Episode 7 by Tamara Hart Heiner

Author:Tamara Hart Heiner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: transitions, school life, school, goodbyes, changes, chapter book, friendship, crushes
Publisher: Tamark Books
Published: 2016-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

ANDREA CAUGHT CASSIE’S eye as Ms. Timber lined them up for recess. Each hour had been filled with one activity after the other. But the best one, in Cassie’s opinion, was about to happen. Andrea gave Cassie a long, slow nod, which Cassie returned. She then turned around, caught Maureen’s eye, and gave the same nod. Maureen did it back. Cassie smiled and faced the front. The plan was in motion.

The girls filed out with the rest of the sixth grade class, but one by one dropped to the back of the line. When Ms. Timber turned the corner of the building, the seven of them ran back inside the classroom.

“Quickly, quickly, quickly!” Andrea said, pulling out the cut-out hearts and shoes. (No one ever got around to cutting out cakes.)

“Isn’t your mom bringing food?” Jessica asked Cassie.

“She’ll be here any minute,” Cassie said, her pulse racing. She’d been very specific about the time. Now would be a very bad time for her mom to be late.

They taped their cutouts to the desks, the windows, even hung a few to the ceiling.

Then Mrs. Jones came in carrying a cake concealed beneath a crystal dome. “Hello, girls,” she said, setting the cake on the desk. She lifted the dome, and they crowded around to “oo” and “aw” over it. Mrs. Jones had looped white ribbons of icing around the cake, accented with little silver balls. Glorious pink roses sat on top.

“It looks great,” Cassie said, beaming at her mother. Not that Cassie expected anything less. Her mom was gifted with cakes, always making the most amazing ones for birthdays.

“Oh!” Andrea exclaimed, looking at the time. “We have to get outside. If we’re not there at line-up, she’ll miss us!”

“I’ll just hide behind the backpacks,” Mrs. Jones said.

The girls scurried out, hurrying to rejoin their classmates before Ms. Timber noticed they’d been gone. When she blew the whistle to line up, Cassie jostled into place next to Andrea. They looked at each other, and Cassie couldn’t resist the grin that spread across her face. Her fingers nudged Andrea’s.

“She’ll be so surprised!” Andrea whispered, gripping her hand. They put their heads together and giggled, then acted solemn just as Ms. Timber walked by.

Each step toward the building dragged on, and Cassie held her breath as Ms. Timber grabbed the door.

“Hey!” Todd said loudly as he walked into the classroom. “What’s this?”

“What?” someone else said. Loud voices and exclamations burst into the hall.

Ms. Timber furrowed her brow, pulling the exterior door closed and hurrying inside.

Cassie stepped inside right before her teacher and looked up to see her reaction.

“What—?” Ms. Timber gasped. Her eyes went wide, and she pressed a hand to her chest.

“Surprise!” Maureen shouted, and the rest of the class joined in, even though only a handful of them had known about the party.

“We wanted to surprise you,” Andrea said, coming up. She looped an arm through Cassie’s. “We planned this.”

“Did you see your cake?” Maureen gestured to the beautiful white cake on the desk.

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