Ruby Flips for Attention
Page 4
“That’s it, T. That’s it. Something good and fabulous.” I gave her a high five.
“Sounds great to me, Booker. But what about our shows?” Toya asked. “When are we going to become the kind of drill team that actually does steps, moves, and backflips?”
“I don’t know, Toya. Maybe when my cast is off, we can start practicing.” I spoke to Toya the way Kee-Kee would to her squad members. “We’ll get to that soon. Let’s make a name for ourselves first.”
“Sounds good …” Peaches blurted as she and her sister spun around in a circle on their skates.
“… to us! Let’s do it, Steppers!” Plenty cheered.
We all got into a circle, slid our purple T-shirts on, put our hands in the center, and I said, “On three, give me a loud and proud Chill Brook Steppers cheer! One … two … three!”
“CHILL BROOK STEPPERS!!!” all five of us roared to the sky.
A few weeks later, Ma was in the den, sewing a pretty new dress for one of her friends. The doorbell rang. “Get the door, somebody!” Ma yelled out.
“I got it!” I yelled back. I was in the kitchen making a snack. You just can’t beat grape Jell-O and fruit cocktail.
When I made it to our front door, I saw a tall girl standing outside. It was Kee-Kee! I ran to open the door, and when I looked out behind her, I almost fainted.
“Yes, does Ruby Booker, the captain of the Chill Brook Steppers, live here?” Kee-Kee asked in a funny voice. Every single member of the Wallace Park Spirit was with her. Each and every one. I think I counted lots of big kids. They had their drums and pom-poms. Plus, they were all wearing their red-white-and-gold performance outfits. Kee-Kee had her hair done like a girl in a magazine ad. She was looking extra-extra pretty.
“Where are all of you headed?” I asked, still in shock.
“Your mother told us about you finally starting your squad and about all of the nice things you guys are planning. I love it, Ruby!” She hugged me and lifted me off the ground.
“Are you going to a competition?” I wondered.
“Nope. We just decided to come over here before practice and ask if we could possibly … all of us … sign your cast.” Kee-Kee said it like she thought I was a neighborhood superstar.
“Can you sign my cast? Sure!” I ran and got pens of all colors. The Wallace Park Spirit stood in line and signed my cast one at a time. It was like a dream come true.
They all signed, stood in the middle of the street, played their music, and marched down Chill Brook Avenue.
“See you later, cousin!” Kee-Kee waved her baton in the air. And just like that, they were gone.
Tyner came to the door and said, “Who was that, Rube? Sounded like a herd of elephants marching.”
“Not really a herd, Ty. It was more like the second-best drill team in the world, that’s all.”
“Second-best? Well, who’s the first?” Ty scratched his head and looked confused.
I turned around to show him what my purple T-shirt said on the back. Then, as I walked away with a little wiggle, I said, “Ty … do you really have to ask? I mean, really?”
Say hi to a kid at your school whom you’ve never spoken to before.
Sit next to someone at lunch who sits by him- or herself most of the time.
Tell your mom how pretty she looks today.
Give your dessert away to someone.
Be the one to say you’re sorry first.
Help your grandparents clean the house.
Bake something with your mom.
Tell your dad or the father figure in your life how much he means to you.
Have a yard sale, bake sale, or lemonade sale, and give the money you earn to a charity or a family in need. Ask a grown-up to help.
Help an elderly or disabled neighbor with his or her yard by gardening, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, or raking leaves.
Volunteer at a children’s hospital and spend some time with another kid whom you don’t know. Play board and video games, talk, or just hang out.
Get together with other kids in your neighborhood and pick up the litter on your block.
Sylvia Watley — thanks for giving me a shot. I’ve come a long way since Hershey Brown.
— D.B.
Derrick Barnes is the Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor–winning author of Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut. As well as the Ruby and the Booker Boys series, he has also written Stop, Drop, and Chill and Low-down Bad Day Blues as well as books for young adults. Derrick and his wife, Tinka, reside in Kansas City with their own version of the Booker boys—Ezra, Solomon, and Silas.
Other RUBY books
by Derrick Barnes
Brand New School, Brave New Ruby
Trivia Queen, Third Grade Supreme
The Slumber Party Payback
Ruby Flips for Attention
Text copyright © 2009 by Derrick Barnes
Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Scholastic Inc.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Available
First printing, April 2009
e-ISBN 978-1-338-31910-1
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