Sophie looked up at him with a wide, stuffed mouth and even wider eyes. She had never, ever had the principal speak to her before. But she had seen him speak to other kids (like Toby and Archie) a lot. So she knew that when he asked you a question, you’d better answer.
But how was she going to answer him with twenty-three French fries in her mouth?
She figured the best thing to do was just shake her head.
“I didn’t think so,” said Principal Tate. “And I hope that I also don’t need to remind you of the consequences of poor manners.”
Consequences! That was not one of Sophie’s favorite words.
“Such as sitting out recess?” the principal went on. He raised one eyebrow, then the other.
How did he do that? And how was Sophie going to get rid of her French fries, she wondered. Chew? No. Spit? She wished.
She shook her head again and felt warm drool run down her chin.
“I know you wouldn’t like that,” said the principal. “And neither would I. That’s why I suggest you carefully remove those extra French fries from your mouth. And from now on, please eat them as they should be eaten: one at a time.”
This time Sophie nodded. And Principal Tate nodded back.
“Very good, Miss Miller,” he said. “Enjoy your lunch.”
Sophie did not enjoy her lunch, of course. She did not enjoy everyone snickering at her. And she did not enjoy staring at her pile of spit-covered fries.
She was glad when lunch was over and it was time for recess. But still, she wasn’t awesome yet. And it was hard to be very glad without that.
“Come on,” said Kate as they hurried outside. “Let’s play our game.”
For two weeks, they had been playing the same recess game every day: International Superspy and Wild-Animal Emergency Vet.
Sophie always looked forward to it. Kate was the vet, specializing in big cats and dolphins. And Sophie was the spy, on a tough, top secret case.
But not today, she decided.
“I can’t play. I need to think,” she told Kate.
“Think? About what?” asked Kate.
Sophie looked at her. “About how to be awesome!”
“Oh, right,” said Kate. She twisted her mouth to the side and looked thoughtful. “Hey! How about Sophie the Big Mouth? Get it?” She laughed. “French fries. Big mouth.”
“Very funny.” Sophie sighed. “But I could have set a new French fry record,” she added. “Besides, Sophie the Awesome is the perfect name for me. I know it! I just have to find the right thing to be awesome at. Something that won’t get me in any more trouble.”
She looked around the yard as she talked. At the basketball court. And the jump-rope corner. And the jungle gym.
“That’s it!” Sophie said. The jungle gym! There were a million ways to be awesome there! She took off, with Kate right behind her.
The school’s jungle gym was brand new that year. It had a straight slide and a twisty one. It had a rope and a rock wall and a regular ladder to climb up. It had a corkscrew thing to twirl down, and a real fire pole. Plus monkey bars to swing across. And not one, but two forts on stilts on either side.
The jungle gym was something Sophie was very good at. And it was something she could be awesome at if she tried!
She jumped up and grabbed the monkey bars. After a few tries, she swung herself up and happily looked down from the top. Awesome!
“Hey, over here!” she called to the rest of the playground. “Look how high I am! Isn’t it awesome? Check it out!”
But nobody heard her. The basketball players were too busy. And the jump-ropers were too loud.
“Check what out?”
Sophie turned to see Kate right beside her.
“How did you get up here?” Sophie asked.
“I followed you,” said Kate.
Sophie sighed. “You’re not supposed to follow me. I’m trying to be awesome,” she said.
“Oh,” said Kate. Then she looked around. “You might have to try a little harder. This is pretty easy.”
“Oh,” Sophie said. She was pretty sure that Kate was right.
She looked around the jungle gym. “What if I climb to the top of the fort?”
That was not easy. In fact, it was so hard no one had ever done it before. Sophie would be the first. And it would be awesome!
“Mmm, I don’t know,” said Kate.
Just then, a voice called up to them from below.
“Hey, Kate! Hey, Sophie!” It was Ben. “Want to play tag with us?”
Ben was Sophie’s favorite boy in their class, by far. Mostly because he was nice to girls. But also because he wore cool glasses and had a real air hockey table at his house. Plus he did not hang out that much with Toby. That was the best thing of all about Ben.
He was playing tag with Eve and Mia.
“The slide is safety,” Ben called up.
“I’m not It!” Kate hollered. She turned to Sophie. “Come on, let’s go!”
“Not now,” said Sophie.
“Why not?” asked Kate.
“Because I have a plan!” Sophie pointed to the fort roof. “I can’t waste time playing tag. No one can be awesome at that,” Sophie said matter-of-factly.
“You never know,” said Kate. She looked up at the roof, too. “Besides, don’t you think that looks kind of scary? What if you fell again?”
Sophie chewed on her fingernail. Kate could be right. But what about being awesome? And why couldn’t those jump-ropers be quiet? They really made it hard to think. And she was so tired of that song!
It rang out all the way across the yard. Mindy, Lily, Sophie A., Sydney, and Grace were jumping and chanting to the beat. Sophie liked to jump rope sometimes. But they did it every day.
Sophie glared at them, just out of habit. Then her glare turned into a grin.
That was it!
She gave Kate a hug and climbed down from the jungle gym. “You go play tag,” she said. “I’m going to jump rope instead!”
Sydney was jumping when Sophie walked up to the group.
“Forty-one … forty-two … forty — Aw, too bad,” said Lily, Sophie A., and Grace as Sydney tripped on the rope.
“My turn!” said Mindy.
“Hi, guys,” said Sophie. “Can I jump, too?”
“Sure,” said Sydney. She moved aside to make room for Sophie.
“Hang on!” said Mindy. “I said it’s my turn.”
“But you already went once,” said Sydney. “Sophie M. just got here. Let her go.”
Mindy’s pinchy lips got pinchier. “Oh, fine.” She turned to Sophie and shrugged. “Your turns never take long, anyway.”
Normally, this would have bothered Sophie. But this time, she smiled. She knew something that Mindy didn’t. She was about to break Mindy’s all-time jump-rope record!
“Hey, Mindy,” Sophie said as she took her position. “What’s your jump-rope record again?”
Mindy, who was now holding the rope, got a gleam in her eye.
“One hundred and thirty-four!” said Lily, who was holding the rope’s other end.
“Exactly,” Mindy said.
Of course, everybody knew that. Mindy reminded them all the time. She had set the record the year before. And no one in their class had ever beaten it. Not yet. But if Sophie could, she would officially be awesome. Even Mindy would have to admit it.
Sophie took a deep breath. She thought about the times she and Kate had jumped rope at home. There, they each used their own rope. They jumped and jumped for hours. Sophie was sure she’d jumped way more than one hundred and thirty-four times in a row before.
“Okay. Ready,” she said.
Mindy and Lily turned the rope, and Sophie began to jump.