It's good to have friends!

Hello future readers!

This past Friday we had a half day of school, because the teachers are getting ready for our annual "Open School" night. That's where the parents come to our school, sit at our desks, talk to our teachers and check out all of our work. When we get to start the weekend early, it's time to celebrate! So Danny, Sunny and I went to Sam's Snack Shack after school. If you're a kid, this is the best place in town to eat! Since Springfield is a small town, we don't have places like McDonald's, but we think Sam's is much better! Not only do they have hamburgers, french-fries, sodas, and shakes, but they have pizza, corn dogs, and ice-cream, too! You even get to eat free on your birthday! Sam is super-groovy to us kids, and that makes coming here fun. So we all ordered ice-cream cones; Danny had chocolate, Sunny had Tutti-Frutti, and I had pistachio.

Well, we were eating our cones, and talking about what we were gonna do over the weekend, when Jennifer walked over to our table. (groan!)

She said hi to all of us, and asked what kind of cones we were eating. She said that she was eating strawberry, 'cos it was her favorite flavor. I knew she didn't come over here to talk about ice-cream. I was just waiting for the bomb to drop. Then she started jabbering about "Open School" night, and that she knew she was doing well in class, 'cos Mrs. Alden said so. (groan again!) Then she asked if Sunny was going to the "Father/Daughter Dance" at the Springfield Hotel next weekend. Sunny said she wasn't sure. Then she looks me straight in the eye and said wasn't it ashame I didn't have a father or I could go too!

Boy, has she got some nerve! I was just about to open my mouth to tell her off, when Danny jumped outta his chair! I thought he was gonna punch her out, or something. But he told Jennifer that was a crummy thing to say and why did she have to be so mean to me all the time!

I've never seen him so mad! He kept yelling at her, and saying that I was one of the nicest girls he knew, and that I had parties and sleepovers all the time at my house, and if she didn't act so creepy, she would probably get invited to some of them!

Then Sunny told her that if she didn't knock it off, she'd tell every girl in the 4th grade not to talk to her ever again! And they'd probably listen, 'cos Sunny is pretty popular.

Well, I guess Jennifer felt pretty embarrassed, 'cos everyone in the place (including Sam) was giving her the "stink-eye". She said she was sorry, and she wouldn't be mean to me anymore. Then she took her strawberry ice-cream cone and left. Wow! I never knew my friends cared so much. If Danny weren't a boy, I would've kissed him! Instead I just smiled and thanked both him and Sunny. They said it was no big deal, but it was a long time coming. They told me that they didn't say anything before, because they thought after awhile, Jennifer would probably just cool it and get along like the rest of us. They didn't think she'd keep hasseling me. Well, I don't know if Jennifer and I will ever be buddies, but at least she knows the score, now. But who knows? Maybe someday, she may learn what a dynamite thing it is to be a good friend and to have good friends.

Until next time, future readers!
Your friend,
Julie Newman