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Authors: Lauren Tarshis
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like sheâd sprouted wings, which was sort of how she felt.
And a minute later, the most amazing thing: Valerie came walking over.
âIâm tired too,â she said, plopping down on the bench and putting her head on Colleenâs shoulder.
Michele came next, and then finally Kaitlin. They all squeezed in next to Colleen and her boy.
They sat there for a minute, and then Valerie started to giggle, very softly.
âOh my God, I canât believe that just happened,â she said.
âWhat do you think sheâll do to us?â Kaitlin asked nervously.
They all peeked over at Laura, and Colleen expected her to be glaring at them. But sheâd grabbed two other girls and was showing them her famous high kick.
Sheâd forgotten all about Colleen and her friends.
And suddenly Colleen understood the secret of Laura: She didnât care about anything or anyone, only herself. Colleen had always wished that she could be like that.
But now Colleen was getting a different idea.
That it wasnât bad to care. That you had to careâabout people, about being nice, about having friends, about the boy out there who liked you best of all.
Because if you didnât care, then what was the point?
Colleen looked at her amazing friends. She felt so happy.
But then Valerie pointed across the blacktop and laughed.
âLook at Emma-Jean!â she said.
Emma-Jean was sitting on her favorite bench, under that huge crooked tree she loved. But now Emma-Jean wasnât staring up at the tree, like she usually did. She was looking over at the basketball court, at Will Keeler. She had her hand on her heart and this look on her face, this dreamy look.
âSheâs obsessed with him!â Kaitlin said.
âPoor Will!â Michele said, putting her hand over her mouth and cracking up.
Everyone started to giggle, except for Colleen.
âWhatâs funny about Emma-Jean liking Will?â Colleen said.
Everyone looked at Colleen, and they tried to stop laughing, but they were still smiling.
âItâs . . . cute is all,â Valerie said, which was so wrong and everyone knew it. Emma-Jean was lots of great thingsâbrilliant, gorgeous, clean. But Emma-Jean was never, ever cute.
âEmma-Jean should go to the dance with Will,â Colleen said.
âOh Coll, thatâs so ridiculous!â Valerie said, stamping her foot.
âNo way!â Michele said.
âYouâre totally crazy if you think Will Keeler would go to the Spring Fling with Emma-Jean Lazarus,â Kaitlin said. âYouâre dreaming!â
Maybe Colleen was dreaming. But was that so bad? How many amazing things had started out as dreams? Lightbulbs? Strawberry ice cream? Hamsters? You donât think those were dreams first?
âAnd Laura is going to ask him,â Kaitlin said.
âSheâs going to ask him any second,â Michele said. âYou know that!â
âWhy should I care about Laura?â Colleen said.
Colleenâs cheeks felt hot, like sheâd said a dirty word.
âColl . . .â Kaitlin said. âThatâs not like you, to say something like that.â
âWell, itâs the truth,â Colleen said, in a voice that was soft but strong, kind of like Ms. Wrightâs.
Her friends all looked at one another. Nobody said anything for a minute.
âI guess it would be kind of amazing if Emma-Jean went with Will,â Valerie said.
Michele nodded.
âAnythingâs possible,â Colleen said.
Her boy thought so too.
Chapter 16
O ver the next two days, Emma-Jean made steady progress in her search for Colleenâs admirer. Through patient observation and astute analysis, she was able to eliminate five left-handed boys from the list, three because they were going to the Spring Fling with other girls and two because they were absent on Monday, when the note was delivered to Colleenâs locker.
That left only four boys: Dylan
And a minute later, the most amazing thing: Valerie came walking over.
âIâm tired too,â she said, plopping down on the bench and putting her head on Colleenâs shoulder.
Michele came next, and then finally Kaitlin. They all squeezed in next to Colleen and her boy.
They sat there for a minute, and then Valerie started to giggle, very softly.
âOh my God, I canât believe that just happened,â she said.
âWhat do you think sheâll do to us?â Kaitlin asked nervously.
They all peeked over at Laura, and Colleen expected her to be glaring at them. But sheâd grabbed two other girls and was showing them her famous high kick.
Sheâd forgotten all about Colleen and her friends.
And suddenly Colleen understood the secret of Laura: She didnât care about anything or anyone, only herself. Colleen had always wished that she could be like that.
But now Colleen was getting a different idea.
That it wasnât bad to care. That you had to careâabout people, about being nice, about having friends, about the boy out there who liked you best of all.
Because if you didnât care, then what was the point?
Colleen looked at her amazing friends. She felt so happy.
But then Valerie pointed across the blacktop and laughed.
âLook at Emma-Jean!â she said.
Emma-Jean was sitting on her favorite bench, under that huge crooked tree she loved. But now Emma-Jean wasnât staring up at the tree, like she usually did. She was looking over at the basketball court, at Will Keeler. She had her hand on her heart and this look on her face, this dreamy look.
âSheâs obsessed with him!â Kaitlin said.
âPoor Will!â Michele said, putting her hand over her mouth and cracking up.
Everyone started to giggle, except for Colleen.
âWhatâs funny about Emma-Jean liking Will?â Colleen said.
Everyone looked at Colleen, and they tried to stop laughing, but they were still smiling.
âItâs . . . cute is all,â Valerie said, which was so wrong and everyone knew it. Emma-Jean was lots of great thingsâbrilliant, gorgeous, clean. But Emma-Jean was never, ever cute.
âEmma-Jean should go to the dance with Will,â Colleen said.
âOh Coll, thatâs so ridiculous!â Valerie said, stamping her foot.
âNo way!â Michele said.
âYouâre totally crazy if you think Will Keeler would go to the Spring Fling with Emma-Jean Lazarus,â Kaitlin said. âYouâre dreaming!â
Maybe Colleen was dreaming. But was that so bad? How many amazing things had started out as dreams? Lightbulbs? Strawberry ice cream? Hamsters? You donât think those were dreams first?
âAnd Laura is going to ask him,â Kaitlin said.
âSheâs going to ask him any second,â Michele said. âYou know that!â
âWhy should I care about Laura?â Colleen said.
Colleenâs cheeks felt hot, like sheâd said a dirty word.
âColl . . .â Kaitlin said. âThatâs not like you, to say something like that.â
âWell, itâs the truth,â Colleen said, in a voice that was soft but strong, kind of like Ms. Wrightâs.
Her friends all looked at one another. Nobody said anything for a minute.
âI guess it would be kind of amazing if Emma-Jean went with Will,â Valerie said.
Michele nodded.
âAnythingâs possible,â Colleen said.
Her boy thought so too.
Chapter 16
O ver the next two days, Emma-Jean made steady progress in her search for Colleenâs admirer. Through patient observation and astute analysis, she was able to eliminate five left-handed boys from the list, three because they were going to the Spring Fling with other girls and two because they were absent on Monday, when the note was delivered to Colleenâs locker.
That left only four boys: Dylan
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