Who's Afraid of Fourth Grade? (2 page)

Katie smiled at Jeremy. At least
one
of her best friends was going to miss her in class this year. “It really stinks,” she agreed.

“But we'll see each other,” Jeremy promised her.

“I know,” Katie replied. “So how was your week at sleepover soccer camp?”

“Awesome!” Jeremy told her. “I really improved. I just found out I made the Cherrydale traveling soccer team!”

“Wow!” Katie congratulated him. Being on the traveling soccer team was a big deal. Only the best players in town got to be on that squad.

“I'm second string right now,” Jeremy admitted. “But that's because I'm one of the youngest players. The coach said if I practice a lot, I could start a few games.”

“Cool,” Katie replied. “Maybe I could practice with you during our Wednesday playdates.”

“Oh, I can't play with you on Wednesdays anymore,” he said. “That's when the team practices.”

“But we always . . .”

“It's not my fault,” Jeremy interrupted her. “That's when the practices are. What can I say? Things change.”

Katie sighed. As far as she was concerned, too many things were changing.

“Why don't you hang out with Suzanne on Wednesdays?” Jeremy suggested.

“I can't. She's got modeling classes.”

Jeremy shrugged.

“Can we pick another day?” Katie asked.

“I don't know. I'm really . . .”

“Katie!” Mrs. Carew called out, interrupting Jeremy.

“Gotta go,” Katie said. She didn't want to hear the rest of Jeremy's answer.

“Ouch!” Katie cried. Her foot had gotten stuck in the bottom of one of the cardboard displays.

Bam!
She tripped and fell. The display flipped over on top of her, and she fell to the floor. Hundreds of colorful cardboard folders showered onto her head.

Katie sat there in the middle of a huge pile of folders. Jeremy tried hard not to laugh. But he couldn't help it. She looked hilarious.

Katie glared up at her
supposed
best friend and scowled. “It's not funny!” she told him.

“It kind of is,” Jeremy told her, biting his lip.

As Katie started to get up, Jeremy burst out laughing.

Katie looked over at Jeremy and rolled her eyes. “This day stinks!” Katie moaned.

Katie was quiet all through dinner that night. She didn't feel much like talking.

“So, Katie, are you all packed for school tomorrow?” her father asked as they were eating dinner.

“I guess so.”

“She's got a great new backpack,” Katie's mom told her husband.

“I always loved the first day of school,” Katie's dad recalled. “It was so exciting meeting my teacher, getting a nice clean desk, and seeing all my friends again.”

“I won't be seeing my friends,” Katie told him.

“That's not true,” her mom reminded her. “They're still in your school. Plus, you've got some of your old friends in your class. You'll make new ones too.”

“I don't want any new friends!” Katie exclaimed.

“Katie, that's just silly,” Mrs. Carew replied. “Sometimes it's good to make new friends.”

“What if Mr. Guthrie is mean? What if he's strict like Mrs. Derkman?”

Mr. Carew laughed. “Oh, I don't think anyone will ever be like Mrs. Derkman. She's one of a kind.”

Katie frowned. “I don't want school to start. I wish . . .”

Katie was about to say she wished she'd never have to go to school, but she stopped herself. The trouble with wishes was, sometimes they came true. Katie knew all about what happened when they did.

It had all started one day at the beginning of third grade. Katie had lost the football game for her team, ruined her favorite pair of pants, and let out a big burp in front of the whole class. It was the worst day of Katie's life. That night, Katie had wished she could be anyone but herself.

There must have been a shooting star overhead when she made that wish, because the very next day the magic wind came.

The magic wind was a wild tornado that blew just around Katie. It was so powerful that every time it came, it turned her into somebody else! Katie never knew when the wind would arrive. But whenever it did, her whole world was turned upside down . . . switcheroo!

The first time the magic wind came, it had turned Katie into Speedy, class 3A's hamster! While Katie was Speedy, she had escaped from the hamster cage and wound up in the boys locker room—stuck inside George's stinky sneaker! Luckily, Katie had switched back into herself before George could step on her.

The magic wind came back again and again after that. Once, it turned her into Lucille, the lunch lady. Katie had started a food fight and almost got Lucille fired.

The wind had also changed Katie into other kids—like Jeremy, Becky, and Suzanne's baby sister, Heather. That time, things got really awful—Suzanne had tried to change her diaper! Good thing Katie had stopped her just in time.

Once, the magic wind turned Katie into her dog, Pepper. Cocker spaniel Katie had chased a really nasty squirrel into Mrs. Derkman's yard—and had destroyed her teacher's favorite troll statue. Mrs. Derkman had definitely not been happy about that!

The switcheroos just kept on coming. Once, it turned her into Mrs. Derkman. Another time, it turned her into Genie the Meanie, her science camp counselor. That had been kind of scary—especially when Katie got all her friends lost in the woods overnight.

Then there was the time the magic wind changed Katie into Louie, the owner of the pizza place at the Cherrydale Mall. She'd spent an entire afternoon making pizzas for Louie's big pizza-eating contest. Katie was glad her mother hadn't known about that. Katie wasn't actually allowed to use an oven yet.

“I know one thing you can look forward to this school year,” Mrs. Carew reminded Katie, interrupting her memories of the magic wind. “Your cooking lessons.”

“Cooking lessons?” Mr. Carew asked.

“Katie found out that Jeremy had soccer practice on Wednesdays. That's when they usually have a playdate, and Katie was upset,” Mrs. Carew explained. “So to cheer her up, I took her to Louie's for some pizza. Louie told us about a great cooking class for fourth-graders. They're giving it at the Community Center. We went right over and signed Katie up for Wednesday afternoon cooking classes.”

Mr. Carew licked his lips hungrily. “Mmmm. I can't wait to taste all your new recipes,” he told Katie. “Just think, maybe someday you'll make pizzas as well as Louie does.”

Katie sighed.
If her father only knew
.

By the time Katie arrived at the school yard the next morning, the classes were already lining up. She looked over at the line for class 4B. Suzanne was busy showing off her new jeans—black ones with silver zippers all over—to the other girls in class 4B. Miriam and Zoe seemed really impressed.

Katie usually hated it when Suzanne showed off. Sometimes, she even walked away when Suzanne began to brag. But today, Katie headed straight over to where Suzanne was standing.

“Nice pants,” she complimented her best friend.

“Thanks,” Suzanne replied. She looked at Katie's blue sweater, plaid skirt, and red high-tops. “Didn't you have those sneakers last year?” she asked Katie.

Katie shook her head. “These are new ones. They're a full size bigger.”

Suzanne shrugged, unimpressed. “Hey, shouldn't you be standing with class 4A? They're over there.” She pointed over to where the kids in
Katie's
class were gathered.

Katie couldn't believe how cold Suzanne was acting. Even though they were in different classes, she was still her best friend. Right? “See you after school,” Katie muttered as she walked away.

As Katie got into line behind Emma W., her stomach started doing flip-flops. With Suzanne and Jeremy over there, and her over here, she was really afraid to start fourth grade.

“Hi, Katie,” Emma W. said in her quiet, shy voice.

“Hi,” Katie replied softly.

Emma studied Katie's face. “You wish you were in that class too, don't you?” she asked knowingly.

Katie nodded. “Jeremy, Suzanne, and I were always together . . . until now, anyway.”

Emma sighed. “I know how you feel. Jessica and I have been in the same class since preschool. Now she's over there and I'm over here. It's going to be so weird.”

Just then, George Brennan came charging up toward the line. “Hey, Katie Kazoo!” he greeted her.

Katie grinned—a little. She couldn't help it. She really loved it when George called her by the super-cool nickname he'd given her.

“Hi, George. Do you know Emma? She's in our class this year.”

“Cool,” George said, smiling at Emma.

“Did you have a good summer?” Katie asked.

“Yeah!” George exclaimed. “I went to this awesome beach resort that had a circus school for kids. I learned how to be a clown, and I got to try swinging on a trapeze.”

“Wow!” Katie was impressed. “It sounds like fun.”

“It was. I wanted to stay there forever. You know, run away with the circus.”

“Sometimes I feel that way too,” Katie agreed.

“Do you know what happened to the kid who ran away with the circus?” George asked her.

Katie shook her head. “What?”

“The police made him give it back!” George chuckled at his own joke. Katie and Emma giggled too. Nobody told jokes like George did.

Kadeem was standing just behind Katie and George. He didn't laugh at George's joke. Instead, he told one of his own. “What do you call a spoiled tightrope walker?” he asked Katie.