The Valentine Star (4 page)

Holly looked out. “Richard Best,” she said. “Are you crazy?”

“Open the door, dummy,” said Richard. “We're freezing to death out here.”

Holly pushed the door open.

Emily and Richard scrambled in.

“Whew,” Emily said. “My fingers are like icicles.”

“If Mommy knew you were outside in the snow without your boots … ” Holly said. She shook her head and started down the hall again.

Emily and Beast looked at each other.

“That was a close one,” Emily said.

“We'd better get back to the classroom,” Richard said.

Emily looked up.

Sherri Dent was coming down the hall toward the girls’ room. She was staring at them.

Emily looked at Beast. “Come on,” she said.

She didn't look at Sherri when they passed her.

They ducked into the classroom.

“Did she see us outside?” Emily asked.

“I don't know,” Richard said. “Maybe.”

Emily sat down in her seat.

She was still freezing. Herleet were soaked.

She pulled her sweat suit sleeves down over her hands a little.

She pulled out her notebook.

Something fell out of her desk.

It was Sherris note.
YOU'LL BE SORRY.

Emily shivered a little. Suppose Sherri knew?

She began to make math sticks again.

After school Emily helped Timothy wash the blackboard.

She was glad school was over for today.

She was glad Ms. Rooney hadn't found out.

Emily had watched Sherri all afternoon.

She had waited for Sherri to raise her hand.

Emily made a big wet swirl with the sponge.

Sherri probably didn't know they were outside.

Of course she didn't.

Emily had been worrying over nothing.

She made a big wet
N
for
Nothing
on the chalkboard.

After Timothy left, she stopped to make a Valentine card. A special one for Jill Simon.

Jill had been absent all week.

Emily tried to rhyme with
cold.

Last time Jill had a cold her nose was red as a beet.

It wouldn't be nice to remind her, though. At last Emily wrote:

She put a red star in the middle of the card.

It looked like a red nose. Maybe Jill's red nose.

Emily giggled. It would be her own secret.

She'd never tell anyone.

She walked over to the Valentine box.

She stuffed the card in.

The box was getting full.

She couldn't wait until Ms. Rooney passed the cards out. She hoped she'd get a lot.

Wouldn't it be awful if she didn't get any?

She went back to her seat.

She pulled out a piece of drawing paper.

Dear Emily, she wrote on top. Happy Valentine's Day.

She signed it Guess Who.

She put a gold star on top.

She tried to think if she was doing anything wrong.

No. Even Abraham Lincoln would want to get a Valentine card, Even if it were from himself.

Carefully Emily put the card into the box.

“I hope you're not looking at the cards,” a voice said behind her.

Emily twirled around.

Sherri Dent.

“You're not supposed to be in here,” Emily said.

“Neither are you,” said Sherri.

“I am so,” Emily said, “I washed the board. You think you know everything but you don't.”

Sherri pushed her card into the box. “I know a lot more than you,” she said, “You don't even know yellow vegetables.”

“Who cares about vegetables?” Emily said.

Sherri walked to the door. “Turnip face,” she said.

Emily opened her mouth. She tried to think of something to yell at Sherri.

By the time she did, Sherri was halfway down thehalL

Emily ran to the door. “Bug brain,” she shouted.

Then she went back to the Valentine box.

She could see the edgib of Sherri's card.

She'd like to rip it up into little pieces.

She looked at the writing on top,
To S
… it began.

Emily tried to think whose name began with 5.

She pulled the card up.
To Sherri,
it said.

Sherri was writing Valentines to herself.

That big baby.

Then Emily remembered her own card.

She swallowed.

Just then Ms. Vincent came into the room. “Hi, Emily,” she said, “You still here?”

Emily jumped. “I was washing the blackboard.”

Ms. Vincent was carrying a stack of Valentine cards. “Someone's card is sticking out of the box.”

Emily tried to look surprised. She leaned over. “It says, To Sherri.’ “

“I guess Sherri has a lot of cards,” Ms. Vincent said.

“Maybe,” Emily said.

“Sherri is a lovely girl,” said Ms. Vincent.

“Sometimes,” Emily said.

She wondered if Ms. Vincent thought Sherri was lovelier than Emily.

“I liked the kittens on your collar yesterday,” Ms. Vincent said.

Emily smiled. She wanted to ask if Ms. Vincent had seen her look-like-real fur jacket.

But Ms. Vincent started to talk again, “I have a kitten at home,” she said.

“What's her name?” Emily asked.

“Jack,” said Ms. Vincent.

“Jack,” Emily said. She tried to look as if Jack were a wonderful name. “That's a very nice name,”

‘T named him after my boyfriend, “Ms. Vincent said. She held out her hand.

Ms. Vincent was wearing a ring. It had a sparkly diamond in the middle.

“Beautiful,” Emily said.

“I'm getting married in April,” Ms. Vincent said. “April twenty-eighth.”

“Are you having a flower girl?” Emily asked.

“I don't have any nieces,” Ms. Vincent said. She smiled. “Sherri asked me that too.”

Emily wondered if Sherri had asked to be the flower girl. She probably had.

Ms. Vincent started to stuff some Valentine cards into the box.

Emily could see Sherri Dent in a long pink dress.

She was marching down the aisle. She had a basket of flowers in her hand.

“Whew,” said Ms. Vincent. “There's hardly any room.”

“That's because people are writing Valentines to themselves,” Emily said. “People like Sherri Dent”

Ms. Vincent's mouth opened.

“I have to go now,” Emily said. She pulled on her jacket.

She raced out the door before Ms. Vincent could say a word.

Emily and Beast rushed down the hall.

They slid into the classroom and hung up their coats.

A substitute teacher was standing in front of the room. The one with the fat body and skinny little legs.

It was Mrs. Miller. Miller the killer.

“Ms. Rooney is side today,” said Mrs. Miller. “She'll be back tomorrow.”

“Yucks,” Emily whispered to Beast.

She sat down at her desk.

It was going to be a horrible day.

Emily looked back over her shoulder.

Ms. Vincent was sitting next to the science table.

She winked at Emily.

Emily wanted to wink back.

She still had trouble with winking, though.

Both eyes winked at once.

Instead, she smiled at Ms. Vincent.

She hoped Ms. Vincent didn't remember the things she had said yesterday.

The things about Sherri Dent.

She didn't want Ms. Vincent to think she was mean.

Just then Sherri came in the door.

Mrs. Miller looked at her watch. “You're late,” she told Sherri.

Sherri ducked her head. “I slept late,” she said.

Good, Emily thought.

She had a mean feeling in her chest.

“Is everybody: here?” Mrs. Miller asked. She looked around and counted.

“I think so,” Ms. Vincent said. “Yes.”

“Before we begin the boardwork,” Mrs. Miller began, and frowned. “Some very serious news.”

Emily looked up.

She made a serious face.

It was too bad Ms. Vincent couldn't see it.

Mrs. Miller shook her head. “Some children were outside during school yesterday.”

Emily felt her face get hot.

Her heart began to pound.

“Out in the snow,” Mrs, Miller said. “Without jackets or hats.” “How did you find out?” Beast asked.

“A neighbor saw them,” Mrs. Miller said.

“Oh,” said Beast.

Emily watched him bend over his 4esk. He began to draw another groundhog.

“We are trying to find out who the children are,” said Mrs. Miller.

Emily looked around the room.

She made believe she was looking for the children.

Everyone else was looking around too.

Suddenly she heard Sherri take a deep breath.

Sherri's hand shot up in the air.

Dawn Bosco raised her hand too. So did Linda Lorca and Beast.

“Yes, young man?” Mrs. Miller asked Richard.

“What will happen to the children?” he asked. “Will they be left back? Or … ”

Mrs. Miller clicked her tongue against her teeth. “We won't get into that right now.”

Mrs. Miller looked around. “What is it?” she asked Dawn Bosco.

“Maybe they'll get sick,” Dawn said. “You can ask all the people who stay home.”

“Good idea,” Emily said. She was never absent.

“That's a ridiculous idea,” Mrs. Miller said.

Emily looked at Sherri out of the corner of her eye. Sherri was waving her arm back and forth.

“Well?” Mrs. Miller looked at Linda Lorca.

“You could call the FBI,” said Linda.

“Or the police,” said Timothy Barbiero.

Mrs. Miller rolled her eyes up to the ceiling.

“I've never heard anything so silly. The police are very busy.”

“That's good,” said Beast.

“Emily's father is a cop,” Dawn Bosco said. “Maybe he could—”

Emily shook her head fast. “He's busy. Very busy.”

“We'd better do the boardwork,” Mrs. Miller said. “We're wasting time.”

Sherri Dent stood up. “Emily's feet werewet,” she burst out. “Yesterday. Soaking wet.”

“Boardwork” said Mrs. Miller,

“It was Emily,” said Sherri. “I bet anything. I even saw her in the hall. Right near the door.”

“There must be a hundred people with wet feet,” Mrs. Miller said.

She marched back to her desk. “A hundred people in the hall too.”

“But—”Sherri began.

“Boardwork,” Mrs. Miller yelled.

Emily opened her notebook.