“Oh my gosh, I missed the donuts almost as much as you! We need four, please!”

I smiled, because I knew that she liked cinnamon, Gabby liked old-fashioned, and Mr. and Mrs. Peters liked powdered jelly. I carefully put them in the bag.

“Those are on the house!” Dad called. “Welcome back, Casey. We missed you!”

“Thank you,” said Casey. “I promise I’ll eat them all, even the ones for my parents!”

Dad laughed, and Casey and her mom rushed out.

I was so glad to have my BFF home. I missed having Casey as my go-to, because she just always knew what I was thinking or how I felt about things, and I didn’t need to explain everything to her. She just got me.

On the other hand, Casey seemed different. I mean, a boyfriend was a big deal. Who was this guy Matt?

Maybe Jenna was right. Maybe middle school was going to be different.

Chapter Four Early Dismissal

At eleven o’clock the next Monday morning, Dad sauntered up to the counter and asked if I wanted the rest of the day off.

“Really?” I asked, surprised.

“Yep,” said Dad. “We leave at noon.”

“Wait,” I said. “Leave for where? To do what?”

“Special surprise!” Dad called over his shoulder.

“No fair!” said Kelsey. “I get stuck here and you get a day off?”

I didn’t know what to say, because it actually didn’t sound very fair.

“You can leave too,” said Rich, who was walking over wearing a Dream Team tee. “I’m covering the counter from noon to six.”

“Yes!” Kelsey yelled, and pumped her fist. “Lake bound!”

The next hour actually sped up because we were crowded, and I felt bad about turning over the counter to Rich. I guess more people were coming back from vacation because the Park, Donut Dreams, and even the town itself was busier.

My next customers were Mrs. Ellis and her daughter Elizabeth, aka Wetsy Betsy. I mean, it’s terrible that we’re friends and I still think of her as Wetsy Betsy, but I can’t get it out of my head.

It’s not like anyone really calls her Wetsy Betsy, except for Mitchell Stewart, who is kind of a bully anyway. “Hey, Wetsy!” he’ll say when he sees her. She just ignores him, but I’m sure it bothers her.

“Hi, Lindsay!” Elizabeth said.

I smiled back at her. “Hey, Elizabeth.”

“How has your summer been, Lindsay?” asked Mrs. Ellis. “Did you enjoy the rec classes as much as Elizabeth did?”

Elizabeth and I—along with most of the kids—went to the camp that the town ran for a few hours every morning. We hung out at rec because we both liked the art classes, and Elizabeth was really good at ceramics. She helped me work the wheel so I could make a bowl for Nans.