by Susan Tan
“I know what you mean,” I said. “And then I get even madder at myself because I wish I’d said something, so I just keep feeling bad all around.”
“Yes,” she said. “Though … well, I’m not as good with words as you are. I could never make up stories like yours, and I’d never be able to tell them to other people. I’d be too scared.”
“Well…,” I said. “But you go out and play soccer games, in front of all those people, even though it scares you. That’s so BRAVE. I could never, ever do that.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Really,” I said.
From the other side of the field, we heard Ms. Gladden yelling, “Okay, third graders, time to get into place!”
“You’re going to be great,” I said.
And I don’t know which one of us was more surprised, because I reached out and I hugged Melissa Hernandez.
“Good luck,” I said.
“Good luck,” she said, hugging me back.
And we went to take our places for the third-grade relay race.
* * *
Melvin and I waited at our spots, chopsticks in hand. He was at the starting line that Ms. Gladden had made with cones, and I was halfway across the field, in a line with third graders from the other classes. The rule was that you couldn’t go until a teammate from the game before tagged you. When he was tagged, Melvin would race to the bowl where the grapes were kept, pick one up with his chopsticks, and then run across the field as fast as he could to me, where we could hand off the grape with “no hands, no spearing the grape, just chopsticks!” Ms. Gladden had shouted this with a stern look. Then I would run to the other end of the field, drop the grape in a bowl, and tag Melissa, who would finish the race.
I was nervous, but I was excited, too, and the kids from the other classes also seemed nervous. We smiled at each other, and then we cheered as the race began.
“Colleeeeeeeeeen!” I yelled REALLY loudly so she could hear me, because she was doing an EXCELLENT job. It was fun to watch, and when Alien-Face McGee fell off the balance beam and had to start the run over again, the kids from the other classes were really nice to him. And they were impressed because when he got back on the beam, he was so fast that he still came in second place.
John had also tripped at the beginning of the race and set our team back a little. But Colleen was such a good soccer kicker, and Tim #1 was such a good Hula-Hooper, that by the time the hopscotch was happening, which was the race before mine, Mr. Flight’s Falcons had caught up with Ms. Scofield’s Sea Horses.
“Yay!” we cheered, as Sasha leaped through the hopscotch race. Other kids, who were done with their activities, had run down to our end of the field and were cheering Sasha on. And Sasha took the lead, but the girl from Ms. Scofield’s Sea Horses was just a bit faster. She cleared the finish line, and all her classmates were cheering as she tagged the boy next to Melvin.
But Sasha wasn’t far behind, and she ran forward and yelled, “Go, Melvin, go!” He ran to the bowl where the other boy was still fumbling to pick up the grape. Melvin reached in with his bright green arm and, without banging the other boy’s chopsticks, grabbed a grape. Then he was running toward me!
“Go, Melvin!” I yelled.
He was almost to me, and the boy from Ms. Scofield’s Sea Horses was right behind him. Melvin reached out, and I reached out, and I grabbed the grape from right between his chopsticks. Then I was running, and I saw out of the side of my eye that the boy from Ms. Scofield’s was having trouble passing the grape to his partner. The girl from Mr. Garabaldi’s Gerbils had dropped her grape and was sprinting back to the starting line, and the boy behind me was catching up. From the side of the field I heard Colleen’s voice yelling, “Go, Cilla! You’re almost there!” she yelled.
“Yay, Cilla!” Melvin and Alien-Face and Sasha yelled together.
I squeezed my chopsticks tightly and sped up, and suddenly the grape was in the bowl. I dashed toward Melissa, who was waiting for me. She yelled, “Amazing, Cilla!” I lunged forward and touched her hand, and she was OFF.
There was no time to stop. I followed Colleen and the rest of our classmates.
“Come on, Melissa!” we yelled.
The boy racing behind Melissa leaped forward—but not before a whistle blew, and Melissa WON THE FROG-JUMPING RACE.
“The champions!” Ms. Gladden yelled. “Mr. Flight’s Falcons!”
“Yay!!!” And then we were jumping and hugging, and we all ran up to Melissa, and she hugged Colleen, and then me, which made Colleen look really surprised and then really happy.
I’d dropped my chopsticks in the field in all the excitement, so I went to get them (because littering is bad). Melvin was there too, getting his pair, and we high-fived with his unbroken arm, and he said, “Good job, team.” And I said, “Good job, team,” back, because that was a great line.
As we walked toward the school building, I saw Colleen, Alien-Face, and Melissa walking with their arms linked. They were smiling and laughing and happy, and Melissa was talking and laughing too, along with everyone else.
And it was a really, really nice thing to see.
Everything seemed almost perfect.
Until Alien-Face turned back to me and yelled, “Come on, Silly, if you don’t hurry, I’ll eat your Popsicle!”
I smiled and said, “Oh, no you won’t!”
And then I said, “Come on, Melvin!”
And we ran to join them.
* * *
That afternoon we had a class party, and all our parents came. Colleen’s mom and dad gave me a hug, and Colleen’s mom said, “I can’t believe you’re going to be fourth graders!” Alien-Face’s mom took pictures of us all, and his dad made funny jokes about how Colleen will be taller than him any day now (this might actually be true—she is getting pretty tall). We all had a great time, even though I think maybe my mom’s catching a cold because she kept wiping her nose on the colorful napkins Mr. Flight had brought in for cake. I also got to meet Melissa’s mom and dad, and I think my mom and Melissa’s mom are going to be friends too.
Mr. Flight made a speech to our parents, and he said something nice about each of us and made me promise to send him autographed copies of all my future bestselling books. And Harold sang a song halfway through Mr. Flight’s speech, which I think was his way of saying we’re great, and he’ll miss us.
Just as the afternoon was coming to an end, Colleen and I started talking about the weekend and the soccer tournament.
“It’s going to be AMAZING,” Colleen said. “Everyone who plays will get a special T-shirt, and my parents said we could get pizza, milk shakes, and ice cream after the game.”
“That does sound amazing,” I said. And then, “Colleen, did … did you want to invite Melissa to the party after the tournament too? I mean—I know she’s your friend. And it might be nice to celebrate together.”
Colleen looked uncertain.
“You won’t mind?” she asked.
“No.” I smiled. “It’ll be fun.”
“That would be great,” she said. “And actually … my parents said we could still make it a bigger party, if we want. So, what if Alien-Face came too? You could cheer together, and besides, pizza parties are his favorite.”
“Perfect,” I said.
* * *
The game was nothing short of Epic, which is another kind of Classic Story. Alien-Face and I made up cheerleading chants, and we could barely talk when it was over, we’d been yelling so much. Colleen and Melissa were an amazing team together, and even though I knew that Melissa was scared beforehand, you couldn’t tell at all. Especially with Colleen there, who during the game kept yelling things like, “Good job, Melissa!” and “Over here, Melissa!” and “Nice kick, Melissa!”
And in between my cheering, I remembered how Colleen and I had met each other, when I was too shy to talk to anyone in kindergarten. But Colleen had asked me to tell her a story, and she was nice and friendly and encouraging, so I forgo
t all about my shyness, and it made school great.
I watched her with Melissa, doing all those same things, the things that make her my best friend in all the world.
And I was very proud of her.
I had a chance to tell her too, at our pizza party, where we made up all kinds of games, like who can find the most unusual way to eat their pizza (Melissa won, because she folded hers up and took bites like when you make a paper snowflake, and then her pizza slice had polka-dot holes in it).
Next year, I’ll be in fourth grade. I won’t find out until the summer if I’ll be in the same class with Colleen, or Alien-Face, or Melissa. But I hope I will.
And even if I’m not, I know that it will be okay. We’re Mr. Flight’s Falcons, after all. And on our last day of third grade, Mr. Flight said that we’d been one of the best classes he’d ever had, with some of the strongest friendships he’d ever seen, and that it had made him so happy that—and then he did a BACKFLIP!
Because Mr. Flight has an EXCELLENT flair for Drama, which I really understand and appreciate.
Even if he still can’t fly.
10
BRIDAL SHOWERS AREN’T ACTUALLY ABOUT SHOWERING
Auntie Eva came to stay with us right as school ended to do all the final preparations for the wedding. For the first few days, though, you almost couldn’t tell that she was here. In fact, Daisy was staying with us too (Grandma and Grandpa Jenkins were away for the weekend), and I spent way more time with her. Auntie Eva got up early and went to bed early too, so there was no hair braiding or sitting up late together. (Though Daisy sat up with me and slept by the side of my mini-tent. It was nice, but not the same.)
But I understood why Auntie Eva was so busy. There was A LOT to do, and Auntie Eva and Nai Nai spent entire days looking at things like plates and tablecloths, and arguing over whether or not Auntie Eva needs a complete Chinese tea set (Auntie Eva won) or a rice cooker (Nai Nai won, which I’m glad about, because rice is the best).
But finally, it was the day I’d been waiting for—our special Dress Shopping day, when I’d get to spend the entire day with Auntie Eva.
Dress Shopping is Serious Business, apparently. Grandma Jenkins says it’s important to make a good First Impression at weddings and that clothes can make all the difference. And she and my mom both got beautiful new dresses for the wedding—Grandma’s is light green with white flowers at the top, and my mom’s is bright blue, with a big flowy skirt. And my mom said, “Great dress, Mom. Y’know, I just don’t think it needs that hat.…” Because she HATES Grandma Jenkins’s Special Occasions hat, which is made of white straw and HUGE. Though I love it, no matter how “ridiculous” my mom says it is, because it’s very Dramatic and in a good way this time.
But Grandma said, “Nonsense, dear. This dress will go perfectly. I’m going to order a flower to pin to the hat, white with green leaves, just like the colors of the dress, to tie them together. And at this new shop I’ve found, you’d never be able to tell that the flowers are plastic.…”
Which shows just how seriously Grandma Jenkins takes First Impressions.
When I went shopping with Auntie Eva and Nai Nai, though, there were no hats. First I found a bright red dress, which I thought Nai Nai would look AMAZING in, plus red is for good luck. But Nai Nai and Auntie Eva said no, and Nai Nai said that in Chinese weddings, only the bride wears red, which makes another Tradition I had no idea about.
But it didn’t take long after that for Nai Nai to find the perfect dress. It’s long and flowy and a light purple color, with silver thread sewn in the shapes of flowers and swirls at the bottom.
When Nai Nai came out of the dressing room, Auntie Eva clapped and said, “Mom! You look wonderful!”
I said, “Wow, Nai Nai. You look beautiful.”
And Nai Nai giggled and said, “Don’t sound so surprised.” Which was funny.
After we found Nai Nai’s dress and then a purse and shoes to go with it, it was finally, after months of waiting, my turn. We dropped Nai Nai off at our house because she wanted to rest, and we picked up my mom and Gwendolyn. All together we went to try on my FLOWER GIRL DRESS.
“It was the easiest decision in the whole wedding!” Auntie Eva said. “You’re going to love it!”
We went into the fanciest dressing room I’ve ever been in, with mirrors everywhere. Auntie Eva held Gwendolyn while my mom came in with me, unzipped a bag hanging from a rack, and pulled out the most BEAUTIFUL dress I’ve EVER SEEN. It was white, just like I’d thought it would be, and it was even poofier than I’d imagined (which I hadn’t really thought was possible). There was lace all down the skirt, and the top was satiny and smooth, and there was a tiny little rose by one shoulder. My mom slipped the dress over my head and zipped me up, and it was waaaaay too long, but she said that was an easy fix. We opened the door to show Auntie Eva.
“Cilla,” she said, clapping her hands. “You look beautiful!”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Bah-man!” Gwendolyn said, also clapping. So then Auntie Eva got her Batman toy out of the diaper bag and made him fly around while Gwendolyn giggled. And Gwendolyn wasn’t interested AT ALL in the pinning going on, so I crossed future fashion designer off the list of potential Destinies.
Pinning dresses takes a while. So I had a chance to look around, and then to look at myself in the mirror. The store was big and fancy. Everything was gleaming and clean, and the walls were covered with pictures of brides, bridesmaids, and flower girls, laughing and confident, with no one seeming nervous.
And my stomach did a flip as I looked in the mirror at my always-messy hair and still-too-long dress. I remembered Paul and his perfect family, who pose for perfect photos. And I wondered what I would look like when I was standing next to them.
But my mom saw my expression and squeezed my hand and said, “You look beautiful, sweetheart. And your aunt’s so happy that you can be a part of the ceremony. She was telling me how much it means to her to have you there.”
I smiled and squeezed her hand back.
Because messy hair or not, it was still nice to hear.
* * *
Auntie Eva and I were tired because it had been a LOOOOONG day of dresses. So my mom drove home, dropped us off outside our house, and went on to the grocery store with Gwendolyn to get a few things for the family dinner we were having before the Bridal Shower the next day.
The house seemed quiet and still, and I thought Nai Nai was still resting. So we didn’t yell out to say we were home or think to look for Nai Nai.
Which is why we were both VERY surprised when we rounded the corner to the kitchen and found Nai Nai sitting on the floor.
And there, on her lap, was Daisy, snorting happily as Nai Nai stroked her soft, silky ears with the tips of her fingers.
“Mom!” Auntie Eva said, sounding as surprised as I felt. “I didn’t know you liked dogs.”
“I don’t like dogs,” Nai Nai said, frowning as she stroked Daisy’s ears. “I like THIS dog.”
“Nai Nai!” I sighed happily. “That was AMAZING Precision of Language.”
Nai Nai smiled, and Daisy snorted and licked her nose and then ran over to me to say hello.
* * *
The next day, we had the Bridal Shower, the last Big Event before we’d see Auntie Eva at her wedding.
The Shower was a big party at our house because lots of Auntie Eva’s friends from when she was little live near us. It was a little confusing at first, and I had to put away my bathing suit after my mom cleared up the whole shower thing (I’m still working on understanding expressions—some of them are very strange).
But it was a really fun party. There were lots of people there, and I even got to meet Auntie Eva’s maid of honor, her best friend, Jane. I can tell why Jane is Auntie Eva’s best friend. She loves to laugh and tells excellent jokes, and when lots of people were talking to Auntie Eva all at once, she pushed through them and made sure that Auntie Eva had had a chance to eat.
&nb
sp; Which is the sign of an EXCELLENT best friend. And that’s a BIG compliment coming from me, because my standards are very high.
There were games at the Bridal Shower too, which was unexpected but great. We were put in teams and had to dress someone up in wedding dresses that we made out of rolls of toilet paper, and by the end, Jane looked like a mummy because we wrapped her in so much.
Through it all there was talking and laughing, and Lucy, the pretty woman who Nai Nai calls “Jane’s best friend” and Auntie Eva calls “Jane’s girlfriend” laughed and took pictures with her giant camera. And even though I didn’t get to see Auntie Eva that much, because there were so many people, I still had a great time.
That night, I went down to my mini-tent to go to sleep, and my mom and dad came and kissed me good night. But I couldn’t sleep. I sat down by the couch to read but didn’t want to do that either. So I looked off, thinking, and I didn’t notice the sound of someone coming down the stairs until …
“Hey, stranger,” Auntie Eva said. “Am I bothering you?”
“No,” I said.
She sat down on the floor next to me, leaning against the couch, and put an arm around me. “Things have been so busy,” she said. “I just wanted to see you before I leave tomorrow. Want me to braid your hair before you go to bed?”
“Yes, please.” I smiled.
We sat together as she braided. Just me and Auntie Eva. Like we’ve always been.
“You seemed kind of quiet tonight,” she said as she smoothed my hair back from my face. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, softly.
“Your mom told me you were kind of nervous.”
“Yeah,” I said again.
“Well, you’re going to be great,” she said. “Paul’s so excited to meet you. And his family is so nice. I think you’ll really like his cousins. They’re about your age.”
“That does sound nice,” I said, smiling. And then, in a quieter voice, “I’m excited to meet Paul too.”
I looked up and saw Auntie Eva smiling as she braided.
