Karen's Easter Parade Read online

  I used my final weapon. “I will tell on you if I have to,” I said. “I will tell Kristy right now.”

  Diana did not say anything for a long time. She looked very angry. “You are spoiling my whole trip, Karen Brewer,” she said at last. “You are no fun, and you are a baby and a bad host. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Fine!” I said. We dumped our things into a messy heap on a counter and stomped out the door. We stood outside, not talking. After a minute I went in to tell Kristy we wanted to go.

  Then we rode home. We did not say a word the entire way. I was so, so mad at Diana. I did not even want to be best cousins anymore.

  * * *

  I did not tell anyone what had almost happened at Nikki’s Knickknack Shack. Not even Kristy. Diana and I were not speaking. I could tell Mommy and Seth were wondering what was wrong, but they did not ask and I did not say. Instead I played with Andrew, helped Merry, and watched TV. By myself.

  On Friday Mommy took the day off from work, and I helped her and Merry get ready for our guests. Diana’s family would be arriving on Saturday. We needed to do the final housecleaning and set up the guest room for them.

  Diana kept to herself while Mommy, Merry, Andrew, and I worked. Mostly I saw her reading books and magazines. Once, Mommy asked me if Diana and I were fighting. I told her that we sort of were, but I did not tell her what about. (I had decided that, since I had stopped Diana from shoplifting again, I did not need to tell Mommy about the stolen gum.)

  I felt a little bad about ruining Diana’s vacation. But you know what? She was ruining mine too. And Diana had given me no choice. It was wrong to steal, and I had done the right thing by stopping her. Even if she was mad at me afterward.

  After lunch Sam called. He said he was going to be dressing up as the Easter Bunny at Bellair’s department store that evening. He wanted to know if Diana, Andrew, and I would like to come downtown and see him.

  Andrew and I said yes! yes! yes! At first Diana said that she did not want to. But finally she said yes too.

  No Contest?

  Seth drove us to Bellair’s that night after dinner. Diana and I were still mad at each other, but I think Diana was more mad at me than I was at her. It is very hard for me to stay mad at someone, especially someone who is supposed to be my best cousin.

  At Bellair’s, we found Sam in the toy department. He was dressed in a big white bunny suit. He had white makeup on his face, and long whiskers stuck to his cheeks. I wished he could dress like that all the time!

  A sign said MEET THE EASTER BUNNY. And a line of people was waiting to meet him. Parents were paying to have their kids’ picture taken with him. Sam was talking to the children and making them laugh. He was a very good Easter Bunny.

  Even though Andrew knew it was Sam in the bunny suit, he still wanted to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Seth asked Diana and me if we wanted our pictures taken. To tell you the truth, I almost did. I thought it would be funny to have a picture of Sam the Easter Bunny and me. But I decided not to. All the kids having their pictures taken were way younger than me.

  “No, thank you,” I said politely.

  “Oh, no way,” said Diana, making a face.

  So Seth got in line with Andrew to have his picture taken.

  Diana and I stood awkwardly together, not talking. Near us was a group of boys. They looked a little older than us, and they were talking loudly and laughing in an annoying way.

  “Ha-ha! Look at those kindergarten babies, having their pictures taken with the Easter Bunny!” one of them said. “How stupid!”

  “Can you believe that guy in the rabbit suit?” said another.

  “This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen!” said a third.

  Now, let me tell you. I was getting really angry at those older boys. If they did not like what they were seeing, they could go away. They did not have to spoil other people’s fun. What they were saying was really rude, and I bet Sam could hear them.

  I saw Andrew have his picture taken. Seth stopped to talk with Sam, and Andrew headed back to Diana and me.

  “Ha-ha-ha!” jeered one of the boys. “Hey, little kindergarten baby!” he called to Andrew. “Did you have your picthah taken wif de big wabbit?” he asked in a pretend-baby voice.

  Andrew looked at the boy and frowned. His face turned red.

  “Aww! Do not cwy, wittle baby!” said one of the boys.

  Well, I was so angry I was ready to explode. I wanted to shout at the boys to shut up. But there were four of them, and only one of me. And they were bigger than me and looked tough too.

  I put my arm around Andrew and glared at the boys. I wanted Seth to come back right away so he could make the boys leave. Suddenly Diana bolted from my side. She charged toward the boys.

  “What did you say?” she exclaimed. “Did I hear you say something?”

  The boys were so taken aback, they just giggled nervously and stared at Diana.

  “Do you think it is funny to pick on people smaller than you are?” Diana went on angrily. “Huh, do you? You guys think you are tough? You are not so tough. You are just bullies. Now get out of here! Go away! No one wants you here.” She pointed toward the escalator. “Go!”

  My mouth dropped open in shock. I did not know what was going to happen. Would one of the boys hit Diana? All of them were bigger than she was.

  Then an amazing thing happened. Without saying a word, all four boys turned on their heels. They slunk away, just as Diana had told them to do.

  As their heads disappeared down the escalator, Diana called after them, “And do not come back!”

  Just then Seth returned. “What was all that about?”

  “Diana chased away some bullies!” said Andrew. “She is my hero!”

  “She is my hero too!” I added. I could not believe what she had done.

  Diana smiled and blushed. “It was nothing.”

  “Nothing?” I said. “It was about the bravest thing I have ever seen anyone do!”

  Andrew hugged Diana around her waist.

  “Well!” said Seth. “I certainly missed something!”

  “You sure did!” I said.

  “Hi, guys,” said Sam, joining us.

  “Hi, Sam — I mean, Mr. Bunny,” I replied. It was so weird to talk to Sam when he looked like the Easter Bunny.

  “That is a great costume,” I said. “Too bad you will not be able to enter your bunny head in the bonnet contest.”

  “Bonnet contest?” Sam said. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know,” said Diana. “That bonnet contest you told us about. On Sunday. During the Easter parade.”

  “There is not going to be any contest,” said Sam, frowning.

  “What?” I said. “First no floats, and now no contest?”

  “No,” said Sam, laughing. “The parade will be a lot of fun, though. Boy, I do not know where you get your ideas from half the time, Karen.”

  Diana and I looked at each other. Oh, my gosh. We had gone through so much with our hats — shopping for them, making them, and practically ending up enemies over them. And it was all for nothing! For a long moment, we stared at each other. The next thing I knew, Diana and I were hugging each other and laughing. We were best cousins again — for now.

  An Easter Surprise

  “What do you suppose happened to them?” Mommy asked.

  It was Saturday afternoon. Diana’s parents and little brother were supposed to have arrived on the three o’clock train from Pittsburgh. But they were not on it when we met it at the station. When the train had come and gone with no Wellses on it, we gave up and came home.

  “I hope they are okay,” said Diana as we walked into the house. She looked worried.

  Brrng! The phone rang.

  Mommy answered it. When she hung up, she said, “That was your parents, Diana. They are okay. They got mixed up in New York and missed their connection to Stoneybrook. They are renting a car and will be here in a few hours.”

>   Everyone breathed a big sigh of relief.

  “They missed their connection?” said Diana. “And they were the ones who hired a chaperone for me! Maybe next time I should hire a chaperone for them.”

  Mommy giggled and so did I.

  * * *

  Diana’s parents and little brother finally arrived at the little house after dinner. Diana teased her parents about needing a chaperone of their own. But I could tell she was glad to see them. She seemed happy for the first time all week.

  * * *

  On Sunday morning I woke early. Diana was still asleep. (She had been up late the night before, working on something at my desk. She had not let me see it.) I crept out of my room alone and went downstairs to search for my Easter basket. Every year the Easter Bunny hides my basket somewhere in the living room. Sometimes under a table. Sometimes behind a chair.

  This year I found my Easter basket behind the big potted plant in the corner. I picked it up and carried it to the kitchen. (We are allowed to look at our Easter candy before breakfast, but we are not allowed to eat any until after.)

  When I sat down at my place at the kitchen table, I found a second Easter surprise. It was a note from Diana. It was in an envelope that said TO KAREN. PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL! I ripped open the envelope.

  Underneath the note was a drawing of Diana and me in our Easter bonnets and Packett Family Reunion T-shirts. We were hugging each other, and a big heart was around us. It was about the most beautiful drawing I had ever seen. I sat in the quiet early morning kitchen by myself with my two Easter surprises. I felt gigundoly happy.

  The Best Easter Ever

  Soon Diana came downstairs.

  I smiled at her. “I accept your apology,” I said.

  We hugged for a long time. Yea, best cousins!

  Then we looked for Diana’s Easter basket. It was behind the recliner.

  By the time we returned to the kitchen, Mommy, Seth, and Diana’s parents were there. Pretty soon Andrew and Diana’s little brother, Kelsey, had found their baskets too. Then Mommy made eggs goldenrod, as she does every Easter. (I love eggs goldenrod. It is fancy eggs in sauce on top of biscuits. Yum!)

  I had two helpings, and so did Diana.

  The little house seemed full of people laughing and hugging and having a good time. And now that Diana had apologized, I felt happier than I had in a week.

  * * *

  “Hi, Nancy! Hi, Hannie!” I called.

  Diana and I were promenading (that is what walking up and down in fancy clothes is called) at the Stoneybrook Easter parade. The streets had been closed to traffic. Practically the whole town was there, dressed in their finest. Many of the women and girls had gigundoly awesome hats. Diana’s and mine were two of the best, even if they did not have framed pictures of bunnies on them. (I am sure that if there had been a contest, we would have tied for first place.)

  “Hi, Karen!” Hannie and Nancy called to me.

  “Um, Karen,” said Diana. “I think maybe I had better go. Your friends do not like me. I will see you later.” Diana started to walk away.

  Before she could escape, I grabbed her arm. “Do not go, Diana. I am sure that Hannie and Nancy will give you a second chance. They have given me hundreds of second chances.”

  Diana smiled. “Okay.”

  Hannie was wearing a beautiful white bonnet with blue bows all over it. Nancy was not wearing a bonnet. She had a disposable camera, and she was taking pictures of all the amazing hats — including Diana’s and mine.

  “I love your bonnet,” said Diana to Hannie. “It is beautiful.” She turned to Nancy. “I am glad you were smart enough to bring a camera. I forgot mine.”

  “Thank you,” said Hannie and Nancy.

  Diana chewed on her fingernail for a moment. “I am sorry I was such a meanie-mo the other day,” she said. “I was in a bad mood, I guess. I hope we can still be friends.”

  Hannie smiled. “Any friend of Karen Brewer’s —” she started to say.

  “— is a friend of ours,” Nancy finished for her.

  “Hey, look!” shouted Diana, pointing. “There goes the Easter Bunny!”

  Our heads turned to see Sam in his rabbit suit, hopping down Main Street, handing out candy from a basket.

  Hannie, Nancy, Diana, and I waved and hollered, and Sam tossed a handful of candy in our direction.

  We scrambled to catch the candy, and I picked up the ones that had fallen to the ground. We were laughing and shrieking. I looked at Diana and she and Hannie pretended to wrestle for a Tootsie Roll. I smiled. We were finally on our way to becoming the Four Musketeers. Yea, Musketeers! Yea, Easter!

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a number of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 2000 by Ann M. Martin

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 2000

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-06296-0