Read Online Gertie's Leap to Greatness by Kate Beasley - Free Book Online Page B

was, but Ms. Simms wouldn’t believe her, and that made the whole thing even worse.
    She shook her head.
    â€œIs it about Career Day?”
    â€œNo!” Gertie said. Career Day was the last thing she wanted to talk about.
    Ms. Simms sighed. “Okay, Gertie.” She leaned back in her chair. “You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?”
    Gertie nodded as she turned to go, but she knew she would never be able to talk to Ms. Simms.
    *   *   *
    Outside, kids were yelling and horns were honking and parents were barking orders. Gertie hooked her thumbs in her backpack straps and scuffed toward her bus. A flutter caught her eye. A new paper was taped to the school’s brick wall. Gertie walked over to it.
    The Clean Earth Club is having a party! the flyer said. Refreshments will be served. RSVP, the flyer said. Gertie’s shoes were stuck to the sidewalk. The bottom of the flyer flapped in the wind. Students and parents were walking past the sign, glancing at it. Hot shame washed over Gertie, and without thinking about what she was doing, she tore the paper off the wall. She shredded the offensive paper into ribbons that floated to the ground in slow motion as if she were in a movie—no, a film , of course a film. The last shred fluttered to the sidewalk, and the clapstick snapped down on the clapperboard. Cut!
    And Gertie knew that she was in trouble. Big trouble.
    Mary Sue was standing still in the churning crowd of students. She looked from the ground to Gertie. Gertie was sure Mary Sue was going to punch her in the face. That’s what Gertie would’ve done to someone who ripped up her invitation. She braced herself.
    But Mary Sue looked down at her invitation again. And then a smile flashed across her face so fast that Gertie might’ve imagined it. She must have imagined it because a second later it was gone, and two tears that sparkled like diamonds slid down Mary Sue’s cheeks.
    Gertie swallowed. “Mary Sue, I didn’t mean—”
    Gertie didn’t have time to say whatever it was she hadn’t meant because suddenly everyone was there.
    â€œAww, don’t cry.” Roy tucked his football under his arm and patted Mary Sue on the back. He looked at Gertie like he’d never seen her before.
    Gertie felt her shoulders pull up. “I—” They needed to understand that she wasn’t the mean one here. That it just looked bad. That she hadn’t meant to do it.
    â€œI’ll come to the party, Mary Sue.” Ella turned to Gertie. “What did you do to her?”
    Everyone was saying at once that they would become Clean Earth Club members. They all stood behind Mary Sue and glared at Gertie.
    â€œI didn’t … I…”
    Someone was tugging on her sleeve. “Gertie,” whispered Junior. He pulled her back. “Let’s go, Gertie.”

 
    12
    There’s Right and Then There’s Right
    Aunt Rae said that sometimes you had an awful, horrible, rotten day and you were sure that nothing was ever going to be right again, but then you had a good sleep and the next morning your Twinkies tasted creamier than ever. And everything was okay. Or at least not as bad as you had thought. Sometimes you realized it was all in your head. Sometimes you realized everything was going to work out for the best, which was nice. But this was not one of those times.
    The next morning Gertie trudged through the kitchen, dragging her book bag by its straps.
    â€œGive ’em hell, baby,” Aunt Rae said.
    Gertie moaned.
    When she got on the bus, everyone whispered and glared at her. Even the driver’s toothpick pointed at her accusingly. You, the toothpick seemed to say. You’re the one who made that wonderful California girl cry.
    Her Twinkies tasted like despair, sort of sticky and empty at the same time, and the first-grade boy in front of her watched her take every bite.
    When Ms. Simms