The science fair was over. The judges had gone, but Jane still hovered by Lucy's display. People had already filed out from the gym. Jane had waited until Lucy went to the bathroom. Jane looked around herself to check if anyone was looking, but there were just a few groups of students and teachers talking among themselves.
Jane quickly took a look at Lucy's poem 'Snow Bird'. Of course, it had nothing about romance. It was about a bird rejoicing over the winter, because no cage with bars keeps her from walking on the snow, imprinting it with her tiny feet.
Jane was actually impressed by the imagery expression and creativity. Lucy Adams was indeed a talented poet. If only she had won a real contest and not that dumb one from Jonas and Mary. Jane felt the guilt kicking in again, and without thinking, she reached out and plucked the poem fr
Jane lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her mind was still humming from the day's activities. Though she did not win the science fair this year, something different clicked within her. It might sound cliché, but for the first time, Jane realized that she could do something and do it well. She wasn't the loser she thought she was. As long as she put her heart into it, she could do it. She didn't know that all it took was someone to come along and wake her up.Someone like Grace Anderson.Someone like Lucy Adams.Staying there, Jane reminisced over what happened in the past few months. She couldn't help feeling indebted to Lucy. And she was restless again thinking about the horrible prank she was involved in.Jane sat up and wen
Mr. Monroe read the names of all the science fair winners during morning announcements. Caroline's name was first. Jane didn't know any of the tenth-grade winners; she felt foolish for ever having dreamed she could be one of them.On top of that, the report cards would be handed out at the end of the day. Great.Lucy didn't speak a word to Jane during science class. In fact, she didn't even look at Jane at all. But at least she lit the Bunsen burner for the day's experiment, as calmly as if she had been lighting Bunsen burner all her life. Nobody called her stupid. But Jane's triumph over the Bunsen burner was empty now.She wanted to talk to Ms. Anderson after class, to try to explain to her why Lucy had been crying, but the teacher was deep in conversation with Mr. O'Hara. And beside
In English class the next Monday, Ms. Reeds assigned another book report. Jane was sitting anxiously at her desk for some reason she hadn't known.Then the teacher said, with her usual big smile, "Boys and girls, I want to share some exciting news with you. Lucy told me after class yesterday that one of her poems, 'Snow Bird', has won the first prize in the national writing contest!"Ms. Reeds led the class in applause. Jane sat frozen like a block of ice. If she could take back only one minute in her life, it would be the minute when she had agreed to go along with the evil scheme. Or maybe the minute when she had told Lucy about it.Jane glanced fearfully at Lucy. She wasn't crying, but there was something in her face that was more terrible than tears.
The school bell rang. Jane was weaving down the hall. She was late to her club meeting."Hey Jane!" Naomi, who was one of her classmates called out to her. "Are you free this Friday for a math tutoring session?""Yes! I'll be there at three!""Hey Jane! Lucy is waiting for you at Room B!" Chris said as she ran passed him."Okay, thanks!"Jane had turned the corner and then she opened her locker and checked herself in the mirror one more time.At the meeting room, Lucy was sitting the table with a book on her lap, reading a passage from a book.When she saw Jane, her whole face brig
Emily pounded Jane's front door, panting. When her best friend opened it, she collapsed to the hallway, still panting."Let's be honest," she said to Jane. "You and I are losers."Jane laughed because she thought both Emily and her already knew that for a fact. Besides her best friend always had a way of making it funny. But Jane hadn't been completely hopeless. She did make a few shots during basketball practice and sometimes got a C+ on her tests. She might not be as good in sports and school as Caroline, but she wasn't as bad as Emily either."We could form a club," Emily went on. Jane pulled her friend to a seated position and dropped down to her level so that they could talk better and to find out what silly idea Emily had come up with this time.
Jane Waleski leaned over the sink and examined her face in the mirror. There was another pimple flourishing on her chin. She grimaced in disgust and wondered if she should just pop this hideous mega zit. But her mom said patience is the key.With a sigh, she got out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen. As she passed the hall, she stopped and straightened her back against the measuring tape on the wall. She tried to make herself taller. She placed her hand on top of her brunette head. Then she turned around and checked where her fingers had touched the tape. Five feet, two inches.Still.She hadn't even grown a quarter of an inch since she had made the most recent mark on the chart back on her sixteenth birthday,sixmonths before.Jane let her
The Italian meatballs were delicious. Jane spooned over hot, buttery noodles and enjoyed every bit of it. Jane's dad had three helpings."You girls could open a restaurant," Jane's mother said. "If you ever want a job cooking for my school, let me know." Her mom's school was a preschool where she worked as a teacher. "Our kitchen staff could definitely use some new ideas. What else did you girls do this afternoon?""Nothing," Jane said."Same," Caroline said.It was one of their favorite replies to their mother's questions."Caroline, I saw you got a letter from the senator in the mail. Was that anything interesting? Had you written to him about something?" she asked again.
Ms. Anderson explained more about how the science fair projects should be organized. Then she said, "Now I want you to form small groups for brainstorming about science fair ideas. I'll be circulating among your groups to begin talking with each of you individually."After they had counted off, Jane found herself in the first group, with three girls, including Lucy Adams —not Emily. Ms. Anderson pulled her chair over to join them."In science, we start out with questions," Ms. Anderson said in her low, throaty voice. "What questions about our physical world would any of you like to try to answer?"Jane had plenty of questions, but she kept them to herself. Why wasn't she growing taller? How come some people were better at things than other people? How could anybody have hair that