Just Grace and the Super Sleepover Read online

  BUTTE

  Miss Lois said we could be creative with our land formations, so I made mine into a sideways face. It was a nice way to keep my brain busy. A busy brain is a good thing, because a busy brain doesn’t have time to worry.

  SIDE DRAWING OF A FACE WITH LAND FORMATIONS

  LUNCHTIME

  When I saw Max walking toward Mimi and me in the lunchroom, I knew something was going on. We are friends after school, but we don’t usually talk at lunchtime. Max stood right in front of us and pointed to the door. “It’s gone,” he said. I had no idea what he was talking about. “What’s gone?” asked Mimi. “The recycling bin,” said Max. “They took it away. The people that clean the school, they got rid of it.” I almost choked on my sandwich. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. It was the most surprising fantastic news ever. Max looked at me. “Why are you smiling?” he asked. This time I didn’t have to lie. “Because the ghost is gone,” I said. Max shook his head. “I kind of liked the ghost,” he said. Now I shook my head. I wasn’t even going to pretend to agree with him, because he was wrong. The ghost being gone was great!

  The rest of the afternoon went by super fast, and even though it was just spelling and math, I loved it.

  WHAT WAS WAITING FOR ME IN THE BACKYARD WHEN I GOT HOME

  Dad, Mr. Scruffers, and the tent. Dad had some of the poles put together, but he was waiting for me to help him with the hard parts. I’m lucky that Dad’s good at following directions, because putting the tent together was not easy. I thought we’d be done in about ten minutes, but it took forever. It wasn’t as big as I thought it was going to be, but Dad said there was room for all of us, even Mom if she wanted to sleep outside too. At dinner Dad asked her about it, but I knew what she was going to say, and I was right. She said no. I was secretly glad about that. Mom in a tent seemed like a bad idea. When Mom’s not happy, she likes to do a lot of complaining.

  Knowing that Dad was going to sleep in the tent with me tomorrow made me feel a lot better. I didn’t have one single bad thought all night long. And for the first time ever, I smiled when I thought about the recycling bin—someone out there was my hero.

  THE BAD SURPRISE AT SCHOOL IN THE MORNING

  THE RECYCLING BIN WAS BACK! It wasn’t thrown away—it was just moved. Now instead of it being outside the library, it was in the hall beside the gym. Max was the one who told us. As soon as Mimi and I stepped onto the playground, he ran over and gave us the news. At first Mimi didn’t believe him. She put her hands on her hips like moms do when they are mad at their kids. “How can you tell it’s the same one?” she asked. “All the recycling containers look the same.” It was a good question. I crossed my fingers and hoped that Max didn’t have a good answer. He grinned at Mimi. That made me worried. People with wrong or bad answers do not grin. “The containers all have numbers on them,” said Max. “And the one with the ghost is number zero-eight-three, plus two people already heard it moaning.” I uncrossed my fingers. Suddenly I wanted to moan too.

  The bell rang just as Max was walking away, so Mimi and I didn’t have time to go and look at container 083. I was glad about that. I didn’t want to see it. Just thinking about it made me feel bad.

  WHAT HAPPENED AT LUNCHTIME

  Of course Mimi and I had to go and look for the recycling container, but when we went to the gym, it was gone. I was happy for about ten minutes, but then right before lunchtime someone found it outside the art room. Who was moving it around so much? And why? It was making things worse. Now it was like a game: everyone wanted to find it.

  WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WAY HOME

  Mimi had to go to the dentist after school, so I walked home with Sammy and Max. It wasn’t the best walk home, because Max was the only one talking. Both Sammy and I hardly said a word.

  When we got to my house Sammy asked if Crinkles was around. That wasn’t a usual thing for Sammy to ask about. He hates cats. I didn’t know how to answer, partly because I was surprised by the question, and partly because I didn’t know the answer. Crinkles is not my cat. He belongs to Mrs. Luther, my next-door neighbor, so he could be anywhere. Cats are not like dogs—they like to hide. Finally I just looked around the yard and said, “No, he’s not here.” That seemed to make Sammy a lot happier. He half smiled at Max and said, “See you tomorrow.” Max waved and we both watched him walk down the street.

  I didn’t know what to say, so Sammy and I just stood there, not saying anything. It felt weird, but that’s how things with Sammy usually are—unusual and uncomfortable. He’s not an easy person to figure out. As soon as Max turned the corner and was gone, Sammy turned to me and said, “You have to do something about the recycling container. If you don’t, Mr. Woods is going to get in trouble.” Then Sammy shook his head. “And you might too.” I was shocked. I couldn’t speak. What did he know? What did he mean? Who was Mr. Woods? Sammy shook his head again, and then he told me everything.

  WHAT IS HARD

  To not cry when someone has just told you that he knows you are big fat liar, even if when he said it he didn’t use those exact words. My whole face was red. I could feel it. I put my head down.

  SAMMY’S IDEA

  WHAT IS STRANGE

  How sometimes you can be completely surprised by a good idea, especially if it comes from someone who you do not think of as a good idea kind of person.

  After Sammy finished explaining everything, I forced myself to talk. “I’ll do something,” I said. I still couldn’t look at his face, so I stared down at the grass. I saw Sammy’s feet move away, so I took a chance and looked up. He smiled. It wasn’t a you’re-in-trouble smile. Instead it was an I’m-glad-this-is-over smile.

  If I could have, I would have smiled back, because I was feeling exactly the same way, but I couldn’t. My body was still too shocked and embarrassed for smiling. I couldn’t wait for Sammy to leave. The minute he started walking away, I was gone. I didn’t even stop to pet Mr. Scruffers—I just ran straight up to my room, closed the door and flopped down on my bed.

  WHAT MY BRAIN WAS THINKING

  Why didn’t Sammy tell on me?

  Does he think I’m an awful person?

  How does he know Mr. Woods?

  Does Mr. Woods think I’m an awful person?

  Could Sammy’s plan work to make the pretend ghost go away?

  Sometimes thinking can be hard. Sometimes you need help. I went to my closet and pulled out my Super Girl T-shirt. I put it on and waited for my brain to fill up with ideas.

  Waiting can be more fun if you are not doing it alone. I opened the door and let Mr. Scruffers in. She was happy about that. It was a lot better than standing outside in the hall whining.

  The only thing I could think of was that even with everything bad happening, I was still kind of lucky—lucky to have a friend like Sammy.

  DISAPPOINTING, BUT TRUE

  Even if you want a great idea and are really ready for it, it doesn’t mean you are going to get one. When Mom called me down for dinner, I still didn’t have an idea. It’s hard to eat food when your body is filled with worry.

  WHAT HELPED ME FEEL ABOUT 85 PERCENT BETTER EVEN THOUGH IT DID NOT SOLVE MY PROBLEM

  Talking with Dad about sleeping in the tent.

  I had completely forgotten that tonight was the night for sleeping outside. I guess worry can do that, too.

  THE ONLY BAD THING ABOUT SLEEPING IN A TENT

  I wasn’t going to get to flash my lights for Mimi. Suddenly, just after thinking that, I had a great idea, but it wasn’t the great idea I was hoping for. It was a different one.

  WHO LIKED SLEEPING IN THE TENT

  Me and Dad. It was great, and not even one bit scary like I thought it was going to be. Dad told me some great stories from when he was a boy. My favorite was about the time he stole a bouncy ball by accident. It made me laugh, and then also think that maybe Dad and I were kind of the same when it came to worrying.

  I told Dad that is was silly for him to bury the ball. At first he ag
reed with me, but then he said that burying the ball had helped him feel better. Dad said, “Sometimes it’s hard to get over something just by thinking about it. Sometimes it’s easier if your body can do something physical to help your brain.” I nodded like I understood, but I only kind of got it.

  WHO DID NOT LIKE SLEEPING IN THE TENT

  Mr. Scruffers. Every time Dad or I even moved an inch, she jumped up and whined at the zipper door, asking to be let out. The first couple of times it was funny and cute, but then after a while it was annoying. Finally we just had to put her in the house with Mom. I was a little sad about that, but Mom was probably happy to have the company. She said she was going to let Mr. Scruffers sleep in Dad’s spot on the bed as a special treat.

  THE FOUR BEST THINGS ABOUT SLEEPING OUTSIDE

  Flashing my lights at Mimi with the flashlight.

  Standing outside in the dark and looking up at the stars.

  How quiet everything is at night, and how the noises that you do hear are not scary like I thought they would be.

  Waking up early and smelling the day. Dad said it was probably the flowers in the yard, but I had never noticed that smell before. The day smelled good!

  THE SURPRISING THING ABOUT SLEEPING OUTSIDE

  We got up a lot earlier than normal. Mom and Mr. Scruffers were still sleeping when we went inside. Dad made us toast and scrambled eggs, and as soon as he started cooking, Mr. Scruffers came running in. She was super excited to see me, like she thought I’d been gone far away for the whole night. Some things are too hard to explain to a dog, so I just gave her lots of attention and pretended she was right.

  And then, right when I was petting Mr. Scruffers and not thinking at all about my ghost problem, I suddenly had an idea. One second my brain was normal, and the next second, like magic, there it was—full of an idea. Sometimes you can figure out exactly where an idea comes from. This was one of those times.

  THE MORNING

  Mimi came over extra early this morning, and I knew exactly why—she wanted to know how I’d liked sleeping in the tent. When I told her it was great, she jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “I was worried you wouldn’t like it and wouldn’t want to stay for the sleepover part,” she said. I nodded. I’d been thinking about that too, but now that worry was gone. While Dad made Mimi some scrambled eggs, I told her about my idea for the recycling bin.

  After I told her the idea, Mimi was quiet for a minute, but then she smiled. It was a good sign that she liked the idea too.

  WHAT HAPPENED AFTER BREAKFAST THAT WAS UNUSUAL

  I told Mimi that I needed to be alone so I could work on a birthday card for Grace. Usually Mimi and I spend as much time as we can together, but today was different.

  After Mimi left I helped Dad take down the tent. It was a lot faster to put away than it was to put up. Dad said that was the way most things were, harder to build than to destroy. Right away my brain thought of one example where that was wrong, but I didn’t tell him about it.

  THE CARD FOR GRACE F.

  Amazing cards take a long time to make. I worked on the card until it was almost time to go to the party. I don’t know if it was going to make up for not giving her one when everyone else did, but it was a really good try.

  THREE CARDS IN ONE

  THE PARTY

  Dad drove Mimi and me to the party on his way to give back the tent to his friend. Once Mimi and I got everything into the car, it was pretty full. Pillows, sleeping bags, favorite stuffed animals, clothes—all that stuff takes up a lot of room. Grace L., Marta, and the girl named Lisa were already at Grace F.’s house when we got there. Right away I could tell that I was going to like the new girl. I don’t know why it happens that way, but sometimes you can just tell that about people.

  Grace F. is a very organized person. As soon as we walked in the door she picked up a checklist and asked us if we had all the stuff we needed. She said it was so we wouldn’t have to call our parents to bring over stuff we had forgotten, but that probably wasn’t 100 percent true. I think it was mostly because she just loves making lists.

  After we passed the checklist, we all went outside to look at the tent and put our sleeping stuff in it. Grace F. wanted everyone to see the tent all at once, because when something is amazing you want to save it for a big ta-da moment. And Grace F.’s tent was worth it! It was not like a normal tent—it was beautiful. The outside was covered with tiny lights, and inside there were colored pillows, a real carpet, and even a chandelier. Grace F. said the chandelier was a birthday present from her grandma and it worked with batteries so you could put it anywhere. It was one of those things that I didn’t know existed, but now that I did, I wanted one too. Suddenly I was super excited about the tent. This wasn’t normal camping like I’d done with Dad—this was fancy camping!

  I looked over at Grace L. to see if she seemed sad—but she didn’t, she looked normal. I don’t know how her brain could not be wishing she could stay overnight.

  The first thing we did was go back inside to make the stuffed creatures Mimi had told me about. Grace F. has a pretty big house, so she and her mom have one whole room just for art stuff. It’s kind of like an art lover’s dream come true.

  THE GOOD THING ABOUT A CRAFT WITH GLUE

  Crafts with glue get finished a lot faster than crafts that you have to sew. Everyone except Mimi used glue to decorate their stuffed creature, and when we all went outside to jump on the trampoline, Mimi was still sewing. I asked if she wanted me to stay with her, but she shook her head. When Mimi is sewing her hands and her whole body are happy. It’s hard to stop doing something that you love that much, even for trampoline jumping.

  When we came back inside for water, Mimi was just finishing up her stuffed creature. It was perfect timing, because the glue on our creatures was finally dry too. Grace F.’s mom had pizza for us, but before she let us eat anything we had to pose for a bunch of pictures while holding our creatures. She must like photography a lot, because she took about a hundred photos. It’s not easy to concentrate on smiling for so long when your stomach is growling and your nose smells pizza.

  WHAT I DIDN’T KNOW

  Pizza tastes better when you eat it on a trampoline. I’ve probably had pizza about a million times, but the pizza we had at Grace F.’s party was the most delicious pizza I’d ever had, and I wasn’t the only one thinking that. When we were done eating, Lisa invented a new game for us to play. It was called Crust-out. No one ate their pizza crusts, so we dumped them all into the middle of the trampoline, and then when Lisa said go, we jumped around and tried to not let them touch us. If a pizza crust touched you, even just your toe, you were out.

  I’ve never done so much screaming in my whole life. It was so fun! I didn’t win the game, but that didn’t matter—no one really cared about the winning part anyway. Now I had another new thing for my list.

  WHAT IS NOT SO FUN

  Having to clean up the pizza crusts when we were done playing the game. Grace F.’s mom was not like us. She didn’t think that pizza crusts bouncing around on the trampoline was a good idea.

  After everything was cleaned up, Grace F.’s mom and sister Stephanie came out to hang up the big sheet for the movie. Grace F. wouldn’t say what movie we were going to watch, but I already knew. She’d told Mimi about it a few days ago, and then Mimi had told me. I don’t think Mimi knew it was supposed to be a secret, because all of a sudden she looked at me and shook her head. I knew exactly what she was meaning, so I nodded back at her. Sometimes best friends don’t need words to talk to each other.

  Mimi’s head shake = “Don’t tell Grace F. I told you what the movie is.”

  My nod back = “Don’t worry, I won’t say a thing.”

  WHAT STEPHANIE WAS

  Super nice! Sometimes older kids can be sort of scary and grumpy, but Grace F.’s older sister was nothing like that. She didn’t look anything like Grace F. either. Her hair was short, and she was super tall. After she finished helping her mom put up
the giant sheet for the movie screen, she came over and said hi to us all.

  WHAT IS A GOOD WAY TO GET YOUR YOUNGER SISTER’S FRIENDS TO INSTANTLY LIKE YOU