When Katie came clunking into Ms. Barrow's classroom, everyone turned and stared.
She was wearing Western boots, jeans, and a cowgirl hat.
She had tied a scarf around her neck.
"Where's your lasso, partner?" asked Larry. Everyone laughed.
Katie turned to Joy.
"Get out the friendship meter," she said.
"I think there's some teasing going on."
"It might be friendly teasing," said Joy with a smile.
"Might be," said Katie.
But she still didn't like it.
After lunch Ms. Barrow told Katie it was time for her presentation.
"Finally!" she thought, walking to the front of the room. "Howdy, everyone."
Then she asked the kids to think of different kinds of exercise.
"You shout them out.
I'll write them on the board."
"Baseball," said Carlos.
"Biking," said Laura.
"Swimming," said Luke.
Katie wrote as fast as she could.
"I'll help you write," offered Olivia and hopped up from her desk.
"Olivia and Katie are becoming good friends," thought Joy.
The boys and girls continued: basketball, rock climbing, skateboarding, tennis, hiking, running.
Soon the whiteboard was covered.
"Nobody has mentioned my favorite kind of exercise—dancing!" said Katie.
"Yuck," said Larry.
"I've been studying muscles," Katie said to Larry.
"It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown.
So relax and SMILE!
Dancing is fun!
Now let's push back the desks and square-dance!"
Joy stepped to the front of the room.
Luke and Carlos slowly followed her.
"These are my helpers," said Katie.
"We'll show you the basic steps.
And don't worry. Square dancing isn't hard.
"You'll do great," she whispered to Luke and Carlos.
She knew they weren't very happy about dancing in front of everyone.
But they were good friends.
It was nice of them to help her.
"First, honor your partner," Katie called out.
"Then circle left and circle right. Easy!"
"We have to hold hands with the girls?" cried Larry.
Katie pretended not to hear.
Katie and her helpers showed how to skip to the center and promenade.
They showed how to swing your partner.
"Just hook elbows and go!" said Joy.
"That's it!" said Katie.
"Who wants to try the first dance?
Come on, Laura and Larry! Come on, Olivia!"
Katie arranged eight dancers in a square.
"What about you?" Larry asked.
"Me?" said Katie. "I'm the square-dance caller!"
Then she started the music.
"Honor your partner!" called Katie as the first notes played.
"Circle left!" The eight dancers grabbed hands and started circling.
All join hands and circle left.
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
"Good job! Now circle right!" called Katie.
The other way back in the same old track.
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
"Now promenade!"
Skip, skip, skip to my Lou.
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
"Promenade back with an elbow swing!"
Turn it 'round and skip back home.
When you get home, swing your own.
Skip to my Lou, my darling.
When the music stopped, everyone was laughing.
"That was wonderful, Katie!" cried Ms. Barrow, clapping her hands.
"And Joy, you really know how to keep the beat!"
"I think we need to try again," said Katie with a smile.
"Let's have two squares.
Anyone who hasn't danced, join in this time!"
The boys and girls scrambled into place.
Katie put one arm around Luke and the other around Carlos.
"Thanks for helping, you guys.
You are the best friends anyone could ask for!"