Just Grace and the Terrible Tutu (6 page)

 

And then other times they can surprise you and you think, "Where has my friend gone? This person who looks like my friend is not acting anything like the friend that is my best friend." That is what I was thinking about Mimi, because Mimi and I have never been girls who love pink!

"All little girls love pink," said Mimi. This was not true, because a long time ago when Mimi and I were little girls we didn't love pink. When we were little my favorite color was orange and hers was yellow. But it sounded like Mimi had forgotten about that.

"Pink sounds lovely!" said Mimi's mom, and then they both looked over at me and smiled. I could tell they were waiting for me to say something nice. "Pink is girly," I said. It was the only thing I could think of that was true and that did not sound negative. "Exactly!" said Mimi. "And we have to be girly."

 

WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU GET HOME FROM A CONFUSING VISIT WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND WHO MIGHT NOT REALLY BE YOUR BEST FRIEND BECAUSE MAYBE SHE WAS TAKEN AWAY BY ALIENS AND REPLACED WITH A ROBOT WHO LOOKS JUST LIKE HER

Write a new Not So Super comic, because drawing comics always makes me feel better about stuff.

 

WHAT WAS A SURPRISE AT BREAKFAST

Today was not a school day. Right away that makes everything about the day a lot better. I don't have to rush around getting ready, and I can hang out in my room and relax. That's why I was surprised when Mom said, "Grace. Breakfast. Now." Usually I only hear those words from Monday to Friday. I went downstairs in my pajamas and was just getting ready to complain when I saw Augustine Dupre standing in my kitchen. One hand was holding a bag from the doughnut store, and the other one was holding on to a little girl wearing a bright pink tutu.

"Oh, I'm sorry—were you still sleeping?" asked Augustine Dupre. She put her hand up near her mouth like she was worried. "We can come back later." I was surprised to see her there, but I did not want her to leave. "No, I'm awake. See." And I jumped up and down a few times to prove it. "I'll get dressed. I'll be right back. Wait for me." And then before anyone could say anything else I ran upstairs to change. How embarrassing! Mom could have told me we had visitors! And I wasn't even wearing good pajamas. Ugh! Sometimes she drives me crazy.

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU RUN OFF WHILE SOMEONE IS WAITING TO MEET YOU

Apologize. A lot!

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Mom said, "I'm sorry." I said, "I'm sorry." Mom gave me a look that meant,
How could you run off like that?
I gave her a look that meant,
You could have told me we had visitors.
And then a little voice interrupted everything and said, "Why is your shirt on backwards?" When something unexpected happens right in the middle of something serious, two things can happen.

 

1. You can get upset and maybe even cry.
   
2. You can laugh.
   

 

Sometimes you can't tell which of these two things your body is going to decide to do until the very second that it happens. Lucky for me I laughed.

WHAT LILY WAS LIKE

 

1. Lily was wearing a pink tutu.
   
2. Lily liked jelly doughnuts, but mostly she liked the jelly. She sucked the middle out of about twelve jelly doughnuts and left the empty little doughnut shells all over the table and floor.
   
3. Lily wanted to play house. I had to be the baby.
   
4. Lily wanted to catch frogs. I was supposed to kiss them.
   
5. Lily wanted to play mermaid. I was the dry mermaid on land.
   
6. Lily wanted to play doggy. I was the doggy.
   
7. Lily was a lot of work.
   

 

WHAT I WAS KNOWING ALL OF A SUDDEN (PART ONE)

Being a mother's helper was not going to be as easy as I thought it was.

WHAT I WAS KNOWING ALL OF A SUDDEN (PART TWO)

This job was maybe going to be more perfect for Mimi than it was for me.

WHAT WAS GOOD

After a while, which seemed like forever, Augustine Dupre finally said it was time for them to go. I thought that maybe four hours had passed, but when I looked at the clock it had only been one hour and twenty minutes. I don't know why it really seemed a whole lot longer. Augustine Dupre said they would come back later so I could meet Lily's mom.