you.â He hoisted his new pants up under his armpits. âMy mother bought âem big because they shrink when she sticks âem in the dryer,â he explained gloomily.
He stuck his boil in the middle of his forehead.
âYou better put that in the plastic bag when you race,â Isabelle told him.
The boil slid off Herbie and landed on the sidewalk. He started to pick it up and dust it off. He changed his mind, stamped it flat, and smashed it into the sidewalk.
âWhatâd you do that for?â Isabelle cried.
âItâs no good,â he said disconsolately. âIt donât fool anyone.â
âSure it does, Herb.â Isabelle tried to scrape the boil up, but it was finished.
When she looked up from the spot where it lay, Herbie had already started on his way to school and Mary Eliza, arm in arm with Jane, was walking toward her.
âHow come you carry that big dumb pocketbook everywhere?â Isabelle asked Jane, who ducked her head and looked at her pocketbook as if seeing it for the first time.
âEverybody carries one where I come from,â she said.
âIt looks pretty stupid,â Isabelle said.
âDonât mind her, dear,â Mary Eliza whispered in a loud voice. âSheâs not coming to my party. All she does is punch people on the arm. Her problem is sheâs mean. She thinks sheâs going to win the fifty-yard dash and get her picture in the paper. Just because sheâs got new shoes. Letâs go,â and she pulled Jane with her.
Isabelle crossed her eyes and yelled âYah, yah,â while she jumped in the air and waved her arms.
âGuess who this is?â she hollered. But there was no one to see.
She walked to school alone, slowly, so she wouldnât use up her energy.
Just wait.
20
âRemember, anyone who has more than two false starts is disqualified,â Mr. Brown, the gym teacher, told them. âWait for the âgoâ signal.â
Isabelleâs heart thundered in her chest. This was the moment sheâd been waiting for.
âOn your mark, get ready, get set, go!â
A rush of air and Isabelle was off. The wind whistled in her ears, she heard cheers and shouts. It didnât matter. Nothing mattered except that she come in first. She felt free and wild and ran as fast as it was in her power to run.
She crossed the finish line and waited, panting, for the other runners. There was someone beside her, red faced, also panting. Funny Isabelle hadnât seen her up until now. It was Jane.
âI came in first,â Isabelle told her.
âWinner of the fifty-yard dash for the fifth grade,â Mr. Brown shouted through his megaphone, âis Jane Malone of Mrs. Espositoâs room. Second is Isabelle â¦â
The rat, Isabelle thought furiously. She never even said she was going to enter the race. Isabelle felt like taking her new shoes off and throwing them in Janeâs face. She stomped off the field and didnât see Mrs. Stern until she called âOh, Isabelle, Iâm so glad I got here in time to see you race. I loved it!â
âHi, Mrs. Stern,â Isabelle said, kicking at the dust. âI didnât come in first. I lost.â Her lip trembled.
âWhat do you care? You ran a beautiful race, fair and square. Thatâs all that matters,â Mrs. Stern told her.
Isabelle thought about that. âMaybe,â she said doubtfully. âIâm glad you came to see me. Come on over and meet my mother,â Isabelle said. âSheâs the lady sticking the straws in the sodas. Mom, this is my friend, Mrs. Stern,â Isabelle introduced them.
âIâve heard a good deal about you,â Isabelleâs mother said. âAnd this is Mrs. Malone, whose daughter won the fifty-yard dash. Sheâs new in town, Mrs. Stern.â
Mrs. Malone was smiling and looked happy. âIsnât it marvelous Jane won? Itâll mean so much to