Zoe in Wonderland by Brenda Woods Page B

to—but I didn’t cry.
    That night, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking. Quincy and Kendra going to live with Wes was pretty hard for Zoe G. Reindeer but probably best for Quincy. He seemed so happy and so did Wes and Kendra. I supposed that sometimes what’s best forsomeone you care about might at first seem like it’s the worst thing in the world for you. But if you really stop and think about it—if you really care about that person—the most important thing is for them to be happy, and them being happy makes you happy. It’s like some kind of circle. Plus it would be a real adventure, not just an imaginary one.

    By the next evening, Quincy and his dad were on the road back to San Francisco. Kendra was staying behind for a few days with her sister to pack up the house, and I’d promised to help. Every day after school, instead of going straight home, I went to Kendra’s. Some days my mom, dragging Jade along, came to lend a hand. By the end of the week, everything was packed and ready to go.
    And all week long, I didn’t cry. I just kept saving my tears.
    Saturday morning, the moving van was parked in front of used-to-be-Quincy’s house, and in no time, everything was loaded.
    Alongside the Reindeer parents I stood on the sidewalk. My mom had her arm curled around my shoulder. During the past week, Mom had been incredibly nice to me. Nicer than ever. Before bedtime,we’d started reading books together again, and twice, my mom had even brought me hot chocolate with whipped cream and tiny marshmallows. When we were watching TV, instead of snuggling with Daddy, Mom curled up next to me. My daddy had even let me trim one of the bonsai trees, and this time, when I made a small mistake, he didn’t have a fit. I supposed my mom and daddy felt sorry for me.
    â€œGimme a hug, girl,” Kendra said before she climbed in her sister’s car. They were driving to San Francisco together.
    I reached for her and clung to her tightly—almost as tightly as I’d hugged Quincy in the greenhouse the other day. My mom and daddy hugged her too.
    Kendra sighed and climbed in the car. “See you real soon, Zoe,” she said through the open window.
    â€œBye, Kendra,” I told her.
    Kendra winked. “This is not a good-bye, Zoe.”
    Everyone waved and then she was gone.
    The Reindeer parents seemed as sad as I was.
    â€œI can visit anytime,” I reminded them, “and it’s not that far away.”
    Finally, there must not have been any more room for my saved-up tears, because they rolled down my cheeks.
    Mom took out a tissue and dried them.
    And together we strode home.
    In the middle of the night, I woke up.
    Zoe G. Reindeer’s eyes were powerfully telescopic. They could see for hundreds and thousands of miles. Her eyes zeroed in on San Francisco and focused. The window to Quincy’s room was open. There he was, curled up in his bed. Kendra would be there soon. Zoe zoomed in for a closer look and thought she saw Quincy smile.

28
    The Boy Comes to the Wonderland
    Two Good Things That Happened Because Quincy Moved Away
I instantly wasn’t grounded anymore.
Adam got to come to the Wonderland.
    Which started me believing Nana’s claim that sometimes good stuff can come from bad or sad things.
    â€œHi there, Zoe Angel,” Mrs. Warner said as Adam and I walked past her house on the way to mine. She was holding a gnome statue in her arms like it was a baby. She didn’t have her false teeth in, but she was smiling just the same, showing nothing but her pink gums.
    Every time she sees me since that day when she told me about the tornado, Mrs. Warner has been calling me Zoe Angel, and because I like it, I’ve been letting her.
    I smiled and waved. “Hi, Mrs. Warner.”
    â€œWhy’d she call you Zoe Angel?” Adam asked.
    I shrugged. “She thinks I’m nice.”
    â€œShe’s right,” he