Me and Miranda Mullaly by Jake Gerhardt Page B

volunteered to drive us in his new car. Oh, I can’t wait!
    Will the snow ever melt?
    Will the flowers ever grow again?
    Will I ever be in your arms again?
    Big big happy sad (only because I miss you) hugs!
    Always yours,
    Miranda

14
The Snow Day
SAM
    Miranda Mullaly’s father is a hairy man who runs very fast.
    And he has a bad temper. Not the kind of guy who likes to joke around, I think.
    Let me start at the beginning.
    I wake up this morning to the sound of a shovel scraping the pavement. I’m in big trouble if Dad’s out shoveling, so I jump out of bed. But when I look out the window, who do I see? John Lutz.
    I’m looking at the snow and this weird feeling comes over me. I think about how much fun it will be to go sledding and have a snowball fight, and I feel just like a littlekid. And then I remember how rotten I felt about the dance and how I was all alone and how the only real conversations I had were with Lichtensteiner and Erica Dickerson. What’s wrong with me?
    But then the good feeling about the snow makes me feel better about the bad feeling about the dance and I get dressed and get on with the day. I decide to go out and help (if Mom and Dad wake up, they’ll make me go out and shovel anyway).
    Outside, it’s cold and bright and windy. But the air feels good in my lungs.
    â€œYou know, my father won’t pay you for this,” I tell Lutz.
    Lutz stops and looks at me.
    â€œThat ain’t why I’m shoveling the walk, dummy,” he says, and continues to heave huge shovelfuls of snow in a pile.
    â€œThen why are you doing it?” I ask.
    Lutz stops, leans against his shovel, and looks at me like I’m an idiot.
    â€œAre you an idiot?” he asks.
    â€œNo.”
    â€œI’m shoveling because your sister’s mad at me.”
    â€œSo? My sister doesn’t have to shovel the walk. My dad’s the one who will be happy.”
    Lutz shakes his head and continues shoveling.
    â€œIf you knew anything about girls, Sam, you’d know that when you do something helpful and useful and kind, like shoveling a sidewalk and driveway, you get on their good side.”
    I don’t say a word, but I shovel and help Lutz finish. He’s some kind of snow shoveler, and we’re done in less than five minutes. Then I hear the door open and Maureen’s voice.
    â€œJohn? Is that you?”
    Lutz bows.
    â€œOh, John, thank you so much. Come inside. You must be freezing.”
    You would’ve thought Lutz cured cancer or something, the way Mom and Maureen dote on him. They give him hot chocolate and pieces of toast, and Mom is cooking bacon and scrambling eggs. Lutz looks at me and winks.
    And then it hits me. Lutz is right. I
am
an idiot.
    I jump up out of my seat and run to Miranda Mullaly’s house.
    As I’m running I can’t help thinking that Lutz is no fool. In fact, Lutz saves the day because I’m sure Miranda will invite me inside for hot chocolate and to meet her parents, and she’ll probably say, “This is the boy from school I was telling you about.”
    So when I get to Miranda’s house, I have a big smile onmy face and I am ready to go. I mean, I have enough energy to dig out the Panama Canal.
    So you can imagine my disappointment when I arrive and I see Chollie Muller already digging the snow. Chollie is on the sidewalk, shoveling away like he’s been doing it his whole life. And if you drove by, you would’ve thought Chollie lived there. But of course I know better because I’ve seen Chollie at the basketball game and I’ve watched him with Miranda in the library. So I know Chollie’s very, very interested in Miranda. And now that I’m here, I bet he’s figured out that I’m very, very interested in Miranda also.
    So I start right in. Like I said, I have enough energy to shovel the whole town. I feel like I can move mountains of snow.
    Chollie’s on one end and