Twelve by Lauren Myracle Read Free Book Online Page A

warmth spread through me.
    â€œShe is the fastest in the whole school at climbing to the top of the swing set,” said a fifth grader named Anna. Why yes, I am, I thought. I didn’t know anyone had noticed.
    Dinah raised her hand. “I will always remember Winnie, because she is the very best friend in the whole entire universe, ” she said proudly.
    â€œAwww,” said everyone.
    I gave her a hug, and I meant it, but I wished the remembrances could have gone on and on. I wished they hadn’t stopped at three.
    For the rest of the day, everyone was in high spirits.
    â€œSee what happens when we say nice things about each other?” Mr. Hutchinson said, once we were back in our classroom. “This is how to achieve world peace. Just get everyone together and be kind to one another!”
    â€œI agree,” said Dinah, who’d been praised for being an expert at Chinese jump rope and for making up cool dance moves, as well as for being a good friend to a certain Winifred S. Perry. When I said it out loud, it was like, Well, here goes nothing . And then it didn’t turn out to be as hard as I’d thought.
    â€œBlessed are the cheese makers—I mean peace makers,” Mr. Hutchinson said, making one of his random corny jokes. “And now, on with life. Take out your math books, please, and get to work on your fractions.”
    On the playground, everyone continued to be nice. Even Gail was less eye-rolly than normal when Dinah said how much she was going to miss the teachers because they were so full of love.
    â€œThe whole school is full of love,” Dinah proclaimed with a painfully earnest expression.
    A month ago, a remark like that would have meant instant ridicule. The whole school is full of love? But after graduation everyone was going their separate ways, and we knew it. I would start seventh grade at Westminster, as would Amanda and Dinah and Louise. And—ugh—Gail. But Maxine and Sheila would be going to Pace Academy, and Chantelle and Cara were going to Lovett. And Karen, Louise’s best friend, was moving to Alaska, which meant we’d probably never see her again.
    How crazy, to know someone and go to school with her, and then have her be gone from your life forever.
    Maxine started sniffling. “I’m not sure I want to graduate, ” she said.
    â€œMe neither,” said Chantelle. “I’m going to miss everyone so much!”
    â€œAnd the teachers!” Dinah said.
    â€œAnd the playground!” Cara said.
    â€œAnd the water fountain where Robert almost kissed me!” Amanda said.
    â€œI don’t want to move!” wailed Karen. “Even if I do get to have moose in my backyard!”
    â€œPeople, people!” I cried. I pulled great clumps of my hair. “Will the madness never end?!”
    It made everyone laugh, which was my goal, because it was either that or cry. I noticed that Amanda looked especially amused, and at the same time I noticed myself noticing. Sometime over the last couple of months, I’d fallen out of the habit of seeking her attention, but here I was doing it again. Was it because of her “how sweet” remark during the morning assembly?
    She grinned at me, like you loon . And before Mr. Hutchinson called us in for Spanish, she ran over and pulled me away from the crowd.
    â€œHey,” she said, “are you busy tonight?”
    â€œI don’t know,” I said. “Why?”
    â€œThere’s this lady coming to my house to talk about summer camp. We’re having, like, a tea for her. Want to come?”
    â€œUh . . . sure,” I said. “I mean, I’ll have to check. But sure.” Why was I suddenly so tongue-tied?
    â€œBring your mom,” Amanda said. I’d forgotten how pretty she was, with her sprinkling of dusty freckles. “Bring Dinah, too, if you want. That would be totally fine.”
    â€œOkay,” I said.
    Mr. Hutchinson blew