Story 1
Two friends’ backpacks are accidently switched, switched back, switched, and switched back again without them knowing it.
Can You Smell Those CDs?
Alfie walked into math class and sat down next to Jenna. He was wearing his new shirt and hoped Jenna would like it.
Jenna smiled at him and said, “Hey, you! Nice shirt!”
Alfie said, “Thanks.…” But inside, he was shouting, “Yes! She likes it!”
Jenna said, “Do you have that CD you were going to make for me?”
Alfie was still thinking about his shirt and did not hear Jenna.
Jenna laughed and said, “Alfie, did you hear me? Do you have my CD?”
Alfie opened his backpack and reached in to get the CD. He looked in his math book and in all the pockets. He thought about where he had put it. He looked in his math book again. He bit his lips and frowned.
Jenna watched him. Then she said, “Alfie, didn’t you make it?”
Alfie’s eyes opened wide. He kept looking for the CD and said, “Yes, I did make it. But, it doesn’t seem to be here. I know I put it in here.”
Jenna’s happy look was gone. She said, “Alfie, that is what you said yesterday. You aren’t really going to make it for me, are you?”
Alfie grit his teeth. His lips hardly moved as he said, “I told you I made it. And, I put it in my backpack.”
Jenna slowly said, “OK. Calm down. If you put it in your backpack, it must be there.”
Alfie threw his backpack in front of Jenna. He growled, “Fine! You find it.”
Jenna carefully looked through the backpack. Finally, she said, “It’s not here, Alfie.”
“No kidding? Did you think I couldn’t see? I know it isn’t there. I made one two days ago. I put it in my backpack to give you. But it wasn’t there yesterday when I went to get it. So, I made another one last night. I put it in my backpack for today. So, where are they?” Alfie asked.
Jenna looked back at the backpack. She sniffed a couple of times. Then she asked, “What’s that smell?”
“What do you mean? What smell?” Alfie asked.
Jenna gave the backpack back to him. She said, “Smell inside your backpack. What is that?”
Alfie put his face in his backpack and smelled. “Well,” he said, “It smells like fresh paint.”
“That’s what I thought,” Jenna said. “Why would your backpack smell like fresh paint? Do you have something in there that you just painted?”
“No, I don’t. The last time I painted was in grade school. My work wasn’t worth keeping!” Alfie said. “I’m not sure why it smells like that. I don’t remember it smelling like that before.”
Kara came into the room and sat down beside Jenna. She put her head in her hands and started to cry.
Jenna said, “What’s wrong, Kara?”
Kara said, “Well, I’m going to get an F in art class. I did my project last night, but it isn’t in my backpack. My teacher doesn’t believe I did it. So, she says I get an F on it.”
Jenna said, “What’s going on with backpacks? Alfie says the CDs he put in his backpack just disappeared, too. And, for some reason, his backpack smells like paint.”
Kara stopped crying. “CDs? There are two CDs in my backpack. I don’t know where they came from.”
Alfie was listening now, too. He said, “Let me see those CDs.”
Kara pulled the CDs out and handed them over.
Alfie took them, looked at Jenna, and said, “Look, Jenna! They say ‘Fun Mix for Jenna.’ I told you I made two of them!”
Jenna smiled at Alfie. Then she looked at Kara and said, “Why do you have Alfie’s CDs?”
Kara said, “I have no idea. Did you say your backpack smells like paint? Let me see it!” She reached in and took out his math book. Stuck to the back cover was a painting. It was dry enough not to smear, but wet enough to stick. “My project!” Kara said as she ran out of the room with it.
“Whoa,” Alfie said, “I didn’t even see that picture stuck to my math book.”
“Well, Kara sure is glad it was there!” Jenna said. “Did you know you two have the same backpack? How do you think you switched them—twice?”
“We put our stuff together in the gym before and after school at track practice. I guess we were talking and not looking. I’m so glad I’ve got my own backpack now!” Alfie said.
“Me, too! I’ll love these CDs. Thanks a lot!” Jenna said as she smiled and slipped the two CDs into her backpack.
What do you think?
- Which item from the story do you think it would make the most sense to keep for years: Alfie’s backpack, Jenna’s two CDs, or Kara’s art project? Explain.
- As a rule, it is not OK to look through someone else’s backpack. Why was it OK for Jenna to look through Alfie’s backpack?
What would you do?
- What is one thing Jenna said that showed she had lost patience with Alfie and did not believe him?
