja looking at the bookshelf, eyeing the I Spy key chain in the center of the top shelf. She watches Deja look out the window and then back at the key chain again. Deja has a funny expression on her face. She looks as if she'd like to throw Nikki's I Spy key chain out the window.
Nikki grabs the stack of towels and heads for the linen closet in the hall. She feels Deja watching her. When Nikki comes back, she looks at her bookshelfâand her I Spy key chain. She glances at Deja. "You wanna play mancala?"
Deja shrugs. She gets up off the bed and follows Nikki downstairs and out to the porch. Nikki suspects that Deja is happy to get away from the I Spy key chain with its tiny picture of various objects and special magnifying dome.
2. Flat-Ground Ollie
The good thing about going out to the front porch is that they can just sit and watch their neighborhood. There is always something to see on Fulton Street. Now there is something interesting going on in front of Darnell Woolsy's house. Nikki and Deja sit down on the steps and open the wooden mancala board, then pause to see what is happening.
Darnell is one of the bigger boys, in the fifth grade at Carver Elementary. He and Evan Richardson, who lives around the corner, are carrying plastic crates from Darnell's garage to the walkway in front of his house. They set them down and begin to arrange them, one in front of the otherâclose together, but with spaces in between.
"What are they up to?" Deja asks.
Nikki squints her eyes. "I don't know."
"Looks like they're making some kind of train."
"No. They're too old to be making a pretend train."
"Then what are they doing?" Deja asks again.
Just then, Robert Turner glides up the street on his skateboard. He stops suddenly and stomps his board straight up. He watches the progress with the crates.
Nikki and Deja hear him say, "Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm gonna show Evan how to do a flat-ground Ollie," Darnell tells him.
That catches Nikki's and Deja's attention even more. What on earth is a flat-ground Ollie? They look at each other. Nikki reaches for her pad. Since she wants to be a news reporter
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