Sing With Me, Lucy McGee

by Mary Amato

  After dinner, I wrote a song!

  THE TOGETHER SONG

  BY LUCY MCGEE

  One duck floating in a pond is nice to see.

  But a flock floating together is sweeter than sweet.

  The more we float together,

  the more we float together,

  the more the merrier we’ll be.

  A lion roaming all alone might want to cry.

  But if her friends all join her, she’s got her

  pride.

  The more we roam together,

  the more we roam together,

  the more the merrier we’ll be.

  A dolphin swimming solo is so odd.

  They have way more fun

  swimming in a pod.

  The more we swim together,

  the more we swim together,

  the more the merrier we’ll be.

  Fish love a school.

  Horses love a team.

  Wolves love a pack.

  That’s what they need.

  Somehow you + you + me

  equals more than three.

  ’Cause when we sing together,

  we sing joyfully.

  The more we sing together,

  the more we sing together,

  the more the merrier we’ll be.

  When I woke up, my tooth was so loose, I could push it out with my tongue like a little door. When you’ve got a loose tooth in your mouth and a new song in your backpack, life is good. The sun was having a good day, too. No big bully clouds bringing rain.

  Everybody was outside, lining up to wait for the bell to start school. Most of the kids in my class like to stand on the blacktop by the school doors. Phillip and I sometimes meet by the fence. Today he was waiting there for me.

  “You look happy,” Phillip said.

  “I am,” I said. “I wrote a great new song!”

  Just then, Scarlett was walking past us toward the blacktop. She stopped and looked over at us.

  “Just wave and smile like there’s nothing going on,” Phillip said. We both waved and smiled. She gave us a funny look and walked over to Victoria and Mara.

  “I wrote a song during dinner last night, but it’s too short,” Phillip said.

  He sang:

  Pass the mashed potatoes,

  so hot and butter scented.

  But not the mushed-up peas, please.

  I wish they weren’t invented.

  “As you might have guessed,” he said, “I don’t like peas.”

  I laughed.

  Scarlett looked over at us again.

  “Sing me your song,” he said.

  I sang it softly so Scarlett couldn’t hear it.

  “Wow,” Phillip said. “I like the words a lot!”

  The look he got on his face made me feel good. He really liked it!

  He had some great ideas for more words. Together we made the song longer. Scarlett kept giving us suspicious looks.

  “Let’s go over and sing our song to everybody,” I said.

  Phillip stopped me. “Wait!

  I think it will be better if we spy on them at recess. We’ll listen to Scarlett sing her song and then we’ll jump out and sing ours.”

  It was a dramatic idea. I loved it!

  The bell rang and we ran in.

  During class I wanted to sing the song over and over in my head, but I didn’t. When it was time for spelling, I spelled. When it was time for math, I mathed. When it was time for science, I scienced. When it was time for lunch, I ate like a pig. I had a sandwich with crunchy peanut butter, tortilla chips, and an apple. I crunched and munched a whole bunch, and my tooth still didn’t come out!

  Finally, it was time for recess. I couldn’t find the paper with the song’s words on it, but it didn’t matter. I had the whole song memorized.

  We waited until Scarlett gathered her little group by the picnic table, and then we crept over and hid behind the tree near the table. Nobody saw us.

  “Okay, I just wrote this song for us today,” Scarlett was saying. “And—”

  “Wait,” Resa said. “Why aren’t Lucy and Phillip here? They’re fourth graders, and they’re part of the Songwriting Club.”

  “I asked Lucy and Phillip,” Scarlett said. “But they said they wanted to do their own thing.”

  Behind the tree Phillip and I looked at each other. Our eyes were popping out of our heads. What a liar!

  “Let’s hear your song,” Pablo said.

  Scarlett took a piece of paper out of her pocket and started singing.

  One duck floating in a pond is nice to see.

  But a flock floating together

  is sweeter than sweet.

  The more we float together,

  the more we float together,

  the more the merrier we’ll be.

  What? I jumped out and yelled, “Hey, I wrote that song!”

  “Lucy is right,” Phillip said. “Scarlett did not write that song!”

  Scarlett made a surprised face. “What are you guys talking about?”

  “You stole my words, Scarlett!” I said.

  Scarlett rolled her eyes and held out her paper. “This is my handwriting. It says right here. ‘The Together Song’ by Scarlett Tandy.”

  I grabbed it and looked at it. “You wrote down my words and put your name on the paper. You just made up a different tune. That’s not fair!”

  “Prove it,” Scarlett said.

  “Lucy is telling the truth,” Phillip said. “She showed me her song this morning, and we added new stuff to it.”

  “You two should get married,” Scarlett said. “You’re always sticking up for each other.”

  Victoria and Mara laughed.

  My face got hot. I crumpled up the paper and threw it at her.

  “Hold on,” Pablo said, picking up the paper. “It sounds like a perfect song for the show.”

  The others gathered around to read the words.

  “I like it a lot,” Resa said. She looked at me and Phillip. “Great job on the words.”

  Resa believed us!

  Saki and Natalie nodded. They believed us, too.

  “Great job on the tune,” Victoria said, looking at Scarlett.

  “Yeah,” Mara added. “Really great tune.”

  Scarlett’s tune was better than mine, but I didn’t want to admit it.

  “I think we should all do the song together,” Resa said. “The whole Songwriting Club.”

  Pablo, Natalie, and Saki agreed right away.

  “I guess I can live with that,” Scarlett said.

  I was still mad because Scarlett lied and didn’t admit it, but I didn’t want to miss the show.

  I looked at Phillip to see what he thought. Phillip has a good brain.

  “Here’s what we do. We use our words and Scarlett’s tune. And we all sing.” Phillip gave Scarlett a look. “The more the merrier.”

  Scarlett shrugged. “If I had known you guys wanted to sing with us, I would have invited you.”

  I started getting mad again. But then Saki started singing the song and everybody joined in, and that made me feel better.

  We practiced the song a bunch of times. Every time I looked at Scarlett, I got mad all over again. So, I looked at Phillip’s nose instead.

  “We sound amazing,” Pablo said.

  We did!

  I was in a good mood all afternoon. And then we had a surprise at the end of the day.

  It was our hamster’s birthday. Mrs. Brock brought out a little hamster cake for Mr. Chomper made of oat cereal, sesame seeds, and honey, and we sang “Happy Birthday.” She also had delicious cupcakes with chocolate frosting and sprinkles for us.

  “Yum!” I said. “Maybe when I eat this, my tooth will f
inally fall out.” As I was about to take a cupcake, Scarlett gave me a look.

  “You still have baby teeth?” she asked. “I lost all mine ages ago.”

  “Me too,” Mara said.

  I shrugged.

  Scarlett gave me another look. “You know, if your tooth falls out, you’ll have a hole in your smile, and that will make you look babyish in the talent show.”

  Everybody looked at me.

  “Famous singers always have very nice teeth,” Scarlett said. “Don’t let it come out until after the show, Lucy. If one person looks bad, we’ll all look bad.”

  “Scarlett, that’s not true,” Mrs. Brock said. “And Lucy can’t help it if her tooth falls out.”

  “It’s not going to fall out!” I said quickly, and put the cupcake back. “It’s hardly even loose.”

  “It’ll be fine either way, Lucy,” Mrs. Brock said. “Go ahead and eat one.”

  I stared at the cupcakes. Then I thought about how I would look with a big old hole in the middle of my smile.

  “I’m not hungry,” I said.

  Scarlett smiled with all her adult teeth and ate the biggest one.

  When you do not eat the special snack at school that everyone else eats, it’s hard to be cheerful. By the time I got home I was grumpy. I walked in the door and what did I smell? Crunchzels!

  “Oh no!” I cried. Crunchzels are treats my dad makes with chocolate, peanut butter, and crunchy pretzels.

  My dad was wiping chocolate off Lily’s face. He looked up and asked, “Now what?”

  “You made Crunchzels!” I yelled.

  “What’s wrong with that? You love Crunchzels!” he said. “I made them to try and cheer up Leo.”

  Lily reached for another one.

  I did the only thing I could do. I went up to my closet and opened the door. And then I screamed because a wolf was in my closet.

  It wasn’t a real wolf. It was Leo acting like a wolf. Well, more like a wolf puppy.

  “Aawooo!” he howled.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  He peeked out so I could see his whole head. His hair was way shorter. His eyes were red, and his face was wet from crying.

  “You got a haircut,” I said. “And you hate it?” He nodded.

  “Your hair looks cute,” I said.

  “I look like a baby,” he said. “I’m too sad to eat.” Then he howled again. “Aawooo!”

  “I know how you feel, Leo,” I said. “I’m sad, too. And I can’t ever eat again. If I lose my tooth, I’ll look bad in the show.”

  He lifted up his sad face. Then he stood and gave me a hug.

  Getting a hug from a sad, hungry wolf puppy has a funny way of cheering a person up.

  “I have an idea for you,” I said.

  I looked in my closet until I found my old brown winter hat. Then I found some brown paper and cut out two triangles. I put the shapes on the hat with safety pins in just the right places and put the hat on Leo’s head. Then I took him over to the mirror.

  “Look,” I said. “It’s a wolf-puppy hat. It will totally hide your hair.”

  Leo smiled. He put up his paws and yipped, and then he licked my cheek.

  “Okay, wolf puppy,” I said. “Run and play. I am going to practice my song in the mirror. Our Songwriting Club is meeting tomorrow after school, and I want to be perfect.”

  The wolf puppy ran downstairs. He probably ate three Crunchzels.

  I tried not to think about those delicious treats. I got out my ukulele and smiled and practiced the song and told my tooth to stay in my head.

  Then my mom came home, and it was time for dinner. I thought my dad would make Leo take off his hat and stop being a wolf puppy at the table, but he didn’t. I think my dad was having one of those days where a happy wolf puppy is way better than a howling kid.

  It was a good night for everyone but me. I was too afraid to eat! I drank milk and had two bites of mashed potatoes. My stomach growled as loudly as a pack of wolves all night. Aawooo!

  When I got to school, I was grumpy because I wouldn’t eat breakfast.

  Phillip and I were at the end of the line walking into the school building. The others were all ahead of us, including Resa. And then something amazing happened. Resa slowed down until she was standing right next to us.

  “Can I talk to you guys about Scarlett?” she asked.

  By that time Scarlett was already inside the school doors.

  We nodded.

  Resa started doing what my dad calls “venting.” We have a vent in our kitchen above our stove. When there’s something burning on the stove, he pushes a button and a fan inside the vent takes the smoke and heat and yucky smell and sends it through the vent to the outside of our house! He says that sometimes people burn with big emotions and they need to let their feelings out. He calls that venting. Resa was full of emotion, and she needed to vent it out.

  “I don’t know what to do,” she said to us. “Sometimes Scarlett is really nice to me and wants me to be her friend. But sometimes she is mean to other people, and that bothers me. I love her tune, but it wasn’t right for her to steal your words. Anyway, she just gave me a note saying you guys should stand in the back when we sing. That’s not right, either. I don’t know what to do.”

  “A note?” Phillip frowned. “Can we see it?”

  Resa looked worried. “It’s mean. Are you sure you want to see it?”

  My face started getting hot.

  “Yes!” Phillip said.

  I wasn’t so sure.

  “Scarlett told me to pass the note to Victoria and Mara, but I didn’t,” Resa said. “Don’t tell her I gave it to you.”

  “We won’t,” Phillip said.

  “Promise?” she asked.

  “Promise,” we both said.

  She handed Phillip the note. He read it out loud.

  Hi Resa,

  My mom is buying amazing costumes for all of us for the talent show! They will be the best!

  When we sing the song for the show, I think you and me and Victoria and Mara should be in the front. You all have really pretty hair and pretty voices, and you’ll look so good in the costumes. Wear your fanciest shoes! Lucy and Phillip should stand way in the back. Even if Lucy’s tooth doesn’t fall out, her hair is too flat, and Phillip is too short. I don’t want to hurt their feelings. I just know the whole group will look really good with us in the front. Let’s practice at recess! Pass this on to Victoria and Mara.

  See ya,

  Scarlett

  I felt burning hot now.

  “Scarlett doesn’t know anything!” Phillip said. “Your hair is nice, and I am not too short.”

  I nodded, but I could tell Scarlett had hurt his feelings, too.

  As we walked into the school, I crumpled up Scarlett’s note. “At least nobody else is going to read this,” I said. “Thanks for not passing it on, Resa.”

  A sad sound came out of Phillip like the air coming out of a bouncy ball. “She can always write a new one,” he said.

  It was true.

  “What are you guys going to do?” Resa asked. “Do you want to be in the show with her? What should I do?”

  We turned down the hallway toward our classroom, and an idea popped into my head.

  Phillip stopped. “Lucy, you have a funny look on your face.”

  “I have an idea for a trick I can play on Scarlett. It might teach her a lesson,” I said.

  “Tell us!” Phillip said.

  By that time we were already in our room, and Mrs. Brock wanted us to get ready for the morning.

  “You’ll see!” I whispered to both of them.

  While everybody was putting their stuff away in their cubbies, I got a piece of paper. Very carefully, I wrote a new note, copying Scarlett’s handwriting.


  Hi Victoria!

  This is Scarlett. When we sing our song, I think I should be in the front because my hair is way prettier than anybody else’s hair. I’m waaaaay prettier than you and Mara and Resa. Let’s practice at recess!

  See ya,

  Scarlett

  I snuck behind Victoria and slipped the note into her math notebook. Resa and Phillip saw me. I could tell they were dying to know what the note said!

  When I am doing something sneaky, I get this buzzy feeling inside. Right then, I felt like a swarm of bees were buzzing inside of me.

  During math I saw Victoria open her notebook and find the note. Her face turned red.

  While Mrs. Brock wasn’t looking, Victoria passed the note to Mara. I watched Mara’s face get even madder. My trick was working!

  Then Mara showed the note to Resa and passed it back to Victoria. When no one was looking, Resa gave me a look. “Did you write it?” she whispered.

  I nodded and grinned. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, but I had a feeling it was going to be good.

  Right after Victoria, Mara, and Resa read the mean note that I wrote in Scarlett’s handwriting, it was time for art. Victoria, Mara, and Scarlett always walk to art together. Except today. Today, Victoria grabbed Mara and Resa. The three of them walked out of the room together. Quickly.

  “Wait!” Scarlett said. She ran to catch up with them. She had on her fancy shoes with the little heels that went click, click, click. Victoria and Mara wouldn’t look at her. They were too mad. Resa looked back at me.

  “What’s going on?” Phillip whispered. “Why is Resa looking at you? Why are Victoria and Mara mad at Scarlett?”

  I didn’t have time to explain because Mr. Hopkin was waiting for us at the door. I gave Phillip my wait-and-see look.