Never Wear Red Lipstick on Picture Day: (And Other Lessons I've Learned) by Allison Gutknecht Page B

it.”
    I place my middle finger on my thumb, and I rub them back and forth against each other. Nothing.
    â€œFast,” Timmy instructs.
    I try again, and my middle finger just slides into my palm with no sound at all.
    â€œFast!” Timmy repeats, and he snaps again, which only makes me mad.
    â€œYou are not a good snapping teacher,” I tell him, and I turn around and march toward the stairs. When I get to my room, I dig under my pillow for my bag of gummy bears, and then I reach far under my mattress until I find Mom’s lipstick. I walk over to the mirror hanging on my closet door, untwist the lipstick tube, and spread the lipstick onto my lips. I will have to remember to take it off before Mom sees me, but I like wearing it now, just for me.
    I bounce onto my bed and stick a gummy bear inside my mouth. Because I think gummy bears are the only ones besides me in the whole world who do not know how to snap.

CHAPTER 9
    Snaptastic

    I ARRIVE AT SCHOOL THE NEXT MORNING with my insides feeling fluttery.
    I am afraid to bring my apology note to Principal Jacks, because what if he is still mad at me? It is very bad to have the principal mad at you, I think, so I have a jumpy feeling in my stomach. If I could, I would never go near Principal Jacks’s office again, which is a shame, because usually, I really like to be assigned the Class Messenger from our chart of classroom jobs. I like ­bringing the attendance sheet to the office and the lunch order to the cafeteria, because those are very important tasks. But from now on, when Mrs. Spangle tells me it is my turn to be Class ­Messenger for the week, I am going to say, No, thank you .
    â€œPsst, Anya,” I whisper when we are putting our book bags away in the cubbies. “Can you do me a favor?”
    â€œWhat is it?” she asks.
    â€œI need you to bring this note to Principal Jacks’s office,” I tell her. “Please.”
    â€œWhy me?”
    â€œBecause you’re my best friend,” I say.
    â€œYes, I know,” Anya says. “But why don’t you want to go yourself? You love to go to the office.”
    â€œNot anymore.” I shake my head back and forth sadly. “Principal Jacks doesn’t like me because of the scarf thing.”
    â€œOkay,” Anya says, and she reaches out and takes the note from me. “What should I tell Mrs. Spangle?”
    â€œTell her you have to drop a note off in the office,” I say. “From your mom.”
    â€œMy mom writes in cursive.” Anya points to the name on the envelope. “And she would write ‘Mr. Jacks,’ not ‘Principal Jacks.’ ”
    â€œDon’t show Mrs. Spangle the envelope,” I say. “Just tell her you have to drop it off.”
    Anya walks over to Mrs. Spangle’s desk, and I watch her hold up the blank side of the envelope. Mrs. Spangle nods her head, and Anya turns and winks at me.
    She heads toward the classroom door, where she waves me over to meet her. I tiptoe to the door quickly.
    â€œWhat should I say when I get to the office?” she asks.
    â€œTell Mrs. Gradey you have a note for Principal Jacks.”
    â€œGot it.” Anya walks out the classroom door. “I’m on it!” she calls over her shoulder.
    â€œThank you!” I whisper-yell back, making sure that Mrs. Spangle cannot hear me.
    â€œWhat’re you two doing?” Dennis appears behind me.
    â€œMind your own beeswax,” I tell him.
    â€œYou’re not even going to call me ‘Freckle Face’ first?” Dennis calls after me as I walk to my desk.
    â€œLeave her alone, Dennis,” a voice says from behind me, and I turn to see what Anya is doing back from the office so soon.
    Only the voice is not coming from Anya at all—it is coming from Natalie! Natalie is defending me, which is usually only Anya’s job.
    And even Dennis seems pretty shocked by this, because he clamps his