by Lisa Yee
“Sorry about that,” Annie said, rushing over and yanking her brother up off the ground. “But you walked right in front of us. That was dumb. Hey, are you okay? You look funny.”
“I’m fine,” Bobby insisted. His leg was sore and he had scraped his elbow, but he didn’t dare let Annie know he was hurt or else she might call him a wimp. His big sister was brave and never complained when she was injured — like the time she broke her finger but refused to go to the doctor for two days.
Annie put her helmet back on and tightened the strap. “Dad and I were just throwing spirals. You want to join us?” When Bobby hesitated, she teased him, “Come on, it won’t kill you. Football is fun!”
Bobby pretended to think it over before saying, “No thanks. Maybe some other time,” which meant “never.” He picked up his skateboard and hobbled toward his mom and Casey.
“Look!” Casey cried, holding up something wiggly and slimy. “A baby snake! Bobby, say hello to Snakey Snake Snake!”
“That’s a worm,” he pointed out. The worm looked distressed. “You’d better put it back.”
Casey pouted. “But I want to invite Wormy Worm Worm to a tea party. Princess Becky says to be nice to nature.” Bobby’s little sister adored the TV show Princess Becky’s Planet so much that she wore her Princess Becky costume and crown every day.
Mrs. Ellis-Chan set aside her basket of yellow and red zinnias. “Bobby, it looks like you’re hurt,” she said. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
As his mother bandaged him up inside the house, Bobby could hear his father’s booming voice outside.
“You’ve got a great arm, Annie!”
“That last pass was perfect!”
“You sure know how to make your father proud!”
Bobby winced.
“I’m sorry,” his mother said. “Did I put the bandage on too tight?”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing,” he said. “I’m fine.”
Bobby trudged up to his room and stayed there for the rest of the morning. He had important things to do, like drawing pictures of friendly aliens and their pets, cleaning his fish tank, and peeling off the sparkly stickers Casey had stuck all over his skateboard helmet. Finally, he decided to head to Holly’s house and see what she was up to. Maybe he could talk her into going rock hunting. Or better yet, if he timed it right, maybe Holly would invite him to stay for lunch. Bobby was feeling a tad hungry, and Mrs. Harper, Holly’s mother, made wonderful homemade bread and soup. She was the best cook. Everyone knew that.
Bobby’s mom was back in the garden studying her flower bed. “It needs something,” Mrs. Ellis-Chan mused. “But what? Maybe a small fountain or statue?”
Casey looked up with interest. “How about a castle?” she asked. “Or a moat. We should have a moat, then we could get an alligator and a whale, and Wormy Worm Worm could go swimming!”
“Be gentle with that worm,” Bobby said. He didn’t know much about worms, but he did know a lot about his little sister and how excited she could get.
“I am gentle, Bobby,” Casey insisted. “Look! Wormy Worm Worm is hugging me!” Sure enough, the worm had curled around Casey’s finger.
Bobby stepped onto his skateboard and pushed off. He breezed down the driveway and did an impressive ollie along the way, getting high in the air. The thought of a big bowl of Mrs. Harper’s soup was making his stomach growl.
Mr. Ellis-Chan and Annie were laughing and talking as they did push-ups on the lawn. “That Bobby,” he overheard his father say when he skateboarded past, “he’s not like me.”
“That’s for sure,” Annie answered.
Suddenly, Bobby wasn’t hungry anymore.
LISA YEE’s novels include Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time (an ALA Notable Book); So Totally Emily Ebers; Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally); Bobby the Brave (Sometimes); Warp Speed; Absolutely Maybe; and The Kidney Hypothetical. She lives in South Pasadena, California. Please visit her website at www.lisayee.com.
Text copyright © 2009 by Lisa Yee
Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Dan Santat
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC, the LANTERN LOGO, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Arthur A. Levine Books hardcover edition designed by Elizabeth B. Parisi, Dan Santat, and Kristina Iulo, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., September 2009
This edition first printing, May 2010
e-ISBN 978-0-545-27911-6
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