“But everyone already knows one another!” Sarah said.
“Almost everybody,” Willa reminded. “Olivia Bradley just moved to Chincoteague two weeks ago. She’s even newer than I am.”
Willa, Sarah, and Lena spotted Olivia standing alone at the water fountain.
“We should go over and say hi,” Willa suggested.
“We don’t have to,” Lena said. “Here she comes.”
Olivia had begun walking over, stepping high again like a prancing horse. Something was coiled up in one of her hands. As Olivia got closer, Willa saw it was a jump rope.
“I saw you guys jumping rope,” Olivia said.
“Do you want to jump with us?” Willa asked with a smile.
“No, thanks,” Olivia said. She held up her hand and let the jump rope uncoil straight to the ground. “Not until I show you how it’s really done.”
“Really done?” Sarah asked, confused.
“What’s wrong with the way we jump rope?” Lena asked.
“It’s not the way you jump rope, it’s how you jump rope,” Olivia explained. “In my old neighborhood a lot of us jumped with two ropes.”
“You mean double Dutch?” Willa asked. “Some kids in my Chicago school jumped rope that way. It’s pretty awesome.”
“Know what’s even more awesome?” Olivia asked. “Winning third prize in the Double Dutch Challenge this summer.”
“You won a contest?” Sarah gasped, impressed. “Could you show us how to jump double Dutch?”
“For sure,” Olivia said. “And after you guys learn the ropes, we can give a how-to speech for Ms. Denise.”
Willa, Sarah, and Lena traded confused looks. Since when had they agreed to do their how-to speech on double Dutch?
“Um . . . Olivia?” Willa asked. “Did you just say a how-to speech?”
“On double Dutch,” Olivia said with a nod. “All it takes is a little practice.”
“But—” Lena started to say.
“We have a few minutes before the bell rings,” Olivia cut in. “So let’s start with turning the rope. . . . You and you.”
Olivia pointed to Lena and Sarah. The two friends shrugged, then both said, “Okay.”
Willa didn’t mind that they were the rope turners. I’ll probably get to jump in, she thought.
Willa watched as Olivia showed Sarah and Lena how to hold both handles while turning two ropes.
“When one hand is up the other is down,” Olivia directed. “Remember to hold the ropes high and turn them in the opposite directions.”
To get the beat, Olivia began to rhyme: “Berries, berries on a dish—how many berries do you wish?”
After a few goof ups, Lena and Sarah found their rhythm. Soon they were spinning both ropes double Dutch!
“Should I jump in now, Olivia?” Willa asked.
“Nope,” Olivia said. She jumped sideways into the turning ropes. Once in she began jumping back and forth over the ropes, even spinning and jumping on one foot.
Olivia’s feet moved so fast they were a blur. No wonder she walks like a prancing horse, Willa decided.
Other kids crowded around to watch the double Dutchers. Some were tapping their feet to the beat or trying to jump up and down like Olivia.
The ropes became tangled and Olivia stumbled.
“Can I try?” a second grader called out.
“Me, me!” a boy from first grade piped up.
Olivia shook her head and said, “Maybe another time.”
As the disappointed kids walked away, Olivia smiled at Sarah and Lena. “You’re pretty good for newbies,” she said. “All you have to do is practice enough for our how-to speech.”
“Cool!” Lena said with a smile.
“We’ll be great!” Sarah insisted happily.
But to Willa something didn’t seem right.
“Olivia, if Lena and Sarah are turning the ropes and you’re jumping,” Willa asked. “What would I be doing?”
With a shrug Olivia said, “Ms. Denise said we can only have three to a team. So . . . sorry, Willa.”
Willa’s heart sank until Lena spoke up.
“Sorry too, Olivia,” Lena said, shaking her head. “We won’t do it without Willa.”
“We were going to team up the three of us,” Sarah explained, “as soon as we figured out a how-to topic.”
“So you won’t do it?” Olivia asked.
Deep inside, Willa didn’t want her friends to do a how-to speech without her. But she also didn’t want to keep them from having fun. So—
“Go ahead,” Willa blurted. “I’m okay if you do it without me.”
Lena and Sarah stared at Willa.
“Are you sure?” Lena asked.
“Really okay?” Sarah asked.
Willa was almost ready to cry out, but she nodded, then forced herself to say, “I’ll just do my own how-to speech. It’s okay . . . really.”
“Awesome,” Olivia said as the bell rang. “I’ll return the jump ropes and meet you guys inside.”
Willa walked quietly with Sarah and Lena across the schoolyard toward the door. Should I have told Sarah and Lena the truth? she wondered. That I don’t want them to do a how-to speech without me?
But as they walked inside, Willa had a hopeful thought:
They won’t do it. They know we’re a team!
“I hope everyone had a fun recess,” Ms. Denise said, writing the words “How-to Speeches” on the board. “Before we go over last night’s math homework, I want to hear some of your how-to ideas.”
Excited whispers filled the room. Willa wished she had a how-to speech idea, but she wasn’t even sure she had a how-to team.
“Okay!” Ms. Denise said, facing the class. She was wearing a cardigan in her favorite pink color, which matched her lipstick. “Who wants to go first?”
Jasper Langely’s hand shot in the air. “I do, Ms. Denise!”
“Go ahead, Jasper,” Ms. Denise said. She turned to the board ready to write his idea.
“I want to show the class how to burp the alphabet,” Jasper explained. “First I drink a huge bottle of soda. Then I wait a few minutes for the gas to build up. Then I let ’er rip!”
Laughter and groans filled the classroom. Willa rolled her eyes. What did they expect from Jasper?
“Drinking a whole gallon of soda can’t be healthy, Jasper,” Ms. Denise said.
Jasper was silent, then piped up, “Then I’ll drink a half gallon and only burp from A to J!”
Ms. Denise seemed to take a deep breath. “Burping isn’t appropriate for this project,” she said. “Please rethink your how-to speech, Jasper.”
“Okay.” He sighed.
“Anybody else?” Ms. Denise asked.
The next hand to go up was Melanie Pendergast’s. Melanie lived in the biggest house on Chincoteague Island. Her barn held four Chincoteague ponies!
“Go ahead, Melanie,” Ms. Denise said.
Turning around to face the class, Melanie said, “I’d like to do a how-to speech on making a family tree. The branches of your family tree show all your relatives that came before you.”
“A family tree,” Ms. Denise said as she wrote the words on the board. “That’s a good how-to idea, Melanie.”
“Thank you, Ms. Denise,” Melanie answered. “I already started researching my family history, and I’m pretty sure I’ll find a king or a queen.”
“Or a princess,” Jasper scoffed.
Ms. Denise pointed a warning finger at Jasper, then continued. “I know I’ll hear some more great ideas today,” she said. “Anyone?”
“I’d like to do a how-to speech on how to jump rope double Dutch, Ms. Denise,” Olivia called out from the back of the classroom. “That’s jumping with two jump ropes.”
“That sounds interesting, Olivia,” Ms. Denise admitted. “But wouldn’t you need others to jump with you?”
“I already have,” Olivia said. “Sarah and Lena.”
Ms. Denise’s eyes found Lena in the first
row, and Sarah sitting behind Willa. “Are you both teaming up with Olivia, girls?” she asked.
Willa held her breath. They’ll say no. For sure.
After a few seconds Lena spoke. . . . “Yes, Ms. Denise,” she said.
Then Sarah: “I am too, Ms. Denise.”
What? Willa stared ahead at Lena. She then spun around to stare at Sarah.
“What, Willa?” Sarah whispered. “You said it was okay. Doubly-triply!”
Willa faced forward. She knew what she’d said, but it wasn’t okay. Not really. She still didn’t have a how-to speech. And now her best friends were doing one—without her!
Chapter 4
“WEREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO GET together with Sarah and Lena this afternoon,” Dad asked Willa, “to talk about your how-to speeches?”
Mr. Dunlap was preparing dinner, expertly slicing a crisp, red pepper. Willa sat on a high stool at the kitchen table, snacking on the last of the red raspberries. Ben was over at the Starlings’, so she tried to leave a few for him. It wasn’t easy.
“Sarah and Lena teamed up with Olivia Bradley for a double Dutch demonstration,” Willa said barely above a whisper. One more word and she’d start crying.
“I’m sorry, Willa,” Dad said. “What are you going to do now that Sarah and Lena are out of the picture?”
Willa felt a heavy feeling in her chest, as if she had just swallowed a too-hard piece of bread. Her best friends were never out of the picture. Until now.
“I don’t know, Dad,” Willa said. She picked up a blank piece of paper and added, “I can’t even make a list of ideas—without any ideas.”
“Ideas can pop up anywhere, Willa,” Dad said.
“Well, they’d better pop soon.” Willa sighed. “Tomorrow is the last day to present ideas to Ms. Denise.”
Dad began slicing a yellow pepper as Mom breezed into the kitchen. She quickly placed four narrow cards on the table showing a range of paint colors.
“Those look like cards from a board game, Mom,” Willa said.
“They’re called paint chips,” Mom explained. “I’m trying to decide what colors to have the rooms painted.”
“But some of our rooms have wallpaper, Mom,” Willa said. “I really like the one with the pink and white roses.”
“I know, Willa, but now I’m looking into Danish modern for the inn. Light wood tones, a neutral color palette—”
“Danish?” Dad cut in. “But we live on Chincoteague Island.”
Mom pointed to the stove and said, “Just because we don’t live in Italy doesn’t mean we can’t eat spaghetti.”
“It’s shrimp and linguine,” Dad corrected. “But I get your point, Amelia.”
Willa popped another raspberry into her mouth. So far Mom had come up with Danish modern, midcentury modern, art deco, and some design style called arts and crafts.
“You have so many ideas, Mom,” Willa said. “And I don’t have one for my how-to speech.”
Mom smiled at Willa. “I’ll be making new curtains for the living room to go with the new look. Why not a how-to-make-brand-new-curtains speech?”
Willa appreciated the advice—but she could barely sew on a button.
“Thanks, Mom,” Willa answered, “but if I do that—the curtain will probably come down on me.”
“By the way, Amelia,” Dad said, “Lance Boyd e-mailed his recipe for raspberry torte today.”
“That’s nice,” Mom said over her shoulder as she left the kitchen. “I’ll be measuring the windows in the living room if anyone needs me.”
Willa’s mother didn’t seem interested in the recipe, but Willa was. “Where is it, Dad?” she asked, hopping off the stool.
Her father nodded at the sheet of paper near the end of the counter.
Willa picked up the recipe. At the top of the page was a message from her dad’s friend: “Eric, here’s my raspberry torte recipe. Happy baking! Lance.”
As Willa studied the recipe, her eyes zeroed in on just two words: “How To.”
“Oh my gosh,” Willa said in almost a whisper. “I can do this. . . . I really think I can do this!”
“What did you say?” Dad asked.
“I just came up with an idea for my how-to speech,” Willa exclaimed, waving the recipe through the air. “How to bake a Randy’s Razzle-Dazzle Raspberry Torte!”
“The torte?” Dad asked, surprised.
“Ms. Denise wants our how-to speeches to be like getting-to-know-you speeches,” Willa explained. “The Family Farm restaurant and Misty Inn are huge parts of me!”
“True,” Dad agreed. “But—”
“So Randy’s Razzle-Dazzle is much more than a torte, Dad,” Willa said. “It’s a symbol.”
“And I thought it was just a dessert,” Dad teased as he lowered the heat on the stove. “I’m also flattered. You know how seriously I take cooking and my restaurant.”
Willa nodded. She knew that. It was one of the reasons she admired her father.
“Which is why baking that torte won’t be as easy as you think it will be,” Dad said, his voice turning serious.
“Why not, Dad? Won’t you help me?”
“Of course I will,” Dad promised. “But you’re going to have to earn the recipe by helping out in the kitchen.”
“Help out?” Willa asked slowly.
“Most great chefs start out helping other chefs,” Dad explained. “Mashing potatoes, slicing vegetables, sometimes even loading the dishwashers.”
The thought of all those dirty dishes made Willa wince. But she really wanted to use that recipe. So . . .
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” she told him.
Willa wiped her raspberry-stained hand, then shook Dad’s, relieved she finally had a topic for her how-to speech.
“Now don’t forget,” Dad reminded. “You’ll still have your regular chores to do.”
Chores! Willa’s eyes widened.
“I was so busy thinking about my how-to speech, I forgot to check on Starbuck,” Willa said. “What if she’s muddy again?”
When Willa found Starbuck, she noticed puddles and patches of mud in the pasture—and a dirty pony. It had rained on and off for the past few days, but why had Starbuck been rolling in the mud for almost a week?
“Have the bugs been bad, girl?” Willa asked gently. “Are you trying to get them off? I wish you could talk, then you could tell me.”
Starbuck blinked her chocolate-brown eyes, then flicked her tail to swat a fly away.
“Let’s get you cleaned up again, girl,” Willa said. She gripped Starbuck’s harness and turned her toward the barn.
Starbuck nudged Willa’s pocket for more raspberries. Willa didn’t have the heart to tell her pony she had eaten all the rest.
“I really think Ms. Denise will like my idea, Starbuck,” Willa said. But then she froze with a worried thought. “Unless . . . she doesn’t like raspberries!”
Chapter 5
“YOU ARE SO LUCKY YOU’RE not in our group for the how-to speeches,” Sarah whispered over Willa’s shoulder.
Willa turned around at her desk. It was Thursday morning. The class hadn’t started yet, so there was lots of chatter.
“Why am I lucky?” Willa asked.
“Double Dutch is soooo hard,” Sarah groaned, “even if you’re just turning the ropes.”
Hard? Willa thought. Hard is watching your two best friends team up without you.
But when Willa remembered her raspberry torte, her spirits lifted. “You’ll be great, Sarah,” Willa told her.
Ms. Denise glanced up from her desk with a smile. “Good morning. I hope everyone is ready to share more ideas for our how-to speeches.”
Willa loved the idea of making Randy’s Razzle-Dazzle Raspberry Torte but was still worried about Ms. Denise. What if she did hate raspberries? What if—
“We heard some great ideas yesterday,” Ms. Denise asked, interrupting Willa’s thoughts. “Who would like to go first?”
Willa was ready to raise
her hand when Andrew Dubois shouted, “I have one, Ms. Denise!”
Before Ms. Denise could tell him not to call out, Andrew was already standing, presenting his idea to the class: “I’m really great at throwing darts, so I’d like my speech to be on how to hit a bulls-eye on the dartboard.”
Ms. Denise stared at Andrew before asking, “Would you be using real darts?”
“Sure!” Andrew replied. “What other kind are there?”
“In that case, I don’t think so, Andrew,” Ms. Denise said. “Unless you use magnetic or Velcro darts instead.”
“Well, I’ll see what I can do,” Andrew mumbled as he sat down.
“Next?” Ms. Denise asked.
Willa’s hand shot up again. Ms. Denise spotted Chandra Patel in the back of the room first.
“Yes, Chandra?” Ms. Denise asked.
“Every Saturday morning my mom and I go to Germination and Meditation Farm,” Chandra declared.
Willa’s eyes widened. Did Chandra just say Germination and Meditation? Was she also planning to bake a pie or torte? Oh no!
“My mom and I go to the farm for yoga classes,” Chandra explained. “Which is what I want my how-to speech to be about.”
Willa breathed a sigh of relief. Chandra would rather meditate than germinate.
Chandra stood up as she continued. “The poses in Mrs. Beardan’s classes are named after fruits and veggies. This one is called the grapevine.”
There were a few giggles as Chandra twisted her arms over her head. Ms. Denise smiled approvingly.
“I think yoga is a great idea, Chandra,” Ms. Denise said, writing Chandra’s idea on the board. “Make sure to bring a mat and wear comfortable clothes.”
“I will, Ms. Denise,” Chandra said cheerily.
“Any other ideas?” Ms. Denise asked.
Willa had to go next. So she jumped up from her seat and blurted, “Speaking of fruit . . .”
“Yes, Willa?” Ms. Denise asked.
“My dad buys produce from Randy Beardan’s farm,” Willa explained. “He cooks for his restaurant at our bed-and-breakfast, Misty Inn.”
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