Noodle Up Your Nose (3 page)

“Want to play tomorrow?” he asked.

“After I finish nine more pirate invitations. I'm drawing each one with a different picture,” Kate explained.

“Want some help?” asked Jake.

“Hey! That would be great,” said Kate. “You draw terrific pirates. Come over in the morning.”

The next morning at ten, Jake's dad dropped him off at Kate's house. Kate showed Jake her ten finished invitations.

“I love this one where the pirate catches a shoe instead of a fish,” said Jake.

“Look at this one where the pirate catches a sea monster with nine green arms and one green eyeball,” sad Kate.

“That gives me an idea,” said Jake and he picked up a pencil and began to sketch. He drew a pirate swinging a fishing line across the ship and catching another pirate by the pants.

By one o'clock, Jake had made four invitations and Kate had made five. One was for Jake. They were finished!

“I love this one,” said Kate's mom to Jake. Jake's invitation showed a pirate opening a treasure chest full of toilet paper. “He doesn't look happy.”

“He wanted to find gold,” said Jake.

“Sometimes toilet paper is better than gold,“ said Kate.

The next morning Kate was up early. She carefully placed each of her nineteen party invitations into an envelope. On each envelope she wrote a person's name in red and black marker.

“I love my party already,” she told her mother, dancing around the kitchen. “I hope everyone comes.”

“Everyone?” said her mother. “Even Violet?”

“Even Violet and Leo and Brad. I feel so happy that nothing any of them do or say is going to bother me,” said Kate.

Kate's mom grabbed her jacket and purse.
“That's the spirit, my pirate girl! Let's go so you can hand out those invitations before class,” she said.

Kate and her mom hurried out the door.

There were only three kids in class when Kate arrived, and they were playing with Roland the gerbil at the back. Kate slipped an invitation into everyone's desk. Then she joined the kids at the back with Roland.

The bell rang. Kate zoomed to her desk. As she did, she glanced at Jake's seat. It was empty.

Mr. Bolin walked into class. “Good morning, class,” he said, as Jake dashed into his seat. “And good morning, Jake. Did you have a little trouble getting up again?”

“It wasn't me,” said Jake. “My dad brought me to school this morning and just as we were about to go out the door, he saw that he forgot his keys. So he had to run upstairs and look through five pairs of pants pockets till he found them. That's why I'm late.”

Jake smiled at Mr. Bolin.

Mr. Bolin did not smile back. “That's a good story, Jake,” he said. “Even a possible story, but it would be much more believable if it wasn't your seventh late excuse this year, and it's only October. There was the sudden-grandmother-visit excuse. The no-clean-socks excuse. The cat-at-the-vet excuse. The stomachache, headache and nosebleed excuses. And my all time favorite—the itchy toes excuse.”

“But my toes really did itch, Mr. Bolin,” Jake protested.

“I'm sure they did, Jake. It's not the reasons you're late, it's how often you're late. See if you can arrive on time from now on. Otherwise, I may have to send you to have a little chat with the principal about all your excuses.”

“I'll try, Mr. Bolin. I really will. I like your class,” said Jake, flashing Mr. Bolin a big smile.

This time Mr. Bolin smiled back. “Despite everything, Jake, I like having you in it too,” he said.

The rumors about Kate's party began at recess.

“Did you hear?” said Leo. “Kate's serving radish pie at her party.”

“Did you hear?” said Ben. “Kate's serving spinach juice at her party.”

“Did you hear?” said Lila, “Kate's serving garlic cupcakes at her party.”

“It's not true,” Kate told them.

“Well, that's what we heard,” said Lila.

“Who told you that?” asked Kate.

“I don't remember,” said Lila in a huffy voice. “I just know that's what I heard.”

“Was it Violet?” asked Kate.

“I told you. I don't remember,” snarled Lila.

“Well, I'm not having radish pie, spinach juice or garlic cupcakes at my party. I'm having strawberry and chocolate pirate cake and it's going to be delicious,” said Kate.

“Pirate cake?” said Lila. “How can pirate cake be delicious? Pirates eat goop and guts.”

“They do not,” said Kate.

“Do too. Do too. Do too,” said Lila. Then she stuck out her tongue and ran off.

Kate ran to the swings where Jake was waiting for her. “Hey,” he said. “What took you so long? It's not easy reserving a swing. Two girls almost beat me up for it. I had to tell them that you had an emergency phone call from home and would be back in a second.”

“Jake, why did you say that?” said Kate. “Now everyone is going to ask me what happened. You know how stories get spread.” Then Kate told Jake about the rumors about her party.

“I bet it was Violet,” he said. “She can be mean for no good reason. One day she told me that I had a hole in my pants and I didn't.”

“Well, I'm going to ask her at lunch,” said Kate. “But I don't understand. I invited her to my party. Why does she have to be mean?”

“Maybe it's something she ate. You know how my mom tells me not to eat too much sugar because it makes me hyper? Well, maybe if you eat certain foods too much, you get mean.”

“That's crazy,” said Kate, laughing.

“But who knows,” said Jake. “It might be true.”

“Maybe it's broccoli,” said Kate. “Every time my mom makes me eat it, I feel sick. And when I feel sick, I feel angry. And when I feel angry, I feel mean. Maybe Violet eats too much broccoli.” Kate laughed at the thought of Violet's face stuffed with broccoli.

“Yes,” said Jake as they walked back to class. “Broccoli could be it.”

Kate confronted Violet at lunch. “Was it you?” she said.

“Was it me what?” said Violet, brushing her hair at her desk.

“Did you spread rumors about my party?” asked Kate.

“I don't spread rumors,” said Violet, rolling her green eyes.

“Well, everything is going to be delicious at my party,” said Kate. “It's going to be a great party.”

“Really,” said Violet in a voice that made Kate know Violet didn't believe a word. Violet turned her
back on Kate. “Lila, over here,” she called. “Bring your lunch and sit with me.”

Kate walked away. How could she make people believe that the rumors about her party weren't true?

All the way home, Kate wondered what she could do to stop the rumors, but she couldn't think of anything. Would the kids really believe the rumors? Would they still come to her party, no matter what crazy stories they heard?

But as soon as she reached school the next morning, Kate heard new rumors.

“Did you hear?” said Alice. “Kate's making someone wash all the dishes at her party.”

“Did you hear?” said Andrew. “Kate's making someone eat spider legs at her party.”

“Did you hear?” said Charlene. “Kate's making someone stick a noodle up his nose at her party.”

Kate ran around all recess telling people that the rumors weren't true. But it was like plugging a hole

in a dam. She stopped one rumor and another one popped out of nowhere.

By lunchtime, there were newer, crazier rumors.

There were rumors that Kate was decorating her house with spider webs and anthills.

There were rumors that the loot bags would be filled with seaweed and slugs.

There were rumors that everyone had to eat a worm before Kate would let them eat cake.

“Ugh,” screeched Alice. “That is so gross.”

“It's a big gross lie,” said Kate. “Who's making all these stories up?”

But Alice didn't know, and no one else did either.

“Oh Jake,” said Kate on the phone that night. “What if no one comes to my party on Sunday?”

“I'll be there,” said Jake.

“Thanks, Jake. You're a good friend, but a party needs lots of people. What if it's just you and me at my party? Who'll eat all the cake? How can we play games with only two people?”

Kate's mom and dad tried to reassure her that no one really believed silly rumors, but Kate still wasn't confident that anyone would come to her party.

After supper, Kate and her mom filled the loot bags with chocolate coins, gummy fish, candy jewelry and Find the Treasure puzzles. For awhile, Kate was having so much fun, she forgot to worry about her party.

But when Kate and her mom looked around the basement to find the perfect spot to hide the cardboard crocodile they'd made for Hunt the Croc, Kate burst into tears. “What if no one's here to find the croc? What if...”

“Oh, Kate,” said her mom. “Let's just have fun preparing for the party. Everything will work out. You'll see.”