Hey, New Kid!, page 4
“And my dad works for a bank, not the F.B.I.”
He unwrapped the other arm.
“Pal is a cocker spaniel, not an emu.”
He pulled the rest of the paper from around his chest. “And my first word was not encyclopedia.” He took another deep breath. “It was Mama.”
He waited for some kind of reaction, but everyone was silent.
“Time for cake!” Holly’s mother called from across the room. Cody was afraid to look up. He just stared at the floor until everyone had gone over to the table set up by the concession stand.
He listened as the kids sang “Happy Birthday.” The happier they sounded, the worse he felt. He thought about calling his mother to pick him up early. More than anything, he just wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere but Sparky’s Roller Rink.
He looked at the pile of toilet paper at his feet. Super deluxe Cody was gone for good—and he was just a plain old new kid all over again.
Chapter 12
Skating Smiles
Cody listened as Holly opened her presents. He wondered if she liked the drawing pad and markers. He did not go and see.
He cleaned up the scraps of toilet paper on the floor and threw them away. He felt like he was throwing away the pieces of Super Cody one by one, until they were all gone and only Cody was left.
He watched the kids go back onto the rink.
He didn’t join them. He sat on a bench and watched them skate.
He decided that he would go into the mountains and live in a cave, away from all people. He tried to remember what you called someone who did that. A kermit?
“Hey, Cody,” Chip called, then skated over beside him and sat down. “Why didn’t you come for cake?”
Cody didn’t say anything. He stared at his knees instead.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’m going to find a cave and become a kermit,” he said.
Chip smiled. “You mean a hermit,” he said.
“Yeah,” said Cody. “A hermit.”
“Can I come too?” said Chip. “We can live on berries and nuts.”
“Or order pizzas,” Cody said.
Chip laughed. “You’re funny,” he said.
“Thanks,” Cody said. “I think.”
Chip grinned at him. “You know,” he said, “you’ve still got some toilet paper on your face.”
Cody put his hand to his forehead. He felt yet another piece of toilet paper and pulled it off of his head.
“I can’t believe the way I skated. It was so dumb.”
Chip began to laugh again. “It was dumb. But it was funny. You should have seen those girls come out of the bathroom,” he said. “I’ll never forget it.”
Cody smiled just a little.
“And the way you took that curve on crack-the-whip. You should have seen your face!”
Cody’s smile got bigger.
Chip was laughing so hard now that he couldn’t even talk.
“I guess it was kind of funny,” Cody said. He pulled a piece of toilet paper out of his collar and they laughed together.
Holly skated up.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
Chip was still giggling. “He is,” he said. “We’re going to become kermits.”
Holly grinned. “You mean hermits.” She sat on the bench beside Cody.
“I’m sorry,” Cody said. “About the emu and all.”
“That’s all right,” Chip said. “I sort of figured it wasn’t true.”
“You did?”
“It’s kind of a new-kid thing,” Holly added. “I know how it feels.”
“How would you know?” Cody said to her.
“I was a new kid last year. I told everyone I was a great tap dancer. Everything was fine until recess when they asked me to dance. It was awful.”
Chip laughed. “I remember that,” he said.
Cody smiled. “I know just how you felt.”
Holly got up. “Come skate!” she said.
“No way. You saw what happened last time.”
Chip smiled. “Come on,” he said. “We’ll teach you!”
Chip took one arm. Holly took the other. Cody stood up between them. His skates slipped forward. Then his skates slipped backwards, but he didn’t fall down. Holly and Chip held him up.
“Let’s go!” Chip said. “This is my favorite song.”
Cody grinned. “I like this song too,” he said.
They had just learned something about each other. Something true.
The beat picked up.
Cody remembered his skating rules:
Take your time.
Find someone to hold your hand.
Always look up, never down.
Learning to fit in at a new school, he decided, was a lot like learning to skate. The same rules applied. Take your time. It took a while to get to know people. Find someone to hold your hand. He looked at Holly and Chip and smiled. Always look up. He thought of the happy face of the little engine chugging up the hill. It didn’t seem so irritating now.
The lights twinkled brightly. They stood on the side of the rink for a few seconds, watching the other skaters. He looked at Chip and then at Holly.
“Ready?” Holly asked.
“I think I can,” he answered.
She smiled at him. At least he thought she smiled at him. Yes, this time he was sure that she had smiled at him. And he smiled back.
Chapter 13
Time Enough!
Ms. Harvey passed back the math tests.
“Hey, Cody!” Chip tapped Cody on the shoulder. “What did you get?”
Cody smiled.
It was nice to hear his name—his real name. He had begun to think he would be called “new kid” forever.
“Eighty-five!” Cody held up his math test for Chip to see.
“Cool!” Chip said.
“Want to come over after school?” Cody asked. It was nice not to worry about Mom-asaurus and a pet emu.
“Sure.” Chip nodded.
“Class!” Ms. Harvey said in an excited voice. “Look!” She was standing by the window at the back of the room.
Cody and Holly and Chip and the other kids all ran to the window.
Tiny green plants had pushed their way up out of the soil toward the sun.
Cody found his cup. Three tiny leaves had appeared over the weekend.
“It made it!” Cody said.
Gently he picked up his cup and examined the tiny green stem. It looked pretty strong. He touched it carefully. It sprang back.
He knew what would happen next.
The stem would grow.
Then more leaves would grow.
Finally the plant would flower.
“When will it bloom?” Chip said. “How long?”
“Some things just take time,” Ms. Harvey answered.
“But how much time?” Chip asked.
Cody smiled and answered, “Time enough.”
Betsy Duffey is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Coaster, The Gadget War, How to Be Cool in the Third Grade, The Math Wiz, and the Pet Patrol series. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ellen Thompson has illustrated more than a hundred children‘s-book jackets, and her work has appeared in numerous magazines. She lives in Franklin Park, New Jersey.
Betsy Duffey, Hey, New Kid!
