Sophie the Awesome Read Free Page B

just grinned. “I can do it!” she said.
    Then she made the big mistake of looking down. What was she thinking? Six steps was way too much!
    But Sophie could never, ever say she was awesome if she gave up now.
    She closed her eyes and … wait! What was she thinking? She had to look!
    So she opened her eyes and jumped.
    The good news was that Sophie landed on her feet. The bad news was that she also landed on her bottom.
Ouch!
Dumb, slippery new shoes. Boy, that hurt. A lot.
    Sophie did not want to cry. But it was hard not to when she looked up at Kate.
    Kate knelt down beside her. “Would you like to go to the nurse?” she asked softly.
    Sophie sniffed and nodded. “Yeah, maybe,” she said. And not just because her bottom hurt. It would also get her away from everyone. Including Archie and Toby.
    “Ha-ha!” Toby laughed and gave Archie a high five. “Crash landings don’t count. I still have the record!”
    Sophie made a face at him. Good old Kate stuck out her tongue. Then she helped Sophie up.
    “Out of our way,” Kate said. “Could someone tell Ms. Moffly I took Sophie to the nurse?”
    “Oh, we’ll tell her, all right,” said Mindy, grinning smugly.
    Kate held Sophie’s hand and led her back up the stairs toward the nurse’s office.
    “Hey. Knock-knock,” she said after a second.
    “Who’s there?” Sophie sighed.
    “Orange,” said Kate.
    “Orange who?” Sophie asked.
    “Orange you glad you didn’t break your neck?”
    Sophie sighed. Yes, she was glad she had not broken her neck. And she was glad that she did not have to go back to her classroom yet — and see Ms. Moffly.
    Plus she needed time to think of something else awesome to do.
    Kate left her at the nurse’s office. Mrs. Frost, the nurse, crossed her arms in front of her. She had a very big front to cross. But somehow it worked.
    “Well, if it isn’t Sophie Miller. What happened to you?” asked the nurse.
    “I, um, fell on the stairs,” Sophie said.
    Mrs. Frost clucked her tongue. “I hope you weren’t jumping,” she said.
    Sophie filled her cheeks with air.
    “Tell me, where does it hurt?” asked the nurse.
    Sophie pointed to her backside, and the nurse took a look. She made Sophie bend and squat and twist.
    “Looks like you’ll be fine,” said Mrs. Frost. “Do you want me to call your parents?”
    Sophie thought for a minute. Then she shook her head. She was already feeling better. And she really didn’t want her day to end like this. She’d had a rocky start at being awesome. But she wasn’t giving up yet!
    “Could I maybe just lie down for a little while?” Sophie said. That would give her time to think. And time for her face to get less red.
    The nurse had Sophie lie facedown on the cot in the corner. It was lumpy, but cool and clean. Sophie tried not to think about all the throw-up it must have seen. (Like hers. Last year. The day after Halloween.)
    Suddenly, Sophie felt a chill on her bottom. She jumped.
    “Ice pack,” explained the nurse. “Now be still. Do you need another?”
    “No, thanks,” Sophie answered. One was plenty cold enough.
    She lay there for a few minutes and tried to thinkof more ways to be awesome. But it was kind of hard with a freezing-cold ice pack on her bottom.
    Sophie looked up at the big white clock on the wall. Twelve o’clock. Her stomach rumbled.
    “Uh, Mrs. Frost?” she said.
    “Yes?” answered the nurse. “Did you change your mind about that second ice pack?”
    “Um, no,” Sophie said. “I was just thinking that I feel better. Can I go to lunch now?”
    “Very well,” said the nurse. She took back the ice pack and helped Sophie to her feet. “So, what lesson did you learn today, Sophie?” she asked.
    Sophie rubbed the back of her pants. “I guess I learned my bottom is not that tough,” she said.

S ophie was still a tiny bit sore when she got to the lunchroom. But the smell of hot food helped a lot. Kate did, too.
    “Hey, Sophie!” Kate called. She waved