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IF ONLY MY BACKPACK WERE larger it would be easier to hide the presents I got today It eet of the boys to think of me I especially loved the pink teddy bear with the “Be Mine” red heart in its hand Its fur was so soft and pretty I’d never been given anything like that before The chocolate candies and heart-shaped necklace were also nice, but the bear was my favorite
Tucking them all close to me to hide them while I rode the bus home was the hard part I had to because I was afraid someone would take them I’d already prepared myself to hand over the necklace and chocolates first if Harriet Boyd cah like a boy I was pretty sure the bus driver, Ms V, was scared of Harriet too
Getting hooal The other presents I could part with
Davey was cute He was also rich and popular I iined the bear cost a lot It didn’t look like the ones I’d seen at the pharrocery store all otten and would likely never get again So, I was keeping the bear close
Out of the three boys who gave ifts, I didn’t like one any more than the other All the boys were nice to ifts
Morade But after getting the presents, I thought Iover who got to sit by me at lunch
I took a quick glance around me I never made eye contact with Harriet if it was at all possible Her voice was so loud, I knew she was only a fes behindsomeone about their hair
My bus stop was next I needed to make it toand possibly stealing ifts
Harriet hadn’t bothered irl who sat three rows back on the bus that had red hair and her teeth poked out a little too far in the front Harriet was er Or older That way I could take up for the girl three rows back But I was s I said would sway her And today I had a teddy bear that needed to get home safely
The bus slowed to a stop in front of my trailer park
I made it
I glanced back at the girl Harriet was harassing I wanted to say soirl But the bear inI could have done would have helped anyway
I quickly exited the bus, hurrying down the gravel road that was lined with oak trees and randorown, and there were ant beds piled high on both sides of the road I didn’t study any of it long because I was in a hurry
The blue single-wide trailer that I called hoine it was pretty at one tio Noas old, andMomma said the trailer was all she could afford in rent It hadunits that cooled us in the summer, and we had a cranky heater that warured we had it good
When I stepped onto the overgrown grass in front of our trailer, the front door swung open
“Beulah!” My sister’s high-pitched voice carried across the yard when she shouted my name
Heidi didn’t go to school yet, even though ere only three e Momma said she would be ready for school in a few years I’d worried a lot that Heidi would never start, but Momma said there were special classes for her I hadn’t seen these special classes and hoped Moht
“I have you a surprise,” I told Heidi as Ime like she did every day Heidi was my favorite person—even over our momma She was happy noa bad day and acted ugly She was the perfect person and I wished everyone was like Heidi I wondered why Momma said she was slow and she didn’t fit in with everyone else