Peanut Butter Jealousy

“Have you ever tried peanut butter?” said Lucy to her friend Megan.

Megan bounced in her seat, with lucy sitting across from her. “Yes! I got some from the guy who made it. His name is Marcellus Edson.”

Lucy widened her eyes. “Really!”

“I met him at the medicine store. He’s nice,” said Megan. “Hey! Maybe if go to him, he will give us some.”

Suddenly, there was the sound of a bell. The two young friends jumped up.

“School is done. Let’s go!” said Megan.

“Shouldn’t we ask our parents’?”

“I’ll just tell the headmaster we are going to the library. He usually stands outside his house next to mine smoking his pipe. He will tell our parents. My mom is friends with your mother. She will tell your mom,” said Megan.

“There is the headmaster!” Lucy said, pointing to a man.

The girls ran to the headmaster and halted before him. “May we go to the library for an hour or so?”

The headmaster smiled warmly. “Of course, my dears. I will tell your parents.”

“Thank you!” Lucy and Megan said in unison.

They ran off to a door at the other end of the hallway and burst through it, escaping into the bright sunny day, dotted with white clouds in the sky.

They walked at a quick pace to the drug store and in fifteen short minutes, they arrived and entered the building.

A man in a suite with a white beard looked at Lucy. “Hello Lucy. Is this friend of yours?”

“Yes. May we have some peanut butter?” asked Lucy.

“I will be right back,” said Marcellus as he walked into a back room and retrieved a jar of peanut butter. “Here, girls.”

“Thank you!” said Lucy as she and Megan ran back outside.

“We shouldn’t eat it in front of everyone,” said Lucy. “Let’s go into that alley.”

Both children ran into the first alley they saw. They sat against the wall and Lucy pulled off the lid. Both of them took a good sniff of the brown, pasty substance.

“It smells delicious,” said Megan. She dipped two fingers into the peanut butter and smeared it on her tongue. “I have never tasted anything like it!”

Lucy helped herself to a serving of peanut butter.

“Hello, girls,” said a boy’s voice from outside the alley.

The two friends turned to see three boys. “What have you got there?”

“None of your business, Colten! Buzz off!”

The boys stepped into the alley and Lucy and Megan stood.

“We saw you see Mr. Edson. You have peanut butter,” said Colten.

The two girls ran for the other end of the alley.

“Get them!” shouted Colten.

The three boys chased after Lucy and Megan who ran out. They were followed as they weaved in and out of crowds of people with the boys following.

“Quick! Hide under that newspaper stand!” said Megan as she and Lucy dived under the wooden kiosk. Colten and his two brutes stop right next to the hiding spot under the stand.

“Where could they be?” said one of Colten’s two lackies.

“They could be anywhere. But if we are quick enough we could hide for them at the outside of Lucy’s home,” said Colten.

“Why Lucy’s?” asked John.

She is the smarter of the two. You can count on it. Let’s go!”

Then the three boys ran off.

The two friends got from underneath the stand and took a deep sigh. “Thank goodness we heard them. I was going to my house, actually. We should hurry back to yours,” said Lucy.

Lucy and Megan ran to her house and barged in.

Megan’s mother smiled when she saw Lucy. “Hello,” Megan’s mother said.

“This is peanut butter, Mrs. Brown,” said Lucy. “Would you like some?”

Megan’s mother widened her eyes. “You don’t say.” The woman took a spoon from the kitchen and scooped some up and ate. “This has a unique taste.”

The gong of a grandfather clock sounded three times.

“I have a party to attend, girls. Stay as long as you like, Lucy,” said Megan’s mother as he put on a coat and stepped outside.

“You keep the peanut butter here,” said Lucy to Megan. “I will go to my house. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When Lucy made it to the street in front of her house, Colten and his two friends were waiting.

“Where is it!” demanded Colten.

“I do not have it.”

Colten sneered. “I’ll be watching for you at the old factory in front of the school and if you do not have it, I will pour grape juice onto your pretty dress!”

“Do it then! I will clock you on the noggin if you try something! Now stand aside,” said Lucy as she pushed Colten away and walked through the door of her house and closed it.

“What on Earth did I just do! I cannot believe that,” said Lucy. “I feel like a nap.” Lucy went to her bed and fell asleep all the way through the evening until morning.

Lucy awoke and ate fast breakfast and bolted out the door, on the way to school. Thirty minutes later, she passed by the old factory and sure enough, the three boys came out.

Suddenly, the headmaster called out. “Colten, John, Dave, come here!”

The boys hurried and stood before the headmaster. “I hear you have been troubling these two girls.”

“Not at all,” said Colten.

“Then why did I just see you come out from behind the old factory shed. Megan told me about your plan.”

Colten made a deep swallow.

“For your actions, you will have no peanut butter that your teacher got from Mr. Edson. Go inside you three.”

Colten, John and Dave trudged inside with their heads low.

“Sorry you had to deal with that, girls. Come inside. It is cold out.”

They followed the headmaster into the school building and the two girls and their classmates enjoyed a generous portion of Peanut Butter.”