A Big Year for Lily Read Online Free Page A

having for lunch today?” Hannah asked.
    Lily opened her lunch box and peered inside. “I’m having a sandwich, a banana, and two oatmeal raisin cookies. What’s in your lunch?”
    Hannah opened her lunch pail, frowning. “Carrot sticks and an egg sandwich.” She snapped the lid to her lunch box shut again.
    Uh-oh. Carrot sticks were a problem. Too crunchy. Aaron Yoder often teased Lily when she had carrot sticks in her lunch. “Egg sandwiches are my favorite.” She tried to encourage Hannah, but that lunch of hers was a worry. Levi’s bragging was another worry. He never missed a chance to puff himself up.
    By the time the two girls arrived at school, almost all the other children were already there. The first thing Lily wanted to do was to find her desk. She hoped, hoped, hoped that, this year, Aaron Yoder would not be sitting right across the aisle from her.
    Lily found her desk and then looked at the desk across the aisle. “Hannah, come look!”
    Hannah hurried over to see her name on a small tag. Lilywas so happy. The school year was starting out well. Hannah would sit right next to her. No Aaron Yoder!
    The girls set to work arranging their new pencils and school supplies in their desks. Then they checked name tags on the other desks. Lily read the one behind hers and groaned. “Noooooooo!”
    Hannah looked up. “What’s wrong?”
    â€œAaron Yoder is sitting right behind me.” How awful. She didn’t want to sit right in front of that terrible boy all year long.
    But then she brightened. She wouldn’t have to actually look at Aaron, unless she turned around, and she decided she would never, ever do that. Aaron was invisible to her.
    â€œChildren, time to come in!” Teacher Rhoda rang the bell on the school steps and the students scrambled to find their seats. As soon as the class settled down, Teacher Rhoda read a Bible story. And then the new school term began.
    Lily opened one of her brand-new books and admired how crisp and clean the pages were. She hoped she could keep it looking nice all year long.
    â€œFourth grade,” Teacher Rhoda said, “work on assignment one in your math workbook.”
    The first assignment of the year! Lily got right to work. It was so good to be back in school and even better to be a fourth grader. She wiggled happily in her seat and picked up her pencil, but it slipped through her fingers and dropped on the floor. She bent down to retrieve it. As she pulled herself up, her head bumped against something. She couldn’t sit up—something was pressing down on the back of her head. She glanced behind her and saw Aaron Yoder with a big goofy grin on his face. He was holding his hand above her head. Lily ducked out of his reach and sat straight up, furious. Shereached up to check her prayer covering and try to pouf it where Aaron had squashed it. How infuriating!
    Lily glanced over at Hannah, embarrassed and mad. At least, this year, she had an ally against the monkeyshine of Aaron Yoder. But Hannah sat there with a big smile on her face, as if it was funny!
    Anger flooded through Lily. “It’s not funny!” she snapped at Hannah, and her cousin’s smile faded.
    This was only the first day of school and already Aaron was being difficult. And Hannah was not being an ally at all. Despite Lily’s rule to never turn around in her desk, she turned around. She meant to stick her tongue out at Aaron, but as she turned, her elbow hit her brand-new book on top of her desk and knocked it to the floor. Before she could pick it up, Aaron put his dirty bare foot on it.
    Teacher Rhoda noticed. She came back to their seats to see what the commotion was all about. “Aaron, get your foot off of Lily’s book,” she said sternly. Aaron slowly lifted his foot and tucked it back under his desk while Lily picked her book up. She looked at it sadly. It had Aaron’s big, dirty