Philip and the Girl Who Couldn't Lose (9781619501072) Read Online Free Page A

Philip and the Girl Who Couldn't Lose (9781619501072)
Book: Philip and the Girl Who Couldn't Lose (9781619501072) Read Online Free
Author: John Paulits
Tags: Humor, Children, competition, contest
Pages:
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I have
my own idea. Who needs yours?”
    “ You got an idea so fast? What is
it?”
    “ Oh, no. You didn’t tell me yours. I’m
not going to tell you mine. You might steal it and win first
prize.”
    “ Your idea is going to win first
prize?” said Jeanne in disbelief. “Yeah, like you and Emily were
going to score a touchdown. I’ll bet my idea is way better than
your idea.”
    “ No way,” said Philip, feeling anger
creep over him. “And his name is Emery.”
    “ Whatever.” Jeanne smirked confidently
at Philip. “Hey, I’ll bet you, I’ll really bet you my poster is
better than yours.”
    “ You’ll lose. My poster will be a
genius poster.”
    “ Right, like you’re a genius football
player.”
    Philip thought of how Jeanne sent him flying
through the air and glared at her. “What do you want to bet?”
    “ Bet,” Jeanne scoffed. “You don’t have
anything to bet.”
    “ You said you’d bet. Now you’re scared
to.”
    “ Scared? Of you? Ha!”
    Philip blurted out his challenge. “I’ll bet
you five candy bars, any kind.”
    Jeanne considered. “Five candy bars?” She did
the math to see how much money it would cost. “Yeah, I can bet you
five candy bars. Whoever’s poster wins first prize gets five candy
bars from the other. You swear?”
    “ I swear.” Philip had a thought. “What
if neither of us wins first prize? How will we know whose is
better?”
    Jeanne smiled sarcastically. “There,
see. You know why I’m going to win? Because I don’t think
like, what if I don’t win .
Mine will win first prize.
Period. And you better pay off the candy bars because I’m going to
tell people at school about the bet.” Jeanne turned and walked into
the shoe store to join her mother.
    Philip stood still, shocked at what
he’d done. Then he thought about what Jeanne had said about him.
Why did he think neither of
them would win? She was right. It wasn’t how to go into a contest.
Well, he wouldn’t think that way anymore. No, sir. He planned to
make the cleverest, smartest, most wonderful poster in the whole
history of posters and win this contest and the five candy bars. All he needed was the
cleverest, smartest, most wonderful idea he’d ever had. Suddenly,
Philip’s confidence sagged. What had he done, making a bet with a
girl who never lost? But it was too late to back out now. Philip
walked into the arcade and looked for an empty machine. One idea,
he repeated to himself as he slid his first quarter into the coin
slot, one good idea. How hard could it be to come up with one good
idea?
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Philip’s one good idea didn’t come to
him that day or the next, but he knew it would come eventually
because he planned to take Jeanne’s advice and stop thinking like a
loser. He’d think like a winner. He’d think like a winner about
everything. He would make a contest out of everything he did and
try to win every time. He would make his whole life a contest.
    “ Philip, don’t gobble your food so,”
said his mother the next night as the family sat at the dinner
table.
    Philip slowed down when he saw he’d be the
first one finished. He would be the dinner-eating champion.
    “ Mom,” he asked, as he put the last
forkful of mashed potatoes and peas—Philip liked to smoosh them all
together—into his mouth. “What the fastest I ever took a
bath?”
    “ What kind of a question is that?” his
mother asked.
    “ I know,” his
father interrupted. “Remember, honey, when you turned on the cold
water instead of mixing it with the hot. Then you got impatient
with Philip because he didn’t want to take his bath so you picked
him up and plunked him down in the cold water?”
    Philip’s mother smiled. “Yes, he did climb
out in a hurry.”
    “ I don’t remember that,” said Philip,
puzzled.
    “ I think you were only two then,” his
mother said.
    It sounded to Philip like he
could never get into and out
of the bathtub that fast again. He decided not to count
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