Junie B. Jones Is a Graduation Girl - Barbara Park [6]
Grape juice can go wrong.
First, Raggedy Ruth got purple on her mouth.
Then Teddy got a dribble drop on his paw.
And then, oh no, oh no!
RAGGEDY LARRY FORGOT TO SWALLOW HIS WHOLE ENTIRE SIP!
Driblets spilled all over my bookshelf.
I covered my mouth very shocked. Then my heart pounded and pounded. ’Cause if grape juice gets on my rug, I am in BIG TROUBLE, MISSY!
“A cloth! A cloth! I need a cloth!” I hollered.
I ran around and around all over my room. Then, all of a sudden, my eyes looked down at my clothes. And what do you know? I saw all the cloth I needed!
I quick took it off of me. And I soaked up the driblets.
My shoulders felt relief in them.
“Whew! That was a dose one,” I said.
After that, I walked to my bed. And I plopped on my pillow.
“My brain was a genius to think of that,” I said.
I breathed and breathed.
Then, all of a sudden, I did a teensy frown.
’Cause something did not feel right here, possibly.
I covered my head with my sheet. Then I turned my head very slow. And I peeked out at my bookshelf.
My stomach did a flip-flop.
Because I saw my graduation gown, that's why! And it had juice driblets soaked into its front!
I looked at Raggedy Larry real mad. “Oh no! Look what you made me do!” I said. “You made me use my graduation gown to soak up that dumb juice. Great, Larry. Just great.”
After that, Raggedy Larry got put under my bed. And he did not come out again.
Juice driblets do not go away.
Not even if you erase them with your brand-new eraser. Or if you color them with your new white crayon. Or if you brush them with Daddy's new whitening, brightening toothpaste.
I brushed up and down and all around. But the driblets did not budge.
“Shoot!” I said. “Now I will look like a sloppy baby at graduation! And I'm not even the one who dribbled!”
Just then, I heard a knock on my door.
It was Grampa Miller!
“Junie B.? Is everything okay in there?” he said.
My heart got very pounding again.
“Yes, Grampa! Yes! Everything is perfectly perfect!” I hollered. “I am just playing with my stuffed animals, and that's all.”
Grampa Frank Miller knocked some more.
“Could you open the door, please?” he asked.
I felt tension in me. ’Cause I didn't want him to see my problem, that's why.
I quick pushed my graduation gown under my bed. Then I opened my door a teensy crack.
“Hello. How are you today?” I said. “I am fine. Except I am right in the middle of something. So I would like to get back to it, please.”
Grampa Miller was holding baby Ollie. He looked disappointed at me.
“Oh phooey,” he said. “Now that I've got your brother cleaned up, I thought maybe you and I could teach him how to play checkers.”
I looked at Ollie. He was wearing a clean shirt with purple polka dotties.
“No thank you,” I said. “Maybe I'll teach him checkers some other day.”
I waved at my grampa Miller very sweet.
“Well, nice seeing you again, Frank. Good-bye,” I said.
After that, I closed the door. And I waited for Grampa's footsteps to leave.
Finally, I pulled my graduation gown from under the bed. And I stared and stared at that stupid thing.
“Why did this dumb gown have to be white?” I grouched. “Why couldn't it be purple like the grape juice? If it was purple like the grape juice, the driblets would blend right in.”
I tapped my fingers real annoyed.
“Or why couldn't this dumb gown have purple flowers on it? The juice would blend in with flowers, too, I bet,” I said. “Or what about polka dotties like Ollie's shirt? If there were purple polka dotties, no one would notice the driblets, for sure.”
Just then, I sat up very fast.
’Cause I was getting another brainstorm in my head, I believe.
I zoomed straight to my desk.
Then I looked through all my drawers. And I found my colored markers.
I laughed real happy.
Then I spread my graduation gown on the floor. And I worked and worked very hard.
And guess what?
When I finally got done, you couldn't even spot the driblets, hardly!
“My brain is a genius after all!” I said.
After that, I put my cap and gown in the box again. And I took it back to my