1. Secret Valentine

CALENDAR MYSTERIES FEBRUARY FRIEND BY RON ROY

Chapter 1 Secret Valentine "I love Valentine's Day," Bradley Pinto told his twin brother. They were walking to school. Both boys had green caps pulled down over their red hair. They wore matching ski jackets. "Why, because girls send you valentines?" Brian asked. Bradley shook his head. "Nope. Because Mom always makes cupcakes!" He was carrying a box of them. Bradley and Brian met their friends Nate Hathaway and Lucy Armstrong in front of their school. Nate had black hair like his older sister, Ruth Rose. Lucy's long blond ponytail hung from under her fuzzy white hat.

Lucy was staying with her cousin Dink's family for one year. Dink was best friends with Ruth Rose and the twins' brother, Josh. Lucy's parents were in Arizona helping to build a school on a reservation. Nate tapped the box Bradley was holding. "How many cupcakes did your mom make?" he asked. He rubbed his tummy. "Twenty-four," Bradley said. "Is that all?" Nate asked. "I could eat ten all by myself!" "Dream on," Lucy said. Nate had brought paper plates, napkins, and plastic forks. Lucy was carrying a bag of heartshaped candies. Just then a loud bell clanged. The four friends hurried into the school. A bunch of other kids were scurrying to their classrooms as well. A few parents came in carrying boxes. The janitor, Mr. Neater, was mopping up snow puddles. The kids' first-grade teacher, Mr. Vooray, waited for them outside his classroom. The rest of

the class was already in the room. Two of the kids were feeding Goldilocks, the hamster, and Yertle, the box turtle. "Happy Valentine's Day," Mr. Vooray said. "Please put your goodies on the counter. And everyone hang up your coats." Bradley, Nate, and Lucy carried the cupcakes, cookies, plates, and forks over to the counter. Bradley noticed other cupcakes, a plate of brownies, and a bowl of heart-shaped cookies. A big red box sat on Mr. Vooray's desk. The box was decorated with paper hearts. All the kids knew it was filled with valentines. They had been making them all week. "When can we open the box?" Samantha asked Mr. Vooray. "As you know, today is a half day," Mr. Vooray said. "I think we should wait till just before we go home. Then we can pass out the valentines and eat all the treats you kids brought in."

The morning went quickly. The first graders did math problems. Then they wrote in their journals. When they were finished with that, they read in their library books. Then Mr. Vooray read aloud from Charlotte's Web. Suddenly Nate's tummy growled. Mr. Vooray looked up. "I guess it's time to eat," he said with a smile. Everyone jumped up and ran for the counter. Kids giggled and bumped into each other as they handed out paper plates, napkins, forks, and cups

of juice. Then the kids who had brought food passed it out. Soon everyone was munching. Bradley bit into a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting. He and his mom had frosted them early that morning. "When can we get our valentines?" Joyce asked. "Right now!" Mr. Vooray said. He pulled the lid off of the red box and dumped a big pile of valentine cards on his desk. He picked Flo, Bradley, and Lucy to pass them out to the class. "Hey, Mr. Vooray, here's one with no name on it," Bradley said. He held up the envelope. It was red and shaped like a heart. Mr. Vooray grinned. "It's a mystery card," he said. "Open it!" a bunch of kids yelled. "Go ahead," said Mr. Vooray. Bradley opened the envelope. He pulled out a heart-shaped card and showed the class. On the front was a picture of a bunny rabbit.