Always, Abigail (17 page)

Gabby,

I changed my mind about the kindergartners. Let's do it!

Abigail

“Miss Hendrick, Gabby and I would like to volunteer to be guest readers in the kindergarten class.”

Abigail,

Glad you changed your mind about reading!

Sorry I didn't call last night.

Got home late from babysitting.

Gabby

1.
When was the last time
I
babysat?

2.
Why had I stopped?

1.
It was hard to remember, but I think it was last spring just after AlliCam stopped babysitting.

2.
What I do remember was hating to miss out on time with AlliCam when I
was
babysitting.

Why did all that seem like such a long time ago when it was only just last spring?

1.
We found out that besides
The
Little
Engine
That
Could
, we both loved a lot of the same books.
Where
the
Wild
Things
Are
was one of our favorites, but we were afraid it might give the kindergartners nightmares.

2.
We decided to make the kids laugh instead of scream, so we chose
Green
Eggs
and
Ham
. The problem was that, while we practiced, we spent most of our time laughing. Gabby had this way of making her eyes really round and then pushing her chin down to make a big frown, and at the same time making her neck seem really long. Wearing the paper hat that we made, she looked just like the guy who didn't want to eat the green eggs and ham. It was hysterical.

3.
We decided to memorize the book so we could story tell it instead of read it. We knew the kids would like that better.

1.
What are you doing with
her
?

2.
You guys aren't
friends
, are you?

“You know I'm bombing LA with Old Hawk. I gotta get more extra credit points or my grade's going down the drain.”

I didn't say it loud enough for Gabby to hear me.

The problem was, even though Gabby didn't hear me, I knew what I'd said, and the surge of guilt made my ears ring so loud they hurt.

1.
Gabby kept trying to make me laugh during class by looking at me with the
Green-Eggs-and-Ham
face.

2.
At first I held back the giggles, but finally I couldn't hold it in anymore. The hot lava inside me was turning into laughter. It felt good to let it seep out.

3.
Jackson-the-Troll Dawber said to Brent in the hallway, “Gabby must've put a bizarro spell on Abigail because she's acting like a real reject lately.”

It made me wish I had some
real
green eggs and ham so that I could shove them down Jackson's throat, but I counted to ten instead.

Came up with our own secret sign. When we walked by each other in the classroom or hallway, we held up our fist toward the other person and whispered, “That Gab-I-Am, that Gab-I-Am. I do not like that Gab-I-Am,” Or, “That Ab-I-Am, that Ab-I-Am. I do not like that Ab-I-Am.”

It wasn't a secret pom-pom girl wave, but it was still fun.

That AlliCam weren't in my homeroom.

Abigail,

Can't practice today. I have to get to the post office after school and then babysit for the Welches. The kids are kind of a nightmare, but they pay really well, so I didn't want to say no. Need the extra money.

Sorry,

Gabby

P.S. Maybe we can practice before school.

It really bummed me out that we couldn't practice after school.

1.
Gabby was ALWAYS babysitting. What did she spend her money on? Not clothes, that's for sure.

2.
The post office? What did she have to go there for? I wondered if it had anything to do with the card table full of books, boxes, and packing tape I had seen in her living room.

1.
That morning, Old Hawk put new books in each of our reading baskets.

2.
She put
Island
of
the
Blue
Dolphins
in mine, so I added it to my list of things to take home so I'd have something to do after school.