Sophie the Awesome (3 page)

S
ophie was still a tiny bit sore when she got to the lunchroom. But the smell of hot food helped a lot. Kate did, too.

“Hey, Sophie!” Kate called. She waved her over to the lunch line. “Sophie! Over here!”

“Excuse
me!” said Mindy. She was standing just behind Kate. “No cuts!”

“Yeah,” said Lily, who was behind Mindy. “No cuts.”

Kate turned to them. “I was
saving
this place. So it’s
not
cuts.” She took Sophie’s arm and pulled
her in. “Besides, give her a break. How are you feeling, Sophie?” she asked.

Sophie stretched out a smile. “Awesome,” she said.

“Whatever,” Mindy scoffed. “We’ll give you a break, Sophie. ’Cause we know Ms. Moffly’s not going to.” Then she giggled, and Lily chimed in.

Sophie turned to Kate. She suddenly wasn’t feeling as awesome anymore. “Am I in really big trouble?” she whispered.

Kate bit her lip and shrugged. “Actually, we all are,” she whispered back. “Ms. Moffly says no hall privileges for the whole class for the rest of the week.”

Sophie sighed. That was too bad, and not just because she liked hall privileges. It was too bad because it made being awesome even harder.

Kate kindly handed Sophie a tray. “Hey, knock-knock!” she said brightly.

“Who’s there?” Sophie said.

“Kenya,” Kate said.

“Kenya who?” said Sophie.

“Kenya hand me one of those milks, please?” Kate laughed.

Sophie smiled a little again. She was glad she had a friend like Kate to cheer her up.

“Keep it moving!” shouted Grace from the back of the line.

Sophie handed Kate a carton of milk and slid her tray to where the lunch lady stood, waiting. She offered Sophie a plate full of fish sticks and French fries.

Sophie’s smile quickly faded. Fish sticks? How could something so blah have smelled so yum? It was probably the most unawesome lunch she could think of.

She set the plate down on her tray, then took a roll and a dish of carrots.

Then, suddenly, an idea hit her — and it was awesome!

“Hey, give me your tray!” she told Kate. Sophie grabbed it before Kate could stop her. “Sydney, give me yours, too!”

“Huh?” said Sydney. She was just about to walk out to the tables.

“I mean, won’t you
please
let me carry your tray out for you?” said Sophie. She smiled a big and helpful-looking smile. “You too, Sophie A.”

“Why?” the girls asked together.

“Because,” said Sophie, “I just want to be helpful. Plus, carrying four trays would be pretty awesome, don’t you think?”

She grinned at Kate. If she could have winked, she would have. It was too bad that it looked like something was stuck in her eye whenever she tried.

“Are you sure you can do it?” asked Sydney.

“No problem!” said Sophie. She moved Kate’s tray to her left arm and balanced it just above her elbow. Then she took Sydney’s tray in her left hand and Sophie A.’s in her right.

Ugh.
She tried not to groan. The trays were much heavier than she’d expected.

“Uh … put my tray right here, will you?” she asked Kate.

“Like this?” said Kate. She balanced the tray in the crook of Sophie’s right arm.

“Perfect,” said Sophie.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Sydney asked one more time.

I hope,
Sophie thought. “I am sure,” she said.

In fact, maybe she could carry
five
trays. One on her head! Like that lady carrying water in the desert on TV.

But then she looked around. The nearest tray was Mindy’s.

Four trays would be awesome enough.

“Okay! Let’s go!” Sophie said.

Sophie led her short line of trayless friends toward the girls’ usual table. Her arms were starting to shake. But she held her head high.

She waited for the whole cafeteria to notice her. To stop midchew and stare. To yell, “That is awesome!”

But no one did.

Sophie guessed they needed prodding.

“Coming through!” she began to holler. “Hot
fish sticks! Look out!” Suddenly, Dean scooted his chair out in front of her. “Seriously, look out!” she cried.

Dean scooted his chair back in. “No,
you
look out,” he said.

“What are you doing?” asked Jack, who was sitting beside him.

Sophie reached her table at last and smiled. “I,” she said, “am carrying four—count them—four trays!”

She wanted to bow, but of course she couldn’t. So Sophie decided to set the trays down. But she couldn’t do that, either.

The minute she leaned forward, the plates started sliding. The silverware started rolling. And all four trays started moving on their own!

“Help me, Kate!” Sophie cried.

Kate quickly slipped her hand under Sydney’s tray and set it down. Sophie A. and Sydney hurried to grab the others—just in time!

Sophie waited for her heart to start beating
normally again. Then she held up her arms. “Ta-da!” she called. She looked at all the kids around her. “What do you think? Wasn’t that … awesome?”

She thought there would be cheering or clapping. But there was not.

“You almost dropped them all,” said Sophie A.

“You spilled my carrots,” said Sydney.

“What’s so awesome about carrying four trays, anyway?” asked Mindy. She had just walked up behind them, carrying her own tray. “You know, I went to a restaurant last night where the waiter carried all five plates out at one time. It was for my grandmother’s birthday and it was very fancy.” Mindy turned and flashed Sophie one of her squinty, no-teeth smiles.
“And
he set the dessert on fire!”

“Really?” said Kate. “On real fire?”

Sophie nudged Kate with her elbow.

“Sorry,” said Kate, shrugging. “But that does sound pretty awesome.”

“I’ll tell you what else is awesome,” Toby piped
up suddenly. He was sitting at the boys’ table and holding up a handful of fries. “Look at this!”

He opened his mouth as wide as it could go.
(Yuck!
thought Sophie.) Then, one by one, he began to shove in French fries.

“One … two … three …,” Archie counted.

Soon the whole boys’ table had joined in, soft enough so that no lunch monitor would hear.

“… twenty-one … twenty-two … twenty-three!”

Toby pumped his arms. That was about all he could do with a big mouthful of fries.

“Twenty-three!” cheered Archie.

“That’s a record!” said Jack.

“That is gross,” said Mindy.

“No, that’s awesome!” said Dean.

Toby, of course, said nothing. He looked happy. But uncomfortable, too. He couldn’t even chew.

Awesome? Toby?
Sophie didn’t think so!

She sat down and grabbed her own fries. And Kate’s. And she began to stuff them into her mouth.

“Count,” she mumbled to Kate.

“Uh, one … two … three …” Kate began.

Soon all the girls were joining in.

“… eleven … twelve … thirteen …”

Then the boys were counting, too.

“… eighteen … nineteen … twenty …”

Sophie took another fry and put it into her mouth. She really wanted to chew. But she was so close — she couldn’t stop now! If this was what it took to be awesome, then this was what she would do.

“… twenty-one … twenty-two …” The voices were getting louder.

Sophie picked up another French fry. So what if her jaw was burning? She was going to break Toby’s record.

She was going to be awesome!

She wanted to smile. But she couldn’t. So she wiggled French fry number twenty-three instead.

“Hey! That one doesn’t count!” shouted Toby. By then, he had emptied his own mouth. “It’s too small!”

“Way too small!” agreed Archie.

Sophie wanted to frown. But she couldn’t. So she glared at Toby and Archie instead.

Then she quickly picked up another fry and began to shove it into her mouth.

“… twenty-thr —”

Suddenly, the voices around her stopped. It was like someone had hit the “mute” button, or — Or!

There was something else that could make the lunchroom get quiet.

Sophie slowly turned.

Sure enough, it was Principal Tate.

Uh-oh …

“M
iss Miller,” said the principal. He was looking down his long nose at Sophie. His eyes were very serious. “Do I need to remind you of the importance of table manners?”

Sophie looked up at him with a wide, stuffed mouth and even wider eyes. She had never, ever had the principal speak to her before. But she had seen him speak to other kids (like Toby and Archie) a lot. So she knew that when he asked you a question, you’d better answer.

But how was she going to answer him with twenty-three French fries in her mouth?

She figured the best thing to do was just shake her head.

“I didn’t think so,” said Principal Tate. “And I hope that I also don’t need to remind you of the
consequences
of poor manners.”

Consequences! That was not one of Sophie’s favorite words.

“Such as sitting out recess?” the principal went on. He raised one eyebrow, then the other.

How did he do that? And how was Sophie going to get rid of her French fries, she wondered. Chew? No. Spit? She wished.

She shook her head again and felt warm drool run down her chin.

“I know you wouldn’t like that,” said the principal. “And neither would I. That’s why I suggest you carefully remove those extra French fries from your mouth. And from now on, please eat them as they should be eaten: one at a time.”

This time Sophie nodded. And Principal Tate nodded back.

“Very good, Miss Miller,” he said. “Enjoy your lunch.”

S
ophie did not enjoy her lunch, of course. She did not enjoy everyone snickering at her. And she did not enjoy staring at her pile of spit-covered fries.

She was glad when lunch was over and it was time for recess. But still, she wasn’t awesome yet. And it was hard to be
very
glad without that.

“Come on,” said Kate as they hurried outside. “Let’s play our game.”

For two weeks, they had been playing the same recess game every day: International Superspy and Wild-Animal Emergency Vet.

Sophie always looked forward to it. Kate was the vet, specializing in big cats and dolphins. And Sophie was the spy, on a tough, top secret case.

But not today, she decided.

“I can’t play. I need to think,” she told Kate.

“Think? About what?” asked Kate.

Sophie looked at her. “About how to be awesome!”

“Oh, right,” said Kate. She twisted her mouth to the side and looked thoughtful. “Hey! How about Sophie the Big Mouth? Get it?” She laughed. “French fries. Big mouth.”

“Very funny.” Sophie sighed. “But I could have set a new French fry record,” she added. “Besides, Sophie the Awesome is the perfect name for me. I know it! I just have to find the right thing to be awesome at. Something that won’t get me in any more trouble.”

She looked around the yard as she talked. At the basketball court. And the jump-rope corner. And the jungle gym.

“That’s it!” Sophie said. The jungle gym! There were a million ways to be awesome there! She took off, with Kate right behind her.

The school’s jungle gym was brand new that year. It had a straight slide and a twisty one. It had a rope and a rock wall and a regular ladder to
climb up. It had a corkscrew thing to twirl down, and a real fire pole. Plus monkey bars to swing across. And not one, but two forts on stilts on either side.

The jungle gym was something Sophie was very good at. And it was something she could be awesome at if she tried!

She jumped up and grabbed the monkey bars. After a few tries, she swung herself up and happily looked down from the top. Awesome!

“Hey, over here!” she called to the rest of the playground. “Look how high I am! Isn’t it awesome? Check it out!”

But nobody heard her. The basketball players were too busy. And the jump-ropers were too loud.

“Check what out?”

Sophie turned to see Kate right beside her.

“How did you get up here?” Sophie asked.

“I followed you,” said Kate.

Sophie sighed. “You’re not supposed to follow me. I’m trying to be awesome,” she said.

“Oh,” said Kate. Then she looked around. “You might have to try a little harder. This is pretty easy.”

“Oh,” Sophie said. She was pretty sure that Kate was right.

She looked around the jungle gym. “What if I climb to the top of the fort?”

That was not easy. In fact, it was so hard no one had ever done it before. Sophie would be the first. And it would be awesome!

“Mmm, I don’t know,” said Kate.

Just then, a voice called up to them from below.

“Hey, Kate! Hey, Sophie!” It was Ben. “Want to play tag with us?”

Ben was Sophie’s favorite boy in their class, by far. Mostly because he was nice to girls. But also because he wore cool glasses and had a real air hockey table at his house. Plus he did not hang out that much with Toby. That was the best thing of all about Ben.

He was playing tag with Eve and Mia.

“The slide is safety,” Ben called up.

“I’m not It!” Kate hollered. She turned to Sophie. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Not now,” said Sophie.

“Why not?” asked Kate.

“Because I have a plan!” Sophie pointed to the fort roof. “I can’t waste time playing tag. No one can be awesome at that,” Sophie said matter-of-factly.

“You never know,” said Kate. She looked up at the roof, too. “Besides, don’t you think that looks kind of scary? What if you fell again?”

Sophie chewed on her fingernail. Kate could be right. But what about being awesome? And why couldn’t those jump-ropers be quiet? They really made it hard to think. And she was so tired of that song!

Bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish,

How many pieces do you wish?

It rang out all the way across the yard. Mindy, Lily, Sophie A., Sydney, and Grace were jumping and chanting to the beat. Sophie liked to jump rope sometimes. But they did it
every
day.

Sophie glared at them, just out of habit. Then her glare turned into a grin.

That was it!

She gave Kate a hug and climbed down from the jungle gym. “You go play tag,” she said. “I’m going to jump rope instead!”

Sydney was jumping when Sophie walked up to the group.

“Forty-one … forty-two … forty—Aw, too bad,” said Lily, Sophie A., and Grace as Sydney tripped on the rope.

“My turn!” said Mindy.

“Hi, guys,” said Sophie. “Can I jump, too?”

“Sure,” said Sydney. She moved aside to make room for Sophie.

“Hang on!” said Mindy. “I said it’s
my
turn.”

“But you already went once,” said Sydney. “Sophie M. just got here. Let her go.”

Mindy’s pinchy lips got pinchier. “Oh, fine.” She turned to Sophie and shrugged. “Your turns never take long, anyway.”

Normally, this would have bothered Sophie.
But this time, she smiled. She knew something that Mindy didn’t. She was about to break Mindy’s all-time jump-rope record!

“Hey, Mindy,” Sophie said as she took her position. “What’s your jump-rope record again?”

Mindy, who was now holding the rope, got a gleam in her eye.

“One hundred and thirty-four!” said Lily, who was holding the rope’s other end.

“Exactly,” Mindy said.

Of course, everybody knew that. Mindy reminded them all the time. She had set the record the year before. And no one in their class had ever beaten it. Not yet. But if Sophie could, she would officially be awesome. Even Mindy would have to admit it.

Sophie took a deep breath. She thought about the times she and Kate had jumped rope at home. There, they each used their own rope. They jumped and jumped for hours. Sophie was sure she’d jumped way more than one hundred and thirty-four times in a row before.

“Okay. Ready,” she said.

Mindy and Lily turned the rope, and Sophie began to jump.

Bubble gum, bubble gum, in a dish,

How many pieces do you wish?

Sophie tried to focus. Sometimes she didn’t even make it this far. But this day, her legs felt like springs.
You can do this!
Sophie told them.

The girls around her began to count. The numbers got bigger and bigger.

Twenty-one … twenty-two … twenty-three …

But Sophie was just getting started.

E
ighty-one … eighty-two … eighty-three …

“Wow, Sophie!” said Sydney. “Look at you go. Hey, everyone! Look at Sophie! She’s almost at a hundred!”

“Yeah, Sophie A.!” cried a few girls as they ran over.

Sophie almost stopped jumping to correct them. Then they saw who she really was.

“Hey, look! It’s Sophie M.!” they called.

Sophie couldn’t help smiling as more kids began to gather. Soon everyone was cheering, “Go, Sophie M.! Go!”

And she did. Sophie jumped and jumped like she’d never jumped before.

She passed a hundred!

She was going to set the all-time record!

One hundred and thirty … one hundred and thirty-one … one hundred and —

Then the rope caught her leg.

“My turn!” Mindy sang out right away.

Sophie turned and glared at Mindy. This time, it was not out of habit.

“You tripped me!” she cried.

“I did not!” Mindy said. And then … did she smile at Lily? Sophie was sure that she did. That proved it—Mindy had tripped her on purpose!

“I want to go again!” Sophie told her.

“All right, class! Recess is over! Time to come in!” Ms. Moffly’s voice rang out across the playground.

“You heard Ms. Moffly. You don’t want to get in even more trouble,” Mindy said too sweetly.

“But …,” Sophie began.

But nothing. It was too late. Mindy and most of the other kids were already running in.

Kate put her arm around Sophie’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You can break the record tomorrow. Look how close you came!”

Yes, she was close. But that wasn’t enough for Sophie.

Close wasn’t the same as awesome. Not at all.