by Nancy Krulik
“Hey, where are you going?” Kadeem asked.
“To get another history book. We have to pick a topic.”
“Speaking of picking,” Kadeem said, “did you ever hear this one? You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you should never, ever pick your friend’s nose!” Then he picked up a paper airplane and threw it across the room.
That was gross! Katie had had enough of Kadeem. So instead of getting a new history book, she decided to walk over to Mr. Guthrie.
“Hey, Katie,” he greeted her. “How’s it going?”
“Terrible,” Katie moaned.
“Anything I can do to help?” Mr. Guthrie asked.
“You can give me another partner for this project,” Katie suggested hopefully.
“Sorry, kiddo. No can do,” he replied. “Everyone’s all paired up.”
“Then I can work by myself,” Katie volunteered. She looked over at Kadeem. “I’m sort of doing that anyhow.”
Mr. Guthrie leaned back in his chair. “You’re having a hard time working with Kadeem, huh?”
“He’s not working at all!” Katie cried out. “I can’t get him to agree to any topic. I tried lots of ideas, like the Revolutionary War, the first Thanksgiving, even a biography of Abraham Lincoln. Nothing interests him.”
“Oh, something must interest him, Katie,” Mr. Guthrie said gently. “Everyone has interests.”
“Not Kadeem.”
Mr. Guthrie laughed. “Sure he does. And if you think hard enough, I’m sure you’ll figure out what they are.”
Katie sighed. Teachers were always doing things like that. They would tell you that the answer was easy. All you had to do was look for it. But they would never tell you what that answer was.
“History isn’t just wars, presidents, and important events,” Mr. Guthrie continued. “Sometimes, it’s told through the lives of ordinary people and the things they liked to do.”
“Huh?”
Mr. Guthrie smiled. “You’ll make it work. I know you will. There’s nothing Katie Kazoo can’t do!”
Katie looked back toward Kadeem. Instead of reading a history book, her partner was busy tying his own shoelaces together.
She wasn’t so sure.
Chapter 6
After school, Katie and some of her pals went to practice running in Katie’s backyard. They wanted to be ready for the big track meet next week.
“Coach Debbie said that on Monday, she’ll let us know what races we’ll be in,” Jeremy told the others. “She’s going to post a note on the bulletin board outside the gym.”
“I hope I’m in the relay race,” Emma said. “I think it’s better to be part of a group. That way, if I’m slow, someone else who’s fast can help our team catch up.”
“I want to jump over the hurdles,” Suzanne added. “I’ve got the perfect legs for it—long, thin, and muscular.”
“I can jump over hurdles too,” George said. He leaped up into the air, and spread his legs too.
THUD! George landed right on his rear end. “Ow, my aching butt!” he moaned.
The kids all started giggling. George laughed right along with them. That was George—he would do anything for a laugh.
But at least he knows when to be serious, Katie thought to herself. Not like Kadeem.
“Maybe we should run a few laps,” Jeremy suggested.
Katie nodded. “Everybody ready?” she asked.
Suzanne held out her foot so everyone could see her red-and-white running shoe. “My new sneakers are ready to go!”
“So are mine,” George said. He held out his foot too. “My dad got me these. They’re supposed to make you run like the wind.”
“Cool,” Jeremy told them. “Then let’s run.”
Jeremy took the lead, running quickly in circles around Katie’s yard. Suzanne, Emma, and Katie all followed behind him.
As usual, George was the slowest of anyone. But Katie could tell he was really trying.
BOOM! Just then, George fell ... again. This time, he landed right on his belly.
“Oops,” he groaned as he picked himself up. “I tripped over my new shoelace.”
“You ran more like a rock than the wind,” Suzanne teased him.
“I don’t know why I joined the stupid track team,” he said. “I stink.”
“No, you don‘t,” Katie tried to tell him.
“Well ...” Suzanne began to disagree, but the look in Katie’s eyes made her stop.
Just then, Pepper, Katie’s chocolate-and-white cocker spaniel, ran over to George. Slurp. He licked him right on the mouth.
“Blech!” George said, wiping the dog spit from his lips. “What did he do that for?”
“It’s his way of telling you that you can do it,” Katie told him.
“You can’t give up,” Emma added.
George didn’t seem so sure. “I’m a lousy runner,” he told them. “I always get tired before I can finish.”
“Maybe you’re better at running short distances,” Jeremy suggested. He pointed to the pine tree across the yard. “Let’s see how fast you can run from here to that tree. I’ll set my stopwatch.”
“Okay,” George said.
“On your mark,” Jeremy called out. “Get set. Go!”
George ran as fast as he could.
“Ruff! Ruff!” Pepper took off after him. He reached the tree way before George did.
“Oh, man,” George complained. “Even Katie’s dog can beat me.”
“He’s got four legs instead of two,” Katie reminded George. “That makes him twice as fast.”
“Maybe we should get Pepper to join the track team,” Jeremy joked. “He could be our secret weapon.”
“Well, Coach Debbie did say that anyone who wanted to could be on the team,” George agreed.
“I think you have to be a student at the school, though,” Emma said.
George shrugged. “We’ll dress him in little doggie jeans and put a hat on his head. Mr. Guthrie will never know he’s a dog.”
Katie laughed at the thought of Pepper sitting in her classroom, barking out answers to Mr. Guthrie’s questions. “George, you crack me up,” she told him.
“Wait until you see me in a race,” George told her. “I’ll really make you laugh then.” He started to run again. This time, he made his legs look all wobbly and goofy.
Katie laughed even harder. So did Emma, Suzanne, and Jeremy.
“I hope Coach Debbie has as good of a sense of humor as we do,” Suzanne whispered to Katie.
Katie frowned. Somehow, she didn’t think so.
Chapter 7
On Monday morning, Katie went with her class to the school library. They were supposed to work on their history projects. Everyone was excited to find information on their topics.
Everyone but Katie and Kadeem, that is. They didn’t even have a topic yet.
Katie went to the history section of the library and pulled a few books off the shelves. “Here,” she said, passing two books to Kadeem. “You look through those, and I’ll look at these.”
Kadeem opened the cover of one of the books. Then he yawned and closed it again. “This stuff is boring,” he said.
“You think the Civil War is boring?”
“It is to me.”
Katie sighed. “Well, then how about the California Gold Rush?”
“What’s that?” Kadeem asked.
Katie slid a book over to him. “Here, read about it.”
“Why don’t you just tell me?”
But Katie was tired of doing all the work. “Read it,” she demanded. “Stop being lazy!”
“I don’t feel like it,” he told her.
“You don’t feel like doing anything!” Katie said, banging her fist on the table. “What’s wrong with you?”
All the kids stared at Katie.
“Keep your voice down, please,” the library teacher said.
Katie hadn’t meant to be loud. It was just that she was so frustrated with Kadee
m!
Kadeem looked angrily at Katie. “I’m out of here!” He got up and raced out of the library.
Katie followed Kadeem out of the library.
“Go away,” Kadeem said, once they were alone in the hallway.
“I’m sorry,” Katie told him. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I just wanted you to read the book for a change.”
“Yeah, well, that book’s really hard,” Kadeem blurted out.
“It’s not that hard ...” Katie began. Then she stopped. “Oh my goodness. Can you read, Kadeem?”
“Of course I can read,” Kadeem said proudly. Then he frowned. “Just not that well.”
“Oh.”
“Hey, it’s not like I’m stupid or anything,” he assured Katie. “I have a learning disability. It makes it hard for me to read. But I’m working with a tutor. I’m getting much better.”
“That’s good,” Katie replied. Now she felt awful for yelling at Kadeem.
“Doing research in books takes me a really long time,” he continued. “I wish I could listen to a tape or watch a video instead. I remember everything I hear. One time, I watched this TV show with stand-up comics. I memorized every joke they told.”
“Wow!” Katie exclaimed.
Kadeem frowned. “But that doesn’t help us.”
Katie thought for a moment. Suddenly, she got one of her great ideas. “Maybe it does,” she said slowly.
“Huh?”
“I think I’ve got a great topic for us! But we’re going to have to get some help from Mr. Guthrie.” She grabbed Kadeem by the hand. “Come on. This is going to be so much fun!”
Chapter 8
Katie was in a great mood after the library. She ran out to the playground for recess.
“Hi, Suzanne!” Katie shouted to her best friend.
“Katie, isn’t it awful?” Suzanne said with a frown.
“What?”
“About the track meet,” Suzanne told her. “Didn’t you see the note Coach Debbie posted?”
Oops. Katie had been so excited about her history project that she’d totally forgotten about the track meet. “What’s wrong? Was it canceled?” she asked Suzanne.
“No. Not for everyone. Just for us,” Suzanne said angrily.
“What do you mean?”
“Coach Debbie is only letting the best runners compete. Andrew and Mandy are running in the relay race with two sixth-graders. Jeremy is running in one race and throwing a shot put. The rest of us fourth-graders are on the bench.”
“That’s not fair,” Katie said. Her good mood was fading fast.
“I know,” Suzanne agreed.
“There must be some mistake,” Katie began.
Suzanne shook her head. “It’s not a mistake. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“We have to talk to Coach Debbie,” Katie insisted.
“What for? She doesn’t want to let us compete.”
Katie took Suzanne by the hand and dragged her to the gym. “Come on,” she insisted.
Coach Debbie was putting away basketballs when Katie and Suzanne walked into the gym. “Hi, girls,” she greeted them. “Excited about our big meet on Thursday?”
“No,” Suzanne answered.
“Uh, well, actually, that’s what we’re here to talk to you about,” Katie said. “How come we’re not running?”
“There are only a few races. I didn’t have enough spaces for everyone,” Coach Debbie explained.
“Jeremy’s running and throwing the shot put,” Suzanne told the coach. “Evan and Rachel from the fifth grade are running in two races. And that sixth-grader Maya is doing the long jump and the relay race.”
“Well, those kids are really ...” Coach Debbie began. Then she stopped herself. “Look, there are plenty of track meets this season. There’s time for you to compete. For now, just think of yourselves as cheerleaders for the team.”
Suzanne cocked her head to the side. “Cheerleaders,” she said. “Okay.” A slow smile formed on her face.
Katie looked at her friend strangely. Suzanne had given in awfully quickly... for her, anyway. There had to be a reason why.
So what was it?
Chapter 9
“Okay, team, it’s time to crush the competition!” Coach Debbie shouted as the track team gathered on the field. Of course, she was only talking to the few kids who were actually competing. She pretty much ignored the rest of them.
Suddenly, Suzanne raced onto the field.
“Wow!” Emma exclaimed, looking at Suzanne.
“What’s she supposed to be?” a fifth-grader named Sophie asked.
Katie looked at her friend. Suzanne was wearing a bright red and white sweater and a short red skirt. And she was carrying red and white pom-poms. Suzanne was a cheerleader!
“Go, team! Go, team!” Suzanne shouted.
“Where did you find that uniform?” a sixth-grader named Lauren asked her.
“At the mall. It’s red and white... our school colors.”
“I didn’t know we had school colors,” George said.
“We do now,” Suzanne told him. She shook her pom-poms right in his face.
Katie laughed. Now she knew why Suzanne had been so happy to be a cheerleader instead of a runner. She was getting more attention this way. Suzanne loved attention.
“We’ve got that spirit!” Suzanne cheered. “Come on, let’s hear it.”
But Coach Debbie wasn’t thinking about school spirit. She had only one thing on her mind. “We’ve got to WIN! WIN! WIN!” she shouted to the team. “Do whatever it takes. Just win!”
Katie was shocked. A teacher was supposed to tell the team to have fun and play fair. But Coach Debbie hadn’t mentioned any of that.
Just then, the referee blew the whistle. It was time for the first race.
“That’s me!” Jeremy told Katie.
“Good luck!” Katie said.
“Break a leg,” Suzanne added.
Coach Debbie turned red in the face. “Why did you say that?” she demanded.
Suzanne gulped. “All I said was to break a leg. It’s what actors say to wish each other luck.”
“This isn’t a theater,” Coach Debbie reminded her. “It’s a track meet. How can we WIN! WIN! WIN! if one of our best athletes has a broken leg?”
Suzanne looked like she was going to cry. “I’m sorry,” she apologized.
“You should be,” Coach Debbie said. Then she turned to Jeremy. “Get out there and pulverize the competition!”
Jeremy did what Coach Debbie asked. He won, won, won his race!
“Wow!” Katie congratulated him. “You did it!”
“I was afraid not to. Coach Debbie would have been mad. Boy, is she scary!”
The two friends looked at their physical education teacher. She was jumping up and down beside the track.
“WIN! WIN! WIN!” Coach Debbie yelled as some sixth-graders ran a relay race. “You have to WIN! WIN! WIN!”
Sure enough, Cherrydale Elementary School won their first track meet! It was very exciting. Especially when they all got to go out for ice cream.
“Next week, I want you guys to run even faster,” Coach Debbie told the kids. “I want you to cause some major damage. Crush the competition. WIN! WIN! WIN!” She threw her hands up in the air. Her scoop of chocolate ice cream flew off the cone and landed on the ground with a splat! But Coach Debbie didn’t seem to care.
George rolled his eyes. “She’s going crazy,” he whispered to Katie. “Maybe it’s because this was our first meet,” Katie replied. “I’m sure she’ll be calmer next week.”
“I hope so,” George said. “I don’t want to run if she’s going to yell at me.”
“We won’t get to run,” Kevin complained. “She’s never going to give any of us a chance.”
“Sure we will,” Katie said. “Coach Debbie said there would be lots of chances for everyone to race. I’ll bet anything that next week it will be our turn.”
Chapter 10
When
Coach Debbie posted a new list of runners for the next track meet, Katie’s name wasn’t there. Neither were Suzanne‘s, Emma’s, George‘s, or Kevin’s. The same kids who had run races last week were running again.
“This just isn’t fair,” George complained as he sat down on the grass next to Katie. “I don’t know why I even came to this track meet.”
“I could be spending my time working on my history project,” Emma said. “I still have a lot of research to do.”
“I’m quitting this team,” Kevin said. “Who’s with me?”
Katie thought about that for a moment. She and Kadeem still had work left to do on their project. But Kadeem had volunteered to do research by himself while Katie was at the track meet. He was really into it.
Still, Katie did sort of feel like she was wasting her time being at the track meet. But she wasn’t a quitter.
“We can’t quit,” Katie said. “Not yet. It’s only the second track meet. I’m sure things will get better. Maybe if we talk to Coach Debbie and ask her for a chance. She did promise Suzanne and me that...”
Katie didn’t get to finish what she was saying. She was drowned out by Suzanne’s cheering.
“Thunder, thunderation,” she cheered. “We’re the best team in the nation!”
Suzanne seemed really happy. It would be nice if Katie could have felt that way too. But Katie didn’t really want to cheer. She wanted to run a race. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that was going to happen today.
Just then, Coach Debbie began to scream. “Oh, no! This is awful!” She stared at a note in her hand. “Maya has the flu! She’s our best runner. We can’t beat Apple Valley without her!”
“Can’t someone else run her races?” Jeremy asked the coach.
Katie stood up and began jogging in place. She hoped Coach Debbie would see how much she wanted to WIN! WIN! WIN!
That was a great idea. Coach Debbie did notice her! “Katie,” she called out. “I need you to run...”
