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beautiful flowers!”
    Oh, no!
    Posey stopped.
    Miss Lee and Nikki were standing by Miss Lee’s desk. Miss Lee was holding the biggest bunch of flowers Posey had ever seen.

    They were every color. They were wrapped in beautiful green paper.
    The paper was tied with glittery ribbons that curled at the ends.
    â€œWe got them in a store that had nothing but flowers,” Nikki said.
    â€œIt’s called a florist,” said Miss Lee. “We’ll put that word on the word wall today.”
    She smiled at Nikki. Nikki smiled back.
    Posey’s heart felt like it was being squeezed.
    â€œI have just the thing for them!” Miss Lee said. She went to her closet and took out a vase. “How would you like to fill it with water for me?”
    â€œSure!” said Nikki.
    Nikki filled Miss Lee’s “just the thing!” vase with water. After Miss Lee put in the flowers, she wound the glittery ribbons around her wrist like a bracelet.
    She and Nikki laughed.
    Posey’s mouth felt trembly. Her eyes felt hot. Quiet as a mouse, she went back into the hall.
    Nikki’s flowers were so beautiful! Posey couldn’t give five little roses that were wrapped in a soggy paper towel to Miss Lee now.

    Yesterday they looked so beautiful. Today they looked so small.
    The tinfoil was crumpled where Posey had gripped it. One of the roses had a droopy head like it was sleepy.
    Looking at them made Posey feel sad.
    She put them in her backpack. She zipped it closed.
    Now Miss Lee wouldn’t know how much Posey liked her.
    Now she would like Nikki more than she liked Posey.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    â€œYOU’RE NOT MY FRIEND”
    A va and Nikki rushed up to Posey’s table.
    â€œMiss Lee loved the story I wrote for her!” Ava said.
    â€œShe loved my flowers, too!” said Nikki. “What did you give her, Posey?”

    â€œI don’t like you anymore, Nikki,” Posey said with her trembly mouth. “You’re not my friend.”
    Nikki’s eyes got big the way they did when she was going to cry.
    Posey turned around in her chair so she couldn’t see. Being mean made her feel a little better.
    But not for long.
    She didn’t have anyone to share her cookies with at lunch. She sat by herself on the swings at recess.
    When Miss Lee asked for helpers to pass out her birthday cupcakes, Posey didn’t raise her hand.
    The cupcakes had fluffy white frosting. They were covered with colored sprinkles.
    Posey didn’t touch hers.

    Miss Lee walked around the room. She stopped at every table.
    â€œAren’t you going to eat yours?” she said when she got to Posey.
    Posey shook her head.
    â€œYou have been quiet all day,” said Miss Lee. “Do you feel all right?”
    Posey nodded.
    Miss Lee crouched down. “Would you like to talk about it?” she whispered.
    Posey shook her head again. This time, she squeezed her eyes shut.
    â€œAll right.” Miss Lee stood up. “I’ll wrap this so you can take it home.”
    Posey watched Miss Lee walk away. She did want to talk about it. But not with Miss Lee.
    With her mom.
    Except, when Posey opened the car door after school and her mom said, “How did Miss Lee like your roses?” Posey didn’t talk.
    She cried.

CHAPTER EIGHT

    AS GOOD AS NEW
    â€œT here.” Posey’s mom put the last rose into the jar of water. She had snipped off the tips of each stem so they could drink.

    â€œThey will be as good as new in no time,” she said.
    Posey sniffed. She had told her mom what happened. Except not the part where she was mean to Nikki.

    â€œCan Danny have a piece of your cupcake?” her mom said.
    â€œI guess so.”
    Her mom put a piece of cupcake on the tray of Danny’s high chair. She sat down at the kitchen table next to Posey.
    â€œI’m sorry you were disappointed, Posey,” she said. “But you should have given Miss Lee your