agreed. “You even want to invite the ‘what’s the deal’ kid?”
“Yeah, you can invite Julian,” I answered. “Geez, Mom, you should forget about that already.”
“I know, you’re right.”
A couple of weeks later, I asked Mom who was coming to my party, and she said: “Jack Will, Summer. Reid Kingsley. Both Maxes. And a couple of other kids said they were going to try to be there.”
“Like who?”
“Charlotte’s mom said Charlotte had a dance recital earlier in the day, but she was going to try to come to your party if time allowed. And Tristan’s mom said he might come after his soccer game.”
“So that’s
it
?” I said. “That’s like … five people.”
“That’s more than five people, Auggie. I think a lot of people just had plans already,” Mom answered. We were in the kitchen. She was cutting one of the apples we had just gotten at the farmers’ market into teensy-weensy bites so I could eat it.
“What kind of plans?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Auggie. We sent out the evites kind of late.”
“Like what did they tell you, though? What reasons did they give?”
“Everyone gave different reasons, Auggie.” She sounded a bit impatient. “Really, sweetie, it shouldn’t matter what their reasons were. People had plans, that’s all.”
“What did Julian give as his reason?” I asked.
“You know,” said Mom, “his mom was the only person who didn’t RSVP at all.” She looked at me. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
I laughed because I thought she was making a joke, but then I realized she wasn’t.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Never mind. Now go wash your hands so you can eat.”
My birthday party turned out to be much smaller than I thought it would be, but it was still great. Jack, Summer, Reid, Tristan, and both Maxes came from school, and Christopher came, too—all the way from Bridgeport with his parents. And Uncle Ben came. And Aunt Kate and Uncle Po drove in from Boston, though Tata and Poppa were in Florida for the winter. It was fun because all the grown-ups ended up bowling in the lane next to ours, so it really felt like there were a lot of people there to celebrate my birthday.
Halloween
At lunch the next day, Summer asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. Of course, I’d been thinking about it since last Halloween, so I knew right away.
“Boba Fett.”
“You know you can wear a costume to school on Halloween, right?”
“No way, really?”
“So long as it’s politically correct.”
“What, like no guns and stuff?”
“Exactly.”
“What about blasters?”
“I think a blaster’s like a gun, Auggie.”
“Oh man …,” I said, shaking my head. Boba Fett has a blaster.
“At least, we don’t have to come like a character in a book anymore. In the lower school that’s what you had to do. Last year I was the Wicked Witch of the West from
The Wizard of Oz
.”
“But that’s a movie, not a book.”
“Hello?” Summer answered. “It was a book first! One of my favorite books in the world, actually. My dad used to read it to me every night in the first grade.”
When Summer talks, especially when she’s excited about something, her eyes squint like she’s looking right at the sun.
I hardly ever see Summer during the day, since the only class we have together is English. But ever since that first lunch at school, we’ve sat at the summer table together every day, just the two of us.
“So, what are you going to be?” I asked her.
“I don’t know yet. I know what I’d really want to go as, but I think it might be too dorky. You know, Savanna’s group isn’t even wearing costumes this year. They think we’re too old for Halloween.”
“What? That’s just dumb.”
“I know, right?”
“I thought you didn’t care what those girls think.”
She shrugged and took a long drink of her milk.
“So, what dorky thing do you want to dress up as?” I asked her,
“Yeah, you can invite Julian,” I answered. “Geez, Mom, you should forget about that already.”
“I know, you’re right.”
A couple of weeks later, I asked Mom who was coming to my party, and she said: “Jack Will, Summer. Reid Kingsley. Both Maxes. And a couple of other kids said they were going to try to be there.”
“Like who?”
“Charlotte’s mom said Charlotte had a dance recital earlier in the day, but she was going to try to come to your party if time allowed. And Tristan’s mom said he might come after his soccer game.”
“So that’s
it
?” I said. “That’s like … five people.”
“That’s more than five people, Auggie. I think a lot of people just had plans already,” Mom answered. We were in the kitchen. She was cutting one of the apples we had just gotten at the farmers’ market into teensy-weensy bites so I could eat it.
“What kind of plans?” I asked.
“I don’t know, Auggie. We sent out the evites kind of late.”
“Like what did they tell you, though? What reasons did they give?”
“Everyone gave different reasons, Auggie.” She sounded a bit impatient. “Really, sweetie, it shouldn’t matter what their reasons were. People had plans, that’s all.”
“What did Julian give as his reason?” I asked.
“You know,” said Mom, “his mom was the only person who didn’t RSVP at all.” She looked at me. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
I laughed because I thought she was making a joke, but then I realized she wasn’t.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Never mind. Now go wash your hands so you can eat.”
My birthday party turned out to be much smaller than I thought it would be, but it was still great. Jack, Summer, Reid, Tristan, and both Maxes came from school, and Christopher came, too—all the way from Bridgeport with his parents. And Uncle Ben came. And Aunt Kate and Uncle Po drove in from Boston, though Tata and Poppa were in Florida for the winter. It was fun because all the grown-ups ended up bowling in the lane next to ours, so it really felt like there were a lot of people there to celebrate my birthday.
Halloween
At lunch the next day, Summer asked me what I was going to be for Halloween. Of course, I’d been thinking about it since last Halloween, so I knew right away.
“Boba Fett.”
“You know you can wear a costume to school on Halloween, right?”
“No way, really?”
“So long as it’s politically correct.”
“What, like no guns and stuff?”
“Exactly.”
“What about blasters?”
“I think a blaster’s like a gun, Auggie.”
“Oh man …,” I said, shaking my head. Boba Fett has a blaster.
“At least, we don’t have to come like a character in a book anymore. In the lower school that’s what you had to do. Last year I was the Wicked Witch of the West from
The Wizard of Oz
.”
“But that’s a movie, not a book.”
“Hello?” Summer answered. “It was a book first! One of my favorite books in the world, actually. My dad used to read it to me every night in the first grade.”
When Summer talks, especially when she’s excited about something, her eyes squint like she’s looking right at the sun.
I hardly ever see Summer during the day, since the only class we have together is English. But ever since that first lunch at school, we’ve sat at the summer table together every day, just the two of us.
“So, what are you going to be?” I asked her.
“I don’t know yet. I know what I’d really want to go as, but I think it might be too dorky. You know, Savanna’s group isn’t even wearing costumes this year. They think we’re too old for Halloween.”
“What? That’s just dumb.”
“I know, right?”
“I thought you didn’t care what those girls think.”
She shrugged and took a long drink of her milk.
“So, what dorky thing do you want to dress up as?” I asked her,
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