Princess Posey and the First Grade Parade by Stephanie Green Page A

his high chair and laughed.

CHAPTER TWO

    THE PINK PRINCESS
    â€œ S it up and finish your lunch,” her mom said patiently.
    Posey got back on her chair.
    â€œWhy aren’t you leaving Danny?” she asked.
    â€œI told you,” her mom said. “My new job has day care.”
    â€œYou should leave him.” Posey wrinkled her nose. “He smells.”
    â€œI think he smells sweet.” Her mom buried her nose in Danny’s neck. He grabbed her hair.
    Posey felt the ends of her mouth turn down. “You love Danny more than me,” she said.
    â€œOh, Posey.”
    Her mom came around the table. She put her arm around Posey’s stiff shoulders. “It’s going to be fine, sweetie. You’ll see. We’ll buy you something new to wear.”
    â€œWhy can’t I wear this?”
    Posey pointed to her pink tutu. It had a hole above her belly button. The skirt had a tear on one side.
    Posey loved to wear it more than anything. She wore it every day, all summer long.
    It made her feel special.
    Posey never told anyone, but when she wore her pink tutu, she was Princess Posey, the Pink Princess.
    Princess Posey could go anywhere. Do anything.

    Even walk into first grade by herself.
    â€œYou can wear it when you get home from school,” said her mom.
    Posey didn’t want to wear it after school. She wanted to wear it to school.
    Her mom untied Danny’s bib. “You wait with Danny while I get some towels,” she said. “We’ll go for a swim.”
    â€œIt’s all your fault,” Posey said to Danny with a big frown. “I was the baby till you got here.”
    Danny smiled and grabbed his toes.
    â€œMom thinks you’re great because you’re a baby,” Posey said. “But you wait.”
    She leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. “One day she will leave you the way she’s leaving me.”
    Danny blew a bubble and laughed.

CHAPTER THREE

    MONSTER OF THE BLUE HALL
    A fter Posey went swimming, she ran to the playground. Tyler and Nick were on the slide.
    They lived next door to Posey. They were brothers.
    â€œHey, Posey!” they called.
    Posey went over to them.
    â€œTyler and me want to make sure you’re ready for first grade,” Nick said.
    â€œI’m getting new shoes,” said Posey.
    â€œYou know you have to walk into the school by yourself, right?” said Tyler.
    â€œI can do that,” Posey said bravely.
    â€œWhat about the hall?” asked Nick.
    â€œWhat hall?” said Posey.
    â€œThe hall is long and dark,” Tyler said in a spooky voice. He banged his foot on the slide.
    Boom.

    â€œYou’re all by yourself.”
    Another boom.
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    Posey looked up at him from the bottom of the slide and shivered.
    â€œIf the monster grabs you, there’s no one around to help,” said Nick.
    â€œMonster?” said Posey. She looked from one boy to the other. “There’s no monster at Middle Pond School.”
    â€œOh, yes, there is,” said Tyler. “Isn’t there, Nick?”
    He jabbed his younger brother in the side.
    Nick nodded. “The Monster of the Blue Hall,” he said.

    The blue hall was for the first grade. Tyler was in the fourth grade. He was on the green hall.
    Nick was on the red hall with the other second-graders.
    â€œMost first-graders don’t make it to their classrooms,” Tyler said.
    â€œThe monster gets them first,” said
    Nick. “It sucks out their blood. The rest get eaten by snakes.”
    â€œSnakes?” said Posey.

    Nick and Tyler loved to tease her. They teased her all the time.
    Posey knew they were teasing her now.
    Still, she tightened her grip on her stuffed giraffe.

CHAPTER FOUR

    ONE WAY TO FIND OUT

    â€œI never saw any snakes,” said Posey.

    â€œThey don’t come out for kindergarteners,” said Nick. “They only come out for