Authors: Katy Newton Naas
Drake the Dandy (3 page)
W
hen Kinsey's
mom comes to get us after school, Kinsey practically leaps into the backseat. Her good mood is contagious and I jump in right behind her.
“How was the first day?” she asks, looking at Kinsey in the rearview mirror as she pulls out of the parking lot.
Kinsey grins. “It was the best day of school I've ever had in my whole life.”
Her mother's smiling blue eyes shine in the sunlight. “Really? I'm so happy to hear that, honey!”
“I wish you could have seen it, Mom! I got to go up in front of the class and introduce Drake, and then all the kids came up and wanted to pet him. And then at lunch, a bunch of girls actually
asked
to sit with me. They asked me questions about Drake for a little bit, but then we started talking about
normal
stuff, like vacations and things like that. No one even talked about my seizures!” She pauses to take a breath. “Today was the first day I felt like I was
one of them
, Mom.”
“Wow, Kinsey,” her mother says. “I can't tell you how happy
i
t makes
me to hear you say that.”
I wish that I could tell Kinsey how much I love seeing her happy, too. But since I can't, I just lean over and lick her cheek instead.
She laughs. “I love you, too, Drake.”
When we get home, Chaucer is sprawled out on the little bench that sits in the big picture window in the living room. He bathes himself lazily, ignoring us when we enter the room.
When Kinsey is busy watching television, I turn to Chaucer. “Hey,” I call to get his attention.
“What do you want, Dog?” he asks, still not looking at me.
“All that stuff you told me about school? Well, you were totally wrong. We had a great day today. The teacher was super nice, and so were all the kids.”
Chaucer yawns. “It was only the first day, Dog. Don't get too excited. The first day is always the best one. Give it a week, and the teacher and the kids will be sick of you. Just wait and see.”
I frown. I don't want to believe a word that comes out of his mouth anymore. But for whatever reason, his words make me feel nervous. A little part of me begins to get scared all over again.
But when I look up at Kinsey's face and remember what a wonderful day she had, I tell that scared little part in my mind to go away. Even if the rest of the year
is
as terrible as Chaucer says it will be, the way she feels right now will make it all worth it. If the teacher and the other kids really do get sick of me, that's okayâthe only one who matters is Kinsey.
That night, I climb up into my spot in Kinsey's bed. I feel exhausted after the big day we had. Kinsey is tired too, and her eyes begin to close right away.
I start to drift off to sleep almost immediately, but Kinsey's whisper startles me awake. “Drake, I just want to thank you for everything. I made friends today for the first time in my life, and it's all because of you. This was the best day of my life. I'm so happy I have you as my best friend.”
I snuggle in closer, resting my head on her shoulder. If only I could tell her that it's
not
just because of me that she had a great day. She is the sweetest, most caring person I know. Maybe the kids in her class haven't had the chance to see that before, but they're starting to see it now. I know in my heart that as time goes on, they'll all come to see her the way
I
see her.
As I begin to fall into a peaceful sleep, I wonder what adventures the school year will bring. They may not always be good, but the one thing I'm sure of is this: together, Kinsey and I will get through anything.
F
rom the time
she was old enough to talk, Katy Newton Naas has been creating characters and telling stories. As a child, they sometimes got her into trouble. She knew she wanted to write books when she won a Young Author's competition as a second-grader for her short story titled, "The Grape Pie." (Don't let its tasty title fool you - it was actually a sad little tale!)
Katy devoured books as a child and young adult, always doing chores and odd jobs in order to make enough money to buy more of them. Though she continues to age, her true literature love is and has always been children's and young adult fiction.
Katy currently teaches middle school reading and high school English in southern Illinois, as well as children's church. She graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a bachelor's degree in English Education and a master's degree in Reading and Language Studies. She enjoys her life out in the country with her husband, her two sweet and rowdy young sons, and all her four-legged kids: Shakespeare, Poe, Morgi, Cappy, Ana, and Gray.
She loves creating both realistic and futuristic stories about kids, tweens, and teens, and feels so fortunate to get to work with them every day as a teacher.
Katy loves to hear from her readers!
