Georgia's Greatness Read Online Free PDF Page B

her," Georgia said glumly.
    "What do you mean?" we asked, turning to her.
    "Hitting her in the forehead with that spitball," Georgia said. "I can't believe how bad my luck is at times! If I'd thrown that spitball a second earlier, it would have just struck the door; a second later, and I probably would have hit Frank Freud instead. But me, I had to throw it at exactly the worst moment possible, when it would hit her in the head. Now she shall hate me forever and I will never get a chance to be Teacher's Pet."
    We were shocked.
    Who would have ever dreamed that Georgia, hardhearted Georgia, would want to be Teacher's Pet?
    We certainly wouldn't have.
    But then we all swiveled our heads from Georgia over to Ms. Harkness, who was standing there under Petal's pink umbrella on the sidelines, and we could see her point. We all wanted to be Teacher's Pet now.
    Well, except for Mandy.
    "Georgia," Zinnia said, taking a step forward and placing her hand gently on Georgia's arm.
    We were proud of Zinnia in that moment. There were times when she could be as timid as Petal, and Zinnia did worry too much about gifts, but because she was so sensitive herself, she was sometimes the most sensitive to other people. And cats. Well, at least she thought so.
    "I really don't think Ms. Harkness hates you," Zinnia said once she'd secured Georgia's attention. "Don't you remember? She told you she was going to keep a special eye on you. And she touched your nose. She hasn't touched any of us. In fact, I'd say you're her favorite. I think when she found you on her desk, she was awfully impressed."
    It was a long speech for Zinnia to make, and she looked as though she'd exhausted herself. We were proud.
    We turned to Georgia to see how she had taken this.
    She still looked sad, as though she wasn't wholly convinced and would dearly love to believe Zinnia was right ... but wasn't sure.
    "Or maybe," Rebecca added darkly, "the reason she wants to keep a closer eye on you has nothing to do with being special, at least not in a good way."
    "How do you mean?" Georgia asked.
    "You know," Rebecca said, "you on the desk? The spitball you hurled at her forehead?"
    "I didn't hurl— "
    "Maybe," Rebecca said, "Ms. Harkness suspects, and rightfully so, that you're the student most likely to cause trouble."
    "I prefer," Georgia said with a sniff, offended, "to believe she wants me for Teacher's Pet."
    "I still think she's the Cat in the Hat," Mandy maintained, interrupting all our theories about Ms. Harkness and Georgia. "I think she is"—and here Mandy took a huge breath before finishing—"A Bad Person."
    "Oh, will you please stop with that?" Georgia demanded, snapping out of her sad and offended mood just long enough to get mad.
    "Fine," Mandy said. "I guess I can't help it. I miss Mrs. McGillicuddy."
    She what? How could anyone possibly miss the McG?
    But before we could say this to her, she added, "And I think we should all cheer her up by making her get-well cards."
    It seemed like an over-the-top notion at first. Shouldn't getting a break from us cheer up the McG enough? But then we thought about the times when we'd been sick and Mommy and Daddy had bought us get-well cards, even though they lived right in the same house with us. (This was, of course, before they had disappeared. Or died.) Those cards had made us feel good, loved, better even, and we could see Mandy's point: cards from us just might be the difference between living and dying for the McG.
    So that's what we did when we returned to our classroom after the Longest Recess the Whistle Stop Had Ever Seen Ever: we set to work, spending the rest of the day making cards for our absent teacher.
    As for our new teacher?
    She offered to mail the ten cards for us on her way home. She even offered to spring for the stamps.
    ***
    "I'm worried about what it will be like when we get home," Petal said as we boarded the bus.
    "What are you worried about?" Annie asked. She might have said "What are you worried