8. I Am Not a Crook

8/I Am Not a Crook The next day, I went to Principal's office. The grouchy typing lady looked over the counter at me. I rocked back and forth on my feet. "Yeah, only I'm not even bad, again," I said. "I just need to go to the Lost and Found, and that's all." The grouchy typing lady opened up the closet. She pulled out the big box. Just then, the phone rang. And she hurried up to answer it. I quick bended down and digged my hands in the Lost and Found. Then my heart got very thrilled. 'Cause I saw that wonderful teddy backpack again,

that's why! I snuggled my face in his tummy. "Mmm…I still love this softy guy," I whispered. I put him on my back and skipped all around. The grouchy typing lady hanged up the phone. "Did you lose that, too?" she asked me. "Is that why you're here?" I kept on standing there and standing there. "Wellll?" she said. Finally, I did a big sigh. Then I walked very slow back to the box. And I took off the teddy backpack. "No," I said. "Not why." After that, I reached in my pocket. And I

pulled out my wonderful pen. "I found this," I said. "It was on the floor by the water fountain. And I really, really love it. Only that is not the issue." Then I did a big, deep breath. And I dropped my wonderful pen into the Lost and Found. "I am not a crook," I said kind of quiet. The grouchy typing lady looked nicer at me. She ruffled my hair. "No," she said. "Of course you're not a crook."

After that, I rocked back and forth on my feet some more. And I waited and waited and waited. The typing lady raised up her eyebrows at me. "I'm waiting for the grin," I explained. "Only there seems to be a delay." She laughed right out loud. That's when I felt it. The grin. It came right on my face! "Hey! It's working! It's working!" I said real squealy. I skipped all around the office very happy. Then the typing lady opened up the door. And I skipped all the way to Room Nine. And guess what? I didn't even find a pen that writes four

different colors! And that was a big relief!