Junie B. Jones Is Captain Field Day - Barbara Park [7]
“Join the club, bud,” I grumped.
After that, the Room Eight teacher blew her whistle. And both our teams started to pull.
Room Nine pulled and pulled with all our strength.
“People! People! We're doing it! We're doing it!” I shouted very shocked.
We pulled some more.
Then, all of a sudden, we heard a loud holler.
It was Strong Frankie.
He yanked the rope as hard as he could.
Then Lynnie and Ricardo fell down in the grass. And the bow went over the line.
Room Eight went crazy and happy. They were loud and laughing.
Room Nine walked to the water fountain very sad.
Then we sat down next to the building.
And we didn't talk for a real long time.
Finally, Mrs. came and got us.
“Come on, boys and girls. There's just one more event to go,” she said.
She took us to the pull-up bar.
The Room Eight teacher smiled real big.
“All right, everybody. It's time for the pull-up contest,” she said.
Paulie Allen Puffer stared at her.
“Big whoop,” he said.
Then the Room Eight teacher tattled on him. And Paulie Allen Puffer had to sit by himself for a time-out.
Mrs. was not happy with us.
“Okay, children. I understand that you're not in a good mood. But one of the things we learn in Field Day is to never give up. Room Nine is not a bunch of quitters. Are we, Junie B.?”
I looked at Room Nine's faces.
“Pretty much,” I said.
Mrs. threw her hands in the air. “Okay, that's it,” she said. “I'm not going to take no for an answer. There must be someone in Room Nine who has the spirit to keep trying. Which one of you children has the courage not to give up? Huh? How about you, Jamal? Will you try to do a pull-up for the team?” she asked.
Jamal Hall pulled his shirt up over his face so no one could see him.
“I believe that's a no,” I said.
Mrs. looked around some more.
“Grace?” she said. “How about you? Will you try to do a pull-up for us?”
“No, I cant” she said. “I really, really can't. I'm only strong in my feet.”
“I'm not!” yelled a loud voice. “I'm strong all over my whole body!”
Room Nine turned around.
It was Strong Frankie again.
He made another arm muscle at us.
I stamped my foot at that guy.
“Stop doing that, Frankie!” I hollered. “Stop tooting your own horn! ’Cause that is not even polite! And anyway, Room Nine has strong people, too! We have people who can do a jillion pull-ups, in fact! So there! Ha!”
Strong Frankie crossed his muscle arms.
“Like who?” he asked.
I put my hands on my hips.
“Like lots of people, that's who! Like, um, well, like … like …”
Just then, a boy from Room Nine raised his hand a teeny bit.
“Like me,” he said.
Then he walked right up to the pull-up bar. And he stood there all by himself.
I did a gasp.
Then the other children did gasps, too.
’Cause what do you know …
It was William.
All of Room Nine kept on staring and staring at that boy.
“Look at his little arms,” whispered that Grace. “Where are his little muscles, do you think?”
“William doesn't have any little muscles,” said Paulie Allen Puffer. “I've seen the wind blow him down on the playground.”
“Yeah,” said Roger. “William doesn't even know what a pull-up is, I bet. Our team is going to look worse than ever.”
Mrs. snapped her angry fingers at us.
That woman has ears like a hawk.
Strong Frankie went first.
The Room Eight teacher lifted him up to the high bar.
Then, quick as a wink, he did a loud grunt. And he pulled his chin right up to the bar.
“ONE!” hollered Room Eight.
Strong Frankie did another grunt. Then he pulled himself up again.
“TWO!” shouted Room Eight.
After that, he just kept right on going. Strong Frankie kept grunting and pulling. And Room Eight kept on counting.
“THREE!”
“FOUR!”
“FIVE!”
“SIX!”
“SEVEN!”
Finally, Strong Frankie dropped down to the ground.
“SEVEN! SEVEN! STRONG FRANKIE DID SEVEN!” shouted New Thelma.
Room Nine sat down in the grass real gloomy.
’Cause William was next, that's why.
We covered our eyes and peeked through our fingers.
Mrs. lifted him up to the pull-up bar.
It was not fun to watch. ’Cause William just kept dangling