hands into the pockets of her corduroy jumper. Her feet felt big and heavy, too heavy to move her into the room. Why did she have to go to kindergarten anyway? She already knew how to read and she could print out her name and her address and her telephone number with her favorite Crayola. Who wanted to sit around with a bunch of dumb kids, playing with blocks and finger paints when you could be reading about Lassie or the Cat in the Hat?
The boy with the bright blue eyes twisted around in his seat then pointed at the desk next to him. He smiled at her like it was Christmas morning and having her sit next to him was the best present under the tree. Suddenly she was moving forward, her eyes locked with his, moving right past the other kids just like she was one of them. She slid into the cold wooden seat and folded her hands on top of the desk.
"What's your name?" he asked, leaning across the aisle.
"G-Gracie," she said, wishing she had a pretty name like Tiffany or Marisa. "What's yours?"
"Noah," he said, screwing up his face like a dried-up lemon.
She giggled. Two of the other little kids turned around and saw what Noah was doing and they giggled too and before she knew it, she was right there in the center of a group of laughing children, almost like she belonged there.
#
It was the best day of Gracie's life. When Mrs. Cavanaugh said, "Class dismissed!" Gracie wished she could blink her eyes and start the day all over again. She followed the other kids into the coatroom to claim her sweater and the buzz of talk and laughter all around her felt like a big hug. They all liked Noah and since Noah liked Gracie, they opened their circle wide enough to let Gracie in too. It was like being welcomed into a magic place where only good things happened and she hated to see it end.
Gramma Del was waiting for her by the gate. She had Mondays off from her job as cook for the richest family in Idle Point. "You look real happy this afternoon, missy," she said, tugging on Gracie's stick-straight ponytail. "Did you have a good first day of school?"
"I taught them double Dutch," she said, bouncing in place with excitement. "We have a class parakeet and two gerbils. I had milk and cookies. We took a nap on squishy pillows and I even had my own blanket." She hadn't closed her eyes once, not even for a second. She didn't want to miss a thing.
"Your own blanket!" Gramma Del nodded. "Now that's something." She took Gracie's hand and they started walking. Gramma Del was old and she didn't walk real fast which was fine with Gracie. She wanted the day to last forever. "Did you make any friends?"
"Terri and Laquita and Mary Ellen and Joey and Tim and Don and Noah." She almost wasn't going to tell Gramma Del about Noah. In a way she wanted him to be her very own special secret friend but she couldn't keep anything from her grandma.
Gramma Del stopped walking. "Noah?"
"Yes," said Gracie. "He held a seat for me."
Gramma Del's lips all but disappeared. "Did you know I cook for Noah's daddy?"
"No," said Gracie. "He has blue eyes, Gramma."
"Well, those blue eyes won't be around too long, missy. His daddy has big plans for that little boy."
Boarding school.
Prep school.
Ivy League.
Gramma Del's words swirled over Gracie's head but she wasn't paying much attention. She was thinking about Noah and the class parakeet and the gerbils and taking in all the sights as the other kids met up with their mommies or big brothers and sisters. Laquita was standing at the corner all by herself, looking like she didn't mind being alone one bit. She was a very quiet little girl with a round face and long black hair that spilled down her back. Mary Ellen and Joey, redheaded twins, waved at Gracie from the back seat of a big green station wagon. Tim and Don's big brother was yelling at them to get in the car right this minute but they were talking to Terri near the school bus. Most of the kids lived in town and had been playing together since they were little babies.
Across the street, Noah walked quietly next to a well-dressed woman. The woman looked straight ahead as they walked. Noah looked down at the ground. For some