Free Natalie and the Bestest Friend Race by Dandi Daley Mackall Page B

our groups.” Laurie sounds chokey.
    “You mean she might take us apart?” I ask. “And put us back together again with you and me in different groups?”
    Laurie nods. I think I see tears leaking out of one eye.
    It would be a very bad thing to be stuck in a group without Laurie, on account of I love being in reading group with her. But I don’t think it would

    be a crying thing. ’Sides, we hardly even got to talk without getting yelled at when we were Robins.
    I start to tell Laurie this, but she puts up her hand, like our moms do to shush us.
    Miss Hines gives our group a big smiley face. “Instead of the Robins, on this reading blanket will be the home of the Mockingbirds.”
    She turns her smiley face to the side of our classroom. “Over there, instead of Blue Birds, we’ll have Woodpeckers. So, we have Goldfinches, Mockingbirds, and Woodpeckers.”
    “I never saw a mockingbird. What do they look like?” I ask Laurie.
    She doesn’t seem to hear me again.
    Miss Hines smiles over at our group. “Anna and Matthew, would you please trade places with Griff and Lisa?”
    They trade places and bird groups.
    “Okay. Now, Bethany, Jason, and Farah, go to the Mockingbirds. And Eric, Laurie, and Chase, come to the Goldfinch group.”
    Laurie gasps. “I knew it,” she whispers.
    And this time I see tears leaking out of her eyes.

Chapter 3
Homework
    “Don’t be sad, Laurie,” I say. On account of her sad makes me sad. “I’ll only be a little away from you.”
    Laurie doesn’t even look at me. She stares at her shoes. Then she gets up and shuffles to the Goldfinch group.
    Jason and Farah and Bethany come to the Robins, which is now the Mockingbird group. I am wondering how real birds can keep this stuff straight in their tiny heads.
    Jason plops next to me, where Laurie was sitting. “Hey, Teacher!” Jason never says “Miss Hines.” “Hey, Teacher! Our group wants to be Cuckoo!” he shouts.
    “Your group is cuckoo!” Peter shouts back. He and Sasha are Woodpeckers. Sasha laughs way too loud at what Peter said.
    I think Sasha’s buddy, Peter the Not-So-Great, could also go by the name Peter the Not-So-Funny. That’s what.
    Miss Hines passes out reading books to all of us birds.
    “I like this new bird name,” Farah whispers. “Mockingbirds can sing two hundred songs.”
    “I didn’t know there were that many songs,” I admit.
    Farah smiles without showing her teeth. “Many of the mockingbird’s songs come from other birds, and even other animals and machines. They repeat the sounds they hear around them. My grandmother told me this.”
    “You are a very smart kindergarten girl,” I tell Farah. And this is a true thing. My two best friends who are girls, Laurie and Farah, are the smartest kindergarten girls I know.
    Farah grins. “I am glad to be in your group, Natalie.”
    I smile back at Farah. I’ve told her a gazillion times that she can call me Nat, like Laurie and Jason do.
    I try to see if Laurie is still leaking tears. But she has her face down, and I can’t tell.
    When school is over, Laurie and I walk outside, where our moms pick us up.
    “Want to come over to my house?” I ask Laurie. “My mom said it was okay if your mom says it’s okay.”
    Laurie shakes her head in the no way.

    This is a strange thing. Laurie loves coming over to my house. Her house has too many people in it.
    “How come you can’t come over?” I ask.
    “I have homework,” she answers.
    “We don’t have homework.”
    “I have reading homework,” Laurie says.
    “Goldfinches got homework?” Maybe it’s a good thing I got to be a Mockingbird. I like school but not at home.
    “There’s Mom,” Laurie says, taking off for her car. She really is a fast runner.
    “Bye, Laurie!” I shout after her. “Call me later!”
    “Nat! Over here!” My granny is waving her arms like she’s showing airplanes where to land.
    I run to Granny and give her a big, fat hug. “Granny! How come you’re