Keena Ford and the Second-Grade Mix-Up Read Online Free

closed my eyes tightly. “My birthday,” I said louder, “is February 9.”
    I opened my eyes and looked at Ms. Campbell. She looked at me and then at Mom. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she said.
    “Keena wrote her birthday backwards,” Mom explained. “So you thought her birthday was today. Then she did not tell you the truth. I am very disappointed in her behavior. And I am sorry that you went to all that trouble to make a cake.” Then Mom turned and looked at me. “Keena,” she said, “I am going to have to think about your punishment. I will see you at home.” Then she left the classroom.
    I stood in the front of the room alone. I felt very, very small.
    Ms. Campbell took the piece of cake off my desk. She looked very serious. “Keena, I know this started as a numbers mistake. But you should have told me the truth. So you do not get to eat any cake. And you know what else?”
    I waited for her to send me to Mr. Lemon’s time-out classroom. But she didn’t. She said, “I think we need a lesson in how to write the date using numbers. Take your seat, Keena.”
    Then Ms. Campbell showed us how to use numbers to write the date. Even though I will never, ever forget how to write the date using numbers, I think I’ll stick to writing out the name of the month from now on.
    When I got home, Mom said, “Keena, I have decided that you will not be allowed to watch TV or have dessert for one week. I also want you to go to your room right after dinner and think about what you did wrong.” I nodded. “Also,” she said, “I bought you a bottle of ginger ale when I thought you were sick. But you lied to me about being sick, so I am going to give your ginger ale to Brian.” I nodded again, but I felt sad. Ginger ale is my favorite drink. I also felt sad because I knew Brian would make fun of me when he heard about my big fat lie.

    8:00 P.M.
    Brian just came into my room. He was holding the ginger ale bottle. “Mom told me about your fake birthday,” he said. “That was really dumb, Keena.”
    “I know,” I said.
    “I was wondering why you were asking me all those questions.” Brian was smiling like he was about to laugh at me.
    I felt my face get warm again.
    Then Brian said, “Sorry you got so confused.” He set the ginger ale bottle on my bedside table. “You can have that if you want,” he said. Then he started walking out of the room. “Don’t tell Mom,” he said over his shoulder.
    “Thanks, Brian,” I said. But I don’t think he heard me.
    So I got a piece of white paper and some crayons out of my art box. I drew a tall boy wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “BEST BROTHER!” I wrote in big letters. Even though I wasn’t supposed to leave my room, I tiptoed into the hallway. Brian’s door was closed. I slid the paper under his door and ran back to my room. I looked at the ginger ale. It felt like a birthday present. I put the bottle in a drawer and jumped into bed.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
    10:30 A.M.
     
     
    This morning I didn’t want to go to school. I thought Ms. Campbell hated me for sure. But when I got to the classroom, she just smiled and said, “Good morning, Keena,” like I was not a big fat liar. So I felt better.
    While Ms. Campbell was still in the hall saying good morning to the students, Tiffany Harris came into the room. “You don’t even know your own birthday,” she said in a very mean voice. “Are you going to say today is your birthday too?” Then she stuck her tongue out at me.
    I was about to call her a mean name, when Linny Berry said, “It’s not nice to tease someone who made a mistake. So just close your mouth, Tiffany.” I looked at Linny. “Thank you,” I said. But she looked away. I guess she still hates me. Maybe she just hates Tiffany even more.
    After all of the girls were sitting at their desks, Ms. Campbell said, “I think today is a good day to make the list of rules for our classroom. You are going to work with a partner to come up with