Mae and June and the Wonder Wheel Read online

  “What’s the best and worst thing that happened to you this week?”

  He’s surprised. For a second he glares at Jennifer, but then he shakes his head and answers.

  “The best is that my parents said we could get a pet, and the worst is that it can’t be a dog and Olivia wants a rabbit.”

  “RABBITS!” squeals Jennifer. “I have one!” And then she tells us how it poops in a litterbox and can play fetch with a toy carrot.

  “Rabbitastic!” says Steven.

  It’s a bad joke, but when Jennifer smiles, I smile too.

  Mae has a new seat at the front of the class. All I can see is the back of her head. This is not going to help us become friends. When the lunch bell rings, she’s waiting by the door.

  She smiles. “Nice cat ears.”

  I shake my head. “They’re squirrel ears.”

  “SQUIRREL EARS!” She bounces on her toes. “I love squirrels. That’s even my cat’s name!”

  A cat named Squirrel? Sammy’s not going to believe it.

  Mae pats the top of her head. “My hair’s not finished. I still need a bird. I was going to use my lucky blue bird, but I lost him when we moved.”

  Losing things is never good, but then I have an idea. “What about a paper bird? You could draw one, color it, and cut it out.”

  Mae smiles. “Great idea!”

  I want to say, I can help too, but April is suddenly next to us.

  She scowls at me, then turns to Mae. “I can’t wait to come over tomorrow and meet your cat.”

  Mae nods. “It’ll be fun.” She points to her desk. “I need some stuff to make a bird.”

  After she’s gone, April and I just stand there waiting. It’s uncomfortable. Someone should say something. All I can think of is the Wonder Wheel questions. I’m sure April won’t answer them. She’ll probably just ignore me, but I’m feeling brave, so I ask anyway.

  “What’s the best and worst thing that happened to you this week?”

  She looks surprised, but then a minute later, she surprises me. She answers.

  “The best is meeting Mae, and the worst is you growling at me and trying to steal my friend!”

  I feel bad about the growling, but she’s wrong about the stealing. I try to explain. I tell her I saw Mae first, but she holds up her hand.

  “STOP TALKING!”

  Then she takes a step closer. “Mae sits with me at lunch! I’m going to her house! She’s my friend, not yours! STOP BEING A FRIEND STEALER!”

  April turns and stomps into the class to find Mae. I don’t watch. I feel sick. And even though I’m not even one bit hungry, my feet move toward the lunchroom.

  I can’t eat lunch, and even after recess, I still feel bad. For the whole afternoon, I don’t look over at April or Mae, not once. When the bell rings, I grab my stuff and run. Today’s park day, and Mom and Sammy are waiting for me at the school gate. I give them giant hugs.

  Mom sees my sad feelings right away. “June, what’s wrong?”

  I tell her everything.

  She hugs me tight. “You aren’t a friend stealer. You and April need to let Mae pick her own friends. Maybe she wants you all to be friends together?”

  Being friends with April is not something I’ve thought about. I’m not sure I can do it, but knowing I’m not a friend stealer makes me feel better.

  Sammy and I both love the park. He loves chasing squirrels, and I love the big round swing. Today someone’s already on the swing. I can’t believe it. It’s Mae! Is April here too? I look around but don’t see her.

  Mom points to the swing. “Looks like fun.”

  I nod, but I can’t stop thinking about April. What if she’s right? What if Mae only wants to be friends with her?

  I let Sammy off the leash. “Let’s chase squirrels.”

  “SQUIRRELS!” shouts Sammy, and I race after him.

  Sammy never gets tired, but I need a rest and a drink, so I stop at the water fountain. The water is warm, but it’s better than nothing. When I finish, Mae is standing right in front of me.

  “Want to walk to school tomorrow?”

  It’s a surprise question, but I know the answer. I smile and nod like crazy. Now’s the perfect time. I ask her the Wonder Wheel questions.

  Mae doesn’t have to think about it. She answers right away. “Making new friends is the best, and losing my lucky blue bird is the worst.”

  “Is that what he looks like?” I point to the blue paper bird with big yellow eyes peeking out from her braid.

  She nods and gives him a pat.

  “JUNE! Time to go!” It’s Mom calling me.

  I smile at Mae. “See you tomorrow!” And then I turn and run.

  Today’s my lucky day. I’m walking to school with Mae. I like my new rhyme. I say it in my head, over and over, maybe a hundred times.

  Sammy’s excited too. “We’ve got one F checked and only two more to go! An invitation to walk definitely counts as Friendly.” He points his paw. “Don’t forget to look for the other two, Fun and Full of Adventure.”

  I nod, but I know something already. I want Mae to be my friend, no matter what.

  I spin the wheel and we dance to the tackitys. I could dance all day. I cross my fingers and hope for Dance/Spin Again, but the crossing doesn’t work. Collection is the winner.

  COLLECTION

  Pick a color. Today you will have a scavenger hunt to find seven things of that color. Scraps of paper, bottle tops, leaves—​anything found can be part of your collection.

  You can ask friends to help too. Happy collecting! Have fun!

  Sammy wags his tail. “BLUE!”

  It’s a good choice.

  When I get to the kitchen, I tell Mom about the collection. She finds me a bag. It’s plastic and the kind we use for leftovers.

  “Blue garbage, how fancy,” jokes Isabella. She’s in a good mood. Today’s band practice and she loves music. Her clarinet’s in a special little suitcase right next to her chair. I’m not allowed to touch it.

  A little suitcase would be a good place to keep a collection.

  I ask Mom if she has one, but she says, “Be happy with what you have.”

  That means no.

  After breakfast I race to get ready. I get outside just as Mae’s crossing the street. We wave at Sammy in the window.

  On the way to school, I tell her about the Wonder Wheel and the collection, and then we look for blue things. It’s not easy. We only find one small broken piece of blue plastic. I put it in the bag.

  Mae shakes her head. “Brown would be easier.”

  I look around. She’s right. The world is filled with brown things.

  “Do you want this?” She points to the blue elastic ponytail holder in her hair.

  I shake my head, but I’m happy she offered. It’s the kind of thing a friend would do.

  Finding blue things in the classroom is easier. I find a blue eraser, a blue cardboard circle, and a blue pen cap. Mae sits with April at lunchtime, but I’m not sad. We got to walk to school together.

  “You can sit with us too,” says Mae, but after one look at April I say, “No thank you.” It’s not easy to swallow food when someone is glaring at you. April’s not like me. She doesn’t like sharing.

  I sit with Jules and Leni, and when Mae sees me looking at her, she smiles and waves. April looks grumpy, but I don’t care. I wave back. Jules and Leni want to hear all about my collection, and then they want to help.

  “Only seven things?” Jules shakes her head. “I bet we find a hundred.”

  When the bell rings, we race out to the playground. Finding small blue things is not as easy as we thought it would be. We find a lot of blue things, but shirts, jackets, hats, and lunchboxes are too big. And then Jules finds the best thing so far—​a little blue plastic owl.

  “It looks like part of a game or something.” She cleans it off with water from her water bottle. We pass it around. It’s smooth and nice to hold.

  Leni invents a new
game. It’s like regular tag, except you have tag people with the blue owl, and you can throw it, but only at their feet. Nobody wants a blue owl in the eye. Mae plays too.

  It’s one of our best recesses ever.

  When we get back to class, I take out my collection bag, just to look. Jennifer and Steven are talking about rabbits, but then Jennifer puts her hand out and drops a blue rubber band right in front of me. She points to Steven. “It’s from him.”

  Steven nods.

  I’m surprised, but happy. I whisper back a thank-you. Now I have six things—​only one more blue thing to go.

  It’s no fun walking home. All I can think about is April and Mae and their playdate. It’s not the same as lunchtime. Sharing is not easy.

  April and Mae. Mae and June. Which sounds better? I almost forget to look for blue things, but then the sun shines right on a blue bottle cap in the grass. Seven things. The collection is done, but I’m not excited. It doesn’t feel like I thought it would.

  When I get to my house, I look across the street, no one’s outside at Mae’s house. I can’t decide if that’s good or bad. Are they having fun inside? I turn and walk to my door, and then I see it—​a bright blue circle, right on my top front step. It’s Mae’s ponytail holder. Grandma Penny was wrong. Eight is the perfect number for a happy collection!

  Sammy is happy to see me. After a snack, and a chasing game, we go upstairs.

  He’s worried. “Are you sure you want to look?”

  I nod. “I have to.”

  We get to the window just in time. Mae is running around her house, just like before, but this time she’s holding something.

  I point. “That’s April, by the front door.”

  Sammy snorts. He doesn’t like her either.

  When Mae gets back to the front door, she hands April what she’s holding and then April starts running.

  It looks like a relay race! April runs across the yard and disappears behind the house just like Mae did, but she’s not as fast as Mae. It’s taking her a long time to come back.

  Sammy shakes his head. “I bet she got lost.”

  Mae must be worried, because she leaves the steps and runs off behind the house.

  Sammy sees them first. “Look! She found her. They’re coming!”

  We watch them walk up to the door and go inside.

  “Relay race?” asks Sammy. “Does that count as an F for Full of Adventure?”

  I nod, and then I tell him about owl tag at recess. “That was definitely fun!”

  “THE THREE Fs!” shouts Sammy. “It’s official! She did it!” He bounces on the bed.

  I’m happy too, but not for the three Fs. They don’t really matter anymore. Mae’s already my friend.

  There are only three slices left on the Wonder Wheel—POEM, HAND and DANCE/SPIN AGAIN—but still it’s exciting.

  We watch until it stops.

  “Hand!” I shout out. “PEOPLE PAW!” shouts Sammy. We high-five.

  I read out the instructions.

  HAND.

  Today you will give out a helping hand. Trace your hand onto a piece of paper, then cut out the hand shape. A helping hand can be a promise to help with something, or information that might be helpful. Write it on the hand. Have fun!

  I make a helping hand for me, and then a helping paw for Sammy.

  He’s excited about his extra paw. He says he’s going to keep it forever.

  At breakfast, Isabella has a big announcement. “I’m trying out to be in a rock band. The audition’s tomorrow.”

  Mom’s surprised. “With the clarinet?”

  Isabella nods. “I probably won’t be good enough.”

  “Nonsense!” says Mom. “You play beautifully.”

  I’m not sure that rock band and play beautifully go together, but Isabella likes the compliment.

  Mae and I are walking to school again. She’s waiting for me on the sidewalk when I get outside. I smile, but she doesn’t smile back.

  “Oh, June, it’s terrible. April’s going to be mad at me forever.”

  And then she tells me why.

  “We were having a race, running around the house with an egg on a spoon, but then April dropped the egg, right on her shoe. It broke and was a huge mess!”

  I try not to laugh, but it’s hard.

  Mae nods. “I know. It would’ve been funny, but then the worse thing happened. It’s terrible.”

  I make myself be serious. “What worse thing?”

  Mae rubs her eyes. “April snuck up on Squirrel to give him a surprise hug, and he got scared and totally freaked out. He scratched her arm. Her mom had to come early and get her. Our playdate was ruined.”

  I can’t believe it. That is terrible. “Did she go to the hospital?”

  Mae shakes her head. “No, but she was screaming and crying and she needed a bunch of bandages.”

  I don’t know what to say. I want to give her my helping hand right now, except that I have no idea what to write on it.

  The bell rings just as we get to school. We go straight into class and sit down. I sneak a look across the table. April looks perfectly normal except for three small bandages on her right arm.

  She’s talking to Ava and being super loud. I know why. She wants everyone to hear.

  “I’ll probably have trouble writing today, because of my arm.”

  Ava nods. “You’re so brave!”

  “What happened?” asks Jennifer.

  April makes a sad face. “Cat attack! From a not friendly cat.” She taps her pencil on the table. “I’m rethinking my favorite pet choice.”

  “Rabbits!” says Jennifer. “You’ll love them. They’re amazing. I have one.”

  April nods. “They are cute. Do they scratch?”

  Jennifer shakes her head. “No, never, unless they’re scared or you sneak up on them. Rabbits don’t like surprises.”

  “Humph!” April grunts. “I didn’t know pets were so moody.”

  Steven leans forward. “MOOOOOO-DY! Well, don’t get a cow then.”

  Everyone laughs, except April. She looks like she might cry. Suddenly I feel a little bit bad for her, but I don’t want to. She doesn’t deserve my sad feelings.

  When the lunch bell rings, I watch the door. April and Ava leave together. Ava puts her arm through April’s and smiles super big. I wonder if Ava’s happy about the disaster. Happy to have April all to herself again.

  Mae sits with me at lunch. I’m glad she played tag. Now she knows everyone. Does Mae miss April? Does April miss Mae? I watch them, but it’s impossible to tell. At recess we play tag again, but not with the blue owl. I left it at home.

  On the way back to class, Mae shows me a pencil. “Do you think April’s going to want this back? It’s from her collection. It’s probably special.”

  That’s not an easy question to answer. April’s brain is hard to figure out.

  Mae shakes her head. “I just don’t know what to do.”

  I put my arm around her and give her a fast hug. It’s not an answer, but it makes her smile, just a little bit.

  Mae and I walk home together. We don’t talk about April—​instead she tells me about her brother, Rocket. He likes racing, his favorite color is orange, and he’s starting a rock band. Now I know more about Isabella, too.

  Mae’s coming over, so we go straight to my house.

  As soon as we walk in, Mae bends down and pets Sammy. “Hi, Sammy! You’re the best dog!”

  “Can we keep her?” asks Sammy.

  I laugh.

  Mae looks up. “What’s so funny?”

  I don’t know what to say. Do I tell her about Sammy talking? What if she thinks it’s weird? What if she doesn’t want to be friends? But I don’t have to worry, because Isabella suddenly walks in and Mae forgets about me laughing. After everyone says hi, we go up to my room. Mae can’t wait to see the Wonder Wheel. I let her spin it, just for fun. There are two slices left, Poem and Dance/Spin Again.

  Suddenly Sammy has an idea
. “Mae can come over tomorrow and help us spin it.”

  That’s a great idea. I look at Mae. “Will you?”

  Mae’s confused. “Will I what?”

  Oh no! I forgot. She can’t hear Sammy.

  Now I have to tell her about him talking. Sammy’s not like me. He’s not worried. My insides feel swirly and gurgly. It’s not easy to talk, but I do it. After I tell her, Mae has a hundred questions. Things like, Does anyone else know? Have you always been able to talk to him? Can other people hear him? Can he talk to cats? I answer everything, and when I’m done, she tells us a story.

  “I used to have a friend named Marigold. I talked to her all the time, but no one ever saw her except for me.”

  “I’m glad I’m not invisible,” says Sammy. “How’d she eat?”

  That makes me laugh, so I tell Mae, and soon we are all laughing, but I’m laughing the hardest, because Mae’s still here and she believes me.

  Just before bed, I hand out my helping hand. Isabella’s pretty surprised. She reads it out loud. “Wear orange to the audition.”

  I put my hand over my heart. “It’s true. It’ll help.”

  She nods. We never lie about hand over heart.

  Today Mae is going to help us spin the wheel. She knocks on the door just as I’m finishing with breakfast. I let her in and we all run straight up to my room. Mae throws her coat onto my bed.