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once. But the screaming made her unmissable. Her face had already deepened to a rose-like purply red that spread to the tips of her pronounced ears. Sophie didn’t bother wondering what had set her off this time. It could have been anything from a spider to a skinned knee. The other kids gave her a wide berth.
    Sophie scanned the playground for adults. Normally, she’d wait until Lucy came over to her, but given how loud Lucy was screaming, it could be a while before she calmed down enough, and Sophie didn’t have time to wait. She’d take the direct approach today.
    She marched across the playground and halted right in front of Lucy. “If you don’t stop crying, I’ll pour water on your head. We have less than a minute before one of the teachers comes over and asks what I’m doing talking to you.”
    Lucy hurled herself at Sophie, wrapped her arms around the bigger girl’s waist, and sobbed into her shirt. She rubbed her nose against Sophie’s sleeve.
    â€œPlease, tell me there were no boogers,” Sophie said.
    â€œThat man s-s-s-cared me!” Lucy howled.
    Sophie didn’t see any man. “I’m quite sure he regrets it. You know you howl loud enough to wake the dead.”
    This was not the right thing to say to a girl who had nightmare issues.
    Lucy howled louder.
    â€œMaybe people would be nicer and not scare you if you didn’t scream so much.” All the kids nearby were staring at them, and Sophie wished she’d stayed back at the middle school. She didn’t like this many eyes on her. They’d be talking about her, the girl who was friends with Lucy. It wasn’t good for people to be talking about her. Maybe she should have waited. Or skipped today and come back tomorrow instead.
    â€œNot
them,
” Lucy said. “The nightmare man!”
    â€œWhat ‘nightmare man’?” Sophie asked. Immediately, she wished she hadn’t. She didn’t have time for lengthy explanations. One of the teachers was homing in on them. Lucy cried so often that the teachers didn’t respond quickly anymore, but the sight of an older kid on the playground was enough to catch their attention. “Never mind. I have your dreamcatcher. Want to trade?”
    Sniffling, Lucy nodded. She pulled a ribbon out from under her shirt. She’d strung the dreamcatcher on it like a large necklace. The dreamcatcher was about the size of Sophie’s palm, small enough to fit in Sophie’s pocket but too big for Lucy’s. Quickly, Sophie untied the string, slipped off the old dreamcatcher, and slid on a new one. She shielded Lucy from view so that the other kids wouldn’t notice, and then Lucy stuffed it back into her shirt. It bulged a little, but her shirt was baggy enough to hide it.
    â€œDo you have a story to tell the teacher?” Sophie asked. “Or do you want me to improvise?”
    Lucy sniffed again. “What’s ‘improvise’?”
    Before Sophie could define the word, the teacher was there. “Excuse me. Is everything okay here? Lucy, who’s this?”
    Lucy hurled herself at the teacher. “A m-m-mean man was b-b-bothering me! She scared him away! She saved me! I was so s-s-scared!” She howled again.
    That,
Sophie thought,
was improvising.
    â€œA man? Where?” With narrowed eyes, the teacher scanned the parking lot.
    â€œJust someone passing by, I’m sure. I didn’t get a good look at him,” Sophie said. “She seemed upset, so I came over. I was visiting the school nurse, delivering a message.” She waved the pink slip. “Have to get back now.”
    â€œCan you describe the man, Lucy?” the teacher asked the little girl. She knelt down to be even with Lucy’s eye level. “What did he look like? What did he say?”
    Sophie retreated while Lucy talked. She trotted across the playground, pretending she didn’t hear the teacher call after her.