Sarai didn’t like my hair ’s much as I did. “But ‘Rye, look! Now I can run like the boys, an’ you won’t have’ta brush it every morning!” But she shook her head and muttered about school being a bad influence. I decided it wasn’t the best time to ask if she’d buy me some shoes.

Opal an’ Jeremiah showed up at my tent just then. “Ready to play?”
I ran out before Rye had time to say anything else about my new fashion statement.

“Freeze tag!” I yelled as we crossed the field.
“Nuh-uh! Kick the can!” Jeremiah contradicted.
“We ain’t got enough for kick the can!” I told him.
“Not enough for tag, either!”
“Yuh-huh!”
“What about homework?” Opal asked. She can be a bit of a priss sometimes.
“Screw homework!” I yelled, even though I knew Rye and Lillyann hate that word. I don’ see what’s wrong with it.

The field doesn’t really belong to New Hope, but no one cares. It use’ta be corn, but no one farms it anymore, so us kids play on it. Every here ‘n there there’s some old cornstalks, so it’s awesome for forts ‘n stuff.