Junie B., First Grader_ Dumb Bunny - Barbara Park [13]
Sheldon slumped his shoulders.
Then he reached down his finger. And he flicked off the egg.
Only wait till you hear this!
Just as he flicked it, his eyes got big and wide again.
This time, I hurried to cover his mouth with my hand.
But Sheldon shouted right through my paw mitt.
“I SEE ONE! I SEE ONE! I SEE ONE!” he shouted.
Then, before he could even move his feet …
WHOOSH!
SWOOP!
SCOOP!
May grabbed egg number three!
She twirled in a happy circle around us.
“THREE TO ZERO! THREE TO ZERO! IT'S THREE TO ZERO!” she yelled.
Sheldon stood real still.
Then, very slow, he put down his basket.
And he stretched out the sides of his mouth with his fingers.
And he stuck his tongue out at May.
That was appropriate behavior, I believe.
After that, he snatched his basket up again. And he tried to rush away from May.
But too bad for Sheldon.
Because May stayed right exactly on his heels.
They were walking too fast for me to keep up.
I stopped and watched them go.
Then I did a big sigh.
And I walked to a tree stump.
And I sat down very glum.
“I hate being this dumb bunny,” I said. “’Cause my feet are too big. And my legs are too slow. And my paw mitts are way too clumsy.”
I slumped my shoulders and looked in the empty basket.
I did another sigh.
’Cause let's face it.
The bunny was a rotten egg.
Sheldon found three more eggs. May swooped all of them. Every time she swooped, she shouted her head off.
“FOUR! FOUR! NOW I HAVE FOUR!”
“FIVE! FIVE! NOW I HAVE FIVE!”
“SIX! SIX! I JUST GOT SIX!”
Six was Sheldon's limit, apparently.
He stomped to my tree stump and threw his empty basket in the grass.
“That's it! I'm done! I'm not looking for one more egg for that girl. Let her find her own stupid eggs! I quit!” he said.
May came chasing after him.
“No, Sheldon! No! You can't quit! You can't! Come on! We're a team!” she said. “We're … we're Team May!”
Sheldon did a huffy breath at her.
“No, we're not. We're not Team May,” he grouched. “I'm an egg finder. And you're some creepy swooping bird girl who steals them.”
May's mouth opened real shocked.
“I did not steal your eggs, Sheldon Potts! Those eggs were still in the grass when I picked them up! Just because you saw them first didn't make them yours!” she said. “Picking them up is what makes eggs yours.”
Sheldon started to yell back.
Then he stopped and looked at me.
“Shoot,” he said. “I think she has a valid point there.”
May smiled real smuggy.
“Thank you, Sheldon,” she said.
“You're not welcome,” he said back. “And I'm still not looking for any more eggs, May. I'm still quitting.”
May was not expecting that development.
She started to sputter.
“But … but you have to look for more eggs, Sheldon! You have to! Just a couple more eggs and I can win this whole thing,” she said. “Plus you still haven't found the golden egg for me yet!”
Just then, the nanna walked by.
May reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Tell him, Nanna! Tell him he can't quit!” she said. “Sheldon is on my team! And when you're on a team, you can't quit! It's not fair!”
The nanna looked puzzled for a second.
Then she did a little frown and shook her head.
“Oh my. No,” she said. “I'm sorry, dear. But there are no teams on an egg hunt. An egg hunt is an individual competition.”
May did not like that answer.
She pulled on the nanna's arm some more.
“But … but … Sheldon has to help me! He has to! He—”
The nanna interrupted her.
“If you don't let go of my arm, I'm going to give you a swat, dear,” she said.
May quick let go.
The nanna smoothed herself and walked on.
Sheldon laughed real loud.
“I like that nanna,” he said.
I smiled.
“I like that nanna, too,” I said.
I nudged him with my elbow.
“Maybe someday she will be your nanna-in-law.”
Sheldon did a loud hoot.
After that, we did a high five, and a low five, and a medium five. Then I scooted over so he could share my tree stump.
Lucille spotted us there.
Her whole face lighted up when she saw Sheldon.
“Shelsie! Shelsie! I've been looking for you! Where's your basket?” she asked. “Did you find the golden egg