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Then he narrowed his eyes and added, “Your mom’s been calling my mom a lot lately, actually. At first
     I figured she wanted to know how I was doing. Turns out, she was asking my mom for advice about selling your house!”
    Julian’s face turned hot with embarrassment. “Um, yeah, I meant to tell you—”
    “—that you’re moving on Saturday?” Barry cut in. “So I hear. But not from you!”
    “I’m sorry, Barry. I should have told you,” Julian admitted. “But I’ve been sort of denying it myself, I guess. Moving away
     wasn’t my idea, after all!”
    “Really?” Barry said. “It was such a lousy idea, I figured it
had
to be yours!”
    Julian aimed a swing at Barry’s head. Barry ducked, laughing, and then called out, “Which one of you is going to get me some
     ice cream?”
    “I’ll get it,” Grady said, hopping to his feet.
    “Thanks. I’ll have—”
    “—a double scoop of lemon sherbet with hot caramel and whipped cream,” Julian and Grady said together.
    “How’d you know?” Barry asked.
    Grady rolled his eyes. “You get the same disgusting combination every time,” he said. “Be right back.”
    Be right back. See you in a few. I’ll be over soon.
As of Saturday, Julian would no longer be saying any of those things to anyone here. Because he’d be moving away that day,
     to a town where he knew exactly no one.

6
    T he next three days were a flurry of activity for Julian. On Thursday, he cleaned out his desk and his locker and said good-bye
     to all his teachers and classmates. He didn’t go to school on Friday. Instead, he and his sister stayed home to help their
     mother pack up the last of their belongings.
    “It’s weird being home when everyone else is in school,” Megan said as she taped up a box of books in the living room.
    “Yeah, I feel like I should have a fever or something,” Julian agreed. He reached for a stack of CDs.
    Megan glanced at their mother, who was talking on the phone, and then leaned toward Julian. “I don’t know about you,” she
     said in a low voice, “but I feel sick when I imagine walking into the new school our first day.”
    Julian knew exactly what she meant. Every time he thought about being the new kid, his stomach somersaulted like an Olympic
     gymnast going for a gold medal.
    Mrs. Pryce hung up the phone. “So,” she said brightly, “how are things going? Need any more packing supplies?”
    “No,” both Julian and Megan replied.
    “Okay, then!” Mrs. Pryce bent down to pick up the box of books Megan had just taped shut. But when she lifted it, the bottom
     flaps tore open. Books rained down on the floor below.
    “Oh, no!” Megan cried. “I’m sorry, Mom! I guess I packed it too full.” She hurried over to clean up the mess.
    Mrs. Pryce didn’t move. She just stood there, holding the broken box. Then finally she shook her head. “It’s okay, Megan,
     just leave it for now. Come on, you two, let’s go to the kitchen and have a snack and a chat.”
    Julian and Megan followed their mother into the kitchen. Much of that room had already been packed, but Mrs. Pryce found a
     stack of paper plates and some cups. She put cookies on one plate and filled three cups with lemonade. That was the snack—but
     the chat didn’t come as quickly. Instead, the only sounds in the kitchen were the crunch of cookie and the slurp of lemonade.
    Finally, Mrs. Pryce said, “I know this move is tough on you guys. Believe me, if there was any way we could stay here, we
     would. But we can’t. Dad’s new job is just too far away. If we didn’t move, he’d be on the road for more than three hours
     each day. And that’s three hours he wouldn’t have to spend with us.”
    Julian was about to say that he understood when there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it,” he said.
    When he opened the door he was surprised to find Barry and Mrs. Streeter on the other side. He stepped aside to let them in.
     “What’re you doing here?” he