Read Online The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes - Free Book Online

she placed every valentine with his or her name on it inside. Later that morning, she called the students up one by one, and handed out the envelopes. That way, no one had to know how many, or how few, valentines everyone else received.
    Paris eyed the size of each envelope. Most were a little pudgy, some were stuffed, and a few were fairly flat.One was thin as a jelly sandwich. Paris figured that one was hers, and she was right.
    It doesn’t matter
, Paris told herself.
    At recess, David found her under a stairwell, clutching her manila envelope, her face dirty with tears. She wouldn’t tell him what the tears were for. She hardly knew herself.
    •    •    •
    That evening, when Paris went to her room after dinner, she found an envelope stuffed into her top dresser drawer. The envelope held a splashy red velvet heart, trimmed in silver. Inside were the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Paris.” Paris flipped the card over, hunting for a signature, but there was none. Even so, somehow Paris knew that the card had come from David. It was the same kind of thing Malcolm would have done.
    Realizing that warmed Paris from the inside out.

Chapter 20
FAST TRACK
    T wo sleds. Boys versus girls. Saturday mornings in winter were made for this. Paris was sure of it.
    “You know we’re gonna beat your butts, right?” said Ashley. “My dad taught me to sled, and my dad is the fastest.”
    “Talk is cheap,” said David. “And you’re all talk!”
    “Let’s just go,” said Paris, anxious to get started.
    Jordan clutched David’s waist, steadying himself for the ride. David gave the word.
    “Ready. Set. Go!”
    With Ashley steering, she and Paris took off first, getting a good three-foot jump on the boys. Paris felt her heart leap inside her as their sled picked up speed, careening down the steep hill.
    “Hold on!” Ashley yelled into the wind, as if Paris needed a reminder. Ashley might well have a tough time peeling Paris off of her once the race was over.
    “Whew!” Catching up, the boys came dangerously close to a parked car, then spun out into the intersection, full throttle. Paris looked up in time to see a Jeep bearing down on all of them. The driver swerved, missing both sleds by a hair. Both pairs of racers crashed into the curb and rolled before coming to a complete stop.
    For several moments, there was silence. Then, one by one, Paris and the others jumped up, patting themselves to make sure no bones were broken.
    Once Jordan knew he wasn’t going to die, he broke out laughing. Ashley joined him, then David, then Paris. The air was so cold, every breath they took was visible. Laughing together, the four of them kicked up quite a cloud.
    “So, who won?” asked David, wiping tears from his eyes.
    Paris and Ashley shrugged. Once that car was coming at them, they’d lost all focus.
    “All right,” said David. “We’ll call it a draw. There’s still the park, though. Let’s see who’s fastest there.”
    He and Jordan righted their sled and lugged it the fewfeet into the park. David picked a strapping maple to mark their new starting point. Paris and Ashley joined the boys there, ready for the next challenge.
    They raced down the slope, dragged their sleds uphill, and raced down again too many times to count. They finally stopped when their fannies were sore and the cold drove them to daydreams of hot chocolate.
    Frozen as her arms and legs were, Paris had never felt happier.
    My friend
, she thought, rolling the words around in her mind.
My brothers.
    Paris smiled as the foursome trudged up the hill.
    “We’re back!” David announced, as the four filed in. Mrs. Lincoln came to the door. “Hello, Ashley,” she said.
    “Hi, Mrs. Lincoln.”
    “Paris,” said Mrs. Lincoln, “can I see you for a minute?”
    Paris followed her into the dining room.
    “While you were out, your mother called. She wants you to visit her in New York next weekend. She’s already made the