Junie B., First Grader - Barbara Park [1]
Then, all of a sudden, my whole mouth came open!
Because good news! I finally saw someone I knew!
I jumped up and down and all around.
“DADDY! DADDY! IT'S LUCILLE!” I hollered. “REMEMBER LUCILLE? LUCILLE WAS MY BESTEST FRIEND FROM KINDERGARTEN LAST YEAR!”
Lucille was standing at a desk next to the window.
I ran to her in a jiffy.
Then I hugged and hugged that girl! And I couldn't even stop!
“LUCILLE! LUCILLE! IT'S ME! IT'S ME! IT'S YOUR BESTEST FRIEND FROM KINDERGARTEN … JUNIE B. JONES!”
I tried to pick her up.
“I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU, FRIEND!” I shouted real joyful.
Lucille pulled my arms off her.
“Stop it, Junie B.! Stop it!” she said.
“You're wrinkling my new back-to-school dress! This thing cost a fortune.”
I stopped hugging her.
Lucille smoothed and fluffed herself.
I smoothed and fluffed her, too.
“There,” I said. “Good as new.”
After that, I grabbed Lucille's hand. And I started to pull.
“Come on, Lucille. Let's go find two desks together,” I said. “I think we should sit near the door. Want to? Huh? If we sit near the door, we can stare at people who walk down the hall.”
Lucille yanked her hand away.
“No, Junie B. No. I'm going to sit at this desk right here,” she said. “I already picked it out with my two new friends, Camille and Chenille.”
She pointed at the door.
“See them over there?” she said. “I met them before you came. They are saying good-bye to their mother. Aren't they precious?”
I looked at Camille and Chenille.
And guess what?
My eyes popped right out of my head!
Because wowie wow wow!
Those girls were twins, that's why!
I sprang way high in the air.
“TWINS! TWINS! THEY'RE TWINS, LUCILLE! THIS IS OUR LUCKY DAY!”
I pulled on her again.
“Come on, Lucille! Let's go touch them! Hurry! Hurry! Before a line forms!”
Lucille did not budge a muscle.
“Stop it, Junie B.! Quit pulling on me,” she said. “Camille and Chenille don't want to be touched. And besides, I am their new best friend. Not you.”
I looked surprised at that girl.
“Yes, but I can be their bestest friend along with you. Right, Lucille?” I asked. “All I have to do is meet them, right? And then all of us can be bestest friends together.”
Lucille shook her head.
“No, Junie B. I'm sorry. But you and I have already been best friends, remember?” she said. “We were best friends for a whole long year. And so now it's time for Camille and Chenille to get a turn.”
She did a shrug. “It's only fair of me,” she said. “And besides, their names rhyme with my name. And yours doesn't.”
She wrinkled her nose very cute. “Camille and Chenille and Lucille. See? Isn't that darling?”
After that, Lucille gave me a pat.
“Don't be sad, okay?” she said. “You and I can still be friends, Junie B. Just not on a regular basis.”
After that, she waved her fingers.
And she said ta-ta.
And she skipped to Camille and Chenille.
Mother and Daddy keep trying to cheer me up about first grade.
Mother says sometimes life has disappointments in it.
Daddy says sometimes you have to roll with the punches.
I say first grade is a flop.
Last year, I had two bestest friends.
First, I had Lucille.
Plus also, I had that Grace.
Me and that Grace rode the school bus together every single day.
Only too bad for us. Because this year, Grace got put in a different room than me. And that was not even fair.
But hurray, hurray! Me and Grace still decided to ride the bus together! Because that's what friendship is for, I think.
And so last week, both of us sat next to each other … just like we always did!
Only, what do you know?
On Monday morning, Grace got on the bus with a new girl from her class. And those two plopped down in the seat right in front of me!
I quick jumped up. And I tapped on Grace's head.
“Grace?” I said. “Excuse me. Grace? What kind of shenanigans do you call this, madam? Didn't you see me sitting here?”
Grace waved at me real friendly.
“Yes. Hi, Junie B.,” she said. “I'm sorry I can't sit with you today. But I promised Bobbi Jean Piper I would sit with her