important. Don’t you think so?”
“I guess.”
Her mother opened a new bag. “How’s volleyball going?”
“Fine.”
“School?”
“Fine.”
“I see you picked up The Wizard of Oz ,” said her mother. “Like it?”
“We’re doing it for our school play.”
“Wow. That’s a big project. Are you going to try out for a part?”
“Do you think I’d make a good Dorothy?”
“I think you’d be good in any role, Dana.”
“Even Dorothy?”
“Is there a reason you shouldn’t try for that part?”
“No.”
“It would be a lot of work, but you could do it.” Her mom smiled. “Did your dad ever tell you he was in The Wizard of Oz when he was in high school? He was the Scarecrow.”
“Dad?”
“You should ask him about it.” She paused before asking the next question. “How’s Janelle these days?”
Dana didn’t answer. She stared at her glass of milk.
“Sometimes when something good or bad happens to one person, it can have an effect on a lot of other people. Like the ripples we were just talking about.”
Dana reached across the table and pulled a piece of material from the pile. It was red and gold. One side was frayed, but the other was still in good shape. “This is pretty,” she said.
Her mother smiled. “It is.” She came around the table to where Dana sat and put an arm around her shoulders. Dana leaned in to the hug. Neither of them said a word. After a few minutes, her mom glanced at the clock. “Think you should try to get some sleep now?” she asked softly.
Dana nodded. She rinsed her glass, left it in the sink and went back upstairs.
She punched up her pillows and pulled her blankets up to her chin. She stared at the ceiling. Part of her wanted to throw out her friendship with Janelle. Let it go. Did it have anything good left in it? Anything worth saving? Nothing had been the same since the accident.
She thought about having to turn to the very back page of the school newspaper last month to find a picture of her cross-country team while the big story about Janelle’s accident filled the whole front page. About how the same thing had happened with the volleyball story and the article about the bracelets. She thought about being the only grade-six girl on the volleyball team. And the only grade-six girl not in the bracelet club. She thought about the first time she had met Janelle and how Janelle had told Mickey to stop teasing her friend. She thought about birthday parties and phone calls and sleepovers where they had giggled long into the night. She remembered trips to the library, to the pool, to the ice rink or for ice cream. She remembered the projects they had done together. Grasshoppers. The Great Horned Owl. Dreaming up Adventure Island.
Then she thought about the tropical-rainforest project. She thought about Jason waiting by the gym, and a hard lump formed in her throat. Julia had called her selfish and accused her of taking things away from Janelle. Then why did she feel so empty? Fixing things up with Janelle would be a lot of work. But was it worth it? And even if she thought so, what did Janelle think? Dana closed her eyes and rolled over onto her side, but she couldn’t get comfortable. It was the pigtails. She pulled out the ribbons. That was another thing. What on earth was she going to do about the play?
Dana finally fell asleep. When she woke up, her mother had already left for a shift at the clinic. Her dad and Dale were emptying out the backyard composter. Dana pulled a box of cereal and a bowl out of the cupboard and brought them to the table. Resting against the back of her chair was a small pillow covered with the red-and-gold fabric. Dana smiled. She had an idea. If she couldn’t have things back the way they were before, maybe she could try to recycle them and make them into something new. She thought about this while she ate breakfast. She thought some more while she made her bed and laid the pretty red-and-gold pillow on top of it.
“I guess.”
Her mother opened a new bag. “How’s volleyball going?”
“Fine.”
“School?”
“Fine.”
“I see you picked up The Wizard of Oz ,” said her mother. “Like it?”
“We’re doing it for our school play.”
“Wow. That’s a big project. Are you going to try out for a part?”
“Do you think I’d make a good Dorothy?”
“I think you’d be good in any role, Dana.”
“Even Dorothy?”
“Is there a reason you shouldn’t try for that part?”
“No.”
“It would be a lot of work, but you could do it.” Her mom smiled. “Did your dad ever tell you he was in The Wizard of Oz when he was in high school? He was the Scarecrow.”
“Dad?”
“You should ask him about it.” She paused before asking the next question. “How’s Janelle these days?”
Dana didn’t answer. She stared at her glass of milk.
“Sometimes when something good or bad happens to one person, it can have an effect on a lot of other people. Like the ripples we were just talking about.”
Dana reached across the table and pulled a piece of material from the pile. It was red and gold. One side was frayed, but the other was still in good shape. “This is pretty,” she said.
Her mother smiled. “It is.” She came around the table to where Dana sat and put an arm around her shoulders. Dana leaned in to the hug. Neither of them said a word. After a few minutes, her mom glanced at the clock. “Think you should try to get some sleep now?” she asked softly.
Dana nodded. She rinsed her glass, left it in the sink and went back upstairs.
She punched up her pillows and pulled her blankets up to her chin. She stared at the ceiling. Part of her wanted to throw out her friendship with Janelle. Let it go. Did it have anything good left in it? Anything worth saving? Nothing had been the same since the accident.
She thought about having to turn to the very back page of the school newspaper last month to find a picture of her cross-country team while the big story about Janelle’s accident filled the whole front page. About how the same thing had happened with the volleyball story and the article about the bracelets. She thought about being the only grade-six girl on the volleyball team. And the only grade-six girl not in the bracelet club. She thought about the first time she had met Janelle and how Janelle had told Mickey to stop teasing her friend. She thought about birthday parties and phone calls and sleepovers where they had giggled long into the night. She remembered trips to the library, to the pool, to the ice rink or for ice cream. She remembered the projects they had done together. Grasshoppers. The Great Horned Owl. Dreaming up Adventure Island.
Then she thought about the tropical-rainforest project. She thought about Jason waiting by the gym, and a hard lump formed in her throat. Julia had called her selfish and accused her of taking things away from Janelle. Then why did she feel so empty? Fixing things up with Janelle would be a lot of work. But was it worth it? And even if she thought so, what did Janelle think? Dana closed her eyes and rolled over onto her side, but she couldn’t get comfortable. It was the pigtails. She pulled out the ribbons. That was another thing. What on earth was she going to do about the play?
Dana finally fell asleep. When she woke up, her mother had already left for a shift at the clinic. Her dad and Dale were emptying out the backyard composter. Dana pulled a box of cereal and a bowl out of the cupboard and brought them to the table. Resting against the back of her chair was a small pillow covered with the red-and-gold fabric. Dana smiled. She had an idea. If she couldn’t have things back the way they were before, maybe she could try to recycle them and make them into something new. She thought about this while she ate breakfast. She thought some more while she made her bed and laid the pretty red-and-gold pillow on top of it.
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