Free Girls Only! by Beverly Lewis Page A

all right?” Mrs. Smith asked.
    “I . . . I think so.”
    “Very well. I’ll expect to see your written assignmenton my desk first thing—well before the last bell—tomorrow. Write a 300-word letter, Olivia. Write it to a student here at Alpine Lake Middle School.”
    A letter?
    She was super at letters. She’d write one to her old pen pal. This was too good to be true!
    She pulled out some paper to take notes.
    “In the letter, I want you to describe the meaning of tardy. Why it’s important to be on time for school . . . and for life.”
    Livvy began to take notes. While Mrs. Smith was still talking, Livvy jotted down the guidelines for the assignment.
    “Excuse me, Olivia.”
    She looked up. “Yes?”
    “Please, you must never write when I’m talking.”
    Livvy gasped.
    The pet peeve!
    How could she have forgotten?
    Instantly, she put her pen down. But she knew by the teacher’s stern face she’d committed an unforgivable flub.
    “Make that two letters, to two different students. One, explaining the importance of being prompt. The second, describing the significance of following rules in general.”
    Mrs. Smith was ticked off. No question.
    Livvy didn’t know whether to apologize or to keepher mouth shut. In the end, she wished she’d stayed at the rink. But who knows what sort of letter that misdeed would have required.
    She was in hot water, and she knew it. Now . . . how to keep from drowning! With the homework assignments of the day yet to be given, and the after-school practice session at the rink, Livvy wondered how she would pull off two acceptable letters. And to students!
    Mrs. Smith continued. “I expect to receive these written assignments directly. In other words, bring your letters to me.”
    ----
    If she hadn’t been so angry at Jenna, Livvy might’ve weathered the blow. But lunch period turned out to be another disaster. “One after another,” she said to herself, gazing across the cafeteria.
    She could see Jenna and Diane sitting together, laughing and talking. And she could hardly stand to watch. Too many glances toward her best friend and her worst enemy wouldn’t do. So she made herself look only at her brown lunch bag.
    “What’re you doing way over here?” Suzy asked, sneaking up.
    “None of your business,” she snapped. “Go sit with your locker partner.”
    “If you say so.” Suzy must’ve spotted where Diane was sitting. “Okay, I see her. Bye!”
    Once again, Livvy was alone.
    She dug around in her book bag and found the small note pad belonging to Odell Sterling. Fighting nosiness, she tried to imagine what might be written inside. She had no right to read someone’s private writings. So she placed it on the table, while she had several more bites of her chicken and tomato sandwich.
    Several times throughout her lunch, she caught herself staring at Mr. Sterling’s note pad. What was he writing while I skated? she wondered. Why was an old man taking notes at the rink?
    At last, her curiosity got the best of her. She opened the flap and saw line after line of scribble. Scanning the first page, she tried to read the words.
    When she’d finished, she flipped to the next page. Soon she’d read every word.
    “He knows skating,” she whispered. “Who is Odell Sterling?”
    Wanting to take good care of the old man’s tiny notebook, she slipped it back into her book bag for safekeeping.
    Then, to save time, she began working on her assigned letters for Mrs. Smith. While she nibbled on pretzel sticks, she started writing the one on the tardy theme.
    Dear Jenna,
    This is a required letter. It’s to you from me, and I hope you’ll understand what the word “tardy” means by the end of it.
    I was a few seconds behind the bell for homeroom this morning. It’s not the first time I’ve ever been late, though. Once, when I was in fourth grade, I forgot to set my alarm and missed my skating session. It messed things up big time for me.
    You know why? Because I didn’t