actually a face Ms Fincastle on one side Audrey on the other Mimi had said those clouds made NO SENSE and were ALL WRONG and Audrey must never have paid attention in science because rainbows don’t look like that Ms Fincastle had called it stupendous and said Audrey was a true creative talent Except she still hung it underneath Mimi’s So Mimi was the best at being an arteest Bettina was the best at putting up with Mimi She’d listen when Mimi bossed her around and told her where to sit and when to stand and what to do Mimi and Bettina together made the best friendship bracelets They’d never shared with Audrey Lena was the best at braids and taking care of the library basket Sonya ran faster than the third graders 12
Von never got anything wrong on a spelling test Not even the bonus words the ones with four whole syllables And then there was Diego Diego had been Audrey’s very first friend on the very first day of first grade when he’d told her a knock knock joke that made her laugh so hard chocolate milk squirted out of her nose He wasn’t even grossed out not one little bit Back then Diego was the best at being a friend But this year Diego and Kadir and Henley started the Acorn Club which made Ms Fincastle think they were being responsible scientists but really it was a joke-writing club that they had to keep a secret from Ms Fincastle because sometimes their jokes were inappropriate The Acorn Club was truly the best at being funny Diego must have forgotten that it was Audrey who 13
had taught him all the best knock-knock jokes in first grade And this year when Diego told a knock-knock joke at lunch that made Audrey laugh so hard chocolate milk squirted out of her nose he called her Slimy Snot Kadir and Henley laughed and laughed and laughed He was definitely not the best at being a friend anymore Audrey was okay at braids and spelling and running when she wasn’t wearing sandals but without Diego she wasn’t even sure she had a friend to practice being the best to Second grade was not twice as fun as first grade It was way way worse
CHAPTER 2 Little chickens said Ms Fincastle Ms Fincastle must have wanted to be a farmer before she became a teacher She was always calling her students ducklings or tiny piglets or kids Audrey thought kids was extra funny because it meant child and baby goat She wanted to let Ms Fincastle know that she knew about that Ms Fincastle always got an eye twinkle when kids made a connection all on their very own Did anybody else in Room 19 ever notice her eye twinkle Nope Nobody else noticed the sneakers in Ms Fincastle’s tote bag every Tuesday and Thursday probably for 15
