Coraline hung up.
"Two dollars
" the boy hissed.
Coraline walked outside. The sun vanished behind the clouds. The weather guy was wrong.
"CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE!?"
Coraline felt a raindrop. The sky opened up. Coraline ran to the door. Locked. Coraline swore very loudly and went to the curb behind the school. She glared at the sky as her clothes got wetter and wetter. The cut she had received from the locker stung. She waited for an hour, then two.
***
Finally, Mel pulled up next to a soaked and miserable Coraline. Coraline climbed into the passenger seat.
"So why did you miss your bus Coraline?" Coraline proceeded to recount the story. "I see. Are you aware you had my notes?"
"Yeah, um, sorry." Why wasn't she yelling? The rest of the drive was uneventful.
***
Mel noticed that Coraline's eyes were sort of red and puffy. Had she been crying? Coraline was not the kind of girl to cry, even if she had to wait in the rain. "Did anything else happen?" Mel inquired. She had been bullied or hurt. Her daughter began to speak.
"Well I embarrassed myself in front of the bus this morning by falling flat on my face, my nametag for dress down said Caroline (Mel winced; Coraline HATED it when people got her name wrong) I had no lunch-"
"Sorry, I was caught in the meeting; I swear I'll make it up to you."
"Right, like you always do. Let's see, some kid dumped his lunch on me, I didn't have my math, and (her voice began to choke up at each word now) I owe some jerk wad $2 even though he lent me one, and I've been busy waiting in the rain for two hours. It. Wasn't. A. Good. Day. And now all the good weather's gone. It's not fair."
A tear rolled down her cheek. She had been tortured today. Mel said, "There, there. Let's get you cleaned up.
***
After Coraline has showered and dressed, she ate very little of the pizza they'd ordered (Charlie torched the homemade pizza) and went upstairs. Charlie learned from Mel what happened.
"Oh, my twitchy witchy girl,
I think you are so nice,
I give bowls of ice-
Cream!
I give you lots of kisses,
I give lots of hugs,
But I never give you sandwiches with grease and worms and mung
Beans!"
He tucked Coraline in and said, "You know, if this was you worst day, then every other day is just going to be better."
Coraline smiled. "Tomorrow's a new day," she thought to herself contently.
I LIKE PIE!
I too, like pie!
I KNOW!