turn.
When the bell went for the end of recess, Bob was still upside down.
‘Can you wait for me, Penelope?’ she said in a whisper. ‘I need to ask you something.’
Penelope nodded. Seeing everyone charge back towards the lockers made her feel a bit edgy. Normally she would be one of the first to respond to the bell. If you got to the lockers when they were crowded, it took longer to get your books. That could possibly mean being late to class, which would ruin Penelope’s Perfect Record for Punctuality.
She’d actually hoped to get there a bit early to let Ms Pike know (in private) that Penelope would be her partner when they went to the aged care centre. That way, there wouldn’t be any fussing when Ms Pike called for them to get into pairs.
Still, something inside Penelope told her to stay with Bob. The something was a mixture of Things In Common and funny stories and not-even-trying.
She waited for Bob to come down from her handstand (moving When We Were Very Young out of the way just in the nick of time).
‘Penelope,’ Bob said, looking at the ground instead of Penelope (which was quite unusual for Bob), ‘starting at a new school sucks sometimes.’
Except for her very first day at Chelsea Primary, Penelope had never started at a new school. But she could totally imagine how it would suck (although she wouldn’t put it that way). It didn’t seem at all like it sucked for Bob, though.
‘Well, you’re going extremely well,’ Penelope said encouragingly. ‘Already everybody likes you.’
‘Thanks,’ Bob said, ‘but everyone goes gaga over you when you’re new and different. It happens at every new school I go to. The thing is, it doesn’t last that long.’
Penelope examined that idea. She doubted that kids would go gaga over her if she started at a new school, but Bob seemed to know what she was talking about.
‘I want to get it right this time,’ Bob continued. ‘Because it’s going to be forever.’
Penelope waited. Her heart fluttered.
Bob finally looked up. It was absolutely surprising, but Bob seemed to be feeling shy.
‘So, I was just wondering,’ she said falteringly, ‘if you would be my partner when we go to visit the oldies this afternoon?’
Penelope felt like she was going to burst with happiness.
Even knowing that they were definitely going to be late for class didn’t bother her.
Even Bob calling the elderly folk ‘the oldies’ didn’t bother her.
Perhaps the beginning of Project Best Friend had been a disaster. But Penelope had persisted, and her persistence had paid off.
Or perhaps it had been a mixture of persistence and going with the flow. The funniest thing, though, was that the feeling glowing inside Penelope wasn’t a feeling of achievement.
As Penelope stood there (being a little late for class) she realised one thing she hadn’t really considered at the start of Project Best Friend. She actually liked Bob. Very, very much. And having a best friend who she liked very, very much was going to be the most amazing thing ever.
Penelope was determined to be the very best Best Friend she could possibly be. After all, best friends didn’t just come along every day.
‘Actually, Bob,’ Penelope said, grinning and grinning, ‘that would be perfect.’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chrissie Perry is the author of over thirty books for children and young adults, including thirteen books in the popular Go Girl series and the award-winning Whisper . She lives in St Kilda with her husband, three children (who are stubbornly refusing to stay young) and an opinionated Maltese Shih Tzu called Gidget.
Like Penelope Kingston, Chrissie believes it’s great to aim for excellence. But she has a sneaking suspicion that going with the flow every now and again can also work out just fine.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author gratefully acknowledges the provision of a Glenfern Fellowship through Writers Victoria.
To my editor, Hilary Rogers: ten years of working together and I
When the bell went for the end of recess, Bob was still upside down.
‘Can you wait for me, Penelope?’ she said in a whisper. ‘I need to ask you something.’
Penelope nodded. Seeing everyone charge back towards the lockers made her feel a bit edgy. Normally she would be one of the first to respond to the bell. If you got to the lockers when they were crowded, it took longer to get your books. That could possibly mean being late to class, which would ruin Penelope’s Perfect Record for Punctuality.
She’d actually hoped to get there a bit early to let Ms Pike know (in private) that Penelope would be her partner when they went to the aged care centre. That way, there wouldn’t be any fussing when Ms Pike called for them to get into pairs.
Still, something inside Penelope told her to stay with Bob. The something was a mixture of Things In Common and funny stories and not-even-trying.
She waited for Bob to come down from her handstand (moving When We Were Very Young out of the way just in the nick of time).
‘Penelope,’ Bob said, looking at the ground instead of Penelope (which was quite unusual for Bob), ‘starting at a new school sucks sometimes.’
Except for her very first day at Chelsea Primary, Penelope had never started at a new school. But she could totally imagine how it would suck (although she wouldn’t put it that way). It didn’t seem at all like it sucked for Bob, though.
‘Well, you’re going extremely well,’ Penelope said encouragingly. ‘Already everybody likes you.’
‘Thanks,’ Bob said, ‘but everyone goes gaga over you when you’re new and different. It happens at every new school I go to. The thing is, it doesn’t last that long.’
Penelope examined that idea. She doubted that kids would go gaga over her if she started at a new school, but Bob seemed to know what she was talking about.
‘I want to get it right this time,’ Bob continued. ‘Because it’s going to be forever.’
Penelope waited. Her heart fluttered.
Bob finally looked up. It was absolutely surprising, but Bob seemed to be feeling shy.
‘So, I was just wondering,’ she said falteringly, ‘if you would be my partner when we go to visit the oldies this afternoon?’
Penelope felt like she was going to burst with happiness.
Even knowing that they were definitely going to be late for class didn’t bother her.
Even Bob calling the elderly folk ‘the oldies’ didn’t bother her.
Perhaps the beginning of Project Best Friend had been a disaster. But Penelope had persisted, and her persistence had paid off.
Or perhaps it had been a mixture of persistence and going with the flow. The funniest thing, though, was that the feeling glowing inside Penelope wasn’t a feeling of achievement.
As Penelope stood there (being a little late for class) she realised one thing she hadn’t really considered at the start of Project Best Friend. She actually liked Bob. Very, very much. And having a best friend who she liked very, very much was going to be the most amazing thing ever.
Penelope was determined to be the very best Best Friend she could possibly be. After all, best friends didn’t just come along every day.
‘Actually, Bob,’ Penelope said, grinning and grinning, ‘that would be perfect.’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chrissie Perry is the author of over thirty books for children and young adults, including thirteen books in the popular Go Girl series and the award-winning Whisper . She lives in St Kilda with her husband, three children (who are stubbornly refusing to stay young) and an opinionated Maltese Shih Tzu called Gidget.
Like Penelope Kingston, Chrissie believes it’s great to aim for excellence. But she has a sneaking suspicion that going with the flow every now and again can also work out just fine.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author gratefully acknowledges the provision of a Glenfern Fellowship through Writers Victoria.
To my editor, Hilary Rogers: ten years of working together and I
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