Free Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes Page A

course.”
    But Miss Loupe didn’t say what it was. Instead, she perched on the edge of the Ugly, Ugly Couch and patted its cushions gently.
    â€œDon’t worry about the couch. I’ll ask Miss Candy if we can store it behind the castle wall she’s building. After the School Commission visits, I’ll petition Mrs. Heard to move it back into our classroom. I think she’ll let us because we’ll have given her lots of ammunition to use in her funding battle, won’t we?”
    She hoisted the hefty packet of paper for the report.
    â€œEverybody’s going to help me finish this by Friday, right? Everybody knows where the cracks are around here.”
    They did.
    Then, because it was his last day and his mom was picking him up early, Miss Loupe invited Dillon up to sit on the Ugly, Ugly Couch and be interviewed. Allison volunteered to ask the questions.
    â€œSo, Dillon, before you go, would you like to tell us who your favorite person in Miss Loupe’s class is?” she said, tilting an imaginary microphone close to his mouth. She smoothed her white skirt and looked sideways at him from her carefully arranged position on the edge of one dingy cushion.
    â€œNo,” he said. “I wouldn’t.”
    Allison giggled. “Well, how about your favorite person on this couch?”
    Dillon looked frantically to Miss Loupe for help. She turned to the rest of the class.
    â€œAnybody have an interesting question for Dillon? About where he’s going? Or what he’s enjoyed here at Young Oaks?”
    Aimee raised her hand. “How about if you do Miss/Won’t Miss? That’s fun.”
    â€œOh, totally cool, Aimee,” said Allison, nodding her approval. “I so invented that game. First one, Dillon: the Young Oaks Bear. Miss or won’t miss?”
    â€œMiss,” said Dillon. “He’s ugly, but at least he’s huge and scary-looking. My last school had a caterpillar for a mascot!”
    â€œThe lunchroom,” Bo called out.
    â€œMiss,” Dillon said immediately. “They’re probably going to serve sauerkraut at my new school.” He made a gagging noisedeep in his throat. “But maybe the hot dogs there won’t bounce if you drop them.”
    â€œOur hot dogs bounce ?” said Allison. She started to ask a follow-up question, but Melissa interrupted.
    â€œHomework,” Melissa said.
    â€œWon’t miss,” Dillon said. “Duh.”
    â€œJet noise!” Trey yelled.
    â€œWon’t miss. ’Cause it’ll still be there,” Dillon answered. “We’re living on base again.”
    â€œYour desk,” Kylie said.
    Dillon wondered if the next person who sat in it would make the crack he had deepened even larger. “Won’t miss.”
    â€œThe Ugly, Ugly Couch,” Rick offered.
    â€œMiss,” Dillon said, grabbing a couch pillow and laying his cheek against it with feigned passion. Everybody laughed, and Dillon looked surprised. He added, “Yeah. I’d like to see what you guys do with this thing for the rest of the year.”
    Miss Loupe stepped forward. “Would you and Allison stand up, please?” she said.
    When they had moved out of the way, she stood behind the Ugly, Ugly Couch and pushed down hard on its back until the front two legs left the floor.
    â€œLook under there,” she said.
    The underside of the couch was covered with people’s names. The class crowded forward to see. Miss Loupe explained that some of them were the cast members of the two plays the couch had been in after it left the movies. She also showed them whereMarc had signed it, and all his Army friends, the day they watched the Super Bowl together before deploying. Nachos had left a salsa-stained paw print. One name, Eric Browne, had a little heart beside it. Miss Loupe admitted he was an old boyfriend.
    Miss Loupe handed Dillon a permanent marker. “You’ll be the first