I jumped way high in the air.
"I do!" I shouted. "I understand perfectly perfect! "Cause I am Captain Field Day, of course!"
After that, I hurried to my bestest friend named Grace.
"You go first, Grace," I said. "You are the fastest runner in kindergarten. And so you have to be at the front of the line."
I grabbed that Grace"s hand. And I pulled her to the front.
Only too bad for us. Because Charlotte was already standing there.
"No cuts!" she said. "I was here first!"
I crossed my arms at that girl.
"Yes, I know that, Charlotte," I said. "But I am Captain Field Day. And Captain Field Day says that speedy Grace needs to go first. So move it, missy."
Charlotte stamped her angry foot.
"No! I was here first, I told you!" she said real snappish.
Just then, Grace smiled at Charlotte very nice. And she whispered a secret in her ear.
And then, what do you know? Charlotte backed right up! And she let Grace go first!
"Wowie wow wow! How did you do that, Grace?" I asked. "What did you say?"
That Grace did a shrug. "I just said the word please." please."
I tapped on my chin. "Please, "Please, huh? I"ll have to remember that one," I said. huh? I"ll have to remember that one," I said.
Pretty soon, Mrs. blew her whistle for us to line up.
"Is everyone ready?" she asked.
"Yes!" we hollered back.
Then Mrs. shouted in her loudest voice. "ON YOUR MARK....
"GET SET....
"GO!"
Then-boom!-fast as a rocket, Grace started to run!
"GO, GRACE! GO! GO! GO!" shouted Room Nine.
Grace zoomed to the fence and back again.
She tagged Charlotte on her hand.
"GO, CHARLOTTE! GO! GO! GO!" shouted Room Nine. "WE"RE WINNING! WE"RE WINNING! WE"RE WINNING!"
After that, Charlotte tagged a girl named Lynnie. And Lynnie tagged Jamal Hall. And Jamal Hall tagged a boy named Ham. And Ham tagged Paulie Allen Puffer.
Then all of Room Nine kept on tagging each other ... until finally, there were just three more runners to go!
Their names were Ricardo, and Junie B. Jones, and Crybaby William.
Ricardo made noises like a race car. "Varoooom, varoooom, varoooom," he said.
Then, all of a sudden, he got tagged. And he took off running!
Me and William watched him go.
"Ricardo runs fast for a boy in cowboy boots," I said kind of proud.
Crybaby William pulled on my cape real urgent. He quick whispered a secret in my ear.
"I"m not good at this, Junie B.," he said very nervous. "I"m not a fast runner."
I patted his slowpoke little head.
"Do not worry, little William. I am Captain Field Day, remember? I will save the day," I said. "I will run so fast, you will even be able to walk, probably."
Just then, Ricardo came running back.
"Here I go, William! Here I go saving the day! Watch me!" I shouted.
Ricardo tagged my hand.
I took off as fast as a rabbit!
Then I kept on getting faster and faster and faster!
I turned around at the fence. And I started running back.
Only all of a sudden, a very terrible thing happened!
And it"s called OH NO! MY SHOE FLIED RIGHT OFF MY FOOT!
It went way high in the air.
I runned after it speedy quick.
Room Nine shouted and shouted at me to stop.
"YEAH, ONLY YOU DON"T EVEN HAVE TO WORRY, PEOPLE!" I hollered. "IT WON"T TAKE ME VERY LONG TO PUT THIS BACK ON! "CAUSE GOOD NEWS ..."
I picked it up and waved it all around.
"VELCRO!"
After that, I put it back on in a jiffy. And I zoomed right back to William.
I tapped him on his hand.
Only that boy just kept on standing there.
"Go, William! Go! Go!" I shouted.
But William shook his head no. And he pointed at Room Eight.
They were jumping up and down and dancing all around.
"Cause guess what?
They already won the race.
Room Nine was not a good sport to me.
They kept saying it was my fault we lost the race.
I stamped my foot at those people.
"No, it is not my fault!" I said back. "My shoe flied off. And so what am I supposed to do? Run in my sock foot?"
Meanie Jim got close to my face.
"Yes, you looney bird!" he yelled. "That"s exactly what you were supposed to do! You were supposed to run in your sock foot!"
I thought very hard about that.
"Well, well. What do you know?" I said kind of quiet. "It looks like Captain Field Day has learned a little something here."
Room Nine did a groan.
I backed away from them real careful. Or else they might tackle me, possibly.
I backed all the way to Mrs.
"They"re mad at me," I said. "They"re mad because I lost the race."
Mrs. ruffled my hair.
"It"s not your fault, Junie B.," she said. "Your shoe came off by accident. And besides, Field Day is not about who wins or loses. Field Day is about having fun."
I hanged down my head.
"Yeah, only what"s so fun about losing? That"s what I would like to know," I said.
Just then, Mrs. made a "nouncement.
"Boys and girls, I don"t want to hear one more word about winners and losers, okay? Field Day is a day to run around in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine. We came out here to have fun and get some exercise. And we"re not going to care one little bit about who wins or who loses."
As soon as Mrs. walked away, New Thelma skipped up next to me.
"Room Eight is winning," she said real squealy. "Room Eight is beating Room Nine one to nothing."
I made a mad face at her.
"Yeah, only didn"t you hear my teacher, Thelma?" I said. "Room Nine doesn"t even care care who wins and loses. Room Nine just came out here to run in the air. So ha ha on you." who wins and loses. Room Nine just came out here to run in the air. So ha ha on you."
"Yeah," said Ricardo.
"Yeah," said Jamal Hall.
"Yeah," said Lynnie.
Then all of those people gave me a high five. "Cause I made a good point, apparently.
Pretty soon, the Room Eight teacher blew her whistle again.
"The next event will be the softball throw," she said. "Unlike the relay race, this contest is not going to be a team event. The softball throw is for anyone who wants to join in. If you"d like to see how far you can throw the ball, please form a line behind me."
Paulie Allen Puffer was the first one in line.
"I"m a good thrower," he said. "I"m probably the best thrower in Room Nine, in fact."
Lynnie lined up next. "I"m a good thrower, too," she said.
"Me too," said Jamal Hall.
Just then, Crybaby William pulled on my cape. "Cause he wanted to whisper again, that"s why.
"I"m not good at this event, either," he said real quiet. "I don"t have to do it, right, Captain? I don"t have to throw the ball."
I put my arm around his shoulder.
"No, you don"t," I said. "You don"t have to worry about this at all, William. Paulie Allen Puffer is going to win this thing in a breeze for us."
Just then, a boy from Room Eight jumped in line.
New Thelma did a loud squeal.
"Ooooh! It"s Strong Frankie! Strong Frankie is the strongest boy in kindergarten!" she said very thrilled.