Free Rosie Swanson: Fourth-Grade Geek for President by Barbara Park

Friend,
    Alan Allen stole Rosie Swanson’s campaign ideas. Also, he stole a soccer ball from Mort’s Sports. Is this really the kind of person you want to elect for president of the fourth grade?
    Sincerely yours,
    The Committee Who Wants You to Be a Good Voter.”
    As soon as he finished, Alan Allen exploded out of his chair and pointed at Maxie and Earl and me.
    “It was
them
, Mr. Shivers,” he said. “They were the ones who passed those notes! Zuckerman is the only kid who I told about the soccer ball thing. And so he told Rosie. And she told Earl. And then the three of them got together and wrote those notes!”
    “No, we did
not!
” Maxie yelled back at him. “I’ve never seen those notes before in my life!”
    “Liar!” yelled Alan.
    Earl slid down in his seat. “Oh geez, oh geez, oh geez,” he muttered nervously.
    Mr. Shivers stood up. “Enough!”
    Instantly, everyone shut up. Even Earl’s nose stopped whistling.
    The principal walked around his desk and put Alan Allen back in his chair. Then he stood in front of us for a minute—mostly to show us how big he was, I think—and went back to his seat.
    After that, he made his voice so spooky quiet you could hardly hear it. “We do not
scream
in the principal’s office, people,” he said. “Not
ever
”
    He narrowed his eyes into thin slits. “Got it?”
    The five of us nodded as fast as we could.
    “Good,” said Mr. Shivers. “Now, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to ask each one of you a very simple question. And all I want is a yes or a no answer. Understand?”
    After we nodded again, he swiveled his chair around to face Summer Lynne Jones.
    “Okay, Miss Jones. I’m going to ask you first. Did you have anything at all to do with the note I just read?”
    “No,” said Summer. “I didn’t. I promise, Mr. Shivers. I promise, I promise, I prom—”
    Mr. Shivers held up his hand to cut her off.“Good, Fine. Thank you,” he said.
    Next, he turned to Maxie. “Same question, Mr. Zuckerman. Did you have anything at all to do with the note I—”
    “No,” interrupted Maxie. “No, no, no, no, no.”
    When Mr. Shivers got to Earl, his face softened a little. “How ’bout you, Earl? Do you know anything about that note?”
    Earl dabbed at the sweat on his face with his shirt sleeve. His voice cracked when he said, “No.”
    All of sudden, I just couldn’t stand it anymore. “I don’t understand this, Mr. Shivers,” I blurted. “Who cares who wrote the note? Alan’s the one who stole the soccer ball, right? Isn’t
that
what we should be talking about? I mean, if someone robs a bank and a reporter writes about it, the reporter shouldn’t get blamed for spreading the word. It’s the crook who should be in trouble.”
    Alan jumped up again. “But I’m
not
a crook! Just because I took a soccer ball from Mort’s Sports Store doesn’t make me a crook. I was only in first grade when that happened. That’s practically a baby! You can’t blame a person for something he did when he was six! And besides, Ididn’t even get to the car before my dad saw it under my shirt, and he made me take it back.”
    Alan was so upset he was crying, practically. It kind of surprised me, if you want to know the truth. I just hadn’t expected him to almost cry, that’s all.
    I turned my head and tried not to look at him.
    Mr. Shivers narrowed his eyes at me.
    “Was it you, Rosie?” he asked at last. “Hmm? Were you the one who wrote the notes?”
    By now, I was so mixed up I didn’t know what to do. All I’d done was tell the truth. And now
I
was the one in trouble. Since when was being a truthful person such a terrible thing?
    Nervously, I pulled at my collar and tried to see the note on the desk. “Well, um, just for the record, I’m not the type of girl who usually dots my
i
’s with hearts.”
    Mr. Shivers closed his eyes.
    “Yes or no?”
    Stalling for time, I leaned down and pretended to dust off my shoes.
    Alan blew his