Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday - Barbara Park [7]
I folded my hands on my lap.
“The end.”
Principal put his head down on his desk.
I peeked at him.
“Are you laying low?” I whispered.
He sat up again. Then he called my mother on the telephone.
Those two talk very often.
This time, they talked about the birthday party. And how I’m not invited.
After he hanged up, Principal looked nicer at me.
“I guess sometimes we grown-ups think we’re the only ones with problems,” he said. “We forget that even when you’re little, life can be tough. Can’t it, Junie B. Jones?”
“Yes,” I said. “Life can get your goat.”
After that, me and him went out of his office. And he lifted me into the blue chair again.
“I want you to wait here a minute,” he said. “There’s someone I have to talk to before I can get this settled.”
“Yeah, only guess what? I don’t actually want to sit in this chair,” I explained. “On account of this is where the bad kids sit. And I’m not even bad.”
Principal thought and thought. Then he snapped his fingers.
“I think I might have the perfect solution,” he said.
He went in his office and brought out a giant shopping bag.
“What if we hide you under here?” he asked. “If we hide you under this bag, no one will be able to see you at all.”
I jumped up and down very excited. ’Cause hiding is my favorite thing in the whole world, that’s why!
Principal sat me down in the chair.
He put that giant shopping bag over my head.
“HEY! WHO TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS?” I said.
Then I laughed and laughed. ’Cause that is called comedy, of course.
I bended my knees and pulled them under the bag. I hugged them real tight.
“Now all you can see is the tippy-toes of my shoes!” I said very happy.
“This is the perfectest solution I ever saw! And so how did you even think of this wonderful thing?” I asked.
Only Principal didn’t answer me back.
’Cause he probably went back to his office already.
After that I hided and hided inside my bag.
I hided a real long time.
It was a jillion years, I think.
“Guess what? This is taking longer than a minute,” I said from inside there.
The typing lady didn’t answer me.
“Yeah, only guess what else? My knees are very bended and squished in here,” I said. “And so this isn’t good for my circlelation, probably.”
Just then, my legs started squirming all around. ’Cause I was getting ants in my pants, that’s why!
“HEY! DOESN’T ANYBODY HAVE EARS? GET ME OUTTA HERE RIGHT NOW! ’CAUSE I AM AT THE END OF MY ROPE IN THIS THING! PLUS ALSO I AM GETTING ANTS IN MY…”
All of a sudden, someone yanked the bag right off my head.
It was the scary typing lady.
“…pants,” I said very soft.
She took me back into Principal’s office.
And guess what?
That Jim was in there!
He was sitting in the big wood chair!
And Principal was frowning at him!
“Junie B., our friend Jim here has something he wants to say to you. Don’t you, Jim?” asked Principal.
That meanie Jim didn’t answer. He kept on looking at his feet.
Principal tapped his fingers.
“We’re waiting, Jim,” he said.
Then that Jim did a huffy breath. And he said the words I’m sorry.
Principal raised up his eyebrows.
“Sorry for what, Jim? Tell Junie B. what you’re sorry for.”
That Jim stared at his feet some more.
“I’m sorry I didn’t give her an invitation to my party,” he said very grumpity.
“But your mother told you to, didn’t she, Jim?” said Principal. “Your mother told you to give an invitation to every single person in your class. But you got mad at Junie B. And you decided not to give her one. Isn’t that right?”
That meanie boy did his shoulders up and down.
“I guess,” he said real soft.
Principal crossed his arms.
“And so what are you going to do to correct the problem?” he asked.
That Jim waited and waited.
Then—all of a sudden—he got down from his chair.
And he holded out an invitation to me.
My stomach did a flippy flop.
“For me? Is that really for me!” I said very squealing.
Then I snatched that thing right out of his hand. And I zoomed all around the room.
“Oh boy!” I said. “It’s really for