The Dragonfly Club by Mari Ringness

Author:Mari Ringness
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
Published: 2015-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

Eight

After two weeks of doing extra chores around the house and walking Mrs. Nelson’s dog every day after school, Grace was beginning to wonder if they’d ever save up enough money to buy Tillie a bike. She looked down at her dirty hands and brushed them together to release the extra dirt that stuck to her moist palms. The pile of black dirt in front of her seemed just as big as when she started. She was shoveling dirt into a wheelbarrow and then bringing it to a new rose garden her mom was starting in the far corner of the yard. This job alone would give her five dollars to put toward Tillie’s bike. She looked at the pile of earth again and smiled. She took a deep breath, the smell of moist earth and soiled wood filled her nostrils and gave her new strength. She took the shovel back in her hands, determined to finish the job. She pushed the end of the shovel deep into the dark pile and was about to lift it when she heard someone shout her name.

Looking up, she spotted Sully standing two houses down. Why did he have to live by her? He was wild, competitive, and obviously didn’t like her. This was the first time he’d said anything to her since the scavenger hunt. Every time she saw him he always shot her an angry scowl. Sore loser, she thought.

She stood still. To her surprise, he jumped the wire fence surrounding his yard and ran through her next door neighbor’s yard until he stopped right in front of her.

“I know why you’ve been working so hard lately,” he said with a glint in his eyes.

Grace remained silent. She pushed the shovel deeper into the dirt and let go. The wooden handle stood straight up on its own, stuck in the middle of the pile like it had been growing there for years. She brushed her hands against her jeans and crossed her arms.

Sully’s expression softened. “You’re interesting, Grace Mitchell.”

Grace felt her jaw drop and almost took her hand to push it back up, but she resisted the urge and stood her ground.

“What do you want, Sully Stevens?”

He eyed the work she’d been doing and then met her gaze. Again he said, “I know why you’ve been working so hard lately.” It burned her that he seemed to know her secret. She decided to play dumb.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied. She looked him straight in the eyes despite her racing heart and the stomach ache that suddenly appeared.

“Liz told me.”

Grace looked down to her feet. Though Sully hadn’t moved, she felt like someone had kicked her in the gut. She took a step back.

Sully took a step forward. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t tell anyone. Your little secret’s safe with me.”

She shot him an angry glare. “You better not. We’re working hard to raise money to buy Tillie a bike, and we don’t have much time. It’s going to be a surprise.

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