hers.
And then my mom says, “Now it is time for the special surprise.”
“I love special surprises!” I gasp.
Then my mom reaches back into that bag. And she pulls out two hats.
“These are special French hats called berets,” she says.
I try the beret right on. So does Addie Jokobeck. Those hats are very floppy! They flop, flop, flop right over our eyes.
“ Bonjour! ” I say to Addie Jokobeck from under my beret. Bonjour is how you say “hello” in French.
“ Bonjour! ” Addie Jokobeck says from under her beret.
Then we take that special paint and paint those berets right up. I write “Hailey” on mine in pink paint. And then I put beautiful blue glitter all over it.
Addie writes “Adeline” on hers in red paint. Adeline is Addie’s real name. She is just called Addie for short. I am not called anything for short. I think about how maybe I should be called “Hail” from now on. I wonder if that would catch on.
“I love to paint on clothes,” Addie Jokobeck says. This is very shocking. Painting on clothes is very much against the rules. So I thought she probably would not like it too much. That Addie Jokobeck is just full of surprises.
“Do you want to have some ice cream after this?” I ask her. “We have vanilla and strawberries and cream!” Strawberries and cream is the best flavor of ice cream to have. I wait for Addie to get very happy and excited.
“Addie’s going to be leaving soon,” my mom says. “Her mom is on her way to pick her up.”
“Already?” I ask. I feel a little sad in my heart.
“Yes,” Addie says. “I am going over to Natalie’s to look at her tree house.”
My mouth drops all the way open. “You are going to Natalie’s?” I am very, very surprised by this. Addie Jokobeck and Natalie Brice are not even friends! Addie is my new friend, not Natalie’s! And I am the boss of her!
“Yes,” Addie says. She is painting stars on her hat.
“You,” I say, “should not go to Natalie’s. She is very, very mean.” I hope Addie Jokobeck knows I am the boss of her. “And I am not invited.”
“But her mom called my mom and we are going to work on her tree house and then we are going to have make-your-own sundaes,” she says. Make-your-own sundaes! That is the very best kind of ice cream activity! It is very delicious and very messy, two of my favorite things!
I do not think me and Addie Jokobeck are friends anymore. And I think everything might just be a big mess.
Chapter Eight
French Mustaches
Maybelle does not come back until the next day at school. She just poofs right up while we are having free art in room four.
“Where have you been?” I ask her. “I have been very worried about you, like maybe Mr. Tuttle took you away!”
“What do you mean, where have I been?” Antonio asks. “I have been right here!” He is sitting next to me. During free art we are allowed to sit wherever we want. And Antonio picked to sit with me, me, me! I am making a special picture of my family. So far Antonio has taught me that padre means father in Spanish, and madre means mother.
“I did not say anything,” I tell Antonio. “I do not know what you are talking about.” I pick up a red marker and draw some lips on my paper. Right on my dad. “Look at these red lips I just drew on my padre! ” I say. “Aren’t those some good lips?”
“Those are some very good lips,” Antonio says. He is drawing a picture of his grandparents’ ranch in Mexico.
“What is that a picture of?” Maybelle asks. She sits down at the top of my desk. She is wearing her glittery pink dress again. I am going to have to find her some other clothes. I do not think it is good for her to be wearing the same thing over and over again. It will get all dirty. And I do not know how to do laundry, thank you very much.
“This is a picture of my family,” I say to Maybelle. Only I pretend to say it to Antonio.
“I know,” he says. Then he wrinkles up his face and looks at