My mom had waved to me. She told me to be good. And even though I was still standing right there, the secretary had to say, “Little late in the year to be changing schools.”

I don’t know if my mom didn’t hear or pretended not to hear, but she made like the office door was super-heavy and was taking all her attention to get it open. Then the secretary looked at me, like maybe I was supposed to answer.

If she had said it again, I would have told her about my aunt who was quite ill. But she didn’t. She just pushed a button on her desk and said she needed an aide to bring a new student to Ms. G.’s room.

“Hi, Ms. Sadler!” Bertie chirped as we walked in. “Can I call my dad, please? It’s not an emergency, but it is an urgent end-of-day change of plans.”

Ms. Sadler made a face like she really shouldn’t but because it was Bertie, she would. She turned the phone to her. “Dial nine for an outside line,” she said.

“Dial nine for an outside line,” Bertie repeated. Then she poked at the numbers and waited.

“Hi, Dad,” she said. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Remember the new kid I told you about?…Can I go over after school? Please…. Walker…. I’ll call you when I get there…. Thanks, Dad.” Bertie handed the phone to Ms. Sadler.

Ms. Sadler talked to Bertie’s dad and wrote something on a sticky note. Then she looked up. “And how are things going, Austin?” she asked.

“Great,” Bertie answered for me.

Ms. Sadler flipped the phone back around. “Well, better get to class, you two.”

—

Today’s morning message was fuzzy wuzzy brown, and it made me think even more about the puppy in Ms. G.’s book. I looked at Bertie, but she wasn’t looking for the eleven mistakes. She was staring out the window. I couldn’t blame her. The sky was really blue.

Ms. G.’s plant was still outside on the ledge, and its leaves looked a little better today, not so floppy, like all that rain had pumped them up a little.

I heard footsteps, and Dee came into the classroom. He dumped his stuff in his cubby and plopped down in his seat, but he didn’t look at me. I wondered if he was still planning to find me and Bertie at recess. At least it wasn’t going to be indoors. The sky was too blue. Besides, there was a lot of time before recess.

I looked back at the cute-puppy words. The first one started with a tiny t that I knew right away was supposed to be a capital. I drew it like a fancy, old-fashioned kind of T.

When Ms. B. came to get Dee, I didn’t even pretend to not watch him leave.