Jasper John Dooley, NOT in Love by Caroline Adderson, Ben Clanton Page B

teeth. Luckily, he was too far away to hear what they were talking about.
    â€œToday’s the best day of Isabel’s life,” Ori said to Jasper. “She got to lick you.”
    Jasper looked around for a sword to slay his friend with.
    â€œNow she’s coming over with your mom,” Ori said.
    Jasper hid behind a telephone pole. When Mom and Isabel reached him, Isabel said to the telephone pole, “Bye, Jasper! See you tomorrow, Jasper!”
    Then she ran away.
    Mom laughed. She, Ori and Jasper crossed the street. At the alley, Ori waved and went home to his house. Jasper waved back. He was glad Ori hadn’t told Mom that Isabel had licked him. He was so so so embarrassed.
    At home, Mom made Jasper a snack. While she was cutting up carrot sticks, she told him, “Isabel invited you over for a playdate.”
    â€œA
what
?”
    â€œYou know what a playdate is. She asked for our phone number. So her mother could call. When I told it to her, she repeated it back until she memorized it. She said she’d remember it forever.”
    Mom was smiling while she told this to Jasper, the way she had smiled at Isabel while they were talking.
    Jasper flopped down on the kitchen floor and groaned.
    â€œDon’t you think it would be fun to have a playdate with somebody besides Ori?”
    â€œOri is my best and closest friend. He lives just across the alley and one house down. If something so so so embarrassing happened to me at school, he wouldn’t tell anybody about it. That means he’s a good friend. And we’re both knights.”
    â€œCan’t Isabel be a knight?”
    â€œNo. She’s a girl. All girls do is stay inside and brush their hair.”
    â€œAre you sure about that?” Mom asked. She put the carrot sticks on the table and went to the fridge for the dip.
    â€œI mean when they’re at home,” Jasper said from the floor. “At school, they play babies.”
    â€œWell, I’m a girl. I do all kinds of things.” She spooned the dip out into a little bowl.
    â€œWhat things?” Jasper asked.
    â€œThere’s your snack,” Mom said. “I guess you think it got there all by itself.”
    Jasper sat up on the kitchen floor, but the phone started ringing, so he flopped down again. “Don’t answer it!”
    Mom stepped right over him and went to the phone.
    â€œIf it’s about the playdate?” Jasper said. “Tell her I can’t come.”
    â€œShe’ll want to know why,” Mom said.
    Jasper closed his eyes tight. “Tell her I’m sick.”
    But it wasn’t Isabel or her mom calling. It was Jasper’s Nan. Isabel’s mom didn’t call until after supper, when Jasper was in the basement scraping the dryer screen to get more lint for his collection. Jasper wasn’t there to say “No, no, no, no!” to the playdate, so Mom went ahead and said “Yes.”

    That night Dad came into Jasper’s room to say goodnight.
    â€œI hear you have a playdate with a girl tomorrow,” he said.
    â€œI’m not going,” Jasper said. “I feel sick.”
    Dad put his hand on Jasper’s forehead. “You do feel hot.”
    â€œDo I?” Jasper said. “Oh, good!”
    Dad asked him to stick out his tongue. He studied it, nodding and hmming. “Yes. I know what you’ve got.”
    â€œWhat?” Jasper asked.
    â€œA terrible disease. Girl-itis. I used to get it a lot myself.”
    â€œI’m dying of it!” Jasper groaned. He rolled around on the bed clutching his stomach. “Agh! Rawr! Grrr!”
    â€œI don’t get it,” he told Dad. “At school? All she ever does is tell on me. I’m not even her baby. I’m Zoë’s baby. And now we have to have a playdate!”

Chapter 3

    The next morning, Jasper got the lates for school and had to rush. He forgot all about the playdate. At recess and lunch, he was so