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Smart Cookies

Page 14

by Adriana Brad Schanen


  There’s no use arguing with Quinny when she gets this excited.

  I tap my cup of water against hers. Cheers.

  Still, I’m pretty sure there isn’t going to be a blizzard.

  I turn back to the window and look outside.

  The snow is coming down in slow motion, in fat, gentle flakes.

  Falling snow makes the world feel calmer.

  I could sit here and stare at it forever.

  Boy, do I love being right!

  It snowed a ton, and school the next day was really, truly, absolutely canceled.

  Now we’re about to sled down Mount Roar, which is covered with nine inches of glorious, fluffy, crunchy-powdery brand-new snow.

  Mount Roar is the fanciest, highest part of Whisper Valley, and leads down to the valley part, where the rest of the town lives, like me and Hopper. It’s not as noisy as it sounds. It’s mostly a gentle, pretty hill, but there’s one part, all the way to the left by the pine trees, that goes almost straight down, and some older boys made it even steeper by piling snow into a mound at the top. They really did nickname it the Death Drop. Alex wasn’t lying. And on the way down the Death Drop are a couple of Barf Bumps.

  None of the parents of the smaller kids are letting them sled down that part of the hill, for some strange reason.

  But Mom went back to the car to get dry mittens for Piper, and she left us with Caleb’s mom, who is on the phone, so I drag Hopper over to the Death Drop because now is our chance to sneak in some truly exciting fun.

  “Hopper, look, that’s where all the middle schoolers are going down. I bet no third grader ever went down here…let’s do it, we’ll be legends, let’s go for it.”

  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Your mom will get mad. And, we might die.”

  “Hopper, I promise we won’t die. And look, the hill is so steep, it’ll only take two seconds to zoom down it, I promise. We’ll be done before Mom even gets back and we’ll be together the whole time—don’t worry.”

  Hopper laughs. Which almost never happens. It’s such a great sound.

  Finally he gets behind me on my sled. He has to grab on to me to keep us together, which feels almost like a hug. A hug that strangles my ribs.

  “Ready?” I say.

  “Ready….Wait, no—”

  Hopper starts to get up, but I scoot us forward to get started before he can run away.

  “Yes, you are! Ready, set—”

  “No—”

  “Go!”

  “No, Quinny, I don’t think this is such a great ideAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

  I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die.

  I close my eyes. I cling to Quinny.

  This is it. Good-bye, world.

  On the other hand…

  Maybe I won’t die just yet.

  I hope I don’t.

  I hope I live to drink some hot chocolate after all this. I guess it’s better to hope a good thing will happen than to worry a bad thing will.

  What did Piper call me in her drawing, again?

  Hoper.

  My name is Hopper, the Hoper.

  Who knew Hopper had that much noise inside him? More noise than Cleo, even.

  Zooming straight down the Death Drop is awesome, even though I can’t hear so great afterward. I tumble off the sled and shake my head, and hope everything inside it goes back to normal soon. Freeze-y snow fizzes up my nose and tingles inside my boots.

  Hopper’s plopped sideways in the snow, too. His eyes look all big and buggy. His mouth pops open. His breath comes out huffy-puffy.

  “Hopper, are you okay?”

  He doesn’t answer.

  But then he sits up, and his mouth curls into a smile, and one tiny word comes out:

  “Again?”

  ADRIANA BRAD SCHANEN lives in Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband and two very, very, extra-very lively daughters. Visit her online at adrianabradschanen.com.

  CHARLES SANTOSO is a concept artist and illustrator who loves to draw little things in a little journal. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia. Visit his website at charlessantoso.com.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  About the Author and Illustrator

 

 

 


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