Best Family Ever

by Karen Kingsbury

  “Thin ice?” Eric laughed, and his three friends on either side of him did the same thing. “Okay, Baxter.” He laughed once more. “Whatever you say. The cocoon isn’t moving.”

  “Actually”—Miss Wilson took a close look through the screen at the top of the aquarium—“I think it might be. Just a little.” The teacher stood straighter. “But we still have a long time before we’ll see any butterflies. Maybe by tomorrow.”

  Miss Wilson was right. The next day when they came in from lunch four beautiful butterflies had hatched from four cocoons! They were yellow with blue lines and black dots.

  The class circled around the glass container. They were the most amazing creations Ashley had ever seen. For sure God was the best artist of all time. How could they go from slow crawly little caterpillars to these beautiful flying pieces of art?

  “Boys and girls . . .” Miss Wilson joined the group near the aquarium. “You know what’s next. It’s time to release them.”

  “Oh, no.” Ashley’s shoulders fell. Not so soon! “Oh no, oh no.”

  “What?” Lydia looked at her.

  “My sadness is pervasive.” There. Ashley had used the new word. But it didn’t make her feel any better. She leaned against Lydia and dropped her head in her hands for a few seconds. “Don’t you wish we could keep them forever?”

  “No.” Lydia pushed Ashley back up so she wouldn’t fall. “You’re being a little dramatic.”

  Ashley couldn’t believe it. “Why don’t you want to keep them?”

  “Because.” Lydia shook her head. “They’ll die if they don’t get set free!”

  True. Ashley hadn’t thought of that. She just hated that they were going to be gone. “They grow up so fast.”

  This time Lydia laughed out loud. “You really are the funniest person I know, Ashley Baxter.”

  Miss Wilson carried the aquarium as she led the class outside. Everyone gathered around her. Ashley held her breath, her face close to the glass. “Goodbye, little butterflies,” she whispered.

  Everyone was talking at once, so Miss Wilson had to talk loud. “Quiet down. Listen up, boys and girls.” She put her hand over the top of the butterfly enclosure. “We raised them and saw them hatch. Now let’s watch them fly!”

  And just like that she opened the top and—one by one—the butterflies moved their wings and lifted into the air, making their way free of the aquarium.

  Into the wild.

  They fluttered through the warm spring day and took different directions. One flew toward the closest tree. Two moved low along the grass. The last one flew straight up until he was near the roof of the school.

  For once in her life, Ashley was speechless.

  “All right”—Miss Wilson clapped—“back to the classroom. We’ve got a test to prepare for!” The boys and girls groaned as she hurried them all back inside.

  Ashley felt a tap at her side and she turned to see Eric. Her least favorite person. “Hey, Baxter. Wanna race to the door?”

  “Please.” Ashley rolled her eyes. “You know you’ll lose, Eric!” She nudged him back. “And don’t call me Baxter!”

  “Whatever.” He locked his eyes on hers. “Come on! Three . . . two . . . one . . .”

  “Go!” Ashley took off, and beside her so did Eric.

  At first she had a head start, but then he caught up and started moving ahead. Two steps, four steps, six steps ahead of her. Suddenly the door was in front of them and Ashley pushed herself as hard as she could.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  Eric slapped the door first.

  “Ha! I win!” He looked like a rooster with his chest all puffed out.

  “Who cares?” Ashley made a face at him. “I’ll get you next time.”

  The final few hours of the day dragged by. Grammar this. English that. If only she cared about all this school stuff the way Brooke and Kari and Erin did. All Ashley wanted to do was bring her journal to school and draw.

  Then right in the middle of multiplication it happened. A beautiful blue and yellow butterfly danced up close to the window. Almost as if the butterfly wanted to tell Ashley hello. This butterfly looked like a boy, so right there in her own heart Ashley named him Samson.

  He looked so happy. Ashley hoped Samson stayed that way forever. “Hello, Samson,” Ashley whispered.

  Lydia turned and stared at her. “Who’s Samson?” She talked soft so Miss Wilson wouldn’t hear.

  “My butterfly.” Ashley pointed to the window. “I named him Samson.”

  For a few more seconds Lydia stared at her. Then she shook her head and looked back at Miss Wilson.

  Ashley could still see the butterfly hanging around near the window. Which may not have been the smartest choice. Some kid on the playground might catch him. “Samson,” she whispered again, this time with more enthusiasm. “Fly! Be free!”

  And he did.

  He flew off to the sky toward other adventures. And Ashley spent the rest of the day wishing she could go with him.

  15

  A Trillion Pink Flowers

  ASHLEY

  Ashley was mad at herself.

  She didn’t pay attention in class, and now she had extra homework. Miss Wilson always said what you didn’t get done in class, you had to do later. So now it was after school and Ashley was sprawled out on her bed, in her room, on this warm spring day working on math.

  Her workbook was open to the right page. Ashley stared at all the little numbers. And the problems stared right straight back at her. Ashley tapped her pencil on the page. If only Miss Wilson didn’t make them do so many problems.

  Something caught her attention outside. Flowers! How come she hadn’t noticed this? The beautiful tree right outside her bedroom window had decided it was spring and now it was full of a trillion pink flowers! “Hello, flowers!” Ashley jumped up and went to the window. “Hello, tree! Hello, blossoms! Happy spring to all of you!”

  She put her hand against the glass. That’s when she saw the giant red and white FOR SALE sign at the end of their driveway. Her stomach started to sink, the way it did every time she noticed that thing. Don’t think about it, Ashley, she told herself. Look at the flowers.

  That’s right. She shifted so she could only see the tree in front of the window. The bunches of flowers looked like the most amazing pink clouds, hanging on the branches just for her. Like something from a dream, a beautiful sight she could sketch in her special journal and—

  Ashley turned fast and looked at her math book on the bed.

  Math! What was she doing? She had to get her work done. A sigh came from inside her. This was the last spring she would ever see the pink flowers outside her window here at this house. Next spring they’d live in Bloomington. And there was no telling if Bloomington even had flowers.

  Or maybe it would have different flowers. Blooming flowers. Who could tell?

  Which was why it really was too bad she had math on a day like this.

  Ashley picked up her pencil and tapped the open book again. Problem 1 wasn’t too hard. Fifteen times four equals . . . Sixty. Yes, she could do this. She wrote the answer in the space.

  But at the same time she had an idea.

  Maybe she could do a quick sketch of the pretty flowers and the tree and then she would have a clear head to do math. Yes! That was a great idea.

  Of course, Mom did say she was supposed to do her math first. Hmm . . . She chewed on her pencil. Thinking. She liked how the teeth marks looked in the yellow painted wood.

  What could it hurt? She wouldn’t spend too much time on the drawing. She hopped off her bed and grabbed her journal from the top of the dresser. Just a quick sketch. She’d get back to her homework in no time.

  However, the second she looked out the window, Ashley had another idea. The drawing would be so much better if she went outside! Under the tree. Her dad had put a nice bench there last spring, so that would be the perfect place.

  She took her journal and a pencil and with quiet feet s
he tiptoed down the stairs. Erin and Brooke were at the kitchen counter doing homework. Kari was cutting up an apple, and Luke and Mom were apparently in the backyard shooting baskets.

  That’s all Luke wanted to do anymore, play basketball.

  Which was perfect in this exact minute, because the pink-flowered tree was out front. Ashley snuck through the front door and ran to the tree.

  She would just do a quick sketch and then run back upstairs.

  Still moving as quiet as she could she took her seat beneath the tree. The view was perfect. Plus she felt like James Bond on a secret mission. Actually Jane Bond. Yes, that was it. She was Jane Bond!

  Her breathing was faster than usual from all the excitement.

  Never mind that, she told herself. Focus on the tree. Which was just what she did. For a long time. First the tree, then she began to sketch the pink blossoms. So much beauty and color tucked inside a little teeny, tiny pod. Like a sleeping bag. She made half-circular motions as leaves. And she shaded them in. Next she made small lines on the leaves.

  Who needs math when you could do this?

  Right in that instant a dark shadow fell over her journal page. “Hey.” She didn’t look up. “You’re blocking my . . .” Ashley looked up and her breath stopped. “Mom.”

  Her mom raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t say anything. So Ashley tried to fill the space. Her words came in a hurry.

  “Hello, beautiful mother.” Ashley swallowed. “I must say . . . you look just . . . perfectly lovely today. And this weather . . . wow.” Ashley smiled and blinked a few times. Maybe her mom had forgotten about the math. Please, God, let her forget about the math.

  “Ashley.” A loud breath came from between her mother’s lips. “What in the world are you doing out here?”

  “Me?” Ashley put her hand over her chest. She looked up at the flowers and then back at her mother. “I’m being a nature lover, Mom.” She pointed up. “Have you seen those blossoms? They’re the brightest pink.”

  “You’re supposed to be doing your math.” She held out her hand. “Give me your journal.”

  Ashley held her journal close to her heart. The pink blossoms were just coming to life. “I don’t think I can do that. Plus I’m very sorry.” She hoped her mother could see she was telling the truth. “Please, can I keep it?”

  “Give me your book.” Mom wasn’t budging. Not today.

  “I will ask just one thing of you, Mother.” Ashley handed the journal over. “Take good care of it.”

  “And I will ask just one thing, Ashley.” Her mother looked extra-serious. “Do your math. Now.” She didn’t yell, but she did point to the front door. “Upstairs.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” It was time to get moving. Ashley hurried ahead of her mom. Who cared about math, anyway? When would she ever need to know how to multiply? She just wanted to draw.

  But she would do the work and she would do it now. So she could get her journal back and do something that mattered to her. Ashley pressed her teeth together. Her determination never felt so strong.

  Back in her room, she took her workbook to the desk she shared with Kari and she sat down. The math problems stared at her again. “I’ll take care of you,” she told them. “Every single one of you.”

  The first problem had an eight in it. And eights are a lot like flowers. So even though she tried everything inside her to get the math problems finished, an hour later the page was covered with the prettiest blossoms.

  Just like on the tree outside her window.

  Suddenly there was a sound outside her door. She looked at her math book and gasped. What had she done? She slammed the book shut and turned toward the door just as her mom opened it.

  “Time for dinner.” Her mother smiled like she trusted Ashley completely. “Did you finish?”

  “Yes. Every one.” The words jumped out of her mouth before she could catch them. Even though they weren’t true.

  “Okay, then. Good girl.” Mom’s eyes were sweet and happy. “Getting your work done is the right thing to do.”

  “Yes.” Ashley gulped. “Yes, Mom.”

  “You can have your journal back after we eat.” She stopped. “You should try writing in it sometime. That’s what it’s supposed to be for.”

  When she was gone, Ashley’s heart beat hard in her throat. That’s what Kari had said. The journal was for writing. But maybe Ashley wasn’t a writer. Maybe she liked drawing better. The walls felt like they were moving in toward her, and even the blossoms on the tree seemed to laugh at her.

  What was going to happen to her? She had filled her entire math assignment with flowers.

  And somehow her mom had forgotten to check her work. Which meant Ashley hadn’t only sketched flower blossoms where her math work was supposed to go. She had done the unthinkable.

  She had lied to her very own mother.

  16

  The Big Lie

  ASHLEY

  The lie was growing.

  Through dinner it felt like a bag of potatoes on Ashley’s shoulders and it got heavier later on when her mom gave Ashley her journal back. By the time Ashley went to bed it felt like two sacks of potatoes.

  Because lies are hard to carry. They get heavier all the time.

  Ashley should’ve known that.

  The next day at school her steps were slower than usual. Especially because after lunch Miss Wilson would ask for the math workbooks from kids who hadn’t finished the problems in class and then . . .

  Well, that would be the end of everything.

  At their lunch table, Lydia had no trouble eating her grilled cheese sandwich and sliced orange. But Ashley couldn’t eat a single bite. She tried and it tasted like wet cardboard.

  It took Lydia a few minutes to notice. “You’re not eating.”

  Ashley shook her head. “I drew blossoms.”

  Lydia scrunched her face into a wrinkle. “What?”

  “I drew blossoms.” Ashley stared straight down at her cold grilled cheese sandwich. She was the worst student in fourth grade. All of fourth grade. Everywhere in the world.

  “Ashley.” Lydia leaned closer. “Look at me.”

  In slow motion, Ashley lifted her eyes and looked at her friend. “Yes?”

  “What blossoms?” Lydia took another bite of her sandwich. She looked confused.

  “Instead of doing the math problems.” Ashley breathed out. Her shoulders sank some. “I drew flower blossoms where the answers were supposed to be.”

  Lydia’s eyes got big. “Oh, no!” She sat up straight again, but her eyes never left Ashley’s. “You’re gonna be in big trouble.”

  “Yes.” Ashley pushed her plate away. The smell of cold fried cheese wasn’t helping. “Also I lied about it . . . to my mom.”

  Somehow Lydia’s eyes got even bigger. This time she didn’t say anything. She just kept eating her sandwich and watching Ashley. Every now and then she would shake her head. When lunch was over she patted Ashley’s hand. “I’ll still be your friend. No matter what happens.”

  “Thank you.”

  Ashley felt sick on the way back to the classroom and even sicker when Miss Wilson came to collect her math book. “Ashley. Your homework?” She waited.

  The lie had to stop somewhere. Ashley handed over her book. “I didn’t do it.” A thought hit at just that instant. “But you love art, right, Miss Wilson?”

  “Art?”

  “Because.” Ashley tried to smile. “Where the answers should be there is a lovely sketch of some tree blossoms from just outside my window.”

  “What?” Miss Wilson stood there. She opened Ashley’s workbook and stared at the drawing. Her eyes got darker than before. “Ashley. I’m very disappointed.” She held the book so Ashley could see it. Then she tapped hard on the beautiful blossoms. “This is not an option.”

  Ashley decided to be honest again. “I think the problem is that deep in my heart I don’t like math.” Ashley gave Miss Wilson a little smile. “I’m not good at it. So I drew
blossoms.”

  Next to her Lydia looked down at her desk, and shook her head. A few seats back Ashley saw Eric Powers lean closer, like he was trying to hear what was happening.

  The whole class was starting to notice.

  “You will be marked down for this, Ashley.” Miss Wilson gave her a last sad look. She handed the workbook back to Ashley. “And you’ll have to do the work on a clean sheet of paper tonight. Math is not optional.”

  Just like Lydia had said, Ashley was in trouble. Big trouble.

  Ashley sat still, not blinking. Her face felt hot and sweaty. What would her parents say when they found out? She waited until Miss Wilson was facing the blackboard. Then she leaned close to Lydia and whispered very soft. “Hey.”

  Lydia shook her head, like this was not the time.

  “Do you think I could live with you?”

  “No.” Her friend scrunched up her face again. “Your family would miss you too much.”

  Ashley sat back in her seat. Well, that was it. She was out of options. Then a possibility filled her mind. Her parents loved her, right? They would not send her to jail for this crime. Plus the sack of potatoes was getting too heavy to carry. Which left her with just one choice.

  She would go home after school and tell her mom the truth.

  • • •

  Ashley couldn’t believe the news.

  She had planned the perfect time to tell her parents about the Big Lie and to get to work on her math problems. That time was going to be long after dinner. So Ashley could have a nice afternoon and evening playing outside first.

  But something terrible had happened.

  Miss Wilson had called her mother even before Ashley got home from school. Before her dad came home from work early like he always did on Wednesdays. With no warning at all, Miss Wilson had called and told them the news. And then her mom had brought Ashley inside before even a single hour of fun. While all the other kids kept playing.

  “Come to the dining room,” her dad told her. His voice was frustrated.

  Ashley felt like she was walking the plank. She could feel the shaky wood beneath her nervous feet. She would walk to the edge and sink to the bottom of the ocean. She could already feel the cold water.