Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene

CHAPTER ONE
Tricia and I are holding left pinkies under our desks, which always works. It’s how we managed to be the only fifth graders to have been in the same class every single year of elementary school: we held left pinkies under the desks when- ever a teacher talked about the next year. Now it’s Thursday after school and Mrs. Kalinack, the school secretary, is visiting our classroom to talk about the epic party she’s organizing for our teacher, Mr. Fallon. Mr. Fallon is from Ireland but has been teaching at Pine Hill Elementary for years. Over the summer, he became a United States citizen. Mrs. Kalinack says that means he belongs in the country as much as anyone who was born here, and he has new rights and responsibilities. That’s the boring part.
The exciting part is that our school is going to throw a big party to congratulate him. There are going to be flag cupcakes and red-white-and-blue decorations, and the gym will hardly look like a school gym by the time we finish. Mrs. Kalinack is assigning the fifth graders to committees, and Tricia and I are trying to get on the Decorations Committee together. That’s the best one. (Some people are going to be assigned to the Cleanup Committee. Those are kids who don’t believe in left pinkies, even though we told everyone else to try it. We’re nice that way.)
Mr. Fallon has no idea what we’re planning; the party is going to be a complete surprise. Mrs. Kalinack has come up with all sorts of excuses to keep Mr. Fallon away while we work on the party, and everyone who volunteers is going to have to meet during some lunch periods and stay late after school a few times. This is exciting, because usually after school I have to pick up my little brother, Manuel, from the second/third-grade door and walk him home so we can both do our homework and get ready for ballet class. If Tricia and I are on the Decorations Committee together, we’ll get to hang out after school, and maybe my older sister, Regina, will have to pick up Manuel for a change.
“Tricia Rivera-you applied for the Decorations Commit- tee. No problem,” Mrs. Kalinack says. Tricia squeals and lets go of my pinky to hug Stella, who is sitting on the other side of us and already got picked for captain of the Decorations Committee. But as soon as she and Stella finish hugging and cheering, along with Abdul and Lucas, who are also on the Decorations Committee, Tricia turns back and links pinkies with me.