I'm not really hungry. So you stop going
over to people's houses. Then, after a while, everyone
stops asking how you are.
Later, the phone rang again.
My mother knocked on my door. "Isabelle? It's for you,
honey. It's Ashley."
It's Ashley!
As soon as my mom was out of earshot I could talk.
"Ohmygosh, Ashley," I said. "You won't believe what happened when I got home from your house."
Before you knew it we were talking away on the phone.
Isabelle Lee and Ashley Barnum, shooting the breeze. It
was actually not as weird as you would think.
"Anyway, my stomach is still killing me," I said. "Is
yours?"
"Listen, Isabelle," said Ashley. "You have to give your
body time to adjust. To flush itself out. Plus, you really
should alternate between throwing up and Ex-Lax, otherwise you could really mess up your system."
"How come you know so much?" I asked.
"I read a lot."
"Oh," I said. "Well, thanks for the advice."
"No problem," Ashley said.
I was still in bed with the covers hulled up to my ears. I
was curled up in a hall because when you've got the runs,
that's the only position that works. Every time I tried to
move, my stomach roared like Mount Vesuvius getting
ready to erupt. I was pretty sure I'd have to stay in bed for
the rest of my life, whereas Ashley got up at six a.m., did
two hours of aerobics in her basement, took a bath, and
finished all her homework.
She might not he human.
"So," Ashley said. "Do you think you'll make it to
school tomorrow?"
"I don't know yet. It depends how I feel in the morning."
"Well, I hope you feel better."
"Yeah," I said. "Me too."
"Hey," said Ashley. "If you make it to school, maybe
you want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"
Maybe? Is she kidding me?
"Sure," I said casually, like I get asked to sit at the center table every day. As soon as I said it though, I thought
about Nola and Georgic. I pictured their faces when I
went to sit with Ashley instead of them.
"Well, I gotta get going, Isabelle," Ashley said. "See
you tomorrow?"
"'Kay," I said. "See you tomorrow."
I hung up the phone and pulled my knees in tight to
my chest, giving myself a little hug. Nola and Georgic had
each other. I had Ashley.
At around six o'clock I got out of bed and hobbled downstairs. In the kitchen, my mother and April were all co:ied up together at the table, studying for April's social studies
test. The whole room smelled like tomato soup.
I watched from the doorway.
"Okay, April," my mother was saying. "I want you to
name the original New England colonies."
Ape Face was eating a grilled cheese cut into Liuar-
ters. "Easy," she said, squeegeeing ketchup off her plate
with one of the triangles. "Massachusetts. Rhode Island.
Connecticut. New Hampshire."
"Wonderful!"
Normally I would get mad, seeing April suck up
all Mom's attention. Tonight I was feeling pretty good,
though. I was thinking about tomorrow, having lunch at
Ashley's table.
"Hi," I said from the doorway.
"Isabelle!" Mom said. She came over and gave me a
big hug. "Feeling better?"
"A little," I said. I walked over to the table and sat
down. I took a grilled cheese off a platter and poured
myself some milk.
April ignored me and began telling my mother how
she was going to memorize the thirteen original colonies
in the order they entered the Union.
"First, I picture a CorningWare dish, right? CorningWare, for Delaware. Get it? Inside that, I imagine a hunch
of chopped-up pencils, for Pennsylvania."
She went on and on. A girl named Carol in a bikini for
South Carolina. A ham for New Hampshire.
"Clever!" said my mother. "Isn't that clever, Isabelle?"
"Uh-huh," I said, swallowing a bite of grilled cheese.
"That's pretty good, April."
Ape Face looked up at me, suspicious. You could tell
she thought I was being sarcastic. When she saw I meant
it though, she looked really happy. "Thanks, Isabelle."
"You're welcome," I said, and I even smiled at her a
little. Because for the first
over to people's houses. Then, after a while, everyone
stops asking how you are.
Later, the phone rang again.
My mother knocked on my door. "Isabelle? It's for you,
honey. It's Ashley."
It's Ashley!
As soon as my mom was out of earshot I could talk.
"Ohmygosh, Ashley," I said. "You won't believe what happened when I got home from your house."
Before you knew it we were talking away on the phone.
Isabelle Lee and Ashley Barnum, shooting the breeze. It
was actually not as weird as you would think.
"Anyway, my stomach is still killing me," I said. "Is
yours?"
"Listen, Isabelle," said Ashley. "You have to give your
body time to adjust. To flush itself out. Plus, you really
should alternate between throwing up and Ex-Lax, otherwise you could really mess up your system."
"How come you know so much?" I asked.
"I read a lot."
"Oh," I said. "Well, thanks for the advice."
"No problem," Ashley said.
I was still in bed with the covers hulled up to my ears. I
was curled up in a hall because when you've got the runs,
that's the only position that works. Every time I tried to
move, my stomach roared like Mount Vesuvius getting
ready to erupt. I was pretty sure I'd have to stay in bed for
the rest of my life, whereas Ashley got up at six a.m., did
two hours of aerobics in her basement, took a bath, and
finished all her homework.
She might not he human.
"So," Ashley said. "Do you think you'll make it to
school tomorrow?"
"I don't know yet. It depends how I feel in the morning."
"Well, I hope you feel better."
"Yeah," I said. "Me too."
"Hey," said Ashley. "If you make it to school, maybe
you want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"
Maybe? Is she kidding me?
"Sure," I said casually, like I get asked to sit at the center table every day. As soon as I said it though, I thought
about Nola and Georgic. I pictured their faces when I
went to sit with Ashley instead of them.
"Well, I gotta get going, Isabelle," Ashley said. "See
you tomorrow?"
"'Kay," I said. "See you tomorrow."
I hung up the phone and pulled my knees in tight to
my chest, giving myself a little hug. Nola and Georgic had
each other. I had Ashley.
At around six o'clock I got out of bed and hobbled downstairs. In the kitchen, my mother and April were all co:ied up together at the table, studying for April's social studies
test. The whole room smelled like tomato soup.
I watched from the doorway.
"Okay, April," my mother was saying. "I want you to
name the original New England colonies."
Ape Face was eating a grilled cheese cut into Liuar-
ters. "Easy," she said, squeegeeing ketchup off her plate
with one of the triangles. "Massachusetts. Rhode Island.
Connecticut. New Hampshire."
"Wonderful!"
Normally I would get mad, seeing April suck up
all Mom's attention. Tonight I was feeling pretty good,
though. I was thinking about tomorrow, having lunch at
Ashley's table.
"Hi," I said from the doorway.
"Isabelle!" Mom said. She came over and gave me a
big hug. "Feeling better?"
"A little," I said. I walked over to the table and sat
down. I took a grilled cheese off a platter and poured
myself some milk.
April ignored me and began telling my mother how
she was going to memorize the thirteen original colonies
in the order they entered the Union.
"First, I picture a CorningWare dish, right? CorningWare, for Delaware. Get it? Inside that, I imagine a hunch
of chopped-up pencils, for Pennsylvania."
She went on and on. A girl named Carol in a bikini for
South Carolina. A ham for New Hampshire.
"Clever!" said my mother. "Isn't that clever, Isabelle?"
"Uh-huh," I said, swallowing a bite of grilled cheese.
"That's pretty good, April."
Ape Face looked up at me, suspicious. You could tell
she thought I was being sarcastic. When she saw I meant
it though, she looked really happy. "Thanks, Isabelle."
"You're welcome," I said, and I even smiled at her a
little. Because for the first
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