Page 44 of The Grump I Loathe

She smiled a bit. “You promise we’re gonna hang out?”

“So much you’ll be sick of me.”

“Alannah!” one of the team purple girls called, rushing over. “Ms. Marilyn just announced a team change. She’s combining team green and purple. That means we’re on the same team as Grace!”

“What!” Alannah cried, jumping to her feet. “Eddie, no! Do something!”

I gave her an apologetic grimace. “I don’t think I can. Ms. Marilyn’s kinda the boss. But there’s maybeoneplus to the change.”

“What?” Alannah whined as the rest of her team gathered around.

“If Grace’s team was the one to beat, that meansyou’renow the one to beat.”

Alannah pouted. “I want to go home.”

“No you don’t.”

“I do. I have a stomachache.”

I gave her a flat look. “You’re a lot more likely to win workingwithGrace than against her. Don’t fake a stomachache and just give up when you guys could walk away with the first-place trophy.”

Alannah grumbled, looking at her team.

“C’mon, Lana,” they said. “We can still crush blue and yellow and orange and pink!”

“Fine,” she said, huffing as we all walked over to join Grace and team green. The girls glared at each other.

“Did you just have to talk Grace out of faking a stomachache?” I muttered to Connor.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Something like that. What’s the next event?”

“Tug-o-war,” Grace and Alannah announced at once.

“Okay, let’s do this! Team gurple on three,” I said, putting my hand out for a team cheer.

“We arenotcalling it that,” Connor said as the kids cheered and raced off for the event. We walked over together.

“Better than team preen,” I pointed out.

“Ugh, for a second I thought you were going to say team peen.”

I barked a laugh. “I would not call our team slang for penis. Ms. Marilyn would murder me. Can you imagine?” I put on my best announcer voice. “Introducing the winners of the St. Orwell Field Day. Team PEEN!”

Connor snorted. “We’d both be banned from volunteering.”

“And Alannah would probably get kicked out of school.”

“Everything okay with her?” Connor asked. “I tried to talk to Grace about what triggered the fight, but she’s not very receptive right now.”

“Yeah. I think Alannah’s a little jealous of Grace.”

“Jealous?” Connor frowned.

“Alannah’s parents might be getting divorced,” I explained, “and our dad, Simon…he’s not exactly someone you can rely on—at least, not if you’re his kid. When my parents divorced, the only reason I still saw my dad at all was because Mom made sure they had joint custody. Alannah figures Dad won’t put up much of a fight for her, and while I hate to say it, she’s probably right. Grace talking about seeing her mom this summer and all the plans she has with you was just a lot for her to process.”

“Ah,” Connor said, his lips pulling into a thin smile.

“What?”