Caitlin's Lucky Charm Read online

  “What are you doing in there?” Caitlin asked her brother.

  “Hiding from zombies.”

  “Oh. So zombies don’t like afghans? I’ll have to remember that. Look, I don’t want to mess up your fort or whatever it is that you’ve built, so can you come out here?”

  “Is it safe?”

  “I promise, there are no zombies in this room. Or even in this house.”

  “What if they plan a sneak attack?”

  Caitlin pinched her lips together to keep from laughing. “I will protect you. I’m very strong, you know.”

  He poked his head out. “No. You’re not.”

  “Just … come out here.” Caitlin watched as he stepped out and carefully shut the door. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m scared.”

  “Of what?”

  He shrugged. “Of zombies. And maybe everything.”

  She knelt down and pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay. There’s really nothing to be afraid of.”

  He held her tightly for a moment before he pulled away and said, “Maybe we should all get jobs where they pay us instead of working at the soup kitchen for free.”

  “Are you worried about money?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Mom and Dad are too. Caitlin, they got rid of all the good TV channels!”

  “I know. Sorry about that.”

  “Caitlin! Isaac! Come on, we have to go!” It was their mom, yelling from downstairs.

  Caitlin ushered her brother into the hallway and then to the bathroom. “I’ll wait right here for you,” she said. “Make sure you comb your hair while you’re in there.”

  A few minutes later, they were in their van and on the way.

  “How come Jessi isn’t coming?” Caitlin asked.

  “She had other plans,” her mom replied.

  “Plans? Like what?” It didn’t seem fair to Caitlin that Jessi didn’t have to go with them.

  “She’s studying with a friend. For a test on Monday.”

  Caitlin rolled her eyes. Studying on a Friday night? Right. And money grows on trees, so they shouldn’t be worried about Dad’s job after all.

  When they got to the kitchen, Mrs. Watson was there to greet them again. She wore the same apron and the same button as last time. Caitlin wondered if that was like her soup kitchen uniform.

  Mrs. Watson put the three of them to work washing and cutting up celery and carrots. Caitlin and Isaac washed, while their mom used the very large, very sharp knife.

  When it was time to serve, Caitlin was given the task of handing out vegetables. Isaac got to hand out the cookies.

  “Yes!” Isaac said with a fist pump, as if he had just been told he got to eat all the cookies rather than simply hand them out.

  Caitlin recognized some of the people from last time, but others she hadn’t seen before. There was even a girl who had been in her dance class that first day at school. Caitlin remembered her because the girl wore her hair super-short, something Caitlin could never pull off. But this girl had big, round eyes, beautiful skin, and prominent cheekbones, so it totally worked on her. As Caitlin thought back to that embarrassing class, she wished she could run and hide. Would the girl remember her? Would she mention the class at all? Caitlin found herself hoping she didn’t say a thing — just took her food and kept going down the line. But no such luck.

  “Hi,” the girl said as Caitlin put carrots and celery sticks on her plate. “You go to ACMA, right?”

  “Yeah,” Caitlin replied.

  “I felt really bad for you in dance class that day. It was mean, what that boy said. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with your dancing.”

  “Oh. Well, thanks.”

  “Move along, Tezra,” said the woman beside her. “You’re holding up the line.”

  “Hang on, Mom.” Tezra leaned in and whispered to Caitlin, “Don’t tell anyone you saw me here, ’kay? Please? We’re just going through a rough time right now. Need a little help, you know? We only come a couple of times a week.”

  “No worries,” Caitlin replied. “I won’t say a thing.”

  “Thanks,” Tezra said. Her brown eyes were warm. Kind.

  Caitlin watched as Tezra and her mom went and sat down. And here Caitlin had been worried about Tezra seeing her because of the stupid dance class, never thinking about what it must be like for Tezra. Of course Tezra must be feeling kind of embarrassed about being seen here. But she didn’t need to worry. Caitlin would never judge her. After all, it wasn’t Tezra’s fault they were having a hard time financially.

  Sonny interrupted Caitlin’s thoughts as he came through the line. “Well look who’s here, Wilbur. Caitlin and Isaac. Nice to see you two again.”

  Wilbur poked his tiny head out of Sonny’s jacket, just like last time.

  “Can we come pet him again when we’re finished serving?” Isaac asked.

  “Of course you can,” Sonny replied.

  “I’m trying out for the musical at school,” Caitlin told him. “It made me think of you, because we’re doing Charlotte’s Web.”

  Sonny grinned. “Is that right? Well, you know what? Depending on how much tickets cost, I sure would love to come and watch that play. Will you let me know all the details when you have them?”

  “Sure,” Caitlin said.

  “Why, the last time I saw a play was when I worked at that elementary school. Every year the first graders put on a production of The Little Red Hen. Cutest thing you ever did see, that’s for sure.” Sonny looked at Isaac. “See you at my table pretty soon.”

  “Okay,” Isaac said.

  “Can I have two of those?” Sonny asked, pointing at the cookies.

  Isaac nodded and put another cookie on his plate. “You gonna give one to Wilbur?” Isaac asked.

  Sonny shook his head. “Nope. I’m gonna save both of them for the two of you, since you’ll be hungry after all your hard work. Right?”

  “Right!” Isaac said.

  After Sonny left, Isaac turned to Caitlin and said, “I like Sonny and Wilbur. They’re nice.”

  Caitlin almost didn’t hear her brother, as she’d been distracted, watching Mrs. Watson, who had sat down across from Tezra and her mom. It looked like they were having a pretty intense conversation. Mrs. Watson was doing a lot of nodding, most likely being a friendly ear, just like her button said.

  “Caitlin?” Isaac said. “Did you hear me? There’s a lot of nice people here, huh? That girl from your school seems nice too.”

  “Yeah,” Caitlin said. “I guess so.”

  “You gonna be friends with her?” Isaac asked.

  Caitlin was embarrassed about the dance class. Tezra was embarrassed about being seen at the soup kitchen. If they ran into each other Monday, would either of them even admit to having met each other?

  Caitlin’s guess was probably not.

  “I don’t think so,” Caitlin said quietly. “I mean, she doesn’t even know my name.”

  The following week, on Thursday, after school, Caitlin wandered around their local flower shop, Flowerworks, while her mom placed an order for a small bouquet for a friend who was in the hospital. Tucked away in the refrigerated cases, behind glass doors, were buckets of loose flowers, like roses and lilies. There were also lots of pretty arrangements, ready to be picked up and taken home or given to a friend.

  Caitlin loved everything about the flower shop. How it was so colorful and cheerful. How people came here to send good wishes for a special occasion or to make someone feel better. And most of all, how it all seemed to smell like … love.

  She walked over and stood by her mom at the counter.

  “How are you doing, Caitlin?” Trudy, the owner, asked her. She insisted on being called by her first name. “School going okay?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Caitlin’s mom put her arm around her daughter. “She found out today that she’s been selected to run for class president. Isn’t that exciting?”

  Trudy smiled. “That is exciting!
Do you have your slogan yet?”

  Caitlin gave her a curious look. “Slogan? What do you mean?”

  “Well, when I was in school, kids would come up with these catchy sayings, usually around their names. You know, something like: Vote for Dan, he’s our man.”

  “Does it have to rhyme?” Caitlin asked. “Because if it does, I think I’m in trouble.”

  Both Trudy and her mom laughed. “No, it doesn’t have to rhyme,” her mom replied. “I think when your sister ran in the eighth grade, her slogan was: If you must waste your vote on someone, waste it on Jessi.”

  “So it should be funny,” Caitlin said. She grimaced. “This is gonna be hard!”

  “Maybe your sister will help you.”

  “And maybe Trudy will let me take all these flowers home,” Caitlin joked. “I don’t think so.”

  Trudy walked out from behind the counter and went to the glass case. She opened the door and took out a yellow rose. “I can’t let you take all of them home, but I can certainly let you take this one.”

  Caitlin smiled. “Aw, thank you so much.” She took a sniff, savoring the sweet and familiar scent.

  “You’re welcome,” Trudy said. “And good luck. I hope you win.”

  All the way home, Caitlin thought about a slogan. She couldn’t get the idea of trying to rhyme out of her head.

  Don’t be a pumpkin, vote for Caitlin.

  Voting for Caitlin is truly a win-win.

  She’s got a great grin, vote for Caitlin.

  She shook her head, trying to erase her horrible ideas. It had to be unique. Funny. And most of all, catchy.

  “You know what else you need to do,” her mom said, saving Caitlin from thinking of any more bad slogans, “is to think of things you might do when you get elected.”

  “What kind of things?”

  “You know, suggesting new clubs. Or coming up with new policies. When I was in school, taking on the cafeteria menu was always a big issue. I remember this one kid, Gerald, promised to get rid of the meat loaf if he was elected.”

  “Gross. You had meat loaf at school?”

  “Yeah. Kids called it the mystery meat, because no one was sure what was in it.”

  Caitlin shuddered. “We don’t have anything horrible like meat loaf. But maybe I can think of a fun new club to offer up.” Her mind started spinning. “Maybe a jewelry club, where we could make jewelry.”

  “How about making it a bit broader, and that could just be one activity you do?” her mom suggested.

  “So, what, call it a fun activity club?”

  Her mom shrugged. “What about a friendship club? Do they have anything like that?”

  “Oh my gosh, Mom, that is perfect. I love it!”

  She looked at Caitlin. “What? You actually like something your mother suggested? Well, get the record book out and write that down. Because I’m guessing that won’t happen again for another ten years.”

  Caitlin laughed as they pulled into the driveway of Isaac’s friend’s house to pick him up. When Isaac jumped into the van a minute later, he was all smiles. Caitlin thought about how much better it was to see her brother like that rather than all scared, hiding in his closet.

  “You have fun playing?” Caitlin asked him, as she turned around from the front seat.

  “We played Spacegators.”

  “What’s that?” Caitlin asked.

  “A really cool video game that takes place on another planet. And there are all kinds of strange creatures you have to stay away from, called spacegators.”

  “It’s not too scary?” their mom asked.

  “Nope. It’s fun. Like Zach’s older brother says, ‘Fun is the name of the game, Mom.’”

  “Hey, maybe that would be a good slogan,” Caitlin said. “Vote for Caitlin, because fun is the name of the game.”

  “Ooh, I like it,” her mom said. “It goes well with the friendship club, right?”

  “It’s not really funny though,” Caitlin said. “Maybe I need to get more creative. I wish I knew a comedian. How come we don’t have any comedians in our family?”

  “I’m a comedian,” Isaac said. “Want to hear a joke?”

  “You bet,” their mom said. “Give it to us, little man.”

  “Why don’t skeletons fight each other?” Isaac asked.

  “I don’t know,” Caitlin said. “Why don’t skeletons fight each other?”

  “Because they don’t have the guts!” Isaac said before he let out a loud but adorable laugh.

  Caitlin and her mom both laughed too, though Caitlin knew it was more because they loved Isaac’s laugh than his silly jokes.

  “Think you can put that in your slogan, honey?” her mom asked.

  “I could, I guess, but I’m pretty sure you have to be an eight-year-old boy to really appreciate that one,” Caitlin said.

  When they got home, Caitlin jumped out of the van with her rose and got the mail. She squealed when she saw a letter from Hannah.

  “Here,” she said as she practically threw the rest of the mail at her mom. “I’m going to my room.”

  “Better put that rose in some water,” her mom called out as Caitlin rushed through the front door.

  Caitlin went to the kitchen and got a vase of water for the rose, like her mom had suggested, and carried it up to the room. She put the rose next to her bed, and then she opened the envelope.

  Dear Caitlin,

  Hey there! How’s it going? How’s the new school? I’ve been thinking about you, hoping things are going okay. The letter you wrote the night before your first day made it sound like you were about as nervous as a mouse in a barn full of cats. You’re so nice, I’m sure you’ve made friends by now. Do they have any clubs you can join? I’m in a club here at my school, and it’s a lot of fun.

  I’ve worn the headband you made me quite a few times since I’ve been home. It’s so cute, and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it. How’s the bracelet? Is it bringing you lots of luck? I can’t wait to see what charms everyone picks out.

  I’ve heard from you and Libby, but nothing from Mia yet. Hope everything is all right in her neck of the woods. Or, you know, her bay of the ocean.

  Here’s something funny. While I was away at camp, my mom and grandma canned applesauce, tomato sauce, strawberry jam, and some other things I can’t think of right now. Guess how many jars. Go on. Guess.

  50? Nope.

  100? Nope.

  207 jars. Yes, I counted. I know, I’m weird. But they were on shelves in the basement and I couldn’t believe how many there were, and then I had to know exactly how many.

  I’m pretty sure I’ll be having applesauce and spaghetti every night for the rest of the year until I go back to camp again. Speaking of camp, when I told my parents how much fun I had, they were like, “Told you so!” Don’t you hate it when our parents are right for a change?

  Okay, gotta run. Time for supper. Guess what we’re having? You’ll never guess. (I’m kidding — you totally will.)

  Your Cabin 7 BFF,

  Hannah

  If only Caitlin could call Hannah, she thought. Hannah would be able to come up with a brilliant slogan — something unique and funny. She thought about writing a letter and asking Hannah to think of some suggestions, but there wasn’t time. Caitlin needed to make posters over the weekend and work on her campaign speech for the assembly that was scheduled for next Thursday.

  Unless she could think of something better in the next twenty-four hours, fun would be the name of the game for Caitlin and her campaign.

  Fun wasn’t a bad way to go really. Who wouldn’t like the idea of having more fun at school? The fun girls might finally notice her and realize Caitlin would be an awesome addition to their little group.

  That’s what she was hoping for anyway.

  Friday morning, in first period, Caitlin sat down next to Brie. The fun girls were talking about going to see a movie together Saturday night.

  “Let’s go out to eat first,” Brie sa
id. “Where should we go?”

  “What about that new Mexican restaurant? I’ve heard they have amazing taco salads.”

  “No, let’s go out for pizza. Maybe Brandon will be working. Seeing Brandon is way better than having an amazing taco salad, right?”

  All the girls sighed. “Brandon,” Brie said. “I just can’t even … no guy should be allowed to be that cute.”

  One said, “Last time I was there, with my family, I went back to the counter so many times, it wasn’t even funny. I’d ask for extra napkins or more Parmesan, until I couldn’t think of anything else to ask for.”

  All of the girls giggled.

  They carried on about Brandon for another minute until, finally, there was a pause in their conversation. Caitlin tapped Brie on the elbow.

  “Hi,” Caitlin said, smiling. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

  Brie shrugged. “Sure.”

  “You know I was chosen to run for class president, right? I’m thinking about focusing my campaign around having more fun at school. What do you think of the idea of having a friendship club here?”

  Brie’s eyes narrowed, like she was really thinking about it. “A friendship club. Wow. That sounds … cute.”

  “Do you think people would go for it? I mean, would you and your friends be interested in something like that?”

  “Maybe. If the activities in the club were actually fun, you know?”

  “Oh yeah,” Caitlin said. “I’d work hard to make sure they are.”

  The bell rang.

  “Thanks,” Caitlin whispered to Brie. “Thanks for your help.”

  After a few quick announcements from the principal over the loudspeaker, Mr. Hankins stood up to take roll.

  Caitlin was so happy, she could hardly sit still. Brie liked her idea. With the invention of the friendship club, Caitlin would finally have a way to get to know the four girls and become part of their group. This was all working out perfectly.

  She opened her notebook and started writing. It was time to work on the greatest speech ever written. A speech about all the ways she would make school more fun.