Pickle Puss (4 page)

A blue fish was swimming after Emily.

It was going to grab her.

Emily tried to swim faster.

Then she felt the sun on her face.

She was in her own bed.

She opened one eye.

She didn't want to think about the blue fish.

Maybe she'd think about her new book. The in-between one.

It was all about a girl. A funny girl like Stacy. Her name was Ramona.

She had read a pile of pages last night.

Today she'd read another pile.

“Wake up, Emily,” Stacy said. “I want to show you something.”

Emily opened her other eye.

Stacy waved a paper around.

“What's that?” Emily asked. She looked at a bunch of scribble-scrabble lines.

“Can't you tell?” Stacy asked.

“Is it a picture of a railroad track?”

Stacy shook her head.

“I give up,” Emily said.

Stacy leaned over her. “It's a Stacy. Part of a Stacy.”

Emily turned the paper upside down.

She could see a big shaky
S.

She could almost see a
t.

“S for Stacy Snake,” said Stacy. “And the crossing-thumbs one. 7\”

“Not bad,” Emily said. “Too big though.”

“I like them big,” said Stacy. “I like to see them.”

Emily reached for her book.

Stacy leaned closer. “I wish I could write my name. I wish it more than anything.”

Emily sat up.

“I want to get a card,” Stacy said.

She tapped on Emily's foot.

“I don't care about my name on the wall.” Tap.

“I don't care about a fish.” Tap.

“I want to get my own books myself.” Tap.

Emily blinked. “I won't have a foot left.”

“Sorry,” Stacy said.

Emily looked down at her book. “I have to read,” she told Stacy. “August is almost over.”

Dawn was probably reading too.

Maybe she'd catch up with Emily. Maybe she'd even pass her.

Emily looked up.

Stacy had milk around her mouth.

Her brown eyes had tears in them.

Emily sighed. “Get me some paper,” she said. “Get a whole bunch.”

Stacy jumped off the bed. “What are we going to do?”

“We're going to write your name,” Emily said. “A hundred times. Until you know it.”

Stacy went down the hall. “Hundred-nun-dred,” she sang.

Emily slid out of bed.

She put on her torn pink shorts.

She put on her I hate spinach shirt.

She looked under the bed for her flip-flops.

“Here I am,” Stacy said. “Ready or not.”

Emily sat on the floor, She put on her flip-flops. “Make an
S.
Make af.”

She leaned over Stacy. “Not so big.”

Stacy made an
S.
She made a little
t.
“Look at that skinny little thing. Small as anything,” she said.

Emily looked at it. “Make another one. Make it darker.”

Stacy put her tongue out a little. She wrote another
S-t.
“Perfect,” she said.

“Almost,” said Emily. “Now we're going to do an a.”

She drew one for Stacy on the paper.

“A
has a nice fat stomach,” said Stacy, singing. She leaned over the paper.

Emily swallowed. Stacy's
a
was terrible.

She'd have to do it over and over.

They'd be sitting on the floor all morning.

All day. All week.

“You're a good-good-sister,” Stacy sang. She wiped her mouth on her hand. Emily smiled.

She tried not to think about Dawn. “I know,” she said.

It was Thursday again. School would begin next week.

Today was the last day to fish for a good book. Tomorrow was the library party.

Emily sat in the driveway reading.

Stacy sat next to her. She had a purple crayon.

She was writing y's.

They looked like 4's.

“Two pages to go,” Emily said. “I love this book.”

She took the crayon.

She made a
y
with nice arms.

“Very pretty,” Stacy said. “I can do that too.”

Emily turned the page of her book.

She'd have four fish today.

She'd take another tan one.

Too bad she kept thinking about that blue fish.

She bit her thumbnail.

She should have three fish.

Not four.

“Only babies suck their thumbs,” Stacy said.

“Snaggle doodles,” said Emily. She looked up.

Beast and Jill and Dawn were coming down the street.

Pickle Puss was curled around Dawn's neck.

“You have a fur coat,” Stacy yelled.

“Want to play something?” Beast asked.

The three of them came up the path.

Emily reached out.

She gave the cat a pat.

It yanked on Dawn's hair.

“Crazy cat,” Emily said.

“He does that all the time,” said Dawn. “He sleeps with me too.”

Emily swallowed.

The cat stuck its head in Dawn's neck.

It began to purr.

“He really loves Dawn,” said Jill.

“He loves me too,” said Emily.

“Me too,” said Stacy.

Beast jumped over a crack in the sidewalk. “Let's play giant steps.”

“Just a minute,” Emily said.

She held up her book. “I have a teeny bit left.”

“Just another minute too,” Stacy said. “I have to make another j.”

Emily read the last sentence.

“Terrific,” she said.

“You read all that?” Beast asked.

Emily nodded.

“Didn't your eyes get tired?”

“Not one bit.”

“Mine don't get tired either,” Dawn said.

Stacy put down her paper. “My hand gets tired. Very tired.”

“I'll do the calling,” Beast said. He stood in the middle of the driveway.

Everyone else went to the end.

“Dawn,” Beast called. “You may take two giant steps.”

Dawn took two great big giant steps.

Beast started to laugh.

He jumped up and down.

“Go back,” he yelled. “You forgot to say 'May I?'”

“You're right.” Dawn laughed. She stepped back.

Emily watched Dawn out of the corner of her eye.

The cat was still hanging around Dawn's neck.

Jill was right.

The cat loved Dawn.

Dawn loved the cat too. She was rubbing her chin on its fur.

Too bad, Emily thought. She loved the cat more.

“How many fish do you have?” she asked Dawn.

“I'm not telling,” said Dawn.

“Emily,” said Beast. “Take two grandma steps.”

“May I?”

“Yes, you may,” said Beast.

Emily bent over. She took two teeny grandma steps.

She was going to win.

Dawn had only three fish.

She was sure of it.

She tried not to hear the cat purring.

Emily looked in the mirror.

Her party dress was pink.

It was too short.

Her knees showed. They had two brown scabs.

She made a face.

“Your face looks ugly like that,” Stacy said.

Emily felt ugly. She felt like a mongoose.

“What's the matter?” Stacy asked.

Emily didn't answer.

She shook her head.

She kept thinking about the blue fish.

Stacy danced around the bedroom.

She was wearing her party dress too. A yellow one.

“Li-berry par-par-party,” Stacy sang. “Will I get my card today?”

“Write small,” Emily said. “Write dark.”

They went downstairs.

Their mother was in the hall. “You look great,” she said.

“Except for my knees,” said Emily.

Her mother smiled. “You're growing. The dress is a little short. We'll have to get you a new one after school starts.”

Emily and Stacy went down the street.

They waved back at their mother.

They turned in at the library door.

Mrs. Baker was standing at a table. She was giving out juice and cupcakes.

She smiled at them. “I have to ask you something later.”

Emily nodded. She said hello to Jill.

Then she went over to the Fish for a Good Book chart.

Dawn was standing there.

Emily looked over her shoulder.

She could see her four fish. Two tan ones, a red one, and that blue one.

She looked at Dawn's name.

Dawn still had only three fish.

She had lost.

Emily could take the cat home.

She took a deep breath.

Stacy danced over to them. She waved a paper around.

“I have to write my name,” she said. “Small and dark. Right?”

“Right,” Emily said.

She leaned over Stacy. She watched her make the
S.

She looked at Dawn. Dawn's face was red.

“Where's the cat?” Emily asked.

“He's home.” Dawn had tears in her eyes. “On my bed. I told him it was the last time.”

“Oh,” said Emily. She watched Stacy make the
a.

“Very nice. Right, Emily?” Stacy asked.

“Yes.”

“I worked hard on this,” Stacy told Dawn.

“That's good,” Dawn said.

“Are you crying?” Stacy asked.

“No,” Dawn said.

Stacy finished her name. She went to the front.

Emily looked at the chart again.