Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day (2 page)

We stopped real fast.

My teacher's name is Mrs. She has another name, too. But I just like Mrs. and that's all.

“Yes, but we need to keep on skipping,”
I said. “’Cause Grace said we have to warm up our muscles for Field Day. If you don't warm up your muscles, your legs will get clams.”

“Clamps,” said Lucille.

“Cramps,”
said Grace.

Mrs. smiled a little bit.

“You girls will have plenty of time to warm up outside,” she said. “But right now, we have an important job to do. Right now, we're going to pick a captain for our Field Day team.”

Just then, everyone got excited all over again.

A boy named Meanie Jim waved his hand in my teacher's face.

“Me! Me! Pick me!” he hollered. “I will make a great captain!”

“No, pick me, Teacher!” shouted
another boy named Paulie Allen Puffer. “I will be better than him!”

“No! Pick me! I'm the fastest runner in all of kindergarten!” hollered that Grace.

Mrs. sat down in her chair. She crossed her arms and waited for the yelling to stop.

I hurried to her desk speedy quick.

“Mrs.! Mrs.! Guess what? I did not shout just then!” I said. “Did you hear me? Huh? Did you hear me not shouting? I was the only one in the whole room who didn't shout, I believe.”

I pulled on her sleeve.

“Maybe you should reward me for that behavior,” I said. “Huh, Mrs.? What do you think? Maybe you should make
me
the captain of Field Day. ’Cause that would teach the other children a good lesson, probably.”

Mrs. stood up. She walked me back to my table. And she pointed her finger at me.

“Sit,” she said.

“Stay,” she said.

After that, she went back to her desk. And she held up a little basket.

“Boys and girls, please listen carefully. In this basket, there are eighteen folded slips of paper. Seventeen of the papers are blank. But one of the papers has the word
captain
printed on it. Whoever picks that one will be the captain of our Field Day team.”

After that, Mrs. carried the basket around the room.

She stopped at every table. And she let all the children pick a paper.

“Keep your papers folded until everyone has chosen,” said Mrs. “We'll all open our papers together.”

My stomach felt nervous and jumpy inside. ’Cause I didn't want anyone else to pick the
captain
paper, of course.

When Mrs. got to my table, my heart was pumping very much.

She held up the basket for me to pick.

I reached in real careful. Then I digged and digged all around in there.

Mrs. tapped her foot. “Please, Junie B. Just pick one, okay?” she said.

“Yeah, but I don't think my fingers have touched the right paper yet,” I said. “I am waiting to get the right vives.”

“Vibes,”
said Mrs. “It's short for
vibrations
.”

“Whatever,” I said. Then I digged and digged some more.

“For the love of Pete!” said Mrs. “Just
pick
one.”

After that, I quick picked a teensy paper from the basket. Then I waited at my seat very patient until all the rest of the children picked, too.

Mrs. smiled. “Okay, everyone. When I count to three, you can open your papers.

“One … two … three!”

I opened mine up.

Then I did a gasp.

’Cause I saw
letters,
that's why!

“MRS., MRS.! LOOK! MY PAPER HAS LETTERS ON IT! IT IS THE WORD
CAPTAIN,
I THINK!”

I zoomed to the front of the room to show her.

And guess what?

She said I was right!

I skipped around in a circle. “HURRAY! HURRAY! I AM IT, PEOPLE! I AM CAPTAIN FIELD DAY!”

After that, I laughed and danced and clapped and clapped.

Only what do you know?

Nobody else clapped with me.

Mrs. hurried over to me. She said to please stop dancing.

“Yeah, only I can't even control my feet that good. ’Cause they are excited about being Captain Field Day!” I said.

I jumped up and down. “I've always wanted to be the boss of these people! And now I am the captain of everybody!
Captain
means the same thing as
boss
! Right, Mrs.? Right?”

Just then, my whole mouth fell open.
’Cause I thought of something very wonderful!

“Mrs.! Hey, Mrs.! Guess what else
captain
can be? It can be the name of a superhero, I think!”

I clapped my hands. “Yes! Yes! I heard of that before! I heard of a superhero named Captain somebody-or-other. And so that makes this job even better!” I said.

I hugged myself real happy. “Maybe I can even wear a whole entire superhero outfit! Like a leotard and tights! And a cape! And a belt with lightning!”

Just then, Mrs. held her hand in the air. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” she said. Then she quick took me into the hall. And she bent down next to me.

“Junie B., you are very mixed up about being a team captain. Team captains are not
superheroes. They're not even close, in fact.”

I did a frown at that woman. “Why? Why aren't they?” I asked. “Captains are the bosses, right?”

Mrs. shook her head. “No, Junie B. Not in this case, they aren't. In this case, a team captain
supports
the team. A team captain keeps the team
united.”

She looked at me. “You know what
united
means, don't you? You've heard of that word before, right?”

I thought and thought very hard. But I couldn't actually remember it.

Mrs. explained it to me.

“
Unite
means to join people together, Junie B.,” she said. “A team captain keeps her teammates working together in good spirits. Instead of bossing them around, she
cheers them on. Do you think you can do that?”

I did a little frown. ’Cause this was not the job I expected, that's why.

Finally, I shrugged my shoulders.

“I guess I can do it,” I said kind of quiet. “But I still wish I could have a cape.”

I looked at her real serious. “I wish that really, really bad, Mrs.,” I said.

Mrs. stood up.

“Well, I suppose if we looked around the room, we could find a towel to pin on your shoulders. How would that be?” she asked.

My eyes got big and wide at her. Then I jumped way high in the air.

“Perfect! A towel will be perfect, Mrs.!” I said. “’Cause then I will look like the real actual Captain Field Day! Plus also,
I can dry my hands occasionally!”

After that, I runned straight to the sink in the back of Room Nine. And guess what? Mrs. found a towel in the cabinet. And it was a red one!

She pinned it on my shoulders.

I zoomed all around the room.

“Look at me, Mrs.! Look at me! I am fast as lightning in this thing!”

Finally, Mrs. grabbed my hand and she walked me over to the door.

“Boys and girls, it's time to get things started,” she said. “Let's all form a line behind our team captain.”

I spinned around and looked at them. “That's me, people! I am your captain! I am the one with the red cape! The cape will remind you that I am Captain Field Day!”

Just then, Room Nine groaned and
groaned. Only I don't actually know why.

After that, they lined up behind me. And all of us marched outside to the playground.

Then we waited real excited for Room Eight to come out.

’Cause Field Day was ready to begin!

I know two people in Room Eight.

First, I know a boy named Handsome Warren. He was a new kid at school.

I used to love him. Only now I don't even see him, hardly. So he is just Regular Warren, and that's all.

I know another new kid in Room Eight, too. Her name is New Thelma.

The first day she came to our school, my boyfriend named Ricardo chased her all over the playground.

I hollered and hollered for him to stop. But he said chasing New Thelma was fun. And so that is how come he dumped me.

Dumped
is the grown-up word for when you have to find a new Ricardo.

Just then, the school door opened. And Room Eight came running out to the playground.

The Room Eight teacher was at the front of their line. She was holding someone's hand.

I did a gasp.

’Cause guess what?

It was New Thelma! New Thelma was the captain of Room Eight, I think!

Mrs. smiled at me.

“Okay, Junie B. Here's what happens next. As soon as they get out here, you and the team captain of Room Eight shake
hands. And then Field Day can begin.”

I felt kind of sickish inside.

“Yeah, only here's the problem,” I said. “I don't actually like that girl. And so I will
just shake hands with the Room Eight teacher instead.”

“No, Junie B.,” said Mrs. “That's not how it's done. Team captains shake hands with
each other.
It's the way teams show good sportsmanship.”

After that, Mrs. marched me right over to New Thelma.

And wait till you hear this!

That pushy girl grabbed my hand without even asking!

“Hey, I know you!” she said real giggly. “I've seen you on the playground before! You're a friend of Ricardo's.”