Drat! You Copycat! (6 page)

“My report was a real mess,” Becky moaned. “I’m not sure what happened. It’s like it was me up there in front of everyone, but it wasn’t me. You know what I mean?”

Katie definitely knew what she meant—better than anyone. “Maybe Mrs. Derkman will let you try again,” Katie suggested.

“Do you really think so?” Becky asked.

Katie wasn’t sure if Mrs. Derkman would give Becky another chance, but it was worth a try. “You’re new,” Katie told her. “Tell her you got nervous.”

“I
was
kind of nervous, waiting for my turn,” Becky recalled.

“And maybe you should volunteer to do a different topic,” Katie continued. “Then you’re doing extra work.”

Becky made a face. “Why would I want to do that? I did so much work on my report.”

“Yeah, but you already ...”

Katie was about to say that Becky had already messed up her Cleopatra report, but that wasn’t true. Katie had messed it up for her. So instead she said, “Mrs. Derkman likes when kids do extra work. And you want Mrs. Derkman to like you. It’s horrible when she’s mad at you. Just ask George. She’s always angry with him.”

“I guess,” Becky said thoughtfully. “What topic should I pick?”

“I don’t know. Something you’re interested in.” She stopped for a minute. “You weren’t really all that into Cleopatra, were you?”

Becky looked down at the tile floor. “No.”

“Then why did you pick that topic?” Katie asked her.

Becky frowned. “I guess Suzanne made it sound so interesting. She makes everything sound interesting.”

Katie nodded. “I know what you mean.”

“I thought if Suzanne and I had something in common, we’d be friends. And if Suzanne became my friend, then everyone would be my friend,” Becky explained.

“Well, a lot of people do like Suzanne,” Katie agreed. “But you don’t have to be just like her to make friends. Just be yourself.”

“But everyone here is so different than the kids at my old school. Y’all have been friends forever.”

Katie shook her head. “Not all of us. George was new at the beginning of the year. He has lots of friends now. You will, too. It just takes time.” She smiled. “I’m your friend, so you’ve got one pal already.”

Becky smiled. “Okay, pal,” she said sweetly. “Can you help me come up with a report topic?

“Sure! What do you like to do?” said Katie.

Becky thought about that for a minute. “Well, back in Atlanta I took gymnastics. I was getting pretty good at the balance beam and floor exercises.”

“So ask Mrs. Derkman if you can do a report on gymnastics,” Katie suggested. Then she frowned and touched her nose. It was still sore where George had crashed into her. “Just don’t do a cartwheel into my face, okay?”

Becky giggled and stuck out her hand. “It’s a deal.”

“Coco Chanel was known for her simple dresses and suits,” Suzanne told the class Thursday morning. “She also created costume jewelry and quilted handbags.”

“P.U. What’s that smell?” George held his nose and looked all around the room. “I think it’s coming from
you
, Suzanne.”

Suzanne rolled her eyes. “That’s perfume,” she told George. “Coco Chanel created all sorts of perfumes. Her most famous is called Chanel Number Five.”

“She should have called it
Dog Poo
Number Five,” George said. “It smells terrible.”

“George!” Mrs. Derkman scolded. “We do not say ‘dog poo’ in school.”

“Oh, I’m not wearing Chanel perfume,” Suzanne said. “I made my perfume myself.”

“How did you do that?” Mandy asked.

“I used a perfume-making kit,” Suzanne explained. “It’s a mixture of bubble gum, grape, and rosebud scents. I call it Suzanne Number One.”

Then Suzanne showed the class pictures of clothes that Coco Chanel had designed. The girls seemed interested. The boys were bored.

“Lots of designers copied Coco Chanel’s work,” Suzanne said, as she finished her report. “Everyone wanted to look like her and dress like her. That’s why
I
can relate to her.”

Mrs. Derkman stood up and smiled at Suzanne. “I knew this would be a good topic for you to research. Thank you for your report.” The teacher turned to Becky. “Are you ready?” she asked her.

Becky stood nervously and straightened the sleeves on her blue and silver gymnastics leotard. She looked at Katie.

Katie smiled and gave her a thumbs-up sign.

Becky gave her a thumbs-up back, then...

Whoosh!
Becky flipped in midair and landed on her hands! She walked upside down to the front of the room.

Whoosh!
Becky flipped over again. This time, she landed on her feet.

“My report is about gymnastics,” Becky told them. “People have been doing gymnastics for more than two thousand years. But it’s only been a competitive sport for about one hundred years.”

Becky gave a long speech about about the history of gymnastics. She didn’t use any note cards. She knew it all by heart.

Then Becky demonstrated some of the moves she had learned in her gymnastics classes. She did a back flip, a cartwheel, and a handspring. She ended her routine with a perfect split.

“Awesome!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“I wish I could do that!” George said.

“Can you teach me to do a cartwheel?” Zoe asked. “I always flop over to the side.”

Suddenly, everyone was talking at once. They all wanted Becky to teach them how to do gymnastics.

Katie looked at Suzanne. She was playing with her beaded necklace, trying to act as though she didn’t like Becky’s report. But Katie knew better. It would be impossible not to have found Becky’s speech interesting.

“Okay class, settle down,” Mrs. Derkman said. “I don’t want anyone trying any of Becky’s tricks out on the playground. You should only learn gymnastics from a real
gymnastics teacher.”

“That’s right,” Becky said. “My mom found a gymnastics school here in Cherrydale. Maybe some of y’all can take classes there, too.”

“Do they have a trampoline?” Miriam said.

“Sure,” Becky said.

“How about a vaulting horse?” asked Jeremy.

“Of course.”

Becky told the other kids what gymnastics school was like. She didn’t seem like a new kid any more. She was one of them now.

There was no reason for Becky to be a copycat ever again.

“This one is called a round-off,” Becky said, as she leaped up, flipped, and twisted her body in midair.

“All right, Becky!” Jeremy shouted.

Becky smiled brightly and winked at him. Jeremy blushed.

It was recess. Usually the kids in class 3A would be all over the playground. But today they were all gathered on the grass, watching Becky do her gymnastics. Every time she bent her body or flipped over, they cheered.

Suzanne was the only one in the class not watching Becky. She was sitting all by herself on a bench.

Katie looked over and studied her best friend’s face. She looked sad and kind of lonely.

It was weird to see Suzanne like that. Usually Suzanne looked angry, happy, or proud of herself. She never looked sad. And she was
never
alone on the playground. Katie figured the look on Suzanne’s face meant trouble for Becky.

And then the strangest thing happened. Becky turned away from the sea of kids surrounding her. She walked over to Suzanne.

“Hi,” Becky said shyly.

“What do
you
want?” Suzanne asked.

Becky grinned. “I just wanted to tell you that I thought your report was the best in the whole class. I’d never heard of Coco Chanel before, but now I think she’s just the coolest!”

Suzanne smiled ... a little. “She was pretty cool,” she admitted.

“You know what I was thinking?” Becky asked. “You’re kind of like the Coco Chanel of our class. You set the fashion trends.”

Suzanne’s smile broadened. “I was thinking the same thing.” She studied Becky’s glittery yellow-and-orange shirt. “Some black beads would look really nice with that,” she said.

“You think so?” Becky asked her.

Suzanne nodded. “Coco Chanel wore beads with everything!”

“I don’t know where to get beads in Cherrydale,” Becky admitted. “I wore my mother’s red beads the other day.”

“There’s a great bead shop at the mall. It’s near Katie’s mom’s bookstore,” Suzanne said.

Katie’s mom worked part time at the Book Nook bookstore in the Cherrydale Mall.

“Maybe you and I could go and look at beads ... together,” Becky suggested shyly.

“Katie and I are going to the mall Saturday morning. We’re going to hand out flyers for her mom’s store. You could tag along ... I guess,” Suzanne told her.

Becky shook her head. “I have gymnastics on Saturday mornings.”

“Okay.” Suzanne began to walk away.

“But I could meet you later, after my class,” Becky said quickly.

“We’ll be there until three o’clock,” Suzanne told her. “If you come earlier, maybe the three of us could get a slice of pizza at Louie’s.”