Natalie and the Bestest Friend Race (7 page)

Kindergarten Olympics day is sunny, with real birds singing in the trees. I can’t wait to talk to Laurie. Even if she never tells me sorry, I want to tell her sorry.

When I get to my classroom, we are already divided up in teams. Laurie is too far away for me to talk to. Plus, she still won’t look at me.

Miss Hines makes us line up in teams to go outside. “Now remember the spirit of the Olympics,” she tells us. “Let’s be good sports and have fun!”

Farah and I walk to the running circle together. On one side of the track, parents are already sitting on blankets and chairs.

“That is your grandmother, is it not?” Farah says, pointing.

I see her too. And Mommy and Daddy.

“Go, Nat!” Daddy yells. He keeps yelling this until I wave.

“Welcome to Kindergarten Olympics!” Principal Fritz shouts through her squeaky speaker.

It feels like a real Olympics. But it’s hard to get excited about it until I talk to Laurie. And her team is
too far away.

Kids from both kindergartens line up for the first race.

“On your mark! Get set! Go!” Principal Fritz yells.

Farah and I watch and cheer for our side. So many people scream that I can’t hear my own scream. Andrew from the other kindergarten comes in first, and Peter next. Only Peter yells at everybody, ’cause he wanted to win first.

“Have you seen Laurie?” I ask Farah, while other kids get to the start line.

“She is still with her team.” Farah points to the other team’s waiting spot. Laurie is there, next to Sasha.

Farah and I watch more races. We scream our heads off.

“Who is the winner so far?” Farah asks.

“I don’t know.” Miss Hines told us about keeping score and every place getting points. Only I didn’t get it.

Farah gets second place in her shot-put throw. Jason wins one of his races and comes in second in the other one. Then it’s my turn.

“And now our last event!” Principal Fritz yells. “The hurdles!”

“That’s you!” Farah says.

I move to the start line. I can hear my dad’s cheering louder than anybody’s. Plus also Granny’s.

My stomach is very twitchy. All day, I have been twitchy about talking to Laurie. Now I am also twitchy about this race.

The other kindergarten takes up half of the line. Then Peter, Sasha, me, and Laurie. Laurie is the farthest-away girl.

“I can trade places with you if you want,” I tell Laurie.

She gets big in her eyes.

“Stay where you are, Lizard Breath!” Peter yells. “Her spot has to run longer.”

“I know,” I tell him.

“I’m okay,” Laurie says.

“Yeah,” Sasha calls over. “We’re just fine! We’re going to win! We’re number one!”

This sets Peter off. “
We’re
number one!” he shouts.

I want to tell Laurie I’m sorry for everything. Only Peter and Sasha are too loud. Plus, I know we’re not supposed to talk on the start line. But I’ve waited and waited to talk to her. And I can’t wait more. “Laurie, I—”

“Quiet, please!” Principal Fritz yells. “On your mark! Get set! Go!”

My feet take off. But they are not super fast feet. Sasha, Peter, and Laurie get in front right away. They get to the first hurdle before me. But they all stop or slow way down.

I keep running. Jump. And run some more.

“Way to jump, Nat!” Daddy screams so loud, I hear him.

I’m right between Peter and Laurie now. We run. Only they move ahead of me.

We get to the next hurdle, and I fly over it, checking my watch I don’t have. When I land, nobody is in front of me. I don’t even hear footsteps behind me.

I keep running. Nobody is coming up on me.

I peek over my shoulder. Peter is back there.

“We’re killing them!” Peter shouts. “Ha! Look how far back Laurie is!”

Close behind Peter comes Sasha. Laurie is behind her.

I keep peeking at Laurie. She is in the way back. I start running backwards to see her better. Her face is sad, and that makes me sorry in my heart. I don’t want Laurie to be sad.

Sasha is running past Peter. I see this on account of I am still running backwards.

“Out of the way!” Sasha shouts. She runs right at me.

I try to turn frontwards. But Sasha bumps my shoulder and sends me smashing into the last hurdle. I bounce off and slam down on the track.

“Get up!” Peter shouts mean. He stops and jumps that hurdle.

Only I stay down.

“Nat, are you okay?” Laurie runs up and kneels beside me.

Tears leak out of me.

“You’re hurt! I’ll get your mom!” Laurie starts to get up.

I grab her arm. “I’m not hurt!” And this is a true thing. The tears aren’t outside-hurt tears. They’re
inside-hurt tears. “I’m okay. I…I’m just sorry, Laurie.”

Laurie’s eyes get tears. “I’m sorry too, Nat. I—”

“No. Me first,” I say. “I’m so sorry.” It feels good to get out those words. “I never should have told your secret. I didn’t mean to. I was trying to make Peter stop saying you were in the dumb group. Only I shouldn’t have told him about the ’slexia. And now everybody knows. And it’s all my fault. And now you don’t even want to be my friend.”

“What?” Laurie is big in her teary eyes. “Nat, I was just so sad that it turned into mad. And then I didn’t pick you on my team. And I’m really sorry I didn’t. But how could you think I don’t want to be your friend?”

“Anna said Sasha said you didn’t,” I explain.

“Sasha told
me
you said
you
didn’t want to be my friend. You didn’t want a friend with dyslexia.”

“I
never
said that! I always want you to be—!”

“Run!” Peter stands over me. “If you beat Laurie, we can still win!” he screams.

Sasha runs up to Laurie. “Laurie! All you have to do is finish the race before Nat! Go!”

“Get going, Lizard Breath!” Peter yells.

Sasha mean-laughs.

Laurie jumps to her feet. I think she may be going
to finish the race. But she doesn’t jump the hurdle. She turns line eyes at Sasha and Peter. “Don’t call Nat ‘Lizard Breath’! Don’t you ever say that name to my bestest friend again!”

Bestest friend.
Those are the bestest words I have ever heard. That’s what.

“Come on, Nat.” Laurie sticks out her hand and helps me stand up.

My knee is scraped, but I don’t hurt. Not outside. And not inside.

Laurie and I hold hands and jump the hurdle together. Then we run, laughing, to the finish line and step on it at the exactly same time.

And guess what. We are both winners.

Zonderkidz

Natalie and the Bestest Friend Race

Copyright © 2009 by Dandi Daley Mackall

Illustrations © 2009 by Lys Blakeslee

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition MARCH 2010 ISBN: 978-0-310-87668-7

Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zonderkidz,
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mackall, Dandi Daley.

Natalie and the bestest friend race / by Dandi Daley Mackall ; [Lys Blakeslee, illustrator].

p. cm.—(That’s Nat! ; bk. 5)

Summary: When Natalie accidentally reveals her best friend’s secret, it causes the friends to have their first real fight.

ISBN 978-0-310-71570-2 (softcover)

[1. Best friends—Fiction. 2. Friendship—Fiction. 3. Dyslexia—Fiction. 4. Christian life—Fiction.] I. Blakeslee, Lys, 1985- ill. II. Title.

PZ7.M1905Nab 2009

[Fic]—dc22

2008049736

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